Well, things have been pretty interesting here over the past week or so, even if we have been locked up for most of it. We've had Health authorities, delivery people coming to the door in masks; people ringing each day to check that we're well and that we haven't done "the bolt". Spacemen types are being sent to pick up garbage...it's certainly been an eye-opener.
Best news of all is that our colleague does not have SARS after all, which is a huge relief for all concerned. Our schoolboy and his Mum may yet have it.... they are up and down with fever. The most dramatic thing for us is, I suppose, the alarming rate at which the disease seems to be spreading in Taipei city. Taipei now has the very dubious distinction of being on the same "high" transmission rating with WHO as the infamous source city in Guandong province, with cases rising exponentially each day.
We can't wait to get the hell out of here and we've managed to negotiate an early passage home with our bosses. We were supposed to go back to school for two days this Thursday and Friday after an early lifting of quarantine, but we successfully argued that surely we could leave on Thursday evening if all our work was done. Sanity prevailed and we and Carl and a number of other people booked what seems like our 50th flight out in the last few weeks. Our poor long suffering travel agent!
Anyway, we have reports to write, grades to record while we are here at home and cleaning up of rooms to be done when we get back. The best bonus will be not only to escape an increasingly sick city, but also to enjoy 3 more weeks of holiday. 12 weeks back in Merewether might not be too bad!
I won't write here again till early/mid August...I plan to enjoy a semi-literate existence for a while; if it's more taxing than reading a TV or a form guide, I won't be doing it!
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Friday, May 09, 2003
We're under a 14-day home quarantine as of Wednesday afternoon. We were corralled at the auditorium at school and had to fill in forms stating our home address, personal particulars etc and are awaiting people from the Bureau of Health to ring and check on us. We're not to leave our place under any circumstances. Our garbage will be collected by the Environmental Protection Agency and we have elected not to receive food from the Health Department as it is sourced from a hospital a few blocks away that has many SARS patients. We wish we were dreaming this time but unfortunately, we're not.
It all started with news of a meeting on Wednesday afternoon and we were to tell the kids that all after school sport etc had been cancelled. This is a massive step for our school, so we knew that something major had happened. We subsequently discovered that one of our teachers was listed as a probable SARS patient and we already had a high school boy listed as well. The boy's father has since died, although the boy himself appears to be recovering. We had a staff meeting on Monday, ironically to discuss the SARS issue, at which the teacher was present, so the city Health Department has put a blanket quarantine on all 250 faculty.
School has been closed for the year (end date was to be June 6) but we'll be required to go in and write reports etc for a few days at the end of the quarantine. Carl was thinking quickly and managed to book the last 3 seats for him and us on a flight leaving on May 22 so we'll be back after that. Hiroko and the boys were already booked to go back yesterday and they arrived safely in Australia this morning.
It seems bizarre that it's become so hard to get a flight with airlines flying 1/2 empty planes, but the reality is that when a place like this closes, with 3000 families trying to get out at the same time, and airlines cutting schedules, it's very hard to find a seat.
Our next task, of course, is to stay sane during the quarantine. I'll do some karate each day so I can sleep at night and no doubt we'll watch plenty of DVDs and some football tapes etc. We're so pleased to have our new digital TV feed of ABC Asia pacific as well. I really think we'll be better placed than many to weather this time, although we'll have to come up with a plan to get some more food, milk etc come the second week.
Wish us luck!
It all started with news of a meeting on Wednesday afternoon and we were to tell the kids that all after school sport etc had been cancelled. This is a massive step for our school, so we knew that something major had happened. We subsequently discovered that one of our teachers was listed as a probable SARS patient and we already had a high school boy listed as well. The boy's father has since died, although the boy himself appears to be recovering. We had a staff meeting on Monday, ironically to discuss the SARS issue, at which the teacher was present, so the city Health Department has put a blanket quarantine on all 250 faculty.
School has been closed for the year (end date was to be June 6) but we'll be required to go in and write reports etc for a few days at the end of the quarantine. Carl was thinking quickly and managed to book the last 3 seats for him and us on a flight leaving on May 22 so we'll be back after that. Hiroko and the boys were already booked to go back yesterday and they arrived safely in Australia this morning.
It seems bizarre that it's become so hard to get a flight with airlines flying 1/2 empty planes, but the reality is that when a place like this closes, with 3000 families trying to get out at the same time, and airlines cutting schedules, it's very hard to find a seat.
