Week 1 — Hotel Quarantine

Hello and welcome to the beginning of my London journey.

I have had a rather irregular introduction to London. Due to my flying in from a “red-listed country”, I am legally obliged to complete a mandatory 10-day-long hotel quarantine on my arrival in the United Kingdom (thanks again Covid-19) — of which I am currently on Day 7 of.

The prospect of isolating for 10 days in a 2-star airport hotel room had been an extremely upsetting subject matter in the weeks leading up to my departure — Especially due to my birthday falling under this quarantine period. I had a very depressing image of myself in mind — Me, stood alone in a small, dark room sipping a glass of cheap wine, wearing a wilting party hat on my head and multi-coloured balloons wining to deflation in the background. Ridiculous, I know - But I do tend towards the dramatic. Alas, there was no alternative option.

I think my extremely low expectations have inevitably been to my benefit, however, as the experience has not been half as bad as I had expected it to be.

The room allocated to me is comfortable and clean — a double bed, a desk and a desk chair, temperamental wifi connection, an empty mini-fridge and an outstanding view of Heathrow Airport — all in all, the room and the hotel are not anything to write home about but, pleasant enough. The staff are friendly and helpful, the food is extremely edible (and this is coming from a picky-eater of note), and you are allowed to walk in circles in the parking lot at your leisure.

My days here have gone by extremely quickly — working remotely from the hotel room, video calls with friends and family, and organising a SIM card, a bank account, a NI number — By the time the evenings have come, I have been too exhausted to do anything but sleep. In a way, I am thankful for the time I have had to myself to properly process this huge change in my life (starting my professional career and emigrating to the UK), before I am released back into the big, wide world.

My birthday consisted of video calls, opening pre-packed presents, surprise deliveries, cupcakes and, of course, lots of wine! Celebrating a birthday in such a manner did make me appreciate all the calls, posts that much more. I was still made to feel extremely special and grateful.

The quarantine period has definitely had its ups and downs. However, as an unavoidable stepping-stone to my future personal and professional life — it has been worth every minute and penny spent.

Bring on Day 10!