Shifting jobs amidst Covid 19 ....

I may not realise this now , but in a few years when I reflect back on this move , hopefully will be more kind to the present memories . Just a few months back , life was on a relative roll as the CEO of Aster India located in Bangalore . My team and I had entered and survived being in the eye of the Covid Delta storm albeit with a lot of emotional scars . Despite our best efforts had lost my brother in law to Covid in this same time period and as a family the grieving for this loss will be life long . On the work front with the pace of vaccinations picking up , life too acquired a degree of near normalcy with the easing of lock downs and the the surge in non Covid patients alongside a small and steady decline in Covid cases . The healthcare workers by this time had a weary look of battle scarred veterans . The hard work in instituting operational efficiencies across the network of 14 hospitals , laboratory chain and the mint fresh retail pharmacy operations were showing tangible and positive results . When the company decided to relocate me to Kochi after a 2 year stint at Bangalore , it came with mixed emotions as we were just about settling down . The mind was finally made up to pack up and make the transition when out of the blue came an opportunity calling . The conversations that followed convinced me on this wonderful opportunity in South East Asia as the CEO of the largest network of hospitals in the Philippines . With the family also concurring , the mind and heart were both locked in consent .

Ahem ! Now comes the complex logistics operations of shifting home to the new base in Manila . Even though I can self describe myself as an international air travel veteran having first flown to Dubai from Bombay in 1973 and even now after a blur of air miles across the world , the thought of a first international flight after 19 months post the Covid outbreak set the belly butterflies aflutter .

With limited flight connectivity from India to the East , the only viable option was to access westwards the aviation hub of Dubai and then fly eastwards. The travel safety quotient was enhanced due to the mandatory triple RTPCR test for the first leg of the journey ; the first one 48 hrs prior to departure , the second in the airport before boarding and the third after landing in Dubai . Even though it was a night flight of 3 hrs and 30 minutes , the sight of brave souls unmasking and enjoying inflight service was an eyeopener .

After a break in journey and prior to the next leg of travel , once again got a fresh RTPCR done and downloaded the Health app to be used at the destination airport . It was a surreal sight to see the live 'airshow' onboard the 9 hour flight that tracks the path across the Arabian Sea , India , Bay of Bengal, North of Andaman Islands, Thailand , Cambodia , Vietnam , South China Sea and then Manila Bay into Manila proper . My younger son accompanied me on this stretch . Even though we were naturally anxious , the warmth and courteousness of the staff at Aquino Ninoy International Airport put frayed nerves at ease . We did the mandatory RTPCR test and then transported to the mandatory 14 day quarantine. Once again the RTPCR test was repeated on day 8 and based on the negative test results received we were set to welcome today - the literal end of the 14th day in isolation . I reflect back on the challenges of the mind in staying alone even though my son was alongside and am so convinced that we humans are intensely social beings who crave so much the physical contact and interactions . Can't help wonder aloud the fate of incarcerated souls in physical isolation over years in prisons world over ; the kind of impact it can have on mental health . Now I understand a little more on the severity of being locked up in prison !

For the family this was just the first leg of the adventure in store ; our Labrador Caesar is due to land soon . Thankfully he gets a shorter east wards hop with a stop over , yet we are most anxious for our furry son as this is his first flight ever !! Soon afterwards the rest of the family will also join to enter the mandatory 14 day quarantine .

As expected , I have dived deeply into the new work space , connecting virtually with my new family members . The joy of virtually meeting and interacting with these wonderful souls over the past 14 days while in quarantine and also the daily 'whatsapp' calls to family and friends kept the mind happy and helped ease time into a thankful routine .

In summary , shifting Jobs and family in the midst of a global pandemic poses its unique challenges of the mind and body and hopefully will soon be humming in the routine of work and life .