I was in Korea when the coronavirus outbreak first happened in China. It felt very distant and I wasn't worried. A few people had the virus in Seoul, but everything was under control at first. Then Patient 31 infected over a thousand people at their church in Daegu, an hour and a half from my city, and the virus got a little bit closer.
Even though the massive spike was very concerning, the government cracked down and managed to get the spread under control. The population of Korea did a good job too at handling the situation. Hand sanitizer on every bus and in every restaurant and everyone wears masks. When there was a hoarding problem with masks, they implemented a system based off your birth year for when and how many masks you could buy. Everyone took it very seriously and I felt safe.
I thought I would feel more relaxed at home, but the anxiety is worse here. People aren't listening, the government isn't leading. My grandparents are old and my uncle just finished a round of chemo, one strong wind and they're all knocked down.
If a country doesn't have good healthcare, what do they even have? How can you claim to care for your people if your people are dying? To my very core I am an American, but the more I spend time in other countries the more I realize that America doesn't care for me as much as I care for her.
Korea isn't perfect, but I felt safer there than I do here. I hope I have the power to make America a safer place for everyone someday.