A Wild Story + a Call for Q&A!

I know I'm a bit late here but I've only just joined and so going through all the back log. I feel it's really easy for people to jump at the chance to have a go at someone especially when They don't know all the details. You didn't know what was going on in the world as You Were cut off. There was lots of people in that situation. Even ignoring that people Were away from home and needed to get back. I'm pretty sure if Those people Who had a go about You travelling Were away from home at the time They would have tried everything to get back. For Me the Pandemic taught Me quite a few lessons. Not much changed for Me as I'm self employed and so have always worked from home. I became aware that one of My friends are quite self centred. They had got rather down with being stuck in the house. Granted They are a lot more social than Me and so would struggle more but They didn't seem interested in the fact that how most people Were having to adapt Their lives was how I was already living. I tried to offer Them advice on how to deal but They just kept complaining about everything. Another thing to note is They have a husband and 2 kids so have some conversations within the house and She phones Her Mum everyday. I'm a single Mum of 1 and My Dads not much of a talker. I got to the point I stopped trying to give advice and just listen to Her as it's all I feel I could do. In kind of loosing My relationship with My friend I built up My relationship with My Aunty and My next door neighbour. My Aunty is 74 and My Neighbour 86 both unable to drive and Were too scared to leave the house. I offered to get Their shopping when I went. At first They Were quite reluctant and They had other people offer, but then They found Themselves forgetting to put things on the shopping list or Were bought the wrong item. As time went on My lists got a bit longer. Then with all the lockdowns(We're in the UK) They found Themselves getting rather lonely and so I would stand at the door and talk to Them for like an hour. My neighbour was feeling rather down at one point as good old English weather had set in so I got Her some flowers to help cheer Her up. Well I got told off as I was already doing enough for Her but then She started crying bless Her. My Aunty is into Her arts and crafts like Me and so every week She would show Me what She had been working on. So now that We're out of lockdown(at this moment in time) I both hate and love shopping day. I hate the shopping part but I look forward to talking to My neighbour and having show and tell with My Aunty and getting all the weekly gossip. Having My daughter off and having to home school Her was a nightmare. She's Autistic and because We Were around each other for soo long without a break We Were getting on top of each other. I was already getting shopping for My 76 year old Dad before so not much changed there. One huge change for Me was diet. I'd not been very well for a long time and couldn't work out why. Drs just kept saying stress but I refuse to take drugs for it. So I took the opportunity to sit down and fully meal plan so then I could make shopping as quick as possible. I started to notice a pattern in when I'm ill to what I was doing as well as eating. So I started to cut out certain items of food that I thought Were making Me ill and found substitutes. I still have My off days but My overall health as definitely improved especially as I now make most meals from scratch with fresh ingredients. Also like most people I took the time to spruce up the house and garden where possible. It was a huge learning curve to everyone about growing and adapting and some did it better than others

I appreciate you sharing all of this, Mike. I was wondering more about the details of your journey from Socotra back home. It's so strange to think about early March. I recall hedging on booking travel to visit my 83-year-old mom for fear of potentially bringing the virus to rural Kansas and in the end it was just as well my procrastination paid off. I live in Maryland (DC area) and while it's not as bad as New York, it's enough to keep us mostly inside. Thankfully parks are open, so we've been able to do some socially distanced hiking. I was sad and depressed for a while thinking about how I probably won't be able to travel for a long time. My new job sucks, so that didn't help. But more recently I am starting to get back into "armchair travel" or basically what intrigued me about the world when I was a kid. I am making lists of places I want to visit, taking stock in things I'm really interested in, and trying to not get stressed out. Interestingly enough I had just decided to start writing again and wanted to write some positive stories from one country for every letter in the alphabet. I was looking up Yemen for the "Y" country and found an article about Eva. I would love to get her impressions now on the positive things that have happened since she decided to stay. From her social media, it seems like it was a good idea in the end, despite what the haters say. Many people have had to make difficult decisions, and clearly our leaders are making decisions on our behalf, and many of those are far worse for the public than any travelers had to make. I haven't traveled since December, but I have no idea what I would have done if I'd been nomadic and didn't have a place to return to. I think you both made the best decision you could given the circumstances and timing (3 hours! I would probably have had a heart attack). I liked your video. It was dark but especially appropriate for the times. I feel like now here in the US we are in a state of information overload and you can't tell what's true or fake. It is so sad. Are you finding the same thing in Canada? My biggest question is what are your criteria or parameters for when it's safe to travel again? The realities of what air travel may be like in the coming year or two does not appeal at all to me, which is depressing but at the same time I know there is plenty to see in the US that I could potentially drive to. I live with immunocompromised people, and I'm not so sure I would fare well, but I also don't want to give into fear. Are you willing to just put on a mask and bring a bottle of hand sanitizer, or is there more to it? How will this new reality affect traveling? Do you think people will shun any traveler who isn't a local because travelers were the ones who spread the disease? I don't want that to stop me from traveling, but I am curious on your thoughts on how all of this might change in the future, and what does "future" mean to you? THANK YOU for sharing this, and I hope to see more soon. I really enjoy your positivity and here in the Patreon, your candidness. Stay safe and looking forward to your next video!

Wow, man. What a story! I'm sorry you had to deal with such aggressive people accusing you and Eva of bringing the virus to Socotra and the comparisons you got. That's out of line. But I agree with you 100% that you can find lessons in hardship if you search hard enough. As for my quarantine...I'm living in one of the big hotspots in my state right now and I have a compromised immune system, so I have not left the house in about 6 or 7 weeks at this point. I'm used to mostly staying to myself, but there were definitely some hard moments. Seeing the state of the world made me long for great people to connect with. I'm glad you figured out your place in this new world and that you're back here with us! We've missed you. Haha, and I'm very curious about your mask-wearing skull behind you! 😂 I also loved your video about fear. You've made lots of videos that made me think over the years, but that one, in particular, has stuck with me ever since you uploaded it. I think you summed up my feelings perfectly, and the soundbites you used were the perfect juxtaposition to the words you spoke so passionately. That Cardi B clip is forever burned into my brain now. 😂As far as questions, I have a few! :) 1- What would you say is the most important or most valuable thing you've learned about yourself while quarantining? 2 - Has your perspective changed at all when it comes to trying exotic delicacies because of what we know, or what we think we know, about the origins of COVID-19? 3 - As someone who is used to constantly moving from place to place, meeting new people, and immersing yourself in new cultures and experiences, what has been the key to stimulating your mind in a time where self-isolating and staying in one place is your new norm? 4 - I know you've wanted to go to Socotra for many years and that you researched it thoroughly, but did anything surprise you about Socotra once you arrived there? 5 - What was your personal favorite moment or adventure you had while you were on the island? 6 - Of all the content you have coming up, which adventure are you most excited about sharing with us? 7 - When you're finally able to travel again, what do you hope to gain from your first post-coronavirus trip? What do you hope to see and experience?

Brandon Moore