I haven’t talked about the tense journey traveling from China to America which was an experience I will never forget. I figured I talked about COVID-19 so much, people would be tired of hearing about it. And with Black Lives Matter being much more important than my journey and story, I decided to go silent with my blogging efforts. But my traveling from China to America during COVID-19 was by far one of the weirdest journeys I’ve been on. I’ve also not processed going through COVID-19 quarantine in China and then coming home to the US where I would experience it a second time.
Writing is how I process my emotions. This is a lengthy story, but worth reading especially if you are trying to come home from China. I want to get this out before I forget. So here it goes.
Xi’an International Airport – May 16th, 2020 [5:13 pm – Beijing Standard Time]
On a hot Saturday afternoon, I started my long 50+ hour journey traveling from China to America amidst the global pandemic that is still affecting everyone. I spent the morning with a family friend who took me to have lunch and see a famous film museum in Xi’an. It was pretty cool, but I was tired and anxious.
For weeks, I had had anxiety about getting home after three of the flights I booked were canceled. This was the last, and hopefully final, attempt to get on a plane back to America. The Beijing US Embassy had assured me the flight I had recently booked was a guaranteed flight. That seat home came at a hefty price of $3,648. If I couldn’t get on this plane, I had until May 27th (when my visa expired) to find a way home.
At the airport, I was already tired. I was also anticipating I wouldn’t sleep on the planes, because I never do. I was equally anxious about my belongings getting home without issue. Those suitcases held items of incredible sentimental value and I would be torn to shreds should I lose anything on such a long journey. My anxiety was so high, I was even nervous about going through security.
By that time, I hadn’t traveled outside of Xi’an since COVID-19 began so I didn’t know what to expect. I especially didn’t know what to expect when I arrived in Los Angeles.
When it was time to land in Beijing, I would have to wait 16 hours before boarding my next flight to Los Angeles. I checked my phone anxiously, typing in the flight number to make sure it was still confirmed. Thankfully, it was.
From Xi’an to Beijing – May 16th, 2020 [8:40 pm – Beijing Standard Time]
On the plane to Beijing, the cabin was packed and everyone was shoulder to shoulder. To my delight, everyone was still wearing a mask. As we pulled away from the terminal I watched the hot red characters that spelled out “Xi’an” blaze against the black skies. After lifting off, we veered left and I watched the glittering orange freeways become distant bright threads snaking through the dark earth below.
I cried. I cried for having to leave my students, for having to leave my local teachers and friends, for leaving China as I was just starting to enjoy life there. At the same time, I was happy to be on a plane home and back on American soil where I didn’t feel so incredibly alone. I knew things back home were crazy, but I knew being home with family and friends would be better than having a cushy life in China alone.
On the plane, some of the passengers had the commonly seen baby blue surgical masks on, but the two people sitting next to me had them pulled down under their nose, completely defeating the purpose of masks. Although I felt incredibly annoyed, I occupied my thoughts with promises that I would wear my mask for the entire 52 hours traveling no matter how much it sucked. Meanwhile, in the US, people complained about wearing a mask for 30 minutes to go into a grocery store.
Beijing International Airport – May 17th, 2020 [After Midnight – Beijing Standard Time]
I got to Beijing International Airport just a little before 11:00 pm so I couldn’t get checked in or go through security leaving me to sit in the check-in area for the next six hours. There weren’t many places to sit or lie down, but I found a bench with a garden that I thought might do. I was exhausted, and while not many people were in the check-in area, I still woke myself up to make sure my belongings were safe and untouched.
I was in and out of sleep for about 4 hours, never really hitting any type of REM or feeling actual rest. And my anxiety about my flight was still a heavy worry on my mind. Once I was sitting on the plane to Los Angeles, I knew I would feel better.
Beijing International Airport – May 17th, 2020 [5:00 am – Beijing Standard Time]
At about 5 am, I felt the check-in area grow busier and decided to make my way through security for the second leg of my trip. I was excited to find a better bench in the terminal where I might lay my head. I rode the train to the international terminal, not so surprisingly finding I was by myself.
