Chronicles of COVID-19

Title

Liz, Rochestown, Cork

Contributor

Liz

Subject

COVID-19 (Disease)

Coverage

Ireland; Cork; 2020s:

Date

21 April 2020

Language

English

Creator

Cork Folklore Project

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Description

GENERAL PHYSICAL LOCATION RIGHT NOW

Rochestown, Cork

USUAL LOCATION

Same

Q. 1 STAGES

Initially it was news from China, specifically Wuhan and surroundings and the lockdowns of those areas, and then the lockdowns spread to other parts of Asia however I somehow never thought it would reach out to affect us here in Ireland as I thought it had been contained. Realisation then that it had spread to Italy and then it made its way here in the form of diagnosis of one or two cases. I was in the pub one night and it was the subject of banter however it still felt remote to me as the case in Ireland was in the north and east of the country. Still thinking we might escape the lockdowns etc. that other countries experienced. It became real for me when the government closed schools and colleges, as this affected my job with remote working now coming into play and my children doing their schooling at home. About ten days later my husband's company closed their doors asking their staff to remote work followed a couple of days later by lockdown. Our normal has changed so much in a few short weeks.

Q. 2 EVERYDAY ROUTINE

I work part time and did a combination of work at home and work in the office before - now everything is at home. I am both working and studying. My everyday routine has changed in that I am now working at home all the time. We are spending time together as a family much more now which is nice, and all extracurricular activities have stopped. Working at home is fine - I can do my job from anywhere once I have a laptop and internet access. I miss my work colleagues though and the social aspect. Attending lectures online is weird. The lecturers and co-ordinator are great but a large aspect of what I am studying is experiential and relies on class participation and discussion. I really miss my class and the interactions and lively discussions. I hadn't appreciated what a huge part of my life it has become over the year. Everyday activities - Groundhog day...get up - not too early anymore now there is no school run. I am finding that I'm getting more sleep these days except for the nights I wake up and can’t get back to sleep with the stuff going through my head. Have coffee. Wake my children to start their day. Eat/make them some breakfast. Log on to work. Deal with work stuff. Eat lunch. More work. Late afternoon go for a walk with the dogs and family if they will come! Make and eat dinner. Clean up again! Do a board game with the kids or watch modern family with the girls. We are enjoying watching it together. I am not reading too much news but trying to keep an eye on media for articles for my next assignment which is around health related social policy. A little bit addicted to twitter though. My daughter had her 15th birthday in March and my mother in law had her 81st the other day. So hard not to be able to see her and celebrate with her. It’s great that she is well. I haven't had any funerals since this began but I met an old friend at the funeral of my next door neighbour - her uncle just as all this began - about 5 weeks ago. I haven't attended a funeral since but I have read about what it is like. So tough and sad for families. The above mentioned friend said her other uncle (also a brother of the man who died) passed away the other day and nobody was allowed go but immediate family - her own dad is in a home and has dementia and he has no idea of his two brothers passing. My friend has not been allowed to go visit him in the last six weeks. All 3 of these men have/had Alzheimer’s. Their surviving sister also has Alzheimer’s. It is so sad.

Q. 3 GROUPS

I think there are folks having a whole different experience to us. We are so fortunate to be able to do our jobs from home. So many have lost their livelihoods. We did not all start from an equal starting point socioeconomically and that makes all the difference to how we weather this. It is frightening the proportion of black Americans who are dying of Covid 19 although they are not that high of a proportion of infected. I think this is down to their lack of social and healthcare supports in their communities/lack of opportunity afforded many of them. One of my good friends lives alone with only her dog for company and she is between jobs so it is tough for her and also a worry about her future livelihood as there is no recruitment at the moment. I think the elderly who are cocooning are finding it hard in some cases. My mother in law is doing great - she is 81, busy gardening in her big garden and has learned how to zoom with the family! Loneliness is a real problem for people though and depression also - I feel lonely at times and I have my kids and partner here. I miss my friends but zoom is not enough - I almost think it is worse sometimes as it feels a bit forced in some cases. I also miss the freedom to be able to drive out the road to see my brother and his wife and the kids. They are a big part of our lives. They are frontline workers and are happy to be able to go into work and contribute. I feel a bit useless here sometimes - even though I am doing my job I wish I could be doing something more direct to help. I volunteered to do contact tracing but have heard nothing back yet.

Q. 4 WAYS WE TALK

It felt strange at first maintaining the 2 metre distance, but now it is getting more normal. Most people are moving to make room for others to pass on walks etc. As I wrote in my journal recently - "I wonder whether our need for personal space will have changed when all of this is over." We are all cautious about the future and I think we wonder what kind of normal we will end up with.

Q. 5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE

I think the general response has been very good, most people doing what they are asked in terms of social distancing and restrictions. There are some detractors and some people who are worried about our freedoms being taken away however I think in the case of this pandemic it is necessary to subsume some of our freedoms temporarily for the greater good. I think our country has responded pretty well and people are going along with the government - I hope though that the social supports put in place now will be looked at and perhaps it will be realised that some of these things would be helpful to be in place permanently. Access to universal basic income, universal healthcare, housing.

Q. 6 THOUGHTS AND PREOCCUPATIONS

What is important? What is the purpose of this? How can we look after one another better? Sometimes like today - what kind of future do my children have? I am generally optimistic though and choose to see the good that might come out of this time. People realising what is important, education and work and how we do those things seen differently. Like Milan only today, cities realising that we are not so hugely dependent on our cars and putting more priority on cycling and sustainable forms of transport. Families reconnecting and appreciating each other. Looking out for our neighbours and the wider community. The markets and money not being treated as gods.

Q. 7 SIMILARITY TO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

No Response.

Q. 8 CHALLENGES AND COPING

I am missing connection with friends and family. I attend daily guided meditations on zoom which I find really help. My online lecture on a Wednesday night also helps to feel connected especially when we go into breakout rooms and chat. My work is very busy and it is hard to step away from it when it is at home with me - so I try to do it in blocks and then switch off. I try to take regular days off so I can switch off completely. My children are not missing school as such but are missing their friends so managing their feelings is another challenge. Also my husband is finding working from home frustrating and also not being able to go to the beach and kite surf which is his love. He also worries about his mum. I guess this is one situation where for me my parents being already dead take away a worry in that regard.

Q. 9 THE FUTURE

See above my answer to Q6

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

Great questions and made me think. I spent longer on it than I planned and I could keep writing. It would be good to be able to save and come back to it however I am afraid to walk away in case I lose what I have completed so far! (Perhaps this was already dealt with and I just didn't read the intro properly!)

Q. 11 IN A NUTSHELL

No Response.

age

36-50

gender

Female