A COVID postcard.

An unaccepted essay from early 2021.

To the not pregnant woman at my first COVID jab…

To be fair, I was already stressed.

Not for fear of contracting COVID, but as to why the process was taking so long.

Those who know me will understand I like to know a) what’s going on and b) despite my best efforts, I remain a relatively impatient person. 

After sitting in my car queuing for an hour (to the point I simply turned my car off), I walked in the door at Dubai Parks with my appointment ticket in hand and a bag full of things to keep me occupied. This wasn’t my first rodeo, and at nearly fifteen years of living in the Middle East, I came prepared with my headphones, a book, a charger, water, and snacks. Imagine my surprise when I didn’t need anything to pass the time, but instead, a negative pregnancy test.

In all my research for the free jab (thank you, UAE, for your ongoing efforts to keep your residents healthy and COVID free), I somehow skipped over the part where I would need to bring in or complete (!) a negative pregnancy t…