Friday, April 10, 2020
[Brief note – I really didn’t feel like writing anything. But I want to document my life now for future reference. My/your world was turned upside down. There’s not much to write about in isolation. Like most everyone else, I have little to do. For those in Colombia, your routine is probably not much more exciting than mine, so excuse any repetition. By my calculations, this is day 22 of the quarantines (there were 2) for Medellin. There’s 17 more days to go, but my guess is the quarantine will be extended, at least until May 31. For about a week, since the government implemented pico y cedula, it’s been almost a complete lockdown. Pico y cedula allows for people to go out twice a week but only for medicine, food and to walk their dog, the days depending on the last number of the ID. Today is my day, Good Friday.]
Today is a national holiday (Good Friday) unlike in the US. I felt relatively safe going to the supermarket. In the 3 miles I walked, I only saw a handful or two of people in the street. The supermarket was the same in terms of being empty of people. I picked a distant Exito supermercado to walk to in order to get exercise. In addition, the store is often empty and they are a bigger store than the one in Sabaneta. I feel a lot safer in this Exito. [The one I went to is on the border of Itagüí.]
My daily routine is simple. I wake up at 6am or so. Before corona (BC), I woke at 5. The newspaper (El Colombiano) is normally left under my door. I handle it with disposable gloves since who knows how many people handled it before it landed under my door. It takes about an hour to read due to my Spanish problem. After the paper, it’s time for breakfast. I’ve mostly lost my appetite in the morning and have only coffee and maybe a piece of toast. I play Words With Friends while breakfasting – I usually have about 12 games going. The TV is also on watching a rerun of the previous night’s national news in the US. Then I relax outside on my balcony and read the US news online.
Lunch is normally soup. I never thought I would succumb to hot soup in the hot weather. But hey, it’s the national pastime and I try to be a good citizen ?. I generally study Spanish in the afternoons, up to 2 hours. Three days a week, I have an online tutor lesson with an EAFIT professor. That is my biggest contact with the outside world. Fortunately, I get along well with my professor. I’m still trying to find a good exercise routine – I’ve already gained a few pounds. For the moment, I do jumping jacks throughout the day and generally walk up and down the stairs once or twice. I’m on the 7th floor. I also take the chance when I can to talk with the porters – we have security/maintenance every day for about 12 hours. It used to be more like 16 hours. Anyway, conversation doesn’t last long because none of the porters speak any English. To complete my social interaction during the day, I message to several people on WhatsApp. I don’t watch much TV. When I do, it’s usually CNN. Let’s not forget that I stare outside endlessly watching the hummingbirds.
There’s a French baker that I buy brioche and pastries from. I’ve been buying from Vince for about 4 months. However, the last time I bought from him about a week ago, I freaked out. I came downstairs to meet Vince – no one is allowed in my building, including deliveries. He handled my brioche with his bare hands. He travels all over Medellin by bicycle to deliver (which is nuts) and he is dirty and sweaty by the time he gets to me. On the elevator upstairs, I debated what to do. I ended up throwing everything out, washing my clothes and taking a shower.
Dinner is at about 6pm. My meals are prepared by the daughter of an ex-professor at EAFIT. She’s a super nice person and a good cook. I was her first customer and helped build up her business by responding to requests with a good recommendation. Now, she got too big to give me the individual service I previously got. As a result, I’ve grown less fond of her food since she prepares too much stuff that I don’t like. In the past, she was more accommodating to my picky taste, but now that I’m not her only customer, she can’t cater to me. Half the meals have been chicken which I have mostly sworn off of. I honestly cannot stand the way chicken is cooked here. So, I have turned to delivery for about half my meals. It’s actually cheaper to have delivery than to use Laura, though either way it’s inexpensive. I go to sleep at 10.
Strangely, every evening between around 7pm and 8:30pm and occasionally during the day, there are cars blasting incredibly loud messages and music. I have no idea what’s being said, but I assume it’s about the quarantine. And then the blasting music from the same cars. What’s up with that? It makes me think that we’re in China where the government is trying to indoctrinate its citizens to its philosophy, haha.
Probably like most everyone else, the lack of human interaction is the thing that bothers me the most. To compound matters, I live alone and have no one to talk to or share my life with. Fear of the future, fear of getting fat (again!), fear of catching the virus: fears run through my head constantly.
On the plus side, there are 2 huge benefits to this mess. The pollution problem is almost non-existent anymore. It seems so weird not to have to turn up the TV and my hearing aids to maximum volume in order to hear over the roar of motorcycles, loud music, etc. And wow, the air pollution is considered safe for the first time since I’ve been living here.
I probably have it a lot better than many paisas. This too shall pass. Hopefully, Colombia and the rest of the world is either on its way to recovery or close to it. Most people seem to take the quarantine very seriously, though there’s always exceptions, like the guy that practically coughed in my face. But I digress. Take good care.
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