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Post 50: #Coronavirus and a global perspective.

We’re sharing our experiences, thoughts, and uncensored opinions during lockdown, quarantine, and self-isolation. For some of us, it’s DAY 50. 

Today is free-form writing.

Special needs and #Coronavirus

Myriam Ramadan, #Beirut

For me, the one person who helped me deal positively with this pandemic is my son, who has special needs. My eldest at 21, Karim was born with Cerebral Palsy. Since I am divorced, Karim and his brother Nadim get to visit me a few days a month. They are far from me, but since I am the type to look at the cup as half full, I came to realize that the boys’ visits make my confinement a little sunnier, happier, and brighter. As everyone probably knows, Lebanon is going through not one, but two crucial issues that are threatening its future: #Covid-19, in addition to a severe economic crisis.

Being confined, alone, without the constant presence of my boys, has been tough. So it is only natural that when they come to visit, spending time with them makes this “Stay at home” lockdown that much softer.

As a mom, caring for Karim is a whole different dimension. Aside from the strenuous physical needs, such as carrying and transferring Karim – mostly done by his male helper – I give him his meals and get to spend quality time with him. He loves good food and classical music. The tool that has benefitted me most in helping Karim and myself to accept his disability is humor. By no means does this imply that I am a clown on wheels (I wish I was)!

  • Retrieved from thinkingminds.com.
    No copyright infringement intended.

Back to confinement, having Karim restrained at home is no easy thing, as his level of frustration from being unable to go out is quite high, since outings are essential for him. The good part is that being confined together for a few days has allowed us to enjoy one another.  

Now that all outside activities have been eliminated, I pick Karim’s brain about music, explaining to him about the pandemic, all the while using humor. So, whenever an advert about “staying home” comes up, we look at each other and we say laughingly, “We got it. What else is new?”

Karim, you are my sunshine.

My daughter on the front lines

Tina F., Fairfax, #Virginia

Medical personnel are getting such praise for their heroic work during the #coronavirus crisis. My 21-year-old daughter is a clinical technician at Fairfax Hospital. She is anticipating finishing nursing school to receive her RN (registered nurse) position. However, she is not immune to the hardships and sacrifices all healthcare professionals are experiencing during the coronavirus.

Her shift begins at 7 pm and ends at 7 am. By the time she gets home, I am awake and I hear her come through the laundry room. She places placing her scrubs and hospital items in the washer on a sanitize cycle. We don’t exchange much conversation as she heads down to the basement, where she is living. She takes a very long shower, unwinds, and goes to bed for several hours.

She does not feel like a hero. She is only doing her job.

My daughter was scared at the beginning, not knowing what to expect. She was asking me if she should quit.

“OMG!” I said “You are so lucky to have a job! You cannot bail out because you are afraid. This is a test and you are to answer the call.”

That was the last time I heard anything from her. She does what she is asked at the hospital. She goes into COVID-19 patients’ rooms when she is needed. She trusts hospital protocols and her PPE to keep her safe.

She has kept her stamina and continued to do what is asked of her without complaining. One thing that resonates so much with me is when she described how much some of these COVID-19 patients suffer. This is different than anything she’s ever seen. She explains how unpredictable it is from day to day. This virus is debilitating.

At the moment, they are extremely busy at the hospital, and the staff does not have time to rest. She told me the other day, ”Everyone should be very diligent. This is very serious.”

I am so proud of her! I pray that she stays safe.

What virus?

RafifJ, #Malaga, #Spain

Forget social distancing; forget quarantine! Today we’re enjoying Day 2 of relative freedom: we are allowed to go for walks. Our walks may be for 1 hour. If we’re older than 14, we may walk between 7 am and 11 am, and between 8 pm and 11 pm.

This may possibly be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Who is going to observe this? Not the people I saw yesterday. Who will enforce these rules? The officers on patrol seem to be just as relieved about this wind-down as the civilians.

I went for a morning walk at 7:30. I figured few people would up and moving about that early in laid-back Malaga. I was so wrong! There were a gazillion people out – some walking, some biking, but most pretending to jog. The higher up the mountain – the more challenging the climb – the fewer the new athletes. I am not implying by ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION that I am an athlete, but reaching the point I did was quite an achievement after 50 days of lockdown.

