Megan Monroe went to Wuhan 90 days ago to work as an English teacher. The 21-year-old American instead spent two-thirds of her time in a closed city. Wuhan has been under quarantine for two months due to thecoronavirus emergency.
Almost every day Monroe posts a video to his 40.000 followers on TikTok, providing an unfiltered view of what life is like in bulk in Wuhan.
“Mostly I just want people to know it's not scary,” wrote Monroe. “I'm a real person, I live here and I'm just getting on with my life.”
Wuhan, Megan's TikToks
Some of the videos are so normal they could be shot anywhere. Monroe is seen cooking, volunteering, opening packages from the family, learning tongue twisters and enjoying the sun.
@prostage Cooking ribs today ## wuhan ## chinawuhan ## quarantine ## 武汉 加油
♬ original sound – prostage
But the videos also depict the surreal (often grim) reality of being cooped up in a city at the epicenter of a deadly virus outbreak.
Monroe is often dressed in full protective clothing, while doing volunteer work such as delivering food delivered.
In one video, medicines are seen being passed through a fence by a pharmacist outside the quarantine area. In another, Monroe describes abandoning a trip to the grocery store after discovering that it had been sealed.
@prostage Volunteer ## wuhan ## chinawuhan ## quarantine ## 武汉 加油
♬ Fast – Sueco the Child
“Um, yeah, that's crazy,” Monroe says nervously to the camera.
Monroe and his supervisor produced the TikToks together: Monroe appears in the videos, the supervisor films, edits and uploads them to the account @prostage.
The videos found a large audience on TikTok. They have already been viewed more than 360.000 times.
A small community has sprung up around the account, with followers sending well wishes and asking questions about what life is like in Wuhan.
Coronavirus in Wuhan, uncontrolled rumors
Megan hopes the videos can expose the rumors spread online.
“People have heard rumors about the government secretly cremating all the dead… It's just a load of crap. I told them to follow my TikTok if they really wanted to know how things are.”
Despite having many reasons not to be, Monroe is incredibly comfortable in videos. She's not afraid, she doesn't have coronavirus and she doesn't seem too worried about catching it. She sure is bored and she can't wait to get home.
@prostage ## wuhan ## chinawuhan ## quarantine ## 武汉 ## 武汉 加油 ## coronaviruses ## 新型 冠状 病毒
♬ original sound – prostage
“The US had return flights in the early days, but they cost $1.100 and I just couldn't afford it. Other countries were bringing their citizens home for free. Plus, my mom doesn't want me to risk getting stuck on the plane and end up quarantined in the US."
For now, Monroe is trying to make the most of a bad situation.
“It sounds a bit silly, but right before I left my parents I celebrated a kind of early Christmas. They gave me a bracelet that said 'Life is hard, but I am tougher'. I know I'm lucky and that everything happens for a reason. I'm exactly where I need to be right now.", he wrote.
