It makes very little difference to us whether we're in a formal isolation/quarantine or not. After long, exhausting weeks dealing with various shocks of on again/off again online learning stints and the concomitant planning and logistical nightmares that each iteration brings, we're usually quite happy to just potter around the apartment, watch some TV, read, do some grocery shopping and prepare for another unknown, no doubt surprising, week to come.
It's psychologically enervating to be in such a constant state of flux. We've always got an eye on various emergencies or disaster scenarios that might loom up out of the mists of swirling facts and figures on the virus domestically. No day will look the same as the last, and we can plan only as far as the day we are currently dealing with as far as school work is concerned.
Adding to the pea-soup fog is the timeline associated with our departure. As yet, we haven't secured any flights home in June and our departure is a fluid beast. Airlines are shutting down routes and cancelling more flights as each day passes. We have an appointment with our movers/shippers this afternoon which may shed more light on when we will get packed up and if/when our goods will be shipped out. Freight lines are also experiencing significant downturns and we may not be able to ship things out with any certainty. Adding to the problem, we ourselves might not be able to beat our shipping home if we're delayed, creating another dilemma.
Mary is currently ailing and doesn't look like she'll last the distance, but this is yet another mind-bender. We're looking for air transport options for her in case she recovers, but we found out that the only animal quarantine port in Australia is now Melbourne: how do we get her from there?
We're slightly hopeful on two fronts however. Firstly, after getting our shipping quote this afternoon, we might have a little more certainty on packing dates if not the shipping date itself. We can then, hopefully, find a flight that leaves not long after we're packed up. The second reason for some optimism is the fact that our permanent resident cards seem on track for the end of May, meaning we can extend our stay with impunity if we need to, into the Taiwanese summer well after the school term ends.
This blog entry all ended up a little glum after I went off on a tangent to list a whole stack of problems. Suffice to say, despite this list and a lot more (!), we're still very aware of our privileged position in the world. We're in the lengthening shadows of satisfying and worthwhile careers, we're in the safest country in the world and we've got utopian style jobs in our chosen professions still begging us to come to work. Most importantly, we're fit, healthy and happy! We've got a lot to do between now and June, but we're primed and ready! Photos: 6th graders in my Orphanage Club checking dockets for lucky numbers, and a black beauty bird spotted on our Sunday river ramble.