Life coming out of lockdown: week 12

It turns out that I was wrong. Although the lockdown restrictions are being relaxed, it’s not over yet and it won’t be over – not for me and not for other parents in a similar situation – until school and/or nursery is back to normal, or at least five mornings a week.

Conversations with mothers

«I’m fed up... I’ve had enough... It’s too much... I can’t bear it anymore... I feel as if I’m going mad... I’m depressed... I hate home schooling... I can’t wait for the summer holidays to begin... I feel for parents like you: I’m so glad my son is 18!».

These are fragments of conversations I’ve had with other mothers this week. This is not a contest for who has had the worst time in lockdown, as I am aware that a lot of people have suffered for a number of different reasons, including loneliness. From the conversations I’ve had this week, it's clear though that the mental health of parents, and especially mothers, has been badly impacted by the lockdown. I know that this is true in my case.

Surviving lockdown without grandparents 

Initially it wasn’t all bad. Many of us even enjoyed having more time to spend with our children without facing the pressures and time constraints of everyday life. I certainly did. But after weeks of isolation, home schooling, tantrums and bad nights, the lockdown started to take its toll. Talking to other parents, it seems that the ones who have managed to cope relatively well through these difficult times are couples that have been able to share home schooling and childcare responsibilities, or those with nearby grandparents or other relatives. I was surprised ( and envious) to find out that several children in my son’s class have been studying with their grandparents during lockdown.

 

Enjoying a visit to the dentist

This week my son went to school on Thursday and Friday for a grand total of seven hours. In that time, I managed to squeeze in a pilates class (my pilates/yoga studio actually reopened on Tuesday, but I joined in via Zoom to save time), a visit to the dentist, which involved travelling by public transport for the first time since face masks became compulsory and an express visit to the beautician. I had two dental appointments this week, as I wasn’t able to go during lockdown. Usually having my teeth cleaned twice a year is an ordeal, but this time I almost enjoyed it. It was the first time in months that I had a whole hour to myself, without feeling any pressure to be productive, while my son and husband were at home together. The hygienist is a very nice lady and any form of live social interaction with a friendly human being is most welcome these days, even when their face is covered by a mask and shield and they are dressed like surgeons.       

 

Travelling by public transport

Surprisingly travelling by public transport was more relaxing than usual. The trams and S-Bahn trains were fairly empty, and it was easy to get a seat and keep a distance of 1.5 m from the other passengers. The announcement in English «Together against Corona» made me chuckle. Most people wore face masks or some sort of face cover, but there was one lady coughing without a mask, so everyone tried to keep a distance from her. It seems that Berliners would still rather avoid travelling by public transport, if possible. There certainly are a lot of bikes on the streets, but I’ve noticed that there are a lot of cars driving around as well. The air quality has definitely deteriorated.

 

Wearing a face mask and sunglasses indoors

I still haven’t got used to wearing a mask and on two occasions I have walked into a bakery wearing my face mask, while forgetting to take my sunglasses off. It happened in two different bakeries by the way. It took me a while to realise that it was darker than usual, as I was too focused on the sensations triggered by the mask, like warmth, difficulty breathing and hearing the muffled sound of my voice. It’s actually more challenging speaking a foreign language when you’re wearing a mask.

 

To close or not to close? The Tegel airport saga continues

 

In times of uncertainty like these, it’s reassuring to know that some things never change. A few weeks ago, it was announced that Tegel airport would be closing on 15 June, for two months, if not permanently. The closure of Tegel was supposed to happen eight years ago but was postponed due to significant problems with the new airport, called Berlin Brandenburg airport or BER, currently scheduled to open on Halloween this year. This week it turned out that Tegel won’t be closing in June after all. Now that air travel is picking up again, it seems that Tegel will be needed for a while longer. Despite the non-closure of Tegel, airlines have been cancelling flights out of the airport, including the one that we had booked less than two weeks ago. So now we have to find an alternative way to get to Sicily and visit the grandparents. Danke Lufthansa. 

Life in lockdown: week six

Another exhausting week of lockdown and homeschooling is over. The biggest challenge, in addition to trying to master German grammar (is it really necessary to use the word Selbslaut when the self-evident term Vokal is also in the dictionary? Somebody really ought to have a word with German schoolbook writers!) has been getting our energetic seven-year-old to fall asleep at night. 

Sleep, or rather lack therof, has always been a sore point in our family; the last time I had a decent night’s sleep was eight years ago. With playgrounds and sports facilities still closed, I resorted to YouTube fitness videos for kids, hours of bouncing on a trampoline, running, sprinting and cycling. Unfortunately, long walks no longer do the trick and my yoga classes are unappealing. We’ve also been putting an alarm every morning and waking up earlier and earlier. At least the weather has been consistently good, with five more days of uninterrupted sunshine. The weekend was a different story. We couldn’t believe it when we woke up to a grey sky on Saturday.

Spring is the season of awakening, as Berliners know all too well. The combination of endless sunshine and lockdown has meant that this year the feeling of renewed life and energy is stronger than ever. On Wednesday we cycled through Prenzlauer Berg to the central district of Mitte. There were people everywhere: taking pictures of the cherry blossoms close to Bornholmer Strasse, admiring the “Lord of the Rings/Ice Age”-inspired street art in Mauerpark (Gollum’s precious toilet paper stolen by Scrat the squirrel), queueing up  –  at a distance – for ice cream, sitting on the steps of the Bode Museum –  currently closed –  or soaking up the sunshine on the banks of the Spree river.

