On June, 16 2021 we finally, after 8 months landed on Mauritian soil. We were super excited to ride out the mandatory 14 day hotel quarantine at Ravenala Attitude in Balaclava and then join my parents in Tamarin. We were enjoying our initial quarantine stay, filling our days with breakfasts on the terrace, afternoon workouts and work. Delicious food choices sent to our door 3 times a day was a real novelty. Then around day 5, that all changed.
(for more information on how we are managing to stay long term as digital nomads read our latest post: Our Pandemic Journey to Mauritius)
It all started with JP feeling like he had really bad allergies which progressed into a terribly sore throat over a day or so. I was seemingly symptom free but obviously we were beginning to get worried. Mauritian quarantine rules dictate that another PCR test needs to be done on Day 7 and when that day came about, I was starting to feel mildly unwell. 24 hours after this test, we had a knock on the door and the worst was true, JP had tested positive for COVID and would be taken via ambulance to a treatment centre. Two days later once I started experiencing a sore throat, cough, mild chest pains and headaches, I too tested positive and was transferred to join JP at the Tarisa Resort in Mont Choisy (which has been converted to a temporary COVID treatment centre). At the time of our arrival, there was no clear protocol for how long we would stay, what the conditions for release would be and so we were mentally thrown into the dark.
This Pandemic has been tough on us all, in multiple ways. Most have physically and mentally struggled. We too, had been through the different levels of lockdowns, (South Africa, having one of the most restricted ones in the beginning) and have struggled with being so far away and separated from loved ones.
Nothing could mentally prepare us for this level of isolation. This is not a gripe about the protocol we had to endure nor a comment on the Mauritian government (if you are interested in the exact length of stay, medical treatment and protocols please read our post on Mauritius in Quarantine FB group: Click Here ). This is also not a montage of privileged complaints but rather our experience, our struggles and takeaways.
This is not an inspirational story of mental resilience and coming out stronger the other side, although truth be told, we did. Wish we could tell of how we over came mental blocks and came out of quarantine having achieved all our goals that we always said we would if we just had enough time. Wish we could tell you that we came out of quarantine having written a novel or learnt a new language. In fact, its rather the opposite. Looking back, I cannot quantify physical achievements that we made at all. We just survived. It is as though our minds and bodies kicked into survival mode and our bodies shut down all sense of rush and urgency. For us, this manifested in lack of motivation, zero creativity and a complete lackluster for life as we had it in there.
Yes, we had contracted COVID and our bodies needed rest. However both JP and I were extremely lucky that within 7 days of first symptoms, we both felt back to normal and had no lingering issues. So within a few days of arriving at Tarisa, we both were no longer focusing on the physical but were now facing the mental challenge of how to cope in Government Quarantine in a foreign country with no clear outline of conditions of release.
Something odd happens to your soul when its freedom is taken away, and whether or not this is necessary to serve the greater good, is not the discussion at hand here. Rather reality is, it is challenging to one’s mental state, no matter which way you look at it.
Unless you have truly been in forced prolonged quarantine, it is really not a good idea to tell someone in that situation that, ‘oh think of it as a month long relaxation holiday, or even, Wow- now you get to watch Netflix all day. Lucky you.’ Being forced to do these things, because your free will to do anything else has been removed is very different from choosing to. It’s not so much the loss of freedom at the greater sense that is the issue, but rather the small life choices that we missed. Like the ability to decide what time and what we ate, or even the fact that our door and windows were only allowed to be opened at specific times and days of our stay and having to be locked up in a room without being allowed to go outside.
Every day was hard. We found ourselves waking up and just wishing for the day to be over so that we could be closer to release. A lot of our days were spent focusing on whatever work we could manage. We had a couple of relaxed deadlines to meet and in a way, this forced productivity was a welcomed distraction. However, we are super grateful that our work commitments were not too hectic because that would have added an extra layer of stress. Towards the end, our brains felt as though they could not concentrate on even the most simplest tasks, that mental capacity was just not there.
