LIFE IN ISOLATION 7

Today I came across a post I had started to write after returning from a trip to Hong Kong a few years ago. Reading it took me back to a world that seems so far away now, when I had a full time job and was travelling all over the place for work. Some of the places I've been to over the last 10 years include China, Hong Kong, Turkey, India and the US and I got used to travelling up to 4 times a year for between 1 and 3 weeks at a time. A lot of my trips, were made up of stops in multiple places with the only time 'off' being on various modes of transport between destinations, although I still remember writing emails on the train between China and Hong Kong, ready to send on wifi once I reached the hotel. Reading this was a reminder of a really exciting time in my life when it felt like the world was my oyster but at the same time I can feel the frenetic energy in what I've written. The pace of life at that time was relentless and couldn't be further from where I am now.

I am home! After 3 weeks, 4 flights and 3 countries, I am finally home. Back to listening to podcasts and eating vegetables, back to Hulafit classes and working in the garden (if the rain stops). Back to English chocolate! (and unfortunately back to lemsip an echinacea to fight off the aeroplane germs I picked up along the way).

I LOVE travelling. Sometimes I think I'm the most myself when I'm on my own in a foreign country, eating alone, getting lost down back streets or working out the foreign equivalent of the London Underground.

BUT having said that, travelling for work whilst amazing, is exhausting. Imagine, a 12 hour flight to Hong Kong, clearing customs and baggage, a 20 min taxi to the train station, waiting around for 30 mins, clearing customs again, waiting 20 mins more, then boarding a 2.5 hour train to China. Arriving in China and clearing customs AGAIN before walking 10 mins to the hotel dragging no less than 40 kg of baggage behind you in 28 degree heat (at 9.30pm) because experience has told you that it's not worth the argument with at least 3 taxi drivers who don't want to take you on a 5 minute journey despite the heat and the luggage. By the time you check in and shower you're physically ready for bed but starving and wide awake because it's still day time where you've come from, so instead you take your laptop down to the hotel bar order some overpriced pasta and a glass of wine and do some work ready for your 9.30am pick up the next morning. If you're lucky you're sleepy enough by midnight. If not it it's few episodes of CSI on your tv which seems to have about 50 channels but only 4 in English and none that show anything less than 10 years old. And that's just day one.

LIFE IN ISOLATION 6

Went out to the supermarket this week and it was a strange experience, although much calmer than I was expecting. We went to Sainsbury's this time, it's a huge superstore so plenty of room to social distance. Dad drove but only one person per family can go into the store so I did the shop (which was fine as I wouldn't have let him to go inside anyway). The floors are marked with tape at 2m intervals to help people stay distant from each other and everyone was calmly shopping in silence inside. That's something I've noticed about social distancing, people forget we can still talk! There's no music in the store anymore just repeated announcements reminding everyone that are not allowed to buy more than 3 of anything or more than 2 of selected items like toilet paper, eggs and flour. Most products are now in stock but there are noticeable gaps and empty shelves in some places.

The weather was beautiful yesterday and I feel very lucky to be in a semi-rural area where I can go out for a walk and barely come into contact with anyone. There is also a really nice community spirit here and it's been inspiring to see the creative ways people are finding to connect with each other.

I've read a few posts about 'how to cope' in isolation and most centre around having a routine and getting dressed like you would normally do and I'd like to say, I'm not doing either of those. I'm living in yoga pants and t-shirts the majority of the time and occasionally I put my dungarees on when I feel like wearing 'clothes' but its a permanent dress down day around here. I did put on a bit of make up over the weekend which was a nice change, but largely I am making only a minor effort and that suits me quite well! As for routine, it's pretty hard to stick to when you're not working, although this week I'm going to try and spend a couple of hours each morning on work related projects and make sure I do some kind of movement every day. Movement definitely helps me whether its yoga or going for a walk. I've been practising with my favourite teacher Jonelle on Movement for Modern Life which really grounds me and gives me a dose of familiarity and on my walks I choose a podcast to listen to which is great for getting out of my head. I was recommended the new episode of How to Fail with Elizabeth Day interviewing Alain Botton and it is simply the most uplifting, amazing and comforting thing I have heard throughout this whole lockdown experience. In fact, I'm halfway through listening to it for the second time. Listen to it here. (Also recommend both Mo Gawdat episodes for a moving, brave and refreshing insight into happiness and grief).

LIFE IN ISOLATION 5

Yesterday was my first shift as an NHS volunteer as part of the Royal Voluntary Service. Reading my training material, I found out that it was founded in 1938  to help with almost every aspect of wartime life. Today, the Royal Voluntary Service adapts to meet the needs of the day, in this case co-ordinating volunteer drivers to pick people up from hospitals, deliver PPE or like me, to keep in touch with people in 12 week isolation by calling them to check in and chat. My first shift was uneventful as the service has only soft launched so only a few volunteers are being sent alerts, but I should start getting busy next week.

Besides logging on for duty online yesterday, I spent some time using my network to source fabric for an ex-colleague who is co-ordinating a group of seamstresses to make scrubs for the NHS. I managed to find suitable fabric here if anyone else is looking and happens to read this. After doing that I watched Matt Hancock (the Health secretary) say on BBC Question Time that there is more than enough PPE in the country it's just stored in a warehouse and there is an issue with distributing it! I am completely confused by the government narrative at the moment. Last week they celebrated 750k people signing up to volunteer when only 250k were needed, so why aren't they using them? For this reason, I'm really only dipping in and out of news at the moment. I find a lot of it very depressing and frustrating to watch, not least because I don't feel confident in our government's ability to do the right thing. I really hope I'm wrong.

For the last two days I haven't left the house at all and I definitely feel worse for it, so I'm looking forward to a long walk today. People are already starting to talk about what happens when we come out of quarantine. For example, if we were lucky enough not to contract Covid-19 up until that point, what happens next? Do we resume our normal lives but continue living in constant anxiety, washing hands etc? There has already been talk of immunity certificates or even wristbands for people who have recovered. That's way too close to the plot of a movie for me...