MIQ and freedom

 I've been out of MIQ and staying with my godmother and her husband for 6 days and have had my final covid test come back negative. I can now freely mingle with the NZ public! We went to the supermarket this morning and it was very strange to be wandering around without a mask. The plan is to go out for lunch today so I've been to a cafe and will go to church on Sunday as well. I'm hoping this will help ease me into being in close proximity to people before the shock of school on Monday.

MIQ was overall a good experience especially as I spent most of the first week completely exhausted. I definitely wanted to sleep all the time and it was lovely to have food just show up at regular intervals and have no one expecting anything from me. Once I got my blue band of freedom on day 2 (passed your first covid test) I was allowed outside whenever I wanted between 8am and 6pm which was such a blessing. We had a lovely view over the lagoon and plenty of space for everyone so it never felt unsafe. We could also have people come and visit, so the amazing Tsz, who I know from Auckland acro days, came a couple of times and we chatted through the fence. I was also very lucky to have my cousin Helen able to drop off essentials like a new pillow, ethernet cable, tea mug, new kindle (I left mine on the plane), and jigsaw puzzle. Once I had recovered a bit, I had some online meetings with various people at school which was very reassuring. They have been amazing at not wanting to overwhelm me but still getting me prepped for starting next week. The last couple of days were a little tricky as we weren't allowed out of our rooms after the day 12 covid test. But my wonderful housemates in the UK came up with a great way to keep amused and I participated remotely in their house Olympics (please enjoy one of the videos!). It was such a feeling of relief to sign the final health check papers and join my fellow passengers on the shuttle back to the airport. There were three of us taking the same flight down to Wellington so we got a leisurely cup of tea before going through security and boarding. I definitely felt uncomfortable sitting so close to someone on the flight down, even if we were all wearing masks!

Went for a walk in the rain!

It was very exciting to meet Anne and Mark who are hosting me at the moment and have my first hugs with people outside my household in over a year! School was keen for me to stay isolated for the week and get another covid test just to be sure, and after the outbreak in Auckland it seemed like a good idea. So I have had a relatively quiet week at home beginning the mammoth task of preparing for school while enjoying some walks to the beach. But, my covid test says I am plague free so let the fun and games begin!

In other good news, I have found a flat in Newtown and will move in slowly over the next couple of weeks. My box that I sent by air freight arrived while I was in MIQ and I have just heard that the one coming by sea should be here at the end of March! So overall feeling extremely blessed for everything to have gone smoothly.