Mostly our days were spent sleeping in (after being woken up at 5:30am for blood and PCR tests), coffee in bed with a whole load of social media scrolling, a bit of work and lunch followed by afternoons spent playing Sims, dinner and some Netflix show and then bed. Rinse and Repeat. Sounds like a dream right? But when this is being done day in, day out, confined to a 32m2 room for a MONTH, it really takes it toll.
Anger, sadness, despair and even moments of joy came and went. In the beginning we were extremely focused on the internal negativity and battles. But over time, perhaps as our mental states got tired of the justifications, we learnt not to dwell on these feelings but rather to simply acknowledge their existence and sit with them without judgement. I suppose acceptance of the situation hit and much like grief response, this was the final state of our transformation. We also gave each other emotional room to express and process individual emotions as needed and tried our best not to let this external situation creep its way into our relationship. We kept our relationship and the things that make us, us – like physical touch, playfulness and laughter at the forefront of our interactions as much as we could manage.
We realized much in our isolation. We were forced to slow down and had many conversations around how we will choose to spend our energy going forward. While we lost our love for life in those moments, upon our release we have found a new drive to pursue our dreams and live each day as we choose. There is also so much we no longer want to take for granted. We missed certain simple pleasures that really make our seemingly mundane days magical. For JP and I, we really missed the simple act of selecting and cooking our meals for the day and it became increasingly difficult to even pull up the desire to eat when we were served meat and rice for the 20th day in a row. Food is one of our greatest pleasures and we have enjoyed every self chosen and self prepared meal that we have had since our release.
Mostly our days were spent sleeping in (after being woken up at 5:30am for blood and PCR tests), coffee in bed with a whole load of social media scrolling, a bit of work and lunch followed by afternoons spent playing Sims, dinner and some Netflix show and then bed. Rinse and Repeat. Sounds like a dream right? But when this is being done day in, day out, confined to a 32m2 room for a MONTH, it really takes it toll.
During the last week of our stay. We spent each day talking about all the things we could not wait to do, like lie in the sun, pop out to the shops for sneaky treats and take long walks. It was looking toward this future that kept our minds distracted and our hope ignited.
Once we were released, it took us a over a week to readjust to our new surrounds and to reintegrate back into life. There was a real period of transition where physically we had been released, but mentally we had not. I think we needed to process what we had experienced. But once we broke free and the energy came back, it came back in full force. It’s as though our minds and bodies were running on a reserve tank, reserving energy for only the simplest tasks, like getting through the day and once we were able to full our cup up again, all the cogs starting ticking at full speed.
At the end of it all, we got through it. We experienced something that not many have had too (nor would we wish it on anyone) and it is a story and a journey we will remember for the rest of our lives. However, we have chosen to drop the animosity and trauma and to rather carry the personal lessons and realisations. We are now constantly filled with gratitude for our simple and free life. If you are experiencing the same thing, we are thinking of you always, for we know it is truly horrendous but know that you will get through it. The end will come eventually. It has to.
Stay Adventurous, Keep Exploring and Play More.
Until Next time, Sarah & JP
Today I turned 30… I’ve never really been one who has been overly focused on age. I love my birthday, always have but it’s never really been about the number of candles on my cake. This year however feels a whole load different. Leading up to this day I’ve felt full of anticipation and I’m not exactly sure why.
Yes, we had contracted COVID and our bodies needed rest. However both JP and I were extremely lucky that within 7 days of first symptoms, we both felt back to normal and had no lingering issues. So within a few days of arriving at Tarisa, we both were no longer focusing on the physical but were now facing the mental challenge of how to cope in Government Quarantine in a foreign country with no clear outline of conditions of release.
Without hesitation we booked ourselves seats, reserved our two week mandatory quarantine and were all raring and set to go. What Could Go Wrong?
Welcome to our life, we are just “a couple of architects.”
Almost two years ago, we left our corporate careers to set off on a journey to find ourselves, to find our place. During that time we took our passion for design, architecture and life and merged them to create our own creative studio, ACOARCH Studio. We now live on the beautiful island of Mauritius, offering a multitude of design and architectural resource packages to both individuals and companies all over the world.
Here we share our personal life experiences, stories of travel and island living.
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