When I arrived at the terminal, it was practically deserted. I approached the man dressed entirely in a white hazmat suit, goggles, gloves, and a mask. He instructed me to fill out a form and asked me a few questions in Chinese about my health. I looked around once more. No one else was behind me.
After getting past the health check, I made my way through security. Being that I was the only person going through at the time (which has never happened to me in all my years of travel), they decided to take everything out of my bag.
In normal times, I am usually intimidated by airport security. Trying to go home during a pandemic during China made it feel even more intimidating.
The man with blue gloves and a blue mask extracted everything from my bag and took every toiletry item out of my toiletry bag to put it in 8 different tubs. They ran all the tubs through the conveyor belt multiple times checking everything extra thoroughly. I had never experienced anything like this before. I figured this would be the time they took my reusable metal straws or confiscated toiletry items, but they didn’t.
The only thing they confiscated from me was the single bottle of hand sanitizer I had in my bag. He took the small bottle and just said, “This… No.” I found it ironic I couldn’t take it since we were in the middle of the pandemic, but I didn’t argue.
Everything I had packed so neatly took at least 10 minutes to put back in the bag. I was still the only one going through security. Three security guards watched as I rushed to pack everything back into my bags like it was before. Overwhelmed by the whole ordeal, I could feel myself on the verge of tears.
The last thing to pack was my bag of toiletries. I stuffed everything back in the bag, which was missing a tooth in the zipper. I struggled to zip it up, and I could feel the tears coming and my hands were shaking. The single male security guard moved to help me, and in my frustration, I snapped at him telling him I could do it myself. I immediately felt guilty.
Beijing International Airport – May 17th, 2020 [5:43 am – Beijing Standard Time]
If you’re reading this, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the Stephen King movie, The Langoliers, but if you have then you’ll understand my reference when I say this airport felt like a scene out of that movie. No one was occupying the international terminals and duty-free shops all over were darkened. I wondered how many people would be on the flight, although it was still quite early in the day. Here are some pictures of just how deserted the terminal was.
The departure gate hadn’t even been displayed yet I was there so early. So I picked the emptiest spot in the terminal (which was everywhere) and made myself comfortable. For the next several hours, I spent my time playing Forge of the Empires, texting people back home, writing in my journal, watching movies on Netflix (courtesy of Astrill VPN), and trying to get some shut-eye. I even managed to score a cup of coffee from the single Starbucks that was surprisingly open.
At around noon, my gate number was posted, gate E61, and clear across the terminal. As I walked for the next ten minutes, I came across even more deserted areas of the terminal.
Beijing International Airport – May 17th, 2020 [2:31 pm – Beijing Standard Time]
Surprisingly and crazily enough, the flight from Beijing to Los Angeles had a lot of people. The flight was not full, but an elderly woman sat in the aisle seat and while I sat in my window seat. Even crazier was the type of plane I flew on to go home.
I’m not one to complain. I was very happy to be finally on the plane back to America and there was no doubt about it. I had never flown with Air China until now. But this plane…
It had no wifi, the headphone jack only allowed you to listen out of one side of your headphones, barely any of the newest movies on, and the TV setup was so old, it had the game controllers from back in the day before today’s current technology. I paid $3,648 for this one-way ticket, as I’m sure everyone else on the plane did. It was odd that this was the best plane Air China could conjure for passengers paying over $3,500 a ticket (I assumed). In a way, I felt incredibly ripped off. In another way, all I could think of was how worth it $3,648 was for me to be near my family during COVID-19. So I instead chose to be grateful.
I played Sudoku, Pac Man, and watched the few new movies I hadn’t seen while I made my 12-hour flight back to Los Angeles. Breathing a sigh of relief, I felt the seat underneath me. This was it, and I was finally going back home to Colorado after three failed attempts. All was well for me at that moment. For the next 12 hours, I would still barely sleep on the plane.
Los Angeles International Airport – May 17th [12:00 pm Pacific Standard Time]
Basically, I time-traveled back to America, which I always find so cool. After I landed safely in Los Angeles, I took my bags through customs, which was a breeze, then tried to see if I could get checked into my flight from Los Angeles to Denver. The walk to the Delta terminal was a bit of a way but once I got there I was immediately met with a chipper Delta employee who helped me check my bags in way early.