Heading back down, past the port, to the beach, and then back through town, I saw new “joggers” in really colorful and matching activewear. Some were fully made up, hair carefully done. In the athletics-versus-fashion challenge, there emerged a clear victor.

During my evening walk along the beach, I noticed families going for a leisurely outing. Couples were holding hands and strolling along the boardwalk. Groups of people were hanging out on the beach. I was almost expecting street performers to show up on the main avenue.

Virus? What virus? The lockdown mentality in Malaga seems to have disappeared overnight. Spring is crossing into summer here, and the we’ve been locked up for too long.

But…If we’re not careful, we’ll have to reset the clock…we’ll have to start at Day 1 again…there will be a second wave…and this blog will never end…

I think I’ll stick to 7:30 am at the top of the mountain.

  • Malaga, a little while after sunrise

Women and perspectives

RJD, #Beirut, #Lebanon

Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it. – Arundhati Roy

There is nothing fair or healthy about patriarchal norms and the expectations they generate, so why perpetuate them in our families? This is a stressful time for absolutely everyone and there is little that we can control about the circumstances that we are now living in. – Soraya Chemali on Think.

If I had one message for all children in the world, it would be this – be bold, dream big and most importantly, be the change you imagine for yourself! – Hartini Zainudin

We live in an interconnected world, in an interconnected time, and we need holistic solutions. – Naomi Klein

While we all go through this we will also hear of so many acts of kindness and caring, because Good has always had that extraordinary will to outdo Evil. – Hala Deeb Jabbour on My SeventyYear Old Eyes.

Humans are very adaptable: we can still fix this. But the opportunity to do so will not last for long. We must start today. We have no more excuses. – Greta Thunberg

We find that marginalized girls are more at risk than boys of dropping out of school altogether following school closures and that women and girls are more vulnerable to the worst effects of the current pandemic. – Malala Yousafzai

I’ve got some bad news and I’ve got some good news. Nothing lasts forever. – Kate McGahan

  • Retrieved from afp.com. No copyright infringement intended.

Thank you for reading our blog! We welcome all feedback.

We often use photos we find on the Internet. No copyright infringement intended.

If you’d like to contribute a post, please get in touch! Send me an email, contact me on Twitter, or leave a comment here.

Post 45: #Coronavirus and a global perspective…our best and worst lockdown experiences.

We’re sharing our experiences, thoughts, and uncensored opinions during lockdown, quarantine, and self-isolation. For some of us, it’s DAY 45. 

The positives of the #Coronavirus isolation

Norma B. Wallace, Bend, #Oregon

The Earth is feeling #love. Yes, streams are clearer, there is less smog, the coral in Hawaii is thriving. The sea turtles on beaches are thriving. The Earth is feeling loved. For years, the environmentalist have been trying to get us to take better care of the Earth. Yet we drove our cars and polluted the Earth, suffocating it. In just one month we see improvement – when the world opens up, let’s still take better care of the Earth.  

I see families out doing activities together, not just going from one scheduled lesson to another. Yes, homeschooling is tough. Yet I see more families being involved in the kids’ education. They also have a better appreciation of what teachers do every day.  Can we hold on to these good features when the country opens up? It really is more loving.

I see creative acts of kindness in our community. Calling the elderly to make sure they are okay. Listening to one another. Playing music, clapping to show your support, wearing a mask to protect others, food being donated, and for those who can, going outside. All ways of showing love that I would like to see continue.

I was trying to explain to children how one person could show their love and that it was contagious and would spread around the world. I took a glass of water and added one drop of blue food coloring. The whole glass of water turned blue.  

When the world opens up, I want to be a drop of Love that spreads around the world.  If more would join me, it would be a better place.  

Light at the end of the CoronaTunnel

RafifJ, #Malaga, #Spain

Today the staff at the Poke restaurant across the street put up bright lights on the outside – a sure sign that there’s light at the end of our CoronaTunnel. In Spain, we’ll be “permitted” to go for walks starting this weekend, and lockdown will most probably end the weekend after that. I am on the verge of doing cartwheels!

