Moving Back to America | Travel During Covid-19
Paris
I was supposed to spend the last three months before medical school freely exploring the world and traveling without any care. I had budgeted throughout the year and made sure to spend my monthly income frugally so I would have enough to visit as many places as I wanted. Unfortunately, when April 15th, 2020 hit, and my job contract finished, I was stuck.
I was stuck in Paris in a four-bedroom apartment with only one roommate. The others had left to be with their families. That’s when I decided to start this blog and try to occupy my time with something creative, and something personal. I stayed inside for most of this time and tried to pass the days in a somewhat productive state of mind, but it was hard. There were many dark times without any doubt. By the end of May, I was trying not to waste any more money on my expensive Parisian rent, and as some airports started reopening, I decided to make a move.
Bulgaria
On May 31st, 2020 I packed up my bags, cleaned my room, and left Paris for Bulgaria. I decided to spend the month of June visiting my family in Bulgaria because I wasn’t really sure if and when I’d be able to see them again depending on how the global pandemic evolves and what my medical school schedule will look like.
The trip to Bulgaria wasn’t simple either. I had a huge 50-pound suitcase, a carry on suitcase which was quite heavy, and a backpack containing my laptops and cables which also wasn’t the lightest feather. I left early in the morning, grabbing an Uber ride to Charles de Gaulle Airport. From there I had a three-hour flight to Sofia, Bulgaria. I had to grab a taxi from the airport to the bus station. Keep in mind I’m still dragging all this luggage with me (I think I’m going to become a minimalist from now on). Then I took a five-hour bus ride to my hometown and finally another taxi that would take me to my home.
I spent the entire month of June just relaxing, visiting family, and focusing on my well-being. I finally had the time to read some books for fun, to sunbathe, and separate myself from the outside world. When I arrived, I had to stay in a two-week strict quarantine as mandated by the Bulgarian government. I even had police come to check up on me and make sure I was maintaining my self-isolation. The time passed by quickly and I surrounded myself with nature.
I had considered staying in Bulgaria well into July and possibly doing online medical school from there, but by the end of June, the cases of COVID-19 started escalating yet again in Europe. Out of fear for another widespread lock-down, and airline shutdowns, I decided to book a flight immediately back to the U.S. just to be safe and avoid getting stuck yet again.
Back to America!
On July 5th, 2020 I embarked on my journey back to the U.S. It was roughly 1 a.m. on Sunday when I took a taxi to the bus station, yet again dragging overweight luggage with me. At 2 a.m. I took a bus that would cross the Bulgarian-Romanian border and take me to the closest airport. By 4 a.m. I was at the airport and starting the check-in process.
Unfortunately, my checked bag was severely over the weight limit, so I ended up having to pay an extra $100. Then as I went through security, my backpack set off the scanners because I had too many coins and too many cables. I had to take absolutely everything out of my bag, and then as I was focusing on repacking I almost ended up forgetting my laptop in the scanner. My morning started off as a hot mess, as I was sleep-deprived, hungry, and wearing a face mask throughout this entire journey.
At 6 a.m. I boarded my plane and took on the first flight which lasted about two hours. It was a fully packed plane and there was absolutely no social distancing, but in contrast, once we landed in Germany, the airport was a ghost town. I had a two-hour layover which passed by rather quickly as I watched some Netflix, worked on this blog, and talked to my family.
At 11 a.m. we boarded the plane which takes us to Chicago. This flight was rather empty and a lot of people had multiple seats to themselves. To be completely honest, I took melatonin right before boarding and I ended up sleeping through most of the nine-hour flight. It was great!
Once I landed in Chicago, I quickly passed through passport control, a temperature check, a CDC questioning, and collected my bag within 30 minutes. My dad picked me up and we started off on a five-hour car ride back to my hometown. About 24 hours later from the start of my journey, I finally arrived home. The trip wasn’t too bad and I actually managed to shift my time zones pretty quickly.
Starting Medical School
Here we are only a few days before the start of medical school. I’m excited to finally start learning and experiencing growth on a daily basis, but I’m also slightly nervous and overwhelmed. I’m not sure what to expect. We’ve been receiving multiple emails and checklists and things to get done before we start. I definitely feel scattered all over the place, double-checking to make sure I’ve done everything I need to. I’ve come to realize that no matter how prepared you try to be, you’ll never feel satisfied or 100% ready.
Let’s just do it and learn as we go!