January + February 2021 | Recap

Hi friends! I just made a cup of tea and sat down at my *new* desk to write this update post – my first update of 2021.

Honestly, I think I’ve switched to writing these in two-month installments because it’s harder to process what happens each month. Simultaneously there’s less to recap (because I’m not going anywhere or traveling, and my days mostly look the same), but there’s also way more to process with the news cycle and pandemic.

It feels so odd to be coming up on a year of the pandemic, and think of everything that’s happened in a year, and where I was at this time last year. In February 2020, I’d just returned home from an incredible trip to India and Sri Lanka with Dan, and started a brand new job in Michigan. Life is so, so, different now. And this is the last month that we can think back on a “year ago” and have that be “pre-pandemic.” Does this make sense? Is anyone else similarly feeling emotional about this?

Anyway, here is a little of what I got up to the past two months.

Where was I in January + February?

• Countries: USA
• Cities: Lansing, Michigan
• Flights: 0
• Days on the road: 0

January + February on the blog…

January:

• I have the COVID vaccine! What does this mean for travel?
• 2021 travel plans
• 51 best long distance relationship quotes
• November & December 2020 recap

February:

• 23 romantic cabins in Michigan
• The ultimate gluten free Sri Lanka guide
• Sri Lanka packing list for all seasons

January + February adventured like…

• New-ish job. In my last recap, I shared that I started a new job back in November! I finished up my two month preceptorship with the new year, and have been out seeing patients on my own since then.
• I’m now fully vaccinated. Thanks to that new job, I received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on January 12, so I’m officially fully vaccinated. Really nothing in my life has changed, though. I don’t even feel less anxious because my main concern all along has been potentially transmitting COVID to my parents/someone else, and we still don’t know if the vaccine stops transmission. That, combined with seeing more COVID patients at work than ever before, has me still living my hermit socially distanced lifestyle.
• I did a 28-day workout challenge with Barre3. I think it really helped both my physical and mental health. It’s a low impact workout with lots of positive vibes that I would recommend!
• Long distance relationship frustrations. Things are still majorly frustrating for Dan and I, and those of us in the international long distance relationship community. The USA borders are still closed to anyone from the UK, and visas for people from the UK are not being processed. We were hopeful when Biden was inaugurated and his press secretary mentioned a possible “international partners travel exemption visa” in a couple of her press briefings. However nothing has come of this and it is very difficult to just keep waiting with zero news or direction. March 11 will mark six months since we last saw each other in England and at this point we have no clue when or how we can reunite again. The UK has stricter borders now, and with my new job I’m no longer working remotely and can’t just take off for multiple weeks to visit him. So, stay tuned for any news on that.
• Bad news regarding my upcoming endometriosis excision surgery. My surgeon was on medical leave (I was originally supposed to have surgery in November). He was supposed to return to work in March, but this past week I got an email that he’s actually decided to retire. He was the only specialist in the state which means not only do I have to start the process of finding a new surgeon and getting on their wait list from ground zero, but I now have to go out-of-state for surgery and hope my insurance will cover it. It’s hard to put into words how devastating this news was for me and I am still processing it.
• I got my Ancestry DNA results! I’ve always wanted to try a DNA test and ended up getting this for Christmas. My results were actually very surprising… I’m thinking of writing a whole blog post about this (and future travel plans the results have sparked for me). Anyone interested?

Upcoming in March…

Writing all that out it really sounds like I’ve had a downer of a couple months. And while things have not been all rainbows and sunshine, mostly I’ve been getting by fine. Having lost my job at the beginning of the pandemic last year, I realize how lucky I am to once again have a steady stream of income and I do not take that for granted. I’m enjoying my writing, my new healthcare job, and I’m hopeful for better days ahead for all of us.

I don’t have any major plans for March, other than continuing working and writing on the blog. I will have a lot of medical appointments and referrals to focus on, might cook some new meals, and that’s pretty much it! Maybe I will even get a bottle of champagne and cheers on the anniversary of our lockdown here in Michigan and the day I lost my job. I feel like the occasion deserves some acknowledgment, and I might as well make it positive, right?

How have you all been? Any plans for March?