7th of May, the day I was supposed to fly back home. I had 40 days left when I flew back from Melbourne last minute. Most of the trip home, kind of went right passed me. Not only because I had missed a night of sleep, but everything had happened so fast and unexpectedly that I just didn't quite get it, I couldn't process it and I was sure something would go wrong and I would get stuck somewhere. The layover in Indonesia was long and then even longer when the flight was delayed, it was the same area that I was with my mom last year, waiting for our flight home. It's was all too weird, I had a 10 day train trip planned through Java by myself until one of my friends would meet me in Yogyakarta and we would have 8 days on Java doing all sorts of things and end our time with a few relaxing days on Bali. My mom would then fly in the day my friend flew out and we would spend 2 weeks together in Bali, just…chilling. And I would meet a colleague there when my mom left and end up in Bangkok before flying home, as usual. I would have a few beers with another friend from home that just happened to be there (again, as usual) and then fly to Amsterdam, take the train to Arnhem and arrive around midnight, have a beer at a local bar and then go home.
That's what could and probably would have been, but we all know what happened, sweet, sweet Corona. And so this is how I actually spend my last 40 days...
I arrived on a Sunday, had to take 2 trains back. During my transfer a woman took a few steps back when she saw me with my backpack. I slept like a baby on my second flight, I never sleep much on flights, let alone most of it! Even one of the passenger in my row said WOW, it's amazing that you can sleep this much. And arriving in Amsterdam, I was kind of well rested and I just smiled. I was back and the sun was shining. I refused to take my flipflops off until I got home (always do), even when my toes are about to freeze off. My mom met me at the train station in Arnhem with a bag of groceries (including toilet paper haha), total surprise. She put the bag down, took a few steps back so I could pick up the bag from the floor and we went our separate ways to our buses. I got home, unpacked, did my laundry, cleaned up, again, as usual. And went to the supermarket to stock up. I always have lots of everything at home..but I finished all I had or gave it to friends and family before I left. Not thinking I would come back in a time where I would actually need all of it. But luckily there was still plenty of food and stuff in the supermarkets. The weather had turned that day and it was cold and grey outside and I didn't have internet or tv yet so I felt bored…I remember thinking that and that it was going to be a loooong month. I then went to bed at a normal time.
I went to the office the next day to pick up my laptop and started working straight away. No more actual meetings, everything happened online. I wasn't allowed back in the office for the next 14days, even though there was nobody there. But alright. Because I wasn't supposed to be back this early, I was still waiting to be hooked up to the internet and have tv again. I think they hooked me up by the end of the week, wootwoot! And so before they did, I went to bed pretty early every night, I didn't have much else to do at night. During the day, I worked and after, tried to figure out my cancelled flight, insurances, etc. (still not quite done with that). The weather has also been pretty darn good and so I went to my mom's house a lot and worked on her back yard after work or during the weekend for a couple of weeks. And if I wasn't there, I did groceries or worked on my own home improvements. This time at 'home', this Corona-situation, has turned me into a gardener, a painter, a builder, anything that needed hands on work.
And it's funny how easy we get used to new situations, standing in line for instance. Which I think it really good, it teaches people patience. And I must say with all my projects and work going on, I haven't really felt the need to see people or go out and do stuff. I saw my mom a lot, my sisters once or twice (separate) and went on a walk twice with a friend. And it's all been enough. I've had no human physical contact, no hugs, no hands shakes, no nothing. And it's funny to watch tv and see all this still going on, thinking we can't do any of that anymore (for now anyway), so yeah it's like a new world and it's fascinating.
I have felt bursting with energy mostly every day. I think I set one alarm since I got back, but woke up before 8am every day. These last 40 days have actually been really really good, outside of the health issues I've had (none of which are Corona related btw) but none of them stopped me from doing whatever. Except for one day, last Tuesday, a national holiday of all days..but yeah, I feel at ease, I feel happy, I feel really good. And I think the weather has been a huge help in all of it!!
Well, until next time, take care, be safe, lots of digital hugs :-)!
T.
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