Chronicles of COVID-19

Title

Cathy, A Writer From Kilkenny

Contributor

Cathy

Subject

COVID-19 (Disease)

Coverage

Ireland; Kilkenny; Spain; Catalonia; 2020s:

Date

25 May 2020

Language

English

Creator

Cork Folklore Project

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Description

GENERAL PHYSICAL LOCATION RIGHT NOW

Benissanet, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

USUAL LOCATION

Kilkenny, Ireland

Q. 1 STAGES

February: worrying news emerging from China, and now Italy, on new virus. March: utter confusion and fear. Our businesses closed down but I managed to reunite with my boyfriend and we are safe and well on our rural farm-sit. We´ll make the best of a horrid situation, no matter how long this lasts. April: Weather bad but we´ve planted lots of food and bought 6 chickens. We have possibly contracted a virus that gives us chronic fatigue. There are great days in the sun, working and being entertained by the chickens, writing a lot but not as much as hoped. May: Fatigue abating, but we´ve had enough of being confined to the house. Finally, restrictions being lifted. My family are all safe and well, including 8 siblings and their 18 kids back in Ireland.

Q. 2 EVERYDAY ROUTINE

We are deprived only of our twice a week shopping and social visits so we can cope with that for a long time. We cannot work at all so we write for fun - I publish a daily blog online and my boyfriend has created a website specialising in Lockdown recipes. We´re happy to work all day on the computer when the weather is bad and work on the farm when we can. I like to keep up-to-date with the news via social media and online newspapers, listen to a couple of hours of BBC World News and dip in and out of Sky News. My niece´s hen part and family reunion at Easter was cancelled, as was my and Alan´s trips to our families in Ireland and UK. Niece´s wedding and reunion cancelled for August. We have Zoom gatherings every few weeks to stay in contact.

Q. 3 GROUPS

Most people close to me have, like myself, spent most of our lives setting up a happy, healthy life, surrounded by mostly positive people. We benefit from this by mostly living in houses with gardens or farms so that we have been able to exercise, as well as plant food, etc. Many of us are self-employed and/or are financially independent or, at least, flexible. We´re generally healthy and into the outdoors so, at least 80% of family and friends are very happy 80% of the time. Those with teenage kids find it especially challenging because the teenagers have a lot of challenges themselves and are not as independent as we were brought up to be.

Q. 4 WAYS WE TALK

I opted out of my normal life in Kilkenny last September and moved to Spain to write in isolation so, not much changed when, 6 months later, lockdown happened. I continue to chat frequently to family and friends via Messenger and What’s App. We replaced family gatherings with Zoom Parties. I moved in with my new boyfriend in January so I now have more physical contact than I did when I lived alone near my family and friends. I´ve reached out to some of my more isolated family and friends online, to give them a break from the intensity of family they´re isolating with. The future: New Normal is fine with most people. We look forward to many great reunions and parties when we can travel to see each other again. We use the Wuhan Shake with some people; keep our distance with others and some we meet shake our hands, as though everything is normal. It is very personal and I’m one of the least worried people I know so I´ll take risks, still believing the chances of my getting very ill are extremely low. I´m a risk-taker by nature, and happy about that.

Q. 5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE

I think every country did too little too late but I´m happy with how things were handled in Ireland and here in Spain. What Trump is doing, as ever, is shameful. The UK´s response is patronising and annoyingly soft-handed. Russia, Brazil, and other countries responses are scary.

Q. 6 THOUGHTS AND PREOCCUPATIONS

Two of my nieces are pregnant - I hope they are safe and not worrying too much about their health and financial worries. My brother and his young American family just cancelled their year´s world work-holiday - I hope they can achieve their dream next year. I hope that the world doesn´t plummet into chronic financial and health decay. I am mostly self-sufficient financially, emotionally, physically. But I don´t want any of these to test me, my boyfriend, my community, etc. any more than we have been to date.

Q. 7 SIMILARITY TO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Nothing medically or historically, but those of us who are resilient survive and, sometimes, thrive. Everyone needs a bank of life-tools - this has shown people´s deficiencies and/or abundances.

Q. 8 CHALLENGES AND COPING

It´s a constant balance to keep positive when the day throws at us scary headlines, or your partner is having a bad day, or I am frustrated with my lack of achievements, as the months slip away. Then I have to remember to be kind to myself, and others. Motivation Vs. energy levels.

Q. 9 THE FUTURE

Some good will come out of this: enhanced family or community spirit. Some are feeling empowered by their inner and outer resources. It is breaking others financially, emotionally, relationship-wise. I would hope that we will travel less and holiday and shop more locally, so that the planet benefits too. But we will be coping with the negative effects for years to come. I don´t know what will happen globally so I continue to focus on myself and my loved ones.

Q. 10 IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT SPRINGS TO MIND?

The arts community needs to be supported and nurtured more. It can help people to cope better and enjoy more, with shows and classes online. Without the arts to help, we will be a lot worse off.

Q. 11 IN A NUTSHELL

It is fascinating sociologically. I´ve a morbid curiosity, watching this unfold, like in a book/play/movie. I feel largely detached, like I do when I see so many of the population´s many daily issues. This one is different only because it´s a common issue. But there are, have always been, and will always be much greater issues than this pandemic: famines, poverty, sexual/physical/emotional abuse, war, depression and suicide, global warming, etc. etc. I don´t play the lotto so, numbers-wise, I probably won´t be killed by this virus. Life is full of challenges. It´s how we cope individually that is important.

age

36-50

gender

Female