The Spree river seen from Museum Island.

The high number of Berliners out and about can be explained by an easing of the lockdown restrictions this week. The biggest change in Berlin is that we no longer need a good reason to leave the house so we are allowed to move freely within the city, as long as we keep a 1.5 m distance from others. As before, we are only allowed to be with members of our own household or with another person from a different household (so that means two people 1.5 m apart). Gatherings of up to 20 people are permitted, but only for funerals and baptisms. Masks are now compulsory on public transport, though even a scarf will do, as long as you keep your mouth and nose covered. Still no parties or barbecues in the park, but quite a few shops have reopened. Once again, I have to acknowledge that it’s difficult to keep up with all the changes, especially as they are not always reported correctly in the media.

Unfortunately, this newfound freedom has meant that thieves also don’t need a good reason to leave their houses, as I discovered one morning when my bike saddle was stolen. So, no more bike rides for me until my new saddle arrives. On a positive side, bike shops have remained open throughout the lockdown to enable Berliners to keep on cycling.

Last week I was feeling rather stressed and under pressure to be more productive, when most of the time all I wanted was to read a book in the sunshine, while sipping a cup of tea. And I really couldn’t be bothered with cleaning or baking. This week, however, I have felt more energetic and I have tried to involve my son in some house chores. We were very proud of our first ever homemade bread. (We actually found a bag of flour in the supermarket! Still no toilet paper though.) We cleaned the floor together and tried to turn it into a fun activity. Being in lockdown is a challenge, but it also has some good sides. Perhaps one day I might even find the time to work on my second novel.

Life in lockdown - week three

While the rest of the world was fighting COVID-19, I was at home battling against tonsillitis. Fortunately I had a powerful and effective weapon on my side - antibiotics - so I was able to extinguish the fire in my throat relatively quickly. Unfortunately I had to give my video yoga classes a miss and, as I could only communicate by whispering, phone or video calls were a no go. 

The week began with a dramatic change in the weather: Berlin saw its first and probably last snowfall of the year. The temperature plummeted, the sky went back to its usual grey tones, so for a few days nobody missed much by staying at home.

It was the last week of homeschooling before the Easter holidays and I spent most of it with my head under a towel inhaling steam. Schools in Germany are supposed to reopen on 20 April, but it seems unlikely at this stage. By the way, is it der virus or das virus? Luckily one of us knows the genders of German nouns. My son and I have found a way of making home lessons even more entertaining. We take it in turns to be the teacher. If you live in Berlin and you've heard a child laughing his head off, that was probably my son after I gave a wrong answer.

So what will we do with ourselves now that we are "on holiday"? Not to worry: we have plenty of ideas, including planning a Formula 1 quiz so that we can play with the rest of the family on Skype. We are determined to make the best out of this situation and, so far, we've done a pretty good job.

Life in lockdown: week two

The second week of lockdown in Berlin is over. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. In fact, I’m so tired that I’ve stopped worrying about the Coronavirus (at least that was until I woke up with a sore throat and had to remind myself of the symptoms of Covid-19 – fever and dry cough. So, do I have it? That has to be the most commonly asked question in the world right now).    

   

I try to avoid following the news these days, as it makes me feel anxious, but I did read on the Guardian website the other day that there has been a surge in the number of submissions to publishing houses. One has to assume that these writers don’t have a child at home in constant need of attention and feeding.

You’ve heard of phantom ringing syndrome, i.e. the perception that your phone is ringing when it actually isn't. Well my son and I have developed a similar syndrome: he hears me calling him even when I’m not and I hear him calling Mamma even when he’s not. That must be a consequence of spending 24 hours a day in mutual company.

Like many parents in lockdown, I’ve suddenly become a full-time schoolteacher. I used to think that helping my son with his German homework was manageable: «Ok, I still don’t know when to use der or das, but I should know enough to get through the second-year homework». Suddenly I find myself having to teach German on a daily basis, as well as maths, Italian, physical education... and even botany! Did you know that flowers have the most peculiar names in German? Just to give you an idea, a pansy is called Stiefmütterchen, literally stepmummy. I’d like to know who came up with that name.

I’ve also turned into a postwoman/messenger/photographer, as I also have to take photos of my son’s homework and email them to his teachers on a regular basis. Is this what they mean by digital learning?

As playgrounds and sports facilities are off limits, our living room now functions as a classroom, football pitch, yoga studio, Formula 1 racing track, and much more.  

I should point out that since the lockdown measures were introduced, the sun has shone every single day in Berlin (except for today). This is unprecedented.

We leave the house once a day to get some exercise and fresh air. A shopping trip to the supermarket has become one of the highlights of the week. The newly discovered thrill of walking into a shop and finding what you actually need. Mind you, you’ve got to time it right: too early and they won’t have had time to stock up the shelves; too late and everything will be sold out. This is when East Germans get a sense of déjà vu. As some ladies from my yoga class noted recently, bare shop shelves were a common sight in East Germany. 

Forget about toilet paper, those shelves are always empty. I have never seen so many men walking down the street carrying large packs of toilet paper as if they were trophies. Another commonly asked question: where on earth did they get it?

On a positive note, we’ve adapted to this new situation surprisingly quickly. My son is having a great time, in spite of not seeing his friends (except for Skype or video call). He enjoys homeschooling and he appreciates having so much time for playing and listening to stories. We have a strict rule of no studying at weekends during quarantine. This is how I managed to find time to write.