When I saw the positive test result, needless to say, I was alarmed. I was in my room at U-Co, surrounded by all my clothes, shoes, bath stuff, towels, random acquired stuff like blankets and pillows (and even a heavy studio monitor/speaker)—and also surrounded by PEOPLE. There were probably 20-30 other folks in the hostel who, at this point, had been exposed. I felt horrible. 

Obviously, I had to leave. So, sick and a little freaked out, I packed up all my shit whilst looking for an affordable, comfortable Airbnb to hole up in for the week, and texted everyone. I’d also planned on moving into my new, adorbs room in an apartment in Roma Norte over the weekend. That was obviously out the window. 

Plussss, now I had to contend with the fact that I had Covid, and this is one weird virus. I knew I was about 4 days in… would the symptoms get worse? Would I feel like I needed to go to the hospital alone in frickin’ MEXICO (I’ve done it before, not recommended)? 😳

Yet…. my body is pretty smart.

At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past 2 weeks or so.
Here’s how I imagine my cells started conversing amongst one another when COVID 19 made an entrance~

Covid19: Yooo! What’s up guys? *McLovin Voice* 

Antibodies: Yo… what are you doing here? 

C19: I live here bro! I just moved here. *Smirks* 

A: *looks at one another* Nah, that’s not gonna fly, man. It’s not like that ‘round here. You gotta go. 

C19: Whaaa? I just got here, my dudes! I’m tryin’ to get down on some healthy cells. 

A: Dude, it’s not gonna happen. We’ve seen your type before, and we’re used to your toxic ways, k? You seriously can’t be here. You’re fucking up our vibes, hard. Plus, you look frickin’ weird. You’re scaring the locals. 

C19: *Slinks back* Cool, well I’m just gonna look around for a little while, aight ? Just have a looksie. Take in the sights. I can tell you take good care of the place. *Coughs* 

A: Dude, gross! That’s enough. You’re outta here. *Summons heatwave* 

It’s been 14 days now since I first started having symptoms, which means I’ve officially ended quar-quar and re-entered the “real world.” I feel very lucky to be healthy and vaccinated, so my body was well-equipped to fight off Covid and turn it into #Hoevid hahah.

Overall, I’d say my experience was relatively mild. I never really felt super sick (thanks vaccines!)—the worst of it seemed to be on day 5, when I lost my sense of taste and smell. It felt like I had waves of fever throughout the week, with my energy peaking in the morning and draining as the day went on. 

Not being able to taste or smell ANYTHING is a trip, y’all. I’d sniff my strongest, most intense body oils (potent sh*t!) for 30 seconds and… nothing. I probably could’ve plowed about 50 wasabi bombs like they were cookie dough. You’d think I would eat “sooo healthy” since I couldn’t taste, but of course, I ate a lot of oreos… hey, we all have our vices. 
After ingesting my body weight daily in ginger/echinachea/chamomile tea, lemon, cayenne pepper and turmeric, I started to tell the difference between sweet, salty, sour, etc—a big win. It’s been a week now and I’m starting to get my smell back. It’s weird, I can still imagine certain foods (spaghetti, mangos, and yes more oreos) and my mouth waters. Our bodies and minds are smart… and weird.

The Scary Parts.. and the good

It hasn’t been THAT easygoing, though. There have definitely been times I felt like my blood oxygen level was low: I had to focus on breathing with BIG in and out breaths that deep into my belly.

I keep getting better everyday, but it feels like a lot of Covid has been psycho-somatic—I told my friend @Andrewgreenblattcoaching that and he was like, “Well, yeah. Everything is psychosomatic.” Hahaha (I also made his website, btw, and he is an absolutely INCREDIBLE coach in case you’re interested). 

My first evening “out” since quarantine, I went to a rooftop bar with Jamie and felt a wave of anxiety and that “world closing-in” feeling hit me again. My palms got cold and sweaty and I had trouble concentrating on what she was saying, and had to dig deep to focus on the moment and my breathing, per usual. 

I’ve felt some waves of paranoia, too, throughout this whole ordeal, and haven’t known whether to attribute it to watching Squid Game by myself in a loft or if it’s actually the coronavirus messing with my head. These waves seem to come and go and as long as I ground down (and literally SIT down), they seem to pass. But it definitely seems like my body is still processing physically and mentally what the HELL that was (picture the exhausted antibodies sweating and groaning, but victorious). 💪

Anywho, as I write this it’s 6 p.m. on Sunday, a full two weeks after my initial bout with the ‘rona, and I stayed up til about 5 a.m. last night making out with a random hot man and generally having a great time (even though i’m pretty sure I was 8+ years older than most people in Bar Oriente ) sooo….. think I’m doing alright. 

Onwards…