Hotel Isolation, Day 3 & 4
- tessakarle
- May 19, 2020
- 3 min read
I started off my first Monday in hotel isolation with some early morning yoga as the sun came in through my window. I'm actually not normally the type of person to do yoga often as I didn't really enjoy it very much until recently, but I couldn't resist making the most of the morning and doing something productive before getting on with my day.
I've had people say to me that it must be really challenging being alone for most of the day (except when I get to see Charlotte!), and in a way it is sad to be alone after being with my family for so many weeks. I was getting pretty used to having a dog scratching on my door waking me up in the morning, and spending lots of time throughout the day with my family. Somehow though I think I am enjoying the quiet time to myself, it's provided so much time for self-reflection which is great in terms of helping to come up with ideas of what to share on here. Of course this time alone is a lot more like the mornings and evenings I've spent in Wellington over the past few years, and it is kind of comforting in a way to have this alone time again because it reminds me that I am on my way back to Wellington and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm not sure whether or not it was the right thing to call the day I flew into the country 'Day 1' in isolation, but I guess I'll just roll with it now. Day 3 is technically my second full day in isolation if that makes sense! It's going to make it sound like I've been here forever by the end, but that's alright.
Charlotte and I went for a walk at 10am yesterday (Monday) and 9am today (it's all about getting on the list each day quickly for a time slot, otherwise you miss out and can't leave the hotel grounds!). Here at the Pullman Hotel, for our walking time they take us to the Alten Reserve which is about 500m away (pictured below). They give us around 45 minutes to do whatever we like - it's been fun running up and down the stairs that run down the middle of the park as it's on a pretty steep hill, and also just walking laps. I think it's a good opportunity to get our stamina up a bit while we aren't confined to a room. I've found it interesting to see how others use this time outside, especially the mums who have kids with them but also want to get some exercise in. My morning walk is actually a great warm-up for ballet class back in my room as well, it's nice to get moving early in the day.
It's definitely a challenge trying to take dance classes in a hotel room, or even at home for that matter. I was lucky at home in Australia as I had bought a square of tarkett (a type of floor that's used in most dance studios) that I laid down in my lounge room for classes. It was such a worthwhile purchase as I used it almost everyday, I miss it! Now it's class everyday on the carpet, which is alright but not the greatest. Maybe it's a bit naughty of me, but I can't resist doing pointe work as well, as that's probably my favourite part of ballet. I just love being on pointe for centre in class so I'm missing that aspect a lot, and that's probably why I feel so drawn to doing it, even on carpet in a hotel room. I am so glad that I have been able to move all the furniture out of the way as it feels like I almost have more space than I did in my lounge room at home! If only I had brought my tarkett rolled up as oversized baggage, haha!
I'm finishing off writing this post after having just finished all of my classes for the day, and I'm thinking of having a nice chilled out night of starting to write more blog posts, calling my family, and enjoying the view from my room. It may not last the whole time I am here as two weeks is a fair amount of time to be in hotel isolation, but for now I am feeling quite positive. Life is good - after all, it is not everyday you get to stay in a 5 star hotel for free! This is what I need to go through to get back to my happy place in Wellington, so I'm just taking each day as it comes and enjoying the small things.

Comments