Quarantine in Hong Kong
By Kevin Lau
Walking down the loud and crowded streets of Hong Kong, a visitor smells a variety of food, sees many shops, and is surrounded by everyone. Everyone walking around is sweating like crazy. The weather is crazy. It could be one hundred degrees while raining, then a few moments later, it is like a desert, and smells like everyone's sweat. There are many streets full of sneakers, electronics, toys, and many food streets. It is an enjoyable place to be. Most people in the city can speak English. Hong Kong’s transportation is great, it makes it so that you don’t need a car to travel; in my opinion, their transports are some of the best in the world. The city is never off, and there is something to do 24/7. Since the city is so alive, it is safe. There won't be a homeless man on the street, and the police are everywhere. Most of my family live there, so that's why I visit the city every year.
Due to pandemic, Hong Kong has been shut down since the pandemic started. I was in San Francisco at the time. However, the government recently lifted the mandate for hotel quarantine, causing more tourists to start returning. For the past 3 years, Hong Kong has been a dead city; businesses are shutting down left and right due to the lack of visitors. I’ve revisited Hong Kong twice since Covid, and the city has changed significantly.
In 2021, we went back since we have not seen family for a long time, and we usually go back at least twice a year, but because of COVID, we could not. There was only one hotel available, Mandarin Oriental, and it’s the fanciest hotel in Hong Kong. But since I had to stay 21 days, it was not so fancy in my eyes. We flew back three weeks before my sixth-grade year ended. Before I could fly back to Hong Kong, I had to take a COVID test. Our flight back was normal, and it took 13 hours. When we landed, it was a hot mess.
Once I got off the plane, we rode a train to the end of the terminal to line up, and check our passports. My Mom, Dad and I walked from one side to the other. The saddest process was boring and odd. Everyone was silent. Then we sat down and waited seven hours for a covid test. It was super boring since there was no internet and no food. The chair felt like sitting on a wall. There was complete silence in the airport terminal, and it was awkward. It looked like mummies sitting in a chair, and I was the only person looking at my phone. After I received a covid test, we walked to the bus terminal to go to our quarantine hotel.
The bus ride was fun and stressful because I could see the outside world, I could smell, and see, but I couldn't go, but I could see the streets I walked on before. I asked myself, “Why am I here, and should I have come back? Would this be a good idea? Will I make it?” Once we got to the hotel, many people helped us to get our luggage to our room, and once we entered the room, we couldn't leave. Once I got into the room, I said, “We are here, and we are stuck.” The only way was to stay. There was no other option. No quitting in the middle of it. Every day in our room was Groundhog Day.
Every day I would wake up at midnight, and go to school. Every day my parents will say “Good morning” when it is midnight. I would brush my teeth during a class when a teacher forgot to open zoom, and I would just be looking around on my computer. The school was depressing, since no one was on zoom, and I could see everyone having fun outside, while I was stuck in the hotel. I tried not to think about breathing fresh air, but I couldn't help myself. It was painful watching people breathe the air outside, while I’m stuck inside. Zoom School would end at six in the morning, and I would watch the city get brighter, and I could sit at the window for hours. I usually started working out at nine, showered at ten, and watch the NBA playoffs. I would find things to do, and let myself go when I'm bored. Since this was a five-star hotel, they had food given to us every day, but some days, the food was mild. I expected great food, but it was underwhelming.
On the tenth day, I finished working out, and I went to the window and almost smashed it. I didn’t know why I wanted to do it, but I just felt like it. I wanted fresh air, but I knew I still had 11 more days. I tried to never think about how many days we have left, but time passes by very quickly when I keep myself company. Every day, my family and I would watch basketball, then watch a classic movie, then go to bed. When I watched basketball, I could scream “Let's go!” and make my parents go crazy.
This year 2022, the quarantine was only seven days, which was excellent, but still not exciting. The airport experience was almost identical. Since I didn’t have school, I met with my tutor every day to work on high school essays. We would meet for an hour, then I would eat, watch something on my computer and play mini-basketball. This time, I brought a mini basketball hoop, and I played on it every day. I hoped no one was on the floor below us because I played a lot. These seven days felt better since I knew it was going to be faster. But the food was horrendous. They forgot to cook the meat for most of our meals, and we just ordered our food, like Mcdonald's, or KFC or our family will bring out some food they made. At the end of our quarantine, we had lots of uneaten boxes of horrendous food. It should have been given to people in need, but it was wasted on people who can afford meals. A rule to all quarantine hotels was everything that goes into the hotel room, it can't come out. During this time, I fell in love with the school and found out how much I like it, and how boring it was on the weekend.
Once the 21 and the seventh days were over, we left the hotel at 12:01, but you could not leave at 12, because you had to stay for 21 days, which made my dad mad since one minute didn’t matter. Once we got out and did our last covid test, we saw our family and the outside. It was a crazy experience, but It taught me a different side of the world.
The day has come, and I couldn't wait. I scream “Let's Go!” I think of seeing people, and smelling the fresh air in a few minutes. But these few minutes feel like forever. The moment came, and the call read, “You can come down, and bring all your stuff.” My family jumps out the door, runs to the elevator and makes it to the lobby. I’m holding two basketballs and dribbling down the elevator, not caring what other people think. They tell me to stop, but I ignore them. Outside, my family smelled the polluted air full of car exhaust, but I didn’t care. It is air. This experience felt the same every time, freedom, and it felt great. I felt relieved and excited to continue with the time I have.
Once we left the hotel, I had to go straight to my grandparent's place, and I hopped on to join the Zoom call for school. during our two and a half month's stay. My favorite part of the summer was every Sunday when I would head out on a family's boat, and take a little ride on it. My favorite part is driving the boat, and almost going full speed. We also ate a lot. when you're in Hong Kong, just text you at breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, tea, then dinner. Every day, I'll be so full. Flying back was a lot easier. There was no quarantine, and once he got off the plane, it was completely normal in the Bay Area.
This experience made me appreciate how free home was, and how both countries are so much different. It changed how I view China and made me appreciate the time with my family.
