The Pandemic

The last time I updated my blog, I was wrapping up the story of my first visit to Australia in 2018, and shared a short summary of Mitch's debut in the Australian Baseball League. I had spent a total of 18 months in Australia and we made so many amazing memories in that time. But quite a few years have gone by, and a lot has happened since then.
Let's go back in time a bit.

On March 19, 2020, the Prime Minister shut Australian borders to all nonresidents due to COVID-19. My visa was good for another 5 months, and I had to make the decision to either stay in AUS with Mitch until my visa's expiration, or head back home to the U.S without knowing how long the border closure would last. I had been away from home for 6 months by then, I missed my family, and was worried for everyone's health. The decision wasn't easy, but I wasn't ready to leave Mitch's side.

"We are looking at a situation of at least six months for how we deal with this. It could be much longer than that, it could be shorter. That's unlikely, giving the way we're seeing events unfold." - Scott Morrison regarding AUS border closures.

In August, after one full year in Australia, I eventually had to pack my bags and make the long flight across the ocean. I will never forget the two days before my flight. I struggled to get all my stuff together, and Mitch could barely stand being in the room while I did. There was a sense of fear of the unknown as the world around us became more and more apocalyptic. We tried our best to stay strong for each other. At times, I believe we both faked high hopes to keep the other okay. "It's only for a little bit, we'll be back together in a month or two." "I'm just going home to visit, I'll be back by Christmas!" I even left the majority of my things there in Perth so it wouldn't seem as though I was packing for a forever goodbye. We did our best in those last few days.

The trip back home was...weird, to say the least. Airports were practically empty. There were caps on how many planes could come and go a day, caps on how many travelers could fly on a single plane. The first flight to Sydney was tough. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. The sweet flight attendant sat next to me and offered her condolences, encouraging words, and plenty of tissues. Once landed, it was around midnight and there were no Ubers, no taxis, nada. Airport was closed. Roads were quiet. Cities were shut down because of the pandemic. I had a mile walk to my hotel, in the dark, down alley ways and under bridges, alone, in Sydney, Australia (where I had never been before), with a dead cell phone and all of my luggage. Pretty much everything your father tells you NOT to do as you walk out the front door. I was freaking out, trying to breathe as I lugged 2 suitcases and a very heavy carry-on up a hill underneath a bridge. The only reason I knew where my hotel was, was because of their bright sign lighting up the roads around me. I continuously looked up for that sign to determine how close I was getting and which way to turn. I can tell you right now, Mitch's voice never left my head. This guy has prepared me for every scenario possible. And because of it, I, dripping sweat, made it to the hotel lobby where the receptionist laughed at me for the route I took and gave me a moment to catch my breath and call Mitch before working out the details of my room.

The next morning, my international flight, which normally carried upwards of 500 passengers, was down to 50. Due to social distancing, each passenger was spaced out between multiple aisles. Flight attendants only came around to check that masks were up. It was quiet. It was eerie.

Going through customs was a breeze as you can probably imagine. I've waited in longer lines at Dutch Bros! Still, things just got weirder and weirder. As I waited for my flight out of San Francisco, I saw families walking around in full hazmat suites. People walking around in gas masks. Mind you, now, having spent so much time in America during COVID, it doesn't seem that crazy. But at the time, I had just left Australia, where masks weren't mandatory and culturally, social distancing just wasn't a thing that was easy to adapt to because they lack the extreme personal bubbles we have in the states. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons was constantly playing in my head.

actual photo from Facetiming my dad and showing him people at the airport

I made it home and was so happy to see my family, my pets, and meet our newest addition, Donavin! Mom and I celebrated our birthdays together, and I soaked up all the family time I could get. But the unknown of COVID, border closures, and visas continued to worsen, and this was just the beginning of a rather tough few years.

Until next time,
Tay


Taylor Thompson & Mitch Neunborn