A Canadian Teacher Living in Korea Talks Quarantine

The Faces of Quarantine-One Virus Many Faces: Sarah Olivia

Right now, I’m feeling pretty relaxed. It’s Saturday morning, and I’m drinking my coffee, the sun is out, and I can see the cherry blossoms outside my window. Like many others, I am working from home right now. I am an elementary school teacher- a job that involves a lot of moving around and interacting with people. Now, I spend my days at the kitchen table with my eyes glued to a screen for hours a day. I do get to interact with my colleagues and students through online platforms like Zoom, but it’s not quite the same. This year I am teaching drama, which is a subject that requires even more physicality and collaboration, so you can imagine how challenging that is to translate to an online format. Working from home also means the lines between home and work are blurred. Establishing boundaries can be challenging. The other day at 8:00 pm my husband started reading a work email to me, and I told him,

“Are you kidding me?! It’s 8:00 pm we are done for the day! You need to switch work off!”

However, the silver linings are that I get to eat a hot lunch every day, I don’t have to gulp my food before lunch duty, and I can go to the bathroom whenever I need to. My husband and I go for…