Last Three Done! Then Onto Life in Beijing in the Time of Covid

Nice Digs for Quarantine and the Duration

After our sojourn at the “pedestrian” (with credit to my friend Leila for just the right word) Holiday Inn, we improved our living conditions considerably. Our apartment for however long we stay in Beijing (still TBD) is on the eighth floor of the St. Regis Residences adjacent to the St. Regis Hotel. This central Beijing location is about a half-block from our family, and the health club here, including its fabulous indoor pool, is their gym. We’re renting a furnished unit with two bedrooms, two sumptuous baths, large open living and dining room, kitchen, in-unit laundry facilities, and great storage space. It’s what is called a service apartment. This means that weekly maid service, towels, linens, etc., are included. I could easily live like this forever (preferably not in Beijing).

The Advance Team Preceded Us

During the day, long before our 11 pm arrival, Amy and Jonathan and the kids had been here. Our first clue: the two pairs of little girl in-house slippers lined up in the foyer. In China, of course, shoes are removed at the door, and slippers that don’t go outside are worn indoors. The point of this is that the floor should stay clean. From personal experience, especially at home, I can tell you that a row of shoes religiously taken off at the door and replaced by slippers has no relevance to crumbs or spills being ignored.

Besides a collection of puzzles, art supplies, and books (these mainly in the second bedroom, where there are two twin beds–for sleepovers), there was lots of food in the refrigerator and cupboards: milk, eggs, cheese, butter, fruits and vegetables, yogurt, cereal, rice, pasta, spices, olive and vegetable oil, bottles of wine. Dishes, glasses, flatware, pots and pans, and kitchen utensils supplied by management were augmented by a couple of Peppa Pig mugs and other additions from the kids’ house. A huge sack of flour, matzah, and matzah meal signified anticipated baking, fried matzah (a year-round family favorite), and matzah ball soup. Family photos and drawings and two “pandas” also welcomed us. 

Daily Life During Residential Quarantine

The apartment overlooks one of the kids’ playgrounds and a part of their building in the Jianguomen Diplomatic Residential Compound (DRC) in an area of embassies. The Iraqi embassy can be seen across the street. There are more of these compounds scattered around the city, as some countries (including the US) have built new embassy buildings in Beijing in recent years.  DRCs are run by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. They house primarily diplomats and foreign journalists in very nice rental apartments. But the view out the window and a few We Chat video calls, including to light candles together on Shabbat, were as close as we got to the family until quarantine was over.

We had two visits from the ubiquitous hazmat-suited COVID testers (supposedly “doctors” employed by the community organization, but who knows?)–one on Friday (the second day) and one on Saturday. The door was alarmed but released by staff when something was delivered. We were allowed outside food untainted by anti-disinfectant, and welcomed great meals from Susu (Vietnamese) and Pak Pak (Thai), the two restaurant brands Amy and Jonathan own. And challah and Amy’s homemade chicken for Shabbat! 

Sunday, Sunday…Finally! Five + Three Done!

Besides having checked in here late at night, our release was delayed until about noon Sunday by a delay in our Saturday COVID results. A small party of happy little girls and their dad came to the hotel, and the girls had a favorite lunch of Nainai’s fish (tuna salad). We played in the afternoon. Rivah got tired. Mirah went out to dinner with us at the Japanese restaurant downstairs (yes, sushi in the building), and stayed overnight. Even though there was still online school the next week, she spent both Sunday and Monday nights with us and went home for iPad school. She came to the pool with me after school. We were back in Nainai/Yeye grandparent heaven! 

Total From Departure to Reunion: Seventeen Days (and worth every minute!)

We left Milwaukee for San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day, November 24; left San Francisco Friday night November 25 for Hong Kong; left Hong Kong for Beijing Friday, December 2; left the Holiday Inn Wednesday, December 7; and got our apartment door unlocked on Sunday, December 11. 

UH, OH

By Tuesday morning, all four of them and their nanny had tested positive for COVID.