If you are going to be stuck somewhere, at least it’s Italy right?

The title of this piece is something that I have heard now at least once a day since finding out that I tested positive for Covid-19 while abroad and how I am not handling it well.

October 15th 2021, my two best friends and I received our confirmation email that we would be traveling to Italy for two weeks over the new year’s holiday. The two and a half months leading up to the trip was filled with excitement and preparation. We found a good deal and had plans to see Rome, Milan and Pompeii.

As a public health graduate, it is very difficult to write this out and admit that this happened to me. I am the friend and the family member that pushed everyone to get vaccinated, stay home, social distance and always wear a mask, but yet, I was planning on going abroad. I was fully vaccinated and had my first booster. I had made it two years without getting covid-19 while also working in a hospital. I was lucky.

At the time of booking, Italy was deemed as taking great caution to travel too from the US and as the trip loomed closer, was updated to a “do not travel” classification because of the rising cases.

It isn’t that I did not understand the severity of what was going on in the world but I definitely had a false sense of security against this very contagious virus.

We arrived to Naples, Italy on December 31st 2021 after 17 hours of travel. The first leg of the trip went great, we traveled to Rome, saw the sights and ate delicious food. About 3 days into the trip, one of my best friends starting experiencing body aches and fatigue. We didn’t ignore this and promptly got her tested. She was negative. So, when I started experiencing a scratchy throat on day 5, I chalked it up to allergies and whatever my friend may have had. It wasn’t until day 9 that I decided to get some at home tests for some peace of mind. By this time, I had a little congestion which was also causing a slight cough. I took two tests and both were positive for Covid-19. My two travel companions both tested negative.

This was the point at which I knew I was not likely to go home in the following 3 days as originally planned. I held out hope that on the day of my flight I would test negative as I had no idea how long I had been infected. I tested positive on day 12 of our trip and day 8 of showing symptoms. My travel companions were still negative.

So, my required 7 day quarantine began. I said goodbye to my friends and posted up at a good friend’s house that lived in Italy that we stayed with for a while when we first arrived. It is important to note that while Italy only requires a 7 day quarantine if you are vaccinated, you still cannot fly internationally unless you have a negative test result or a certificate of recovery from a doctor.

It is now day 4 of my quarantine and my symptoms are almost completely gone. However, this entire situation has been one of the most stressful times of my life. I have been in Italy now for 15 days and I really don’t know when I will be able to go home. I am starting a new Job in a week and a half (I have already had to push the start date) and so I am not currently working and I am paying bills from savings.

I have a new flight scheduled for next week provided I test negative.

The past four days sitting on a couch and watching movies to pass the time has been full of anxiety and nerve racking thoughts.

-what if I test negative again

-what if I am stuck here for another week or more

-how will I pay my bills if this lasts too long

-will my new job be understanding of this

-how do I get through this without losing some sanity

I should be grateful though right? I am not severely ill. I didn’t need to go to the hospital. I haven’t had any trouble breathing and I really didn’t need any type of cold medicine to make me feel better. I wholeheartedly believe this is because I was vaccinated. I am very fortunate to be healthy.

I am in the best possible situation I could have been in for this to happen. So why do I feel this sense of dread all day every day?

The day after I found out that I would be stranded in a foreign country for an unforeseen amount of time, I had to break the news to all of my loved ones and the new job. Most everyone’s response was “If you are going to be stuck somewhere, at least it’s Italy right?” And to that I replied nicely and smiled, but on the inside, all I wanted to do was cry and go home.

I am trying to be hopeful and stay optimistic but it is very difficult. I read articles every day about the rates of Covid-19 and how likely it is I will be stuck here even longer. I know there is an end and I know I will be home eventually and all of this will be over. In the meantime, I write, watch movies and read to keep myself busy. I am also someone that has always had problems controlling their anxiety so this situation has been even more of a challenge. How do I keep myself from thinking of the most negative outcome constantly and calm down?

My heart goes out to everyone who is experiencing any sort of change in their life due to this virus whether they have it or not. I am incredibly lucky to be as healthy as I am and I can’t imagine what some people must be going through.

If you are traveling internationally any time soon, please be ready for all of the possibilities.

At least I’m stuck in Italy though right?