not exactly sure what to call it
pause, gap, hesitation, hiatus, sigh
but i’ve been at a bit of a standstill
truthfully i have been stumbling along
which means there have been no blog posts
for a long long while
i have, however, been sharing my thoughts on social media
every day since the official lockdown in italy began
today is day 66, day 88 for me personally
since i’d already been quarantined inside
with a bad case of shingles
my emotions have been all over the place
up, down, and everywhere in between
as i’ve lived my own experience
watched and read, been confused by, the news
and witnessed the reactions of others
so i decided to begin sharing
some of my previously-recorded-thoughts
here on my blog over the next few weeks
my small individual glimpse of the pandemic
primarily in italy, but around the world too
and from there, who knows?
maybe, as a result, i’ll just start
unraveling that next slice of life
march 5 (from my journal notes, before the lockdown began):
i’m a pretty upbeat optimistic person. but so far i’m not liking 2020 too much. in fact, it’s been a hellish few weeks. i’ve been fairly isolated due to shingles (which, despite all the measures taken, is still quite painful). my days seem without focus or purpose, and i eagerly look forward to the end of this illness. but then i wonder . . . what will await me?
italy has, of course, been prominent in the news due to the coronavirus scare. i have to commend my adopted country though. despite any fear i may have felt, i’ve appreciated the honest proactive approach it has taken to test and report the covid-19 cases. other countries have chosen not to be as transparent, and the numbers show an inaccurate picture as a whole.
the reality is that this will inevitably affect my mission here in italy for awhile . . . my dream-come-true-to-me, my retreats. just as it has begun affecting so many who depend on tourism to this magical land. flights to certain areas have been banned, airlines have cancelled others. and no one yet knows the extent of the virus or its repercussions.
march 10 (from my facebook post, lockdown in italy day 1):
this picture was taken on february 16, right before eric and i spent the day in camogli, a stunningly scenic and charming fishing village. we had a wonderful time, and i felt carefree and vibrant. i believe this was the last day life seemed fairly normal to me.
that night my odyssey with shingles began. then 6 days later, on february 22, italy announced its first 2 deaths from COVID-19.
but italy is taking action. as most of you have probably heard, as of today, the entire country is officially on lockdown in order to mitigate the effects within our nation. no one is panicking, there are procedures in place, and our sindaco (mayor) updates us daily/often hourly. i’m still trying to understand exactly what these measures entail, but the bottom line is >> stay inside your home as much as possible.
PRIME MINISTER GIUSEPPE CONTE: [translated] I am about to sign a decree that we can describe as “I stay at home.” There will not be any more zone one or zone two in the country. It will be Italy. Italy, a protected zone. All movement across the country is to be avoided unless motivated by three specific circumstances – reasons of work, reasons of necessity, or health reasons. Believe me, it isn’t easy. I am completely aware of the seriousness of these measures for the whole country. But I am forced to intervene in a more determined manner.”
oh, and a little perspective on how QUICKLY this virus can spread . . . the first cases in italy were confirmed on 31 january, when 2 tourists in rome tested positive. when the first 2 deaths were reported on 22 february, there were still only 79 total coronavirus cases. as of yesterday, the number of cases had risen to 9172, with 463 deaths. just 16 days later!
there are people in my community (and around the world) i care deeply about. i want all of them to stay safe ❤️
march 11 (from my facebook post, lockdown in italy day 2):
harlowe’s reaction to the coronavirus . . . hahaha
mr. smith decided to use his extra time at home sleeping.
it was a beautiful sunny day today, so we were able to have our lockdown lunch outside on the terrace. but you know, it hit me this afternoon that i can’t even walk 2 minutes up the road to my bestie federica’s home for our weekly tea date, and we can’t drive into the next town together either. (we have been doing lots of crucial texting back and forth though ?)
all of this is, of course, for all the right reasons . . . #iloveitaly
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