Where Were You?
Where were you when The Pandemic "hit"?
Where were you emotionally, physically, spiritually?
Where are you now?
I was. . .I Am Still...
A bit of background information:
I arrived in Indonesia for what I thought was going to be a three-week vacation; and my FIRST solo trip! I was living and working in China and we had three weeks off for the Chinese New Year/Spring Break. On the morning of my 12 day in Indonesia I received an email from the U.S. State Department SMART Traveler's program:
"Health Alert: U.S. Embassy Beijing, January 30, 2020
Location: Wuhan, Hankou area
Event: On January 29, 2020, the Department allowed for the voluntary departure of non-emergency personnel and family members of U.S. government employees.
There is an ongoing outbreak of a respiratory illness first identified in Wuhan, China, caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. In an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have suspended air and rail travel in the area around Wuhan.
· The Department of State will be staging additional evacuation flights with capacity for private U.S. citizens on a reimbursable basis, leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on or about February 3, 2020. Interested U.S. citizens in possession of valid passports should contact CoronaVirusEmergencyUSC@State.gov with the information listed below. There is no need to call to confirm receipt of your email; you will be contacted.
o Full name:
o U.S. passport number:
o DOB:
o Gender:
o Email Address:
o Phone Number:
o Chinese Visa Type, Number, and Expiration Date:
· Individuals who avail themselves of this transport will be subject to CDC screening, health observation, and monitoring requirements. For additional questions, we refer you to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Chinese authorities have imposed strict travel restrictions in the area around Wuhan. Travelers should be aware that the Chinese government could prevent them from entering or exiting parts of Hubei province.
CDC: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Warning Level 3 Alert (Avoid Nonessential Travel) for all of China due to the ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that can be spread from person to person.
If you are in China, you should:
· Avoid contact with sick people.
· Avoid animals (alive or dead), animal markets, and products that come from animals (such as uncooked meat).
· Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Please see https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/novel-coronavirus-china and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/novel-coronavirus-2019.html for further updates."
Not scheduled to return until 8 February 2020; my life would change in ways over the next seven (7) months and counting, that I could not have scripted; yet . . .have caused me to FOCUS on Life After the Pandemic.
The Great Awakening
I have been talking to people about preparing for the "New Normal: Life After the Pandemic". As depicted on the header of this blog post; this time is either a Great Awakening and Emergence out of "Caves" of Endless Pursuits. . .Chasing "Bags" OR. . .well, only You, the Individual Knows.