“Oof! These are overweight, so it’ll be costly!” He exclaimed. I had traveled over 30 hours already and had another 22 to go. I laughed.
“Honestly, man. I’m traveling from China to America be with my family and the fact my bags even made it this far is astounding. I’ll pay whatever I have to get them home.” It wasn’t much, like $140, which he still mentioned was outrageous. I was so happy to be back in America where people like this Delta employee existed. I missed the small talk.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go through security and once again had to wait in the check-in area. I had another 18 hours before my next flight left. One of the only places open, and with food, was Hudson News. I found myself a big sandwich, a bag of chips, and a cold drink. Boy, did I miss sandwiches too. On my way out, I picked up a copy of “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”. Then I found the most comfortable spot in the check-in area to rest my head. I laid my head down on my backpack and was in and out of sleep until 4:00 am the next day.
Los Angeles International Airport – May 18th [6:00 am Pacific Standard Time]
By now, I had already finished my Starbucks latte and bacon and gouda sandwich (another simple American style Starbucks pleasure) and was on the plane getting ready to take off to Salt Lake City. Delta 100% had it together and it’s the reason I love them so much. Every row had the middle seat empty and (for the most part) everyone was wearing a mask. The Delta flight crew had prepared little bags of water, snacks, and hand sanitizer for passengers and took all precautions onboard.
I tried to drift off to sleep but with the flight being so short, I didn’t get much.
Salt Lake City Airport – May 18th [8:53 am Mountain Standard Time]
This airport was busy as hell. I honestly couldn’t believe so many people were traveling during a pandemic. It appeared that more than half of everyone not socially distancing at all and wasn’t wearing a mask. After coming from a country where everyone wore a mask and didn’t make a big deal about it, this was eerie to me.
Denver International Airport – May 18th [11:04 am Mountain Standard Time]
My sweet boyfriend picked me up from the airport, having already parked and found my baggage claim. I jumped into his arms, thrilled to be back in the great state of Colorado. After retrieving my bags, we got in the car and drove home where I quarantined for 14 days.
Being Home
I’ve been home for 33 days now. And while things here are confusing, upsetting, and inconvenient, I know my decision to come home was the right one. Traveling from China to America was stressful. Trying to book the flight was even more stressful. However, I knew that if I continued to stay in China, getting home would become more and more difficult as the entire globe suffered from the pandemic. There was no telling how much more expensive flights to the US would be, or if there would be flights back to the US at all. Not to mention living alone in China and away from my family and comfort zones was incredibly taxing. As I was active on Facebook, people welcomed me back to my home, some thankful for my safe return.
28 days after being in the US, I attempted to visit a salon in my hometown to remove old cured nail polish from my fingertips and was denied entry simply because I had lived in China a month ago. Although I had done my part, followed the rules of the CDC, quarantined for 14 days, and came from a country that had a much better handle on the pandemic than the US, I was feared. The moment where I was made to feel dangerous while others in the community didn’t bother to wear a mask, was upsetting.
To read the full post, go here.
Tips For Traveling from China to America During COVID-19
Booking a Flight
Booking sites will not be your best friend if you are trying to get home to America. Sites like kiwi.com, Booking.com, and Priceline are still advertising and showing flights that used to be scheduled but are no longer available. If you decide to book a site through a booking site, you may experience a cancellation in your near future.
Wearing A Mask
I know that it is a pain in the ass, no one wakes up in the morning and is excited to wear one (if you are, no judgments). Heavy cloth masks will be harder to wear and since you’ll likely be traveling from China to America in no less than 30 hours, you’ll need something breathable. Surgical masks are perfect for that.
Bringing Snacks
There are A LOT of airports that may not have some shops or restaurants open as normal, so bring an adequate amount of snacks. Preferably something that won’t cause a ruckus when going through security.
Checking Your Baggage
When you arrive at each airport, and if you have multiple connecting flights, make sure you check that your bags made it to the airport like they were supposed to. The last thing you need is all your belongings spread across the world.
Other Articles About My Experience in China During COVID-19
If you would like to see other posts on my time in China during COVID-19 and the initial outbreak, see my recent blog posts below:
