How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?
A couple of decades ago, almost two years after putting the curtains up, we stripped them down, only to realize they were super dirty and required to be washed. We washed them and when they were dry, hung up the fresh curtains. The living room had picture windows- tall and wide. They were usually left open during the day, while we lounged around the TV or pretended to study on the couch. As the last house in a cul-de-sac, sitting along the farm, that room was always airy. And when we hung up the freshly washed curtains, the gentle breeze blowing through the curtains, sent off waves of comfort fragrance everywhere. That was some radical transformation. And I was a convert. I have since been obsessed with washing clothes, in all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. If it’s cloth. I will wash it.
COVID-19 will reshape our world. We don’t know when the crisis will end. But we can be sure that by the time it does, our world will look very different.
Josep Borrell
Jump to the Pandemic. March 2020, saw us land back home for spring break. We had 15 days, and we went home to meet Mum. A last-minute application ensured we got upgraded to business class on that flight. Kids were upset to not have both parents on this break. So the business class upgrade was a whim that we were not confident would pan out. But when it did, it helped keep the kids busy. As the only three passengers in business class on that flight, we were isolated from the rest of the flight on that journey. The plan was a 15-day break, followed by a fresh relocation to a different country.
We landed at a mildly chaotic airport. Immigration and customs enquired about the reason and duration of our visit and were satisfied with our responses noting that the kids had no infection and let us pass through. Our private cab driver was at the airport and after we withdrew some cash, we headed home. Our previous visit had been a few months prior, and we had cleaned the house then, so the house, although locked up, was only mildly dusty. Usually, we landed and then visited the store in the building to pick up groceries, water, and milk for our stay. This time, however, when we visited the store, the entire maintenance team came in to request us to ‘quarantine” or provide a “negative COVID certificate” from the designated healthcare facility. As bizarre as that was, this was our introduction to the chaos that was facing us.
What a year this month has been!
We were banned from venturing out of our homes and were prisoners for the next month. The biggest advantage of this situation for us was that we got used to online payments and personalized grocery deliveries. I started to stock groceries and water. After the first couple of super frustrating days, we got used to not opening the door, content to conduct our life indoors. We effectively created a comfortable bubble, hesitant to step out and socialize. And this has been the norm since early March 2020 which is when our Pandemic preparation started. By the time the importance of quarantine and creating safe bubbles became a thing, we already had ours well established.
The one thing I did not expect and that hit me the worst, was the shutting down of all airports across the world. We waited patiently for the airports to open and services to restart to make our return journey. But until then, we were comfortable in our own home, able to cook our meals and expenses were at their lowest.
When masks were introduced, I stitched a few designs after reviewing them online and personalized them with clothes of different colors having unique designs. When stores started opening, I ended up purchasing a little extra, so I could limit my visits outdoors. I evolved from being a hoarder to being a stocker. I only got multiples of what we used. I upskilled and added a few new vocations to my rapidly growing pandemic resume. Sewing, knitting, TV Series reviewing (since we binge-watched so much!), baking, and chef, were just a few of the skills I was forced to reconsider. I learned new recipes and different cuisines to make our mealtimes interesting. We moved to celebrating birthdays and events online using Zoom and G-Meet. Everything moved online and having a fiber optic internet connection proved to be a valuable investment. Identifying stores that would deliver gadgets after net banking transactions was another small victory for us when schools moved online. Even then, clothes, sheets, curtains, anything we used, got washed every third day, like clockwork. I’m glad the monsoons that year were delayed. Sunny days ensured I continued to wash everything, regularly.
Three months, a lifetime.
Eventually, when the airports opened and flights restarted, sanitizers and wet wipes were a constant. We got used to the trauma of nasal and throat swabs. Any journey to any location required a negative PCR certificate and we complied. Every swab felt like our soul was touched and shaken, so painful were the jabs to collect the nasal or throat swabs. The nurses and aides who had to take the swab literally pierced it through all our defenses, almost as if they could dig it out of us. Lunch boxes, water bottles, and sanitizers, we became our own tiny ‘bubble islands’ carrying what we required for that journey with us. My backpack had a spare of everything, so we would be independent, and everything was in triplicate since the kids were with me most often. We were always in clothes that were super faded, probably because of how often they got washed. But the kids got habituated to putting everything they used for wash.
Another time leap, a couple of years this time, we’ve all done the double/triple vaccine dose. Masks are no longer mandatory. But, if someone so much as sniffles and if it’s exam season, then I just ensure everyone is wearing a mask. The sanitizer still holds a prominent position at the entrance. Handwashing every time we return is a norm. We are happy to no longer be subject to the PCR swabs- there was never an easy or comfortable way to do this. Amazon is still my preferred go-to for shopping. I have just found a lot more online options to complete my shopping, rather than make that visit to the store. I still look for bigger packs or combi-packs. I am a stocker. If I open a pack, I will ensure I have its replacement ordered. I jump out of my skin if a salesperson steps closer than the pandemic-prescribed 1 m safe distance. And if he sniffles, then he is the recipient of a multi-language onslaught of new words that will burn a hole through the ozone layer for their acidic nature. Clothes – all of them, sheets, towels, and uniforms get washed regularly. We still wear faded but well-kept clothes everywhere. Touching, hugging, arms around each other, and handshakes, are limited. And often, as I check the messages on WhatsApp, I wonder, was this happening because I did not forward the message, I was sent on 13th March to 10 people?
Just a little more 