Our next task, of course, is to stay sane during the quarantine. I'll do some karate each day so I can sleep at night and no doubt we'll watch plenty of DVDs and some football tapes etc. We're so pleased to have our new digital TV feed of ABC Asia pacific as well. I really think we'll be better placed than many to weather this time, although we'll have to come up with a plan to get some more food, milk etc come the second week.
Wish us luck!
Monday, May 05, 2003
I paddled out the back again after getting a nice little left-hander into the beach. The waves were becoming a little more consistent and I'd spent the best part of 4 hours in the water; nothing like good surf to cleanse the soul. I know many of you will be saying.."WAKE HIM UP, HE'S DREAMING!" and it almost seemed like that at times but I've had a surf in TAIWAN!
The reality of the surf is a little less romantic, when you consider the size (very small), quality (messy) location (just off a power station near a man-made concrete breakwater) and beach and water quality (unlike our bathing beach round the point this beach is NOT regularly cleaned and we just ignored bits of rubbish floating by and all over the beach)
However, all negatives aside, another whole world is opening up here in Taiwan. Locals and more experienced surfers of Taiwanese waves say it does get better and on a good day at other north east coast beaches can be just like home. A mate, Ross, was so excited to have his new board and was really keen to have his first surf. As I was in the unenviable position of "the guy with a driver's license" I had to get the school van booked up for the Saturday. Ross' wife and Cass were all set to join us until we discovered that someone had taken all the seats out to cart stuff around! Anyway, the girls were very understanding and sent us off for our inaugural Taiwanese surf (Ross' first ever!) We were in the water for about 5 hours so we certainly made the most of it.
Sunday saw me up at 7 to get to dragon boat race practice on time. Our whole crew was greeted down at the wharf with a big sign of Chinese characters, which a friendly passer-by translated for us. No more practices and no more race day because of SARS. We were devastated, mainly because we were really enjoying it and were looking forward to giving a good account of ourselves come race days. We had a real swish wood fired pizza lunch out on Sunday then some DVD action in the afternoon. We've kind of been warned off more populated areas of town, so thought we'd stay put. We've got more flights booked home now, but the bummer is that they don't leave till 4 days after we break up and come back 3 days early......we're not impressed in missing a week's holiday back home but seem to have little other choice.
The school is at a Level 2 readiness for SARS cases, the first student may have the disease, but he hasn't been on campus for more than a week. We are getting trained in a new software system that the school has bought so we can teach from home if need be and all 3000 students staff and faculty will be issued a digital thermometer this week so we can take our temperature at the gate before we are allowed in....any elevated temps, turn around, go home, and quarantine yourself for 72 hours.... I'm wondering how I can manipulate those things!
The reality of the surf is a little less romantic, when you consider the size (very small), quality (messy) location (just off a power station near a man-made concrete breakwater) and beach and water quality (unlike our bathing beach round the point this beach is NOT regularly cleaned and we just ignored bits of rubbish floating by and all over the beach)
However, all negatives aside, another whole world is opening up here in Taiwan. Locals and more experienced surfers of Taiwanese waves say it does get better and on a good day at other north east coast beaches can be just like home. A mate, Ross, was so excited to have his new board and was really keen to have his first surf. As I was in the unenviable position of "the guy with a driver's license" I had to get the school van booked up for the Saturday. Ross' wife and Cass were all set to join us until we discovered that someone had taken all the seats out to cart stuff around! Anyway, the girls were very understanding and sent us off for our inaugural Taiwanese surf (Ross' first ever!) We were in the water for about 5 hours so we certainly made the most of it.
Sunday saw me up at 7 to get to dragon boat race practice on time. Our whole crew was greeted down at the wharf with a big sign of Chinese characters, which a friendly passer-by translated for us. No more practices and no more race day because of SARS. We were devastated, mainly because we were really enjoying it and were looking forward to giving a good account of ourselves come race days. We had a real swish wood fired pizza lunch out on Sunday then some DVD action in the afternoon. We've kind of been warned off more populated areas of town, so thought we'd stay put. We've got more flights booked home now, but the bummer is that they don't leave till 4 days after we break up and come back 3 days early......we're not impressed in missing a week's holiday back home but seem to have little other choice.
The school is at a Level 2 readiness for SARS cases, the first student may have the disease, but he hasn't been on campus for more than a week. We are getting trained in a new software system that the school has bought so we can teach from home if need be and all 3000 students staff and faculty will be issued a digital thermometer this week so we can take our temperature at the gate before we are allowed in....any elevated temps, turn around, go home, and quarantine yourself for 72 hours.... I'm wondering how I can manipulate those things!
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