One Year in Quarantine (Part 2)

Summer of Quarantine 2020

Summer went by in a blip. There were lots of cooking, zoom calls, social distance outdoors with a few close friends, reading and long walks in the sun absorbing as much sun as we possibly can before PNW fall and winter locked us inside again. Around this time, I had an idea of making and printing postcards to send to my loved ones all around the country. We knew it’s going to be at least another year or so of quarantine from this point on and I wanted a way to connect other than video calls. I’ve always been so fond of snail-mails for the tactile feel and excitement I get from getting cards or notes when I opened my mailbox - it makes perfect sense. It gave me yet another reason to purchase a lot of stamps and that will also help USPS.

Late Summer: Bellingham,Washington

We made a trip up to Bellingham in late August for some secluded hikings and to celebrate Juan’s birthday. We feel so fortunate that we live here in the PNW where there are so many hiking grounds and places to explore that also allows us to keep maintaining safe distance from others (if we plan our excursions around busy times) Here are some snaps from the trip. Also, I can’t believe I went this long before mentioning, I had a bit of Animal Crossing addiction over the quarantine period. First game I ever invested a lot of time in. That’s about what I want to say about this game though. 😶😶😶

& just like that, the final quarter of 2020 appears.

September thru December were eventful in a calm and dreamy manner. The reality of quarantine no longer defines the days and weeks for me. There’s so much comfort in sitting and reading, writing or drawing for hours when it’s cold and rainy outside. I picked up learning 한글 (Han-Geul) - The Korean Alphabets. I have been wanting to learn another language for a little while now and 한글 is definitely an unexpected language to pick-up for myself. The way the written language/alphabet system is so appealing to my brain’s craving for a combination of order and newness. My heart also responded so deeply with the language and not until later I found out that it is a very similar sounding language to my father’s family language: Hokkien.*

My desire to go back to my roots, or more accurately, properly learn my heritage is so strong in these months leading to the close of 2020. I wanted to absorb everything I can about my own heritage. I want to reclaim everything I’ve subconsciously decided to let go for the sake of assimilating to this country I live in. I want to stop assimilating for the sake of surviving.

I have been an immigrant since the age of 11. Always chasing the feeling of belonging and never grasping them. The quarantine gave me time and space to understand the gnawing soul-pain that keeps me up at night.

It is fascinating how the brain makes connection that is so often missed because we are distracted with life events and societal pressures. The feeling of isolation was and still is being replaced with the wonder that is learning about myself and my personal desires. I feel like I am discovering the truest version of myself, free from expectations of others and society. It feels like looking at the mirror and finally recognising the person I see and dare I say, liking myself. It is a bit like a sigh of relief, being isolated in this way.

a portrait from late 2020.

We also spent a bit of hang out time with our neighbors and learning more about them and their lives, forging a kind of friendship that might not have been cultivated this way without the unfolding events of 2020. I am constantly feeling so grateful for time and space to slow down. So grateful for the fact that we all still have our health, roof over our heads and meals on the table. We explored tons of Korean food in tandem with my Korean language learning. My fondness for eating is forever strong.

December 2020 & January 2021

These 2 months are historically always interchangeable for me. I’m always so excited for January, selfishly because it is my birthday month. Juan has been slowly hinting that he will make this big birthday coming up (35!) to be so special for me since it is going to be a quarantine birthday. I know I write my own experience here and I try not to share other's emotional experiences or stories no matter how close we are, but I just want to say that Juan also had a big emotional growth spur in 2020. I love that 2020 brought us even closer together as partners in life.

Juan started spoil my wife mission by gifting me all these books for me to read and study as a Christmas gift. We don’t really celebrate Christmas or gift-giving holidays, but I adore that he just bought these books for me because he knew I’d thoroughly enjoy them. During December, I also ended up having some time to draw our little family portrait, and finally another piece from my favorite K-Drama to date: 사이코지만 괜찮아 (Directly translated: Psycho but it’s Okay Eng Translation: It’s Okay To Not Be Okay) to close out December on a highly detailed note.

January 2021 is best described through these pictures below. I celebrated my 35th Birthday in quarantine and not surprisingly, it is going down in books as one of the best birthdays of my life so far. I feel so loved and much more intentional with the people in my life. I spent a bit of time in the beginning of the month illustrating special gifts for special ladies in my life. I also got extra close with them through this quarantine, lots of zoom calls, phone calls and check-ins. I wrote letters and postcards, a ritual I will keep long after this quarantine is over. Juan commissioned an artist to do a portrait of me that made me feel so cherished. I had mentioned in passing that I would love to be drawn by this lovely artist but her commission were closed. Lo and behold, Juan found a way to get the commission done. 🥺 On top of that, he curated gifts based on my current interests in 한국말 (Korean Language), food, make-up and books.

A couple of my lady friends (they are in our quarantine circle) planned a cute surprise for me, one of them came over to decorate the house while Juan made sure I stayed in the room listening to music. The only reason I found out is because her dog barked! It was so lovely to sit in the house, drank a couple cocktails and did a quick zoom call hang with the other lady-accomplice of this lovely surprise. Seriously, how did I get so lucky, y’all?

January 28th was Jasper’s birthday. So over the weekend, we took him on a proper ball throw. Look at this happy camper.

February 2021

This month was our 4th year of marriage. I wrote a little bit about it here. We celebrated by ordering ANYTHING we want from our favorite restaurant: Revel (which is also where we got engaged AND signed our marriage papers!) We wrote each other letters - that will probably be another tradition for us moving forward. In addition to that, we got some real durian sticky rice from Nit Thai Dessert, y’all, it was le.git. We spent some time during this month exploring 봉준호 Bong Joon Ho’s films. Notable ones we watched in February are: Mother and Memories of Murder. We also watched 옥자 Okja, but I don’t recommend it as it twisted my insides for days after watching it. Anyway, here are some snaps from February, OH we got some significant snow in PNW standard - not the way Texas got some snow, that was horrendous.

Art & Photo by Marija Tiurina

I bought this print and is ready to get them framed as soon as I go visit local frame store. I am honestly so in love with her art.

Happy Lunar New Year 2021!

This year is the year of OX, which is my year as my mother constantly reminds me. I remember growing up she told me that I’m a cross between Ox and Tiger as I was born in January and Chinese New Year always falls in February.

I feel like it sometimes too, a cross between Ox and Tiger. Oxger? This is why I’m not a copywriter 😂 but hey, atleast I amuse… myself.

These few photos concludes the year in quarantine.

A little reminder for the year 2021 onwards

I’ve read and heard a lot of people say that they felt like they’ve lost a whole year of their life. As absolutely valid as that statement is, I’d like to look back to this year of quarantine I had as a defining year instead of a year I lost. I find myself thinking in a decade from now - if I’m lucky enough to still be around - I will look back to this particular year with humility, understanding, fondness and most of all, gratitude.

All my love,

J