Eileen Lee flew into a different world as the reality of the lockdown unfolded
For those of you who have been asking, I made it back!
For those of you who didn’t know, it was just over a month ago that I embarked on a two-week trip to the UK. The main purpose of my journey was to take over from my sisters in caring for my mother. She had been unwell and had just been discharged from a lengthy hospital stay. I did make a few loose plans to catch up with some old friends and family, dependent of course, on my mum’s needs. Little did I know that I would be stepping off that plane into a whole new world. During my ten-hour flight President Trump had implemented his European travel ban, which for a brief period still excluded the UK. I was half prepared for this, had packed gloves, wipes and a mask. But it was still very strange to hear of the stringent regulations that California had put in place, whilst meanwhile in England people were still carrying on as normal, pubbing, clubbing, taking the tube, oblivious of the ensuing weeks.
Craig texted me from LA, to tell me that he had to cancel Breakfast Club, as large gatherings were now banned in Los Angeles. The UK government were going the opposite way by heralding a herd immunity plan. The Californian in me was horrified and was having none of it. I decided there and then that neither my mother or I would be coming into contact with anybody unnecessarily. We were possibly the first people in Britain to go on lockdown. I must admit, that with hindsight I probably shouldn’t have continued on with my journey to see her but fortunately that didn’t become an issue.
A few days later I read on the Brits in LA Facebook that my return flight on March 25th had been cancelled. To this date I have never heard this information officially from my airline! My flight booking just disappeared from my account. I decided to take this news as a gift and take advantage of the whole world coming to a halt and use it to spend some much-needed extra time with my mum. I am fortunate enough to have the best employer in the world, who has become more like a big sister to me over the years. She told me to take as much time as I needed. So I did. I managed to find a return flight with AA/BA (much deserved shout-out to Jonathan Cowley of Corniche Travel, who reassured me that this scheduled flight would actually take off), then I took the extra precautionary step to register with the US Embassy in London, letting them know I was a stranded citizen with a prospective flight booked. A lot of you were asking how I managed to get a flight, I honestly think alerting the embassy may have played a part in it. After doing that I relaxed and thanked the universe on a daily basis for the huge gift of an extended period at home with my mum.
My return journey was very peculiar and hopefully a once in a lifetime experience. I usually spend my ‘last night’ with one of my sisters, but due to the possibility of having or catching the lurgy I had to find alternative accommodation. All the hotels in London were closed or only housing healthcare workers, so my only option was to sleep at a boarding house near the airport. The only positive of the place being that it was 1.5 miles from Heathrow. My check in at the airport took all of five minutes. The place was deserted other than a few policeman with sniffer dogs. Shops were all closed, except for good old Boots the chemist. Everyone was wearing gloves and masks. The phrase from Annie Mcqueen’s column the other week ‘ We are living the movie’ was playing over and over again in my head. I didn’t see a complete face for the entire journey. My flight had under 20 passengers. I was traveling in Premium Economy and there were only three other people in my cabin.
Upon landing we were instructed to disembark five at a time, and were greeted by more masked men who asked a few half hearted questions and told me to stay home in quarantine for 14 days and to make sure to check my temperature twice a day. In all honesty I think this was a waste of resources and more of a facade, so it looked like border control is being proactive. But without actual testing how can they honestly know if I am safe to let in? Again, the airport was empty. Whilst the novelty of it is an interesting experience, the reasons behind it are incomprehensible. In my mind this is going to go on for much longer than we even realize. Then double that… And if the government opt to cut the social distancing period short it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the wisest option. So try not to be in such a rush to get back to normal. I know a lot of you are struggling, whether it be financially, emotionally or physically please make sure to reach out to your friends or family or our forum on Facebook @BritsinLA for support.
We are still hosting Breakfast Club & Pub Quiz every Tuesday via Zoom. It is surprisingly simple (I only set up my account this week) and such a laugh, in a funny way it is more social than our physical events, as you get to chat with people that you may usually only glimpse from across the room. If you have trouble accessing it or setting up an account drop us a line at info@britsin.la and we will try and help you.
We would love to hear your stories and ways of coping with these strange times. So email us at the above address if you would like to share your experiences. And if you need any help in other areas don’t hesitate to ask. If we can’t help you ourselves we can at least pint you in the right direction
Cheers!
Eileen
