Day 1

Good morning,

I have to confess something to you! I was being very naughty! My egoïsm made me go visit my girlfriend and my godson! “So what?” I hear you think… That’s only three people in total! Is the child younger than 13? Two people is Ok! Nothing going on here. Don’t be stupid! C’mon, girl!

The thing is… they live close to Bremen! Germany! Which has been declared as a code orange area since last week…

So – I feel the need to give my excuses to the rest of the human race! I am one of those… one of those people! I am the reason why the rest of you has to suffer in pain – only because I felt the need to see my godchild and spend his second birthday with him. I have been seduced to go visit him by my love for him….

It’s getting worse still! I voluntarily went into isolation for 14 days in Germany instead of getting tested! I did not get tested because I live and work in a risk area outside of Germany and have no symptoms whatsoever at all… I’m very sorry for this, too…

Yet… those are not the only crimes I have committed so far! I am also one of those antisocial people that cannot wear a mask! Because of so called psychological reasons… I mean, really? Why not train myself into putting one on… neglect my panic attacks! Never again leave the house! Get my groceries delivered! Oh no – I am too recalcitrant and antisocial that I feel the need to see my friends… walk into stores without wearing a mask… Yet again I am truly sorry that I’m causing the rest of you so much pain!

Yesterday I got back from Germany (a risk area) to the Netherlands (another risk area). And because I went to a Germany (risk area) I will have to go into isolation again – this time for ten days. Serves me right! Really! It’s a just punishment for my reckless actions!

Right now I’m sitting at my computer. The first cup of coffee is standing right in front of me. Groceries for ten days have been partly done (dont’ worry, I bought those in Germany), partly ordered online. My tobacco is almost gone…

What to do with all that free time? Well, write my blog, for instance. Make music. Read. Watch some series. Stare out of my window at my “tiny garden”… put up some “to do” lists…

Isolation or Quarantine?

As I lay in bed this morning I was thinking – what exactly is the difference between the words Isolation and Quarantine?

I always thought that you went into quarantine if you have a super contagious illness. Like, Cholera, you know? Heard that that was pretty bad to have… So, to protect those around you, you gotta avoid any contact to those around you and stay at home or – if you are really sick – go to the hospital… quarantine…

And isolation, or such I thought, means having no symptoms – thus, not being sick. But that there is a chance on contamination. Very bad for others, too!

Nowadays it seems that those definition have changed. Or, maybe, that I have been wrong. It happens all the time, no big news…

The GGD (Dutch Health Department) says:

“Isolatie is een maatregel voor iemand met ziekteverschijnselen. Diegene moet geïsoleerd worden van anderen zodat hij de ziekte niet verder kan verspreiden. Hij verblijft dus in afzondering.”

Isolation is a measure for someone with symptoms of illness. The person must be isolated from others so that he cannot spread the disease further. So he remains in isolation.

“Quarantaine is [dus] een maatregel voor mensen die contact hebben gehad met een positief geteste persoon, maar (nog) niet ziek zijn.”

Quarantine is therefore a measure for people who have had contact with a positive person, but are not (yet) ill.

DocCheck.com says:

“Als Isolierung bezeichnet man die Abtrennung, Extraktion oder Absonderung im weitesten Sinne. Um eine Übertragung von Krankheitserregern zu verhindern, nutzt man in der klinischen Medizin z.B. Isolierstationen zur räumlichen Trennunginfektiöser Patienten von ihrer Umwelt mit dem Ziel, eine Weiterverbreitung der Erreger zu verhindern (siehe auch: Quarantäne) bzw. immungeschwächter Patienten von potentiellen Erregerquellen, um sie vor Infektionen zu schützen (siehe auch: Immunsuppression).”

“Isolation is the separation, extraction or secretion in the broadest sense. To prevent the transmission of pathogens, in clinical medicine, for example, isolation wards are used to physically separate infectious patients from their environment with the aim of preventing the pathogen from spreading (see also: quarantine) or immunocompromised patients from potential sources of pathogens in order to protect them from infections (see also: immunosuppression). “

“Die Quarantäne ist eine zeitliche Absonderung von Personen mit bestimmten Infektionskrankheitenoder krankheitsverdächtigen Personen von der übrigen Bevölkerung als Schutzmaßnahme gegen Einschleppung und Verbreitung der betreffenden Infektion.”

Quarantine is a temporary separation of people with certain infectious diseases or suspected diseases from the rest of the population as a protective measure against the introduction and spread of the infection in question.

Hmm… still no clue! I decided for myself to be in isolation! It sounds very naughty and negative! I love that! I mean, such as I said before: it’s my own fault that I am locked up at home for ten days! Isolated from the rest of human kind…

Oh! My wash is done!

See y’all later!

03:18 p.m.

Still have not hung my wash to dry… so what? Got all the time in the world! Been working on my homepage for the last five hours! Just won’t work! I guess I’m to dumb to get it right…

Oh well, it’s gonna be fine, ten days to go! Now I sit here – fourth cup of coffie in front of me and ask myself: “What to do, what to do?”

Already had messages from five different people today! So cool, right? My boss, a colleague of mine, Johan from Groningen and Anna from Münster (MS), Regina (mother of my godchild). They got no reason to worry about me, yet! Mood is good.

While I am writing this I wonder: why not put down a scale showing the level of my mood, desperation and frustration? I mean, you don’t have to read this blog! I can just spam it however I want to! So, here it comes:

On a scale from 1 (dark, black, black, black) to 10 (WHOOHOO, life is awesome):

Mood: 9

And from 0 (niks, niënte, nada, nothing) to 10 (oh… oh… oh…):

Desperation: 0

Frustration: 2

It’s cold… gotta put on more clothes…

See y’all later!

03:55 p.m.

Five minutes to go! Then I’m allowed to have my first glas of red wine! Yaaay! Am I getting bored already?

Tomorrow I’ll get my groceries delivered! It’s gonna be such an exciting day! Got singing lessons, too – yes, indeed online!

Four more minutes… frustration level rising… people wishing me strength.. sending pictures from the world outside my pink bubble… I look at my front door… it is closed…

Anna – one of the character’s from the musical I am writing with a friend of mine – is sitting on my couch. She is drinking Wodka. Now and then she looks out of the window, watching people passing by – making funny comments…

One minute…

Four o’clock! Yes!

Cheers and see y’all later!

06.47 p.m.

I wonder…

… why can’t I concentrate on the serie I’m watching?

… was it a good plan to order in or should I just have cooked my meal at home?

… what am I doing to do with my trash?

… how many peanuts can and am I allowed to eat per day?

… why is that guy in my serie walking around with all those tires?

… will my food arrive on time?

… do I have enough tobacco to get me through tonight?

… will Dennis buy more tobacco for me?

… should I ask Anna-MS (not the one on my couch, doh!) to spend isolation here with me?

… how many glasses of red wine did I have so far?

… did I mention that I hung up my wash to dry?

See y’all later!

07:38 p.m.

Food arrived on time. But yummy is a different thing… why use so much oil? And salt? Should cook myself from now on. Got all the time in the world to do so!

See y’all later!

08:29 p.m.

Is it the wine or me?

“I sense dark thoughts creeping up on me from the shadows…”

Ms. Cleo

When I stop to think about my current situation… it’s the first day. I have been in isolation for 27 hours now… still eight days and 21 hours to go.

Maybe I should just stop thinking? How am I gonna do that? Was it a good idea to start this journal? Should I have not just locked myself into my pink bubble – blblblbl… am I gonna make it? What’s the alternative?

Mood: 9

Desperation: 1

Frustration: 3

See y’all later!

11:59 p.m.

Whoopsie! Just on time to close the first day!

Thanks for reading and see y’all later!

Yours,

the Girl with Goat Wool Socks