Member-only story
Life Feels Safe in South Korea Right Now
Living as an expat in Korea as they embrace a new normal while my family back in America continues to suffer from an incompetent response
Watching from abroad as Covid-19 eats its way across America feels like sitting through a poorly written dark comedy. Except, I am not witnessing an actor play the role of an egomaniacal leader who bumbles his way through mismanaging a made-up virus as thousands of nameless fake citizens of a fake country die. Instead, from South Korea, I am on the phone with my brother, quarantined in NYC; my grandmother who can’t see anyone because this virus could kill her; and my nurse friend who tells me his new responsibilities include holding up an iPad so family members can say goodbye to their loved ones from a safe distance, before they die.
When I talk to my friends and family, I sometimes forget their situation. I’ll say, “So, I was at the gym… I was getting a massage yesterday… I was at work…” and they’ll stop me and say, “Wait, how long were you in quarantine?” And I have to clarify, “We were never quarantined. South Korea acted in time and did a really great job with testing and tracing, so things were well contained.”
Now, three months later, as life tiptoes its way toward a new normal, and as…
