Last Updated on March 9, 2021 by Sammie
Normal is subjective so I’m subjectively living out my new normal in Mexico. Yeah, I didn’t see it coming either.. But if I’m being honest with myself, I rarely seem to accurately predict where I end up in 6 months/12 months time. Long story long…I was lucky enough to be one of the few remaining artists in the world with a job months into the CoVid-19 pandemic. My previous home, Macau, was a small island capable of closing it’s borders and enforcing strict regulations to the small population which in turn resulted in zero cases for the latter half of 2019. Life was “normal” except for not being able to leave due to the restrictions placed on foreigners with work permits (bluecards). I spent 6 months in Macau waiting for the chance to perform on the stage again, only to be met with a plane ticket home in December 2020.
Fast forward and a skip across the ocean and I’m back in the Western hemisphere. It was a peculiar experience, coming home. Not having truly dealt with the restrictions and quarantine regulations in Macau, everything hit me 10 fold when I stepped on to US soil. I was terrified to spread the virus to my loved ones in the US and due to travel restrictions, I couldn’t even be in the same country as my french boyfriend. This place I left years ago is not the one I came back to. Armed with a double mask and a bottle of hand sanitizer I would leave my house every few days to go to the grocery store, anxious to keep my distance in every aisle. Even seeing family I hadn’t seen in over a year from being trapped on the other side of the world was no relaxed reunion. Every carefully ventilated meeting was met with heightened anxiety for over two weeks post goodbye. It was scary, but what can you do but do your part.
Well I thought of something I could do. And it won’t please all souls but it works for my family, and it works for my relationship and it works for my sanity.
I took a detour to Mexico.
Now I happen to be a supporter of “love is not travel”. #HearMeOut…. I believe in masks. I believe in social distancing. And my time in Asia made it very clear that this pandemic can only be controlled with everyone looking out for the person to their left, right and center. I don’t believe we can defeat this thing with a “but I won’t get that sick…” mentality. For me, for the younger adults, those with the strongest immunities, its about not taking part in the spread rather than the fear of infection itself. That being said, I cannot quarantine until 2022. I’m unemployed and my boyfriend is an ocean away. I’m not asking for your pity, I merely request some understanding. I would love to have the privilege to work from home right now. I would love it if I could politely ask customs to let me slide on by without asking me for marital papers. But alas, that is not our reality. So like I said, I’m in Mexico now reunited with my french croissant. Trying my hardest to be as socially responsible as possible while also figuring out how to recreate a life in a pandemic.
Great! We’re all caught up. Job in Macau—lost job in Macau—back to States—went to mexico to reunite with frenchie with tacos. We are adapting, people! The plan is simple. We live socially responsible day to day while training for the day circus comes back. Our lives as circus freaks are far from over. But in the mean time, I think there’s more than enough time to try my hand at something a bit different. Maybe creating an act? Maybe diving a bit further into food photography? This pandemic has tested all of our patience but I don’t want another day to go by waiting for normal to return. We create our new normal and we will love it just the same.
