Life in lockdown: look on the bright side!

With all the doom and gloom out there, it may seem difficult to see any positives right now, especially for those of us living in lockdown. In Berlin, we have been in full lockdown for a month and a half and have at least two more weeks to go, if not longer. For anyone having to deal with home schooling (mostly mothers, but some fathers as well), the winter lockdown feels like an eternity. Nevertheless, there are some encouraging signs; we just have to look for them.

January is over

The worst month of the year, especially if you live in Northern Europe, is finally coming to an end. February is arguably not much better, but then it’s only one month to go until spring. We all deserve a t-shirt “I survived the January lockdown”! 

The days are getting longer

Just over a month ago it would be dark by 4pm, but now it’s still light at 5pm. That’s definitely an improvement. Time to celebrate!

The lockdown measures are working

Although it’s been and continues to be an absolute nightmare, the strict lockdown is already having an effect. In Berlin, the number of active Covid cases has fallen to November levels. Two of the lights of the Corona Ampel, i.e., traffic-light coronavirus-warning system, are still red (number of new infections and number of beds in intensive care), but the one corresponding to the reproduction number (or R value) is green. We’re starting to see the light!

We have several vaccines

The vaccination programme is painfully slow (only 2% of the German population has been vaccinated so far) and we are facing delays in vaccine deliveries. The EU is currently in a dispute with AstraZeneca and Pfizer over supplies and is introducing export controls on coronavirus vaccines made within the EU. Let’s not forget that 95% of all vaccinations so far have taken place in just 10 countries, meaning that people in low-income countries don’t have access to vaccines. Still, just the fact that several vaccines are available is an amazing achