March 30, 2020
As we slowly make our way through week three of the Spain lockdown, I thought l’d update you on the mood of at least this household as we settle in for what is looking like the middling of this whole episode. From the latest news clip released yesterday, it is likely that the lockdown will actually be extended till April 26th. I can understand why they would do this, and hope we all have the needed patience.
Tales from the Spanish Lockdown:
The reasoning is that they want to make sure all is well, or at least going the right way (new infections and deaths decreasing) as opposed to releasing people too early and then the past month of lockdown would have been all for nothing, which would suck because l think at that point, it would be all but impossible to reimpose the lockdown.
By law, the “state of alarm” which is what the government is imposing is only good for 14 days. I think telling people for instance that the lockdown will be six weeks or something would freak a lot out. Better in small bites, even though some like me prefer the ripping the bandaid at once.
[the_ad id=”13767″]
My worry is that people that are stuck indoors for such a long time will (assuming they are not already) experience bouts of depression and anxiety. I feel especially for people who are single and have no pets. At least, we, as pet owners, are allowed to walk the dogs for a few minutes. They on the other hand, have to stay in at all times, except to get groceries, or go to the pharmacy or some other deemed important places.
Fines begin at €100 and go as high as €30,000 for serious offences including the seizure of your vehicle. This mainly applies to those who flee from where there are huge numbers like Madrid to their second homes along the coast, unintentionally bringing the virus with them. Road blocks are set up to stop this.
I know it’s a small sacrifice to make for most, but if you are alone, it’s important in my opinion to be allowed to go out for a bit, otherwise you go stir crazy. Not everyone agrees with me, but that’s okay. In Cyprus for instance, people are allowed to go out for exercise (after texting to inform the local government). I’m beginning to think that there will be a whole lot more cases of alcoholism at the end of this whole saga.
It’s already evident the increased rise of domestic violence around the world. In Spain, as much as a 20% increase (suspect it’s even higher), Cyprus 30% and on and on. In normal times, the abused had jobs to go to, kids school. A little reprieve from their prisons. With everyone being cooped up in often small spaces, you can imagine how much worse it has gotten, which is also draining on law enforcement.
Weather in Valencia:
The weather has been cooperating, at least l think so. Except for one, maybe two days when it was sunny, it’s been mostly grey, cold and rainy. Almost like the weather is just as depressed as the people. One of my friends wanted great weather, but l think it would only encourage people to break the rules. The desire to be outside would have been unbearable. Today is another rainy day. The dog was not going out for any reason, so l turned back at the lobby and so no outside for me today. I will make do by sitting on the balcony and watching the silence.
The U.S. Feeling The Pain Of Covid-19:
The U.S. as predicted by many seems to just in the beginning stages of dealing with the pandemic after the stages of denial and ignorance. The reality is down starting to dawn on them with the astronomical figures being reported. We can only hope that it truly isn’t as devastating as the experts predict, but it certainly seems to be headed that way.
It might be hard to find someone who doesn’t get affected in one form or another, an aunt there, a friend there as l read my wall. My sister was worried about me, as were friends. I told them at that point that l was indeed more worried about them there, and l still am. She is a pharmacist also, and is on the front line. We had a late start with containment here in Spain. Italy did too. The U.S. however had loads of time to prepare, but l think the word from above made the people lackadaisical. Now, the s**t has hit the fan so to speak, and it looks like the Emperor has no clothes.
[the_ad id=”14098″]
The numbers in Italy seems to finally be getting better the last few days. We are thankful that Fede’s mom and family in Rome continue to be well. Everyone is observing the lockdown and l think there will be light at the end of their dark tunnel soon.
Related: How we left Italy Just In Time:
Fighting Boredom during Covid-19 Lockdown:
Reading:
I have a lot of books to read, or reread. Currently, “A Column of Fire” is going well. It’s not one l can’t put down though. It’s just okay. I have also been reading a lot of magazines, finance and news articles too. One of the first things l have to do once lockdown is over is see an optician. I’m pretty sure l need cataract surgery, at least in the right eye. It’s making it a bit difficult to read as much as l would like. Next, I will read “The Guardians” from John Grisham as l enjoy his novels. As l mentioned in the last post, Audible is not my cup of tea.
Music:
Loads and loads of music. I like to find old albums on youtube music and just listen without watching. Artists like Bryan Ferry, Metallica, Patsy Cline, The Hollies. Old music l said :-). I have also been listening to my favourite Nigerian artist King Sunny Ade because his music cheers me up immensely and make me dance with myself. International artists such as Nitin Shawney, Transglobal Underground, and Antonio Carlos Jobim to name a few. I’m thankful for our Bose headphones. Fede doesn’t have to go crazy while l listen to my music, and l don’t have to listen to his Italian library of songs. 🙂
Spanish:
I’ve been keeping up with my learning via Youtube. Our teacher also wrote the students to ask if we wanted to continue classes in a diminished capacity. She has been sending us homework via Whatsapp. We do it, and then she sends the answers when due so we can see how we did. It’s helped because then l go look up the subject and study some more. I can confidently say my comprehension is better and l am practising with Fede as much as possible.
Television and Movies:
We have definitely been watching a lot of movies. During the day, we watch Columbo. Despite the fact that we’ve seen a lot of the episodes, it’s still fun. Netflix has been great. I can definitely recommend “Cold Games” on Netflix. Everyone said l needed to watch “Tiger Kings”. After seeing the preview though, Federico flat out decided against seeing it, so l have been watching it by myself. I am on the third episode and l am definitely not a fan. I don’t like reality shows much. I don’t know if l will continue watching. It kind of sucks. We watched Hobbs and Shaw with the Rock and Jason a couple of days ago. Meh!, but expected.
I can recommend on Amazon Prime :
“Kin” with Dennis Quaid and James Franco. Low budget, but good.
“Anna”: I like Luc Besson movies going as far back as “The Fifth Element”.
“Blow the man down”: Quirky, independent weird movie but mostly good.
“John Wick”: what can l say?
“Unknown” : We always enjoy Liam Neeson, you might want to check out the best of his movies in my opinion, “A walk among the tombstones”. I know it didn’t make any money, but it’s awesome if you like suspense.
“Expendables” series, but mostly 1 and 2.
I have been spending the last couple of days trying to rustle up all our U.S. tax paperwork since we like to have it done by April 15th, even though as non-residents , we have till October or something. Password lockouts, VPN crap, and trying to remember all we did has been a pain in the ass and only reminds me that l need to keep better records going forward. I have forwarded them to our accountant back in L.A so that’s one big thing off the table.
I’ve also been surprised at how easy it was to get refunded by the airlines for our cancelled flights. Even our AirBnB booking through Booking.com gave us a refund for all but one night unused which was okay with us. Our train tickets cost were refunded to us without prompting within 24 hours being sent an email about the automatic refunds and cancellation.
[the_ad id=”14099″]
One day, I got desperate enough to dig up our Wii console that we had in our little storage room. Of course it was way in the bottom and in the back. After all that, turns out l had thrown the CD games out :-), the only thing l found was the FIFA soccer game from 2012. Bah! I’m thinking maybe after this, it might not be a bad idea to have a console for desperate times. If anyone can recommend a great one with loads of games ( I used to like Tetris, Sonic, Zelda and Devil may Care), I would appreciate it. We had them all at one point, but l don’t remember which was better.
Exercise :
Still going strong with my Zumba and Body Combat classes via Youtube. I miss going to the gym and talking to the other women in the classes. Here is a video l had pasted on my personal FB page of a song from our dance class. Everyone loves this song and the instructor encouraged us to wear those belly dancing outfits. As more and more women wore them, he made a video one day. I, along with l think two other ladies did not wear any, and we stayed in the back. Anyway, that class is always fun.
Clapping:
The nightly clapping for the workers on the front line still takes place at 8pm nightly. I have noticed that the number of people clapping have decreased somewhat. The enthusiasm seems to be fading a bit, at least in my neighbourhood. I hope it’s not a sign of spirits being crushed. My neighbour has given up his nightly concert. The applause was getting fainter. Malaise.
Grocery Shopping:
Only one person is allowed to go shopping, so Federico does it since he knows what he needs for cooking. We have limited it to twice a week to limit our exposure. The shelves are pretty much stocked again. The initial panic is definitely gone. Things that seem to always run low includes pasta and fresh milk. Popcorn is definitely gone ( I think everyone is watching movies too), but everything else is in stock. The lines are also much faster, he says he wishes it could remain like this.
Food:
I made some ribs and plantain last night for dinner, and it was good. Most nights, we have soup, especially my favourite, Leek.
My thoughts on the Spanish Lockdown:
Tough times are ahead for all, especially working people in just about every industry. I have already started seeing people who were laid off from their jobs and are immigrants starting to beg for rent money. There is some government relief for those that qualify, like those who have been working in Spain for a year. One guy for instance got a job here from Denmark l think, moved, started work on the 3rd of March and has now been terminated. I think we will see more and more cases like that. It always reminds me how fortunate we are. Our sacrifices of the past paying off, but l think the Spanish dream might become a nightmare for some with no cushion.
How are things where you are? Are you in lockdown? If so, is it as restrictive as it is in Spain? If not, do you think there’s a right way to do things? I hope everyone is doing their part to make this pandemic a thing of the past. Listen to the experts please, not to your friends.
[the_ad id=”13768″]
Believe it or not, we’re somehow starting to get used with this in Romania. The streets are empty now and we can only hope for the best. I personally stopped checking out the news obsessively when I realized that it doesn’t do any good to my mental health. I’ve been sleeping better and hopefully things will keep improving (both inside my head and out there in the world :D)
I really couldn’t believe how poorly the US managed this whole situation. I believe that no country on this planet wants to admit it until it’s too late.
Regarding the console, you could try the Nintendo Switch next (it’s also made by Nintendo, the same company behind the Wii). They have controllers similar to the Wiimote and are more casual, with some games encouraging movement, just like the Wii did. Plus, you can purchase games as a digital download, so no need for CDs (or game cards, as the Switch uses).
Finally – you are absolutely right about the people who are alone. My mom is living alone and, even though we speak daily, I notice that she wants to spend more and more time on the phone. I can imagine how boring it is for her and other people battling this alone. We’re lucky with internet, so she can see her nephew and talk to us a lot… but it’s still not ideal. Let’s hope that this will end soon!
I sincerely hope that this not become the new normal for the whole world. It would be too eerie. On one hand, it’s nice to have the streets empty, but on the other … . I understand why you choose to move a bit back for your own mental health. I might join you soon. It’s getting tougher and tougher to keep seeing the bad news from the U.S. On the other hand, in Rome, my SIL says they are now allowing one parent to take a kid out at a time for some play time, so looks like things are improving there.
I have never heard of the Switch. I mean, absolutely never! I will be sure and check it out. I remember getting hooked on Tetris and the like so l think Switch might work. Do they have games like tennis or Sonic?
Oh, I feel for your mom. It must be hard day in, day out. Fede’s mom is also alone and he says the same. She wants to keep him on the phone for a long time over trivial things and l just tell him to chill, and be a bit more understanding. Imagine how much harder it is for people that don’t know or have any connection online. I hope it ends soon too.
Hola chica, I must say at day 16 I am still sane – at least that’s what I think 😁 had to put my jeans on today cause I m afraid I m eating as if end of world is near, and this cold dont help either. Keeping busy with Spanish class and ingles classes and – off course- Netflix!! I finished Tiger King and now on Ozark, very good ? Cannot wait for the mother of a fiesta we gonna have when this is over 🍾🕺💃 stay warm and safe and sane 😘😷😷
Hola! I’m glad to hear that you’re still sane, haha! I had to laugh out loud at the jeans thing. I have done the same a few times just to make sure the jeans still fit. Did you like Tiger Kings? I have a hard time liking it. It just feels weird and kind of boring. I am going to try Ozark as l’ve heard good things.
Yes, yes, yes! The ladies who lunch are going to have a real fiesta once this is done! 🙂 :-). Take care and see you online to exchange more crappy videos.. HAAAAAHHHAAA.
We are just on our 10th day of self-isolation- after arriving from Mexico. My next post is about the experience. We can’t even go to the grocery! But I now have time to finish my book!
You left Mexico and we are trying to fly to Lake Chapala before the flights are stopped. As of this morning it is still possible. We are in regular contact with friends on the lake and with our doctor there as well. We hope to get out before the situation becomes critical in our state and airports are closed here. The wheel of life just keep spinning…..
Haha! Funny how things are. They had been in Mexico for almost six months l think. They split their time. I hope you guys make it there before the shutdown, assuming they haven’t done it already.
Hah! You’re not so far behind us then. Interesting times we’re in, and it sounds like yours might be even stricter than ours. Hang in there, and l hope you enjoy your book.
HAHA. Listening to King Sunny Ade as I type this. {:-) We have followed a Senegalese performer for years, perhaps decades since he was just begining to be recorded. Ismael Lo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUWyUE6kqoU
I have no idea what the lyrics say, but the sound is great. As you say, it makes me happy.
Glad you are doing well, though in lock down. All is well, on several levels. Tucson is not in full lock down yet, though it is strongly encouraged that seniors stay in. In our 55+ community that is no problem. Most folks only leave their homes to go to the grocery or doctor under normal conditions, so no big hardship for most.
Ismael Lo’s “Dibi dibi Rek” is one of my favorite songs ever. He has a great voice and l like his music a lot. You have great taste in music :-). I love the fact that you’re listening to the King. You’re right, l don’t understand a lot of music l listen to, including a lot of his music because l am not too strong in my language, but the music makes me happy, and that’s all that counts.
It’s good that there are not to many changes lifestyle wise in your community. That makes things a lot more bearable. I hoe this brings up compassion in people once this mess is behind us and we take care of each other better.
Great article – keep your spirits up – we are only 1 week into our lockdown in the UK – I fear we have several more weeks to come!
Thanks a lot Matt. I think you have a while to go as well. I have family in the UK. I hope we all come out safe and well on the other side. Take care, and thanks for the comment.
Hi Kemkem. Glad you’re hanging in there It’s certainly frightening watching the news reports and Italy and Spain are mentioned every day as well as the US and other parts of Canada.
In BC, we’re not on lockdown, but recommended to stay home as much as possible. I live on a secondary home on 10 acres. My landlord hays the fields, so I have lots of pasture to walk around and a small grove of trees on my walk that takes about 15 seconds to come out the other side. My horse lives on 40 acre farm of which half is his pasture. It’s self board which means I do everything, so I have to be out there daily. He’s the only horse there. So I’ll be OK if a lockdown order comes into effect because I have lots of room to roam on both farms!
Canada is also behind on the coronavirus fight because our Prime Minister waits to see what Trump does and then does the same thing a few days later. When Trump shut down the US borders to international flights, Trudeau should have done it right away too for Canada, but no, he waits for about another week before figuring out a lot of infected people are coming into Canada. 3 weeks ago a 14 day quarantine came into effect if you’re arriving in Canada from overseas. After a couple of days the order included flights from the US, but not people traveling by car over the land border. Yesterday Canada has now included a 14 day quarantine for inter-province travel as well as coming across the land border from the US. Which is pretty much shut down right now except for essential travel.
That’s good about the no travel ban within Spain. Those are hefty fines and I don’t really think of Spain as a country of high earners. And confiscating cars? For a short time I worked as an au pair for a family in Madrid and they had a chalet in Siguenza that I went to. They called it a chalet. I called it one half of a duplex. But yes I could definitely see them and other people in their position getting out of Madrid.
That’s crazy about the popcorn! I don’t eat microwave popcorn and there’s only one grocery chain that sells popcorn in bags. You know for my circa 1980 air popper. I last shopped there late February and picked up a bag of popcorn. Also Orville Redenbacher popcorn that’s sold in a jar was on sale so I grabbed that too. Orville doesn’t pop well in the air popper, but is good for a stovetop pop. I eat a fair amount of popcorn, so I’m going to have to stop in at that store in the near future and see if they still have any! Wasn’t worried about a popcorn shortage until you brought it up!
I’m so happy to hear about your having plenty of land to roam in and away from the crowds. I started to read an article this morning on how the virus can be transmitted in more ways than was previously thought. It almost seems like a sinister plan in a movie or something. Very frightening indeed.
How come your horse is the only one in what sounds like a big farm? He must either get lonely, or love the solitude. I think about how so much time was wasted pretty much in all countries, but even more so in the states, and to see them hurting now is really heart breaking. A friend on FB lost her young cousin yesterday while another lost her aunt and uncle in the space of like 5 days. I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse sadly.
I think Americans tend to think of themselves as invincible, and if there’s one thing this virus is doing, it’s putting a wrecking ball smack dab in the middle of all that. I just hope now people will take it seriously and do what they can to protect themselves and everyone else. Unfortunately, our leaders will not be held accountable for the miss steps. I think of all those people that are stuck on the cruise ships and l see people blaming the passengers etc. instead on focusing on the big picture. Could have, should have etc. – no compassion.
I think the hefty fines definitely work. Yeah, they are doing that the couple you knew of :-). Make a run for the chalet.
You better stock up on popcorn. I remember those old commercials. Redenboskoff? no… Redenbacher and so on. If l get desperate, I might look into popping them on the stove, but l prefer the microwaveable bags. So much easier.
Take care of yourself and stay safe.
Ola from Portugal, Keme and Fede! It’s so good to read that you both are well and I’m relieved that Fede’s family in Italy is also healthy. Loved your dancing class video and I feel inspired to check out some Zumba on YouTube thanks to you. (That’s a lot better than shoving cookies and other goodies into my mouth!) I had to laugh when you mentioned popcorn as I’ve scouted out the different grocery stores I shop at and know EXACTLY where to find that particular basic! Today, while sitting in front of my computer checking out boredpanda.com, I realized that I’d lost a whole day when I compared the date displayed to my desk calendar. It’s hard to keep track of the days as they seem to melt into each other with no frame of reference except going to the grocery or pharmacy. I realized today though, that even occasional boredom is such a luxury when compared to those exhausted health and emergency workers who are fighting the virus on the front lines. (I have to confess that I feel selfish but vastly relieved that you and I aren’t practicing pharmacy in the US at this time.) Portugal was approximately 2 weeks behind Spain when the initial virus cases started appearing and I’m thankful that the government took a very proactive stance in trying to contain the outbreak by calling a declaration of national emergency requiring people to stay home. It’s hard to predict when things will return to “normal” but I think, much like the before and after days of 9-11, that the world will be changed forever. Stay well my friends and I’m sending you a virtual hug. P.S. I’ll make a visit to Valencia a priority once this is over and we’ll compare Portuguese and Spanish wines. 🙂
Hola! How nice to hear from you Anita! I absolutely love the gym as the women and few men (in the classes) are absolutely fun like you can see. The ones that know a few words of English are coming out of their shell and trying to speak to me and l reply in Spanish. We do a bit of gossiping before the classes and it makes me feel part of society. They are so kind and patient with my language deficiency. It feels weird to know an increased percentage of what they say! :-).
Popcorn is definitely an essential, and l know that you love it. Lucky you are able to find some. They finally had some in stock when Federico went to the grocery store a few days ago and the sharks hadn’t descended, so he brought 3 packages, a total of 18 so that should last us hopefully till the lockdown is over (April 26).
I never heard of boredpanda, I have to check it out. It sounds like animal videos?. It is definitely hard to keep track of time these days. One just rolls into the other. It is a luxury indeed when you think of people on the front lines. I, like you , am definitely glad not to be working anymore. I feel for one of my sisters in the same profession and working in Dallas.
Yes, the new normal will feel weird for a while, but unfortunately l think it will last for just a short time before everyone reverts to their selfish ways, which will be very sad. Our memories tend to be short.
We are so looking forward to seeing you here again, and yep! we can compare wines. Hugs and kisses :-).
Sending greeting from Portugal, Keme and Fede. I’m so happy to read that, although you’re going a little stir-crazy, you’re both well along with Fede’s family in Rome and managing to make the best of your time during the stay-at-home lockdown. Considering that we both could be back in Texas working at our respective pharmacies during this time, we have a lot to be thankful for. Give each of your fur babies a pet for me. When things return to “normal” I’ll make it a priority to visit Valencia and compare Spanish and Portuguese wines with you! Keep well!
Thanks for the good thoughts. It really makes me feel good that everyone in his family is doing well. Yes, his sister grows crazy with the kids, but they are healthy so we have to be thankful for a lot, a whole lot. Sky has been driving me crazy since we are spending so much time at home, he whines every other minute, and l’m like.. I can not spend every minute petting you… haha! The other just wants to be fed more than anything, all the time which is annoying in its own way too, but l wouldn’t have it any other way. Stay safe and healthy, and hope we can talk soon. We will have to set up a wine happy hour online :-).