Days of Our Quarantine (12/03/2020 - 30/04/2020)

Those mothers with newborn babies, babies, toddlers - put your hands up if you detects significant change between a normal day and a quarantine day. So we, mothers, can easily survive, easier than anyone else. Basically, the situation is almost the same, just we are more restricted, with no playgrounds, no shopping banded together and there are more tasks to cope with.  

During the first 3 weeks, everyone were at home. This fact made me busier than ever, only if we think about the dining and tidying part. (Even after a normal weekend it takes time to whip the house into shape, ha-ha.) So I quickly realized that a daily routine and some rules needed to introduce so that we do not slide apart. Furthermore, I compulsively insisted on one hand on the physical training and on the other hand on the tidiness everywhere in the house. 

 

 

There was no way to make a compromise in these two. I started with the pantry and fridge. It was essential to look through what we have at hand, because shopping became something that I wanted to do much less and more concentrated. Two weeks full of home-made dishes for four from breakfast till dinner. Oh my… really tiring… can be done in full time job. No problem at all, but the man’s daughter has children who require some care and the home assignments at the university were towered as well. So some food delivery service is inserted occasionally that is a great help on weekdays.

The quarantine made me to carry out that was only a plan till that time: planning the weekly menu in advance. I remember well the first shopping experience at the beginning of the epidemic. No part of my body wanted to go among human beings, but unfornately online shopping was also something that wasn’t prepared for the extended demand. So I chose an out-of-the-way supermarket but I did have a bad feeling. Tears gathered in my eyes seeing an old lady grabbing the shopping cart with her handkerchief. No gloves, no mask, naked. (All these were temporarily in short supply.) Was there really nobody to help her with the shopping? I hardly wanted to breathe inside the building. I was about to leave the place as soon as possible. After a months, a couple of things changed. Both inside of me and by the government. Eg. people above 65 years can enter the shops only between 9-12. In my opinion in total, most of the Hungarians are irresponsible and take the situation not seriously at all, even the elders. We also had the first (and hopefully the last) death near by us: one of an old bestfriend of Gabi’s father. Let’s take an example of Vietnam! No death in the country so far, and only 200 something infected people.

Many thanks to my husband, who had the idea of buying a huge trambuline right at the beginning of the quarantine. The best outdoor engagement so far, for not only the kids but also for me. We also hold tournaments on the backyard, running matches, namely, how long does it takes to run a round around the house, then how long does it takes to run 5 rounds around the house.

During this quarantine we had snow, we had sunshine, we had Nolen-day and Gabi's birthday, we had Easter and Mother’s Day on the first Sunday of May brought the easement. The seedlings were nicely growing, the fire was cracking more times under the kettle and the barbecue as well.

Everybody comply otherwise in the e-education. We make comparisons with Dominik unawares, between the teachers. He experiences e-learning and I experience e-learning, too. Although, we use different channels but we both found some features that make the teachers typical. Dominik tells that the position of the camera that makes the teacher individual. Each of them place it differently but always on the same way, always the same bodypart can be seen out of them. My finding at the uni is that the elder the teacher is, the more likely to ignore the written comments (some of the students have no microphone and write messages during the lecture instead of spoken word).

There is a big difference between my and my husband’s strategy regarding handling this situation. He speaks and read all day long about the epidemic, findings, measurements – he is completely impregnated by the happenings and his mind is always around the theme. As for me, firstly I tell him to ssshhhhh, do not speak about it anymore, at least you not. Secondly, I read the news max once a day. I just let it go hang. I noted, I’m precautious but do not overdo it and wait. Unnecessary to guess what is going to happen. Come hell or high water. There is also a bright side of this situation, just we have to find it.

What doesn’t really thrill me is the fact that this seems to be a returning epidemic. It is said that it stays with the humankind forever. The antiserum invented can be an easement later.