Chronicles of COVID-19

Title

L.H. Cork City

Contributor

L.H.

Subject

COVID-19 (Disease)

Coverage

Ireland; Cork; 2020s:

Date

25 April 2020

Language

English

Creator

Cork Folklore Project

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Description

GENERAL PHYSICAL LOCATION RIGHT
NOW

Gurranabraher

USUAL LOCATION

Same

Q. 1 STAGES

At the start just hearing about the coronavirus on the news every day and the School by tours to Italy. Worry about cases here. Everyone talking about it. Trying to get used to not touching your face. Then the schools lock down was the big shift, Varadkar announcing it from the States, I was in work and my boss who was not in the building at the
time rang me and in the middle of the call the mobile phone network collapsed temporarily mid call, probably
because the whole country was calling each other about the news and the networks got overloaded. The arts centre building i work in closing that same day. The weird feeling of packing phones, notes, usb’s and laptops knowing I would be working from home for a while. That first day was so surreal, the supermarkets mobbed and everyone panic buying toilet roll. And hand sanitizer like gold dust to find. Luckily we had a few old bottles at home. First 2 weeks of social distancing and cancelling paddy’s day. St Patrick's day was a strange one with no parade. We would normally all be involved in a parade one way or another in my family (face painting, performing in costume or waking with an
environmental group). Instead We decorated the front of our house for St Patricks day with home drawn pictures of Irish people who inspired us (Will Slaney we will draw challenge) and we decorated our van parked in the drive with homemade shamrocks and put two mannequins jazzed up in green gear into the front. The first two weeks weren’t too bad because you could still travel out to the wild outdoors, woods and quiet beaches places you would know there would be few to no people. The air and space are good for the soul and heart. But we did lots of jigsaws and board games too. The sad and scary stories of Coronavirus tragedy, deaths and overloaded health systems in Italy and
Spain. Making a point of contacting Italian friends here and Irish friends in Italy to check were they OK. Then the announcement that Irish people in Spain had less than a week to get home and a full day on phone hold to Ryanair trying to get flights back from Lanzarote for my holidaying over 70s parents. Trying to figure out working from home and homeschooling (and knowing that the school were trying to figure it out at the same time too). Reading loads online about it all, the sobering experience checking the death count and numbers diagnosed each day. Then the big lockdown, having to have an almost rule reversed talking to experience with my parents that cocooning meant no sneaking out to the shops, trying to figure out the previously unknown walking routes and green or wild spaces within
the 2k radius, but mostly staying home; working and schooling from home; crafting face masks for each family member on the sewing machine; and each day checking the death toll on the media.

Q. 2 EVERYDAY ROUTINE

Weekdays get up later than normal (no travel time to work; no school run or lunch making), nice slow brekkie, or sometimes take a walk, sort homeschooling material emailed to us each day by the school. Ensure my son is settled at kitchen table with some notion of doing school work. Hubbie in living room working on laptop. I go hide upstairs with laptop and phone to work in bedroom. Up and down stairs to check on sons school work. Luckily i am part time at work so sometimes i have the afternoon off and we all go out for a walk or a cycle which is now 100 times safer in the city because of the greatly reduced traffic. Nashes boreen, the banks of the Lee walkway and the lough are all within our 2k. My son and i saw an otter last week in the river lee by the old distillery, we were watching it for about 10 minutes, swimming round and eating fish. It was never. At home in the evenings, We have been doing Zoom quizzes twice a week with various extended family members young and old including cocooners, just a bit of craic,
nothing serious. I can't imagine having this lock down without the Internet. It’s great for staying in touch with video calls and zooms (which i had never heard of till before the lockdown). The weathers been great, which makes things easier and we have been sitting out the back loads, the garden is tiny, but you can see the sky and green growing things and the garden is big enough for a hammock. The street is different during this time i think, everyone off school and work and at home. I think people are making the time to say hello and ask after each other more, chatting more but always the 2 metres away. I have gotten to know an older couple across the road better too because we check to see if they need shopping a few times in the week. I know neighbours are doing the same for my parents who are cocooning too. I had a lovely virtual birthday surprise set up for me by my husband and son.
They set the sitting room up like a cafe and projected Google Street view of Amsterdam onto the wall. My 12 year old son dressed himself up in a suit jacket
and slicked his hair back with water to be the waiter and served me coffee and vienetta ice-cream. Afterwards i had a virtual tour of the Reijksmuseum. We had booked a family holiday in Amsterdam over Easter which obviously had to be cancelled so it was really sweet of them to bring me there virtually as a birthday treat. We had a little zoom party with friends and family after the virtual Amsterdam experience. It was a surprise so really nice to see everyone. We have been baking more too, my husband making bread and my son has basically taught himself to bake too for the first time. His speciality is Banana bread and also vanilla sponge cake, so i got a homemade cake too. Tomorrow we are having a virtual zoom birthday party for my niece who turns 9. We have figured out a few games that the kids can do online together, like Simon says and 5 second rule. We will make a few rice crispie buns at home too (my sons
idea) so we can join in on the party food side of things.

Q. 3 GROUPS

V hard on kids not to be able to meet their friends or go to school or clubs. I have a cousin who is a nurse on the front line. Sore faces wearing all that ppe. Irish Travellers and asylum seekers living in direct provision centres that are in overcrowded conditions and without proper facilities. Slow and inadequate government responses

Q. 4 WAYS WE TALK

'Stay safe' as a way to end a conversation. 'I hope you and your family are well' as a way to start work emails.
People talking about 'Cocooning ' and 'zooming' and flattening the curve and about knowing someone who had the virus and was very sick and another one who tested positive but only had mild symptoms. People chatting between the front gate and the front door.

Q. 5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE

No Response.

Q. 6 THOUGHTS AND PREOCCUPATIONS

That health is everything. How quickly things change and how things that our govt told us were impossible can be easily done when there is a will.

Q. 7 SIMILARITY TO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

No Response.

Q. 8 CHALLENGES AND COPING

It’s all about keeping the head sane, taking it one day at a time and not getting too overwhelmed by it all. For me coping includes lots of crafts and little creative projects. I was never so glad that i keep a very well supplied craft stash at home. Last weekend as a family we painted, stones with positive messages and pictures and left them along the banks of the Lee walkway for people to find. Making lots of stitched projects, quilts, face masks, little cloth bags which will be filled with lavender and go into care packs for people self-isolating, Posting lots of little cards crafts and small handmade presents to people. The post is great and thankfully still working. I post a usb stick to my sister every week and she downloads movies and shows and posts it back to me. Finding ways to make each day meaningful, planting seeds, tending our tiny garden. My son and i have been doing 15 mins Spanish every day on duo lingo and we keep a family diary too, every day since the schools shut, it’s a historic time so maybe my young fella will be able to look back on it n in years to come as a record of this time Also staying in touch with everyone is very important, lots of phone calls and virtual chats.

Q. 9 THE FUTURE

No Response.

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

No Response.

Q. 11 IN A NUTSHELL

We will never take a hug with family members for granted again.

age

36-50

gender

Female