What to expect during quarantine

Programs for this blog post

Teach in Thailand Program

Authored By:

Kelly P.

If you're reading this, hopefully it means you will be embarking on your new journey to Thailand shortly! Unfortunately, foriengers arriving to Thailand are still required to quarantine before going to their final destination. Great news, I recently completed a 14 day quarantine in an ASQ hotel so I want to share my experience so you have an idea of what to expect! Your experience may or may not be similar to mine but I just wanted to share my experience with you. 

General Information:

For our group in December, we were required a covid test upon arrival, one on day 5 and day 13. I wish I could say it wasn't bad... but it was far from enjoyable. We had a nasal swab in both nostrils and a throat swab for each test. On a postive note, we got to interact with other humans which was so nice! 

We were given a thermometer upon arrival and we were required to take our temperature in the morning and evening then text the hotel nurse our temperature. 

Unfortunately, Disney Plus doesn't work in Thailand but you will have access to Netflix but it is the Thailand Netflix which is a little different than the one from home. 

Food:

Each day, you will select your food options for the following day. You will recieve 3 meals a day that include a drink, main course, and a dessert. We had 3 options for each meal to choose from and a whole list of drinks and dessert. Of course, the first few days I chose the American option for each meal.... and I was a little disappointed. I had to remind myself that the American option was probably the least tasty because it is not a food they are used to cooking. 

Try different meal choices because many of the food options will be different than what you expect. You are alone and close to a toilet 24/7 so it's a good time to experiment with new food incase your stomach doesn't feel great after. Recieving the food was my favorite part of the day because I never remembered what I ordered the night before or what the option was going to taste like. The hotel employees will drop off the food on a table outside your door then knock on your door. It was always exciting when you heard knocks on the door! 

Packing tips for quarantine:

Quarantine can be quite boring especially if you don't love being alone. I packed a few items that were essential and kept me sane during quarantine. Here are a few things I packed that came in handy.

-Snacks. There were a few food choices that I didn't particulary enjoy and I didn't have any other option of food at the time.  It will be helpful if you bring a few snacks just incase you don't like the choice you made. I brought peanut butter for any bread option on the menu, small bags of cereal because I could order milk at any meal, oatmeal, and granola bars.

-1,000 piece puzzle. I know this sounds crazy but it was brilliant. It kept me occupied for quite some time and it was a nice way to help pass time.

- Resistance bands. I tried to workout each night to give me something to do and having resistance bands helped me with that. I also watched some workout videos on Youtube but the bands were light, didn't take up much room in my suitcase and helped intensify my workouts. 

- Laundry soap. I brought a travel size bottle of laundry soap and it came in handy multiple times. I had to hand wash my clothes in the sink a few times and having the soap made it a lot better. Most hotels you can pay for laundry but it was so expensive. 

-Activity books. I brought some Sudoko/ word search books that came in handy. 

-A small journal and pens to take notes during orientation.

My advice:

Try to keep a routine each day. It will help your days go by quicker and your mental health will benefit from it. You will attend orientation on Zoom most days which helps with the routine but I don't advise you to lay around and watch netflix all day in bed because your days will go by so slowly. 

At most hotels, you are able to schedule rooftop time or garden time after a certain amount of days being covid free. We tried to schedule our time with other OEGs so that we had human interaction. If possible, try to scheudle with someone else because it's so nice to see other human beings! Also, some of the OEGs were able to request a yoga mat for their room and some even got their room cleaned when they were able to go to the rooftop. You are able to order snacks from the front desk for an additonal fee. 

I began writing a blog in quarantine to update all my family and friends that were interested in my journey to Thailand. I have been able to continue blogging since leaving quarantine because I know it will be a great way to keep track of all my memories and I'll be able to look back on it when I leave. 

I recommended downloading the Marco Polo app before arriving and having your closest family and friends do it too. The Line app is also a great one to download because you will use it every single day as your text messaging app. 

 

Try to stay positive and be excited for what life will be like when you get out of quarantine!