Some 45 days into it, I’m giving some thought to the best and worst moments I’ve experienced. I’ve had wild laughter during video chats (you know the kind, the laugh-till-you-cry moments) with my closest friends. I’ve also had many sleepless, anxiety-ridden nights. Despite the anxiety, I know I have much to be grateful for: we’ve stayed healthy, I’ve had work, and Adam has been able to zip through his online classes.

My best and worst days have been every day. I’ve chatted with family and friends; the daily rounds of FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, and WhatsApp chats have taught me who my real friends are. My best days are when I walk to the store via the beautiful sea – it is so calming, and the sound of the waves tells me the universe will be all right. My best days are when I say a heartfelt gracias to my heroes, the store clerks and the Amazon delivery guys. My best days are when I open the windows to let in the beautiful spring breeze, or when I turn to the sun, taking a moment to be mindful of the quiet beauty around me. My best days are when I see the plaza statues. In their stillness, they seem to stop time, and I take that suspended second or two to remember that good health and the bonds of family and friends are priceless. And fabulous weather is just that extra chocolate on the churros. My best days are when I walk along Malaga’s streets. They are resting now, and clean, thanks to the tireless efforts of those who disinfect them daily.

My worst days – well, they are when I inadvertently click somewhere I shouldn’t have. Suddenly I hear the voice of He Who Shall Not Be Named. My worst day is when I listen to him touting a weapon of mass destruction as a cure. Let me stop there and quickly get back to one of my best days.

As we head toward the new “normal,” I hope we remember to stay grateful for the simple things, the things that truly matter, the things we’ve learned are priceless. I hope you also manage to find your best days, every day.

Best and worst memories from a 50+ mom

Tina F., Fairfax, #Virginia

I am certain that most people on Earth have experienced a shift in some aspect of their lives during this 2020 pandemic.

I am blessed because my husband is retired and my kids are in college, which meant that we did not telecommute nor did we home school. We have been reading, walking, and reflecting a lot. But the best thing to happen during this shutdown is our divorce from the consumerist society we had taken for granted. We buy groceries only when we need them. With retail closed, we avoid impulse buying. Online retail has a delivery backlog so we only order only essential items.

The worst memory is having to listen to the stupidest leader of the free world taking “charge” of his country. Spouting misinformation and behaving like a kid in a school yard. Responding to crisis by name-calling and vindictive actions.

Best and worst memories from an 18-year-old’s perspective…

He loved the time off because he needed a break from the daily pressures of culinary school. (Culinary school is very regimented. The hours are long and vacations are few).

He has been thrilled to cook and experiment at his own pace on a variety of international foods at home.

His worst memory is the lack of schedule and self-discipline. He was sinking into an abyss that took over his life.

Although he has found a happy medium of rigid schedule and downtime, he still fears going back to “normal” life.

  • Retrieved from pinterest. No copyright infringement intended.

Moments…

RJD, #Beirut, #Lebanon

For 45 days, our lives have been turned upside down. We are dealing with stress and anxiety and new chores and washing hands and worrying about mundane things more than on any other “normal” day.

Let’s start with the bleak…the sad memories of the last 45 days: over 2 million people starving, nearly 25 million people will be unemployed worldwide, and almost 212,000 people died because our governments in the first world acted like they are from the fifth world.

During such turbulent times, though, you sometimes do or see something that is hysterically funny and because of the stress, you end up in giggles far more than it deserves. That’s part of stress relief.

One of those endless giggle memories in the past 45 days is when the Lebanese government, (bless them, ha) voted to legalize Cannabis for medical and industrial use. Really.

That, in and by itself is funny, but the funniest is a post I read online the next minute:

Retrieved from Blogbaladi. No copyright infringement intended.

Nouh Zeaiter is a well-known “El Chapo” in the Bekaa (where weed is grown). And since, unemployment is high in Lebanon, the joke was that he is the only one hiring in the whole economically devastated country!!!

Thank you for reading our blog! We welcome all feedback.

We often use photos we find on the Internet. No copyright infringement intended.

If you’d like to contribute a post, please get in touch! Send me an email, contact me on Twitter, or leave a comment here.