Silence! YES! DEAFENING SILENCE! Have you ever experienced the what they call “DEAFEANING SILENCE”? It’s sooo quite, you can’t hear anything.
The first day of my isolation was quite vivacious. We’re more than ten of us in the two adjoining buildings, complete with facilities. We can talk and crack jokes with each other even in a few meter distance. We share our food, and enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air around the compound. In fact, we’re lucky being in isolation. Drink yakult, drink welch’s grape juice, drink T wine, drink etc..etc.. kill the virus that’s it!! Yes, I did just that. But not with T, only Funda.
It's time for the swab test. Going to the city was just ok. I was with my Boss and we dropped by a 7/11 store for the drinks. They say we have to drink them, except the T of course. We were drinking and laughing at what we were doing while going to the Red Cross. But so what? They say it will help kill the virus, so why not? After parking her car I asked my Boss, “ you want to spray your nose with this?” I gave her my salaine solution mixed with a drop of betadine which I have been using to spray on my nostrils as a protective measure every time I am with people. And she answered “yes, why not?’. We finished with the swab testing, it was quick. We went back, and I realized we didn’t talk much as she was driving in her car. I went back directly to the isolation area where I was billeted.
The clock starts tik tak tik tak tik tak….. Swab test will come soonest, like it or not. Ok, I took my time, relaxed, without disturbance except when someone shouts “the food is ready!! Get your share now!!!”
There is not much office work to do. Watching a violent, fast paced but substantial Korean drama uses my brain waves and keeps my adrenalin pumping. Oh! My heart, careful… I’ve got to breath. I toured around the compound and had some fresh air; looked at some beautiful flowers and abundantly fruiting bitter gourd and patola. What a refreshing site to see in this dreadful, agonizing time of waiting.
It’s night time. Everyone has eaten our sumptuous food prepared by our colleagues, former chef of a one known restaurant in the City. The group has already said the nightly rosary prayer together, though in some distance with each other. I was tired of watching Korean drama from my cellphone. Everyone is in their room, no more people talking outside, no more music. In just one day, I was fed up with the Korean drama. What will I do next, and in the next days? My eyes are tired nut, but sleep is eluding me. What if the result is ….? What will happen to my family? My grandchildren? What will happen to the people I was with in the past few days? I have been thinking. And then the DEAFENING SILENCE. I came to a point where I can’t hear anything inside the four corners of the room. I stopped and tried to listen. It’s when I remember the phrase, “and you can hear a pin drop”. And nothing happened until my ears started ringing and ringing and ringing….… ahh.. that’s what happens when there is total silence. I want to sleep, please I want to sleep.. AAAhh… funda ! one shot? Naaahhh.. two shots, three shots, 4 shots.. There, my bed became two, and my bag has a twin! Ohhh everything has a twin! My, my,… the funda is taking its toll… SPLAK!
It’s 5:15 AM and my neighbors are starting to move around and have some coffee. My fone!! No message, no result yet. I went out and had some coffee and talked to some of my neighbors for a while, then went back to my room, waiting. At 6:18 the email popped, it’s Red Cross! There is my name, tested NEGATIVE of SARS-COV2!!! I ran straightaway outside the room and shouted Looooorrrddd!!! Thank youuuuuuu!!! And my “ka selda” congratulated me. I went back to my room and cried a lot, thanking God for the safety of my love ones and relatives, for the graces and all. God is good.
But what about those who were tested positive? How do they feel? How are they coping up with the boredom and anxiety of isolation? When people criticize them for being reckless, selfish and irresponsible? Aren’t they guilty enough of causing trouble and putting everyone in danger? Yes, there is always anger, even rage at how some people go about everyday chores lacking of protective measures. And it’s a natural reaction that even I is guilty of. But even how careful we are in our daily undertakings, Covid is there, and Covid is real.
In this time of everyday uncertainty and dread, we can only pray and reflect of the things that we have done, what we can do, and always be ready of what is next. Reflect, because in the tranquility of the night, it is when we can find peace in the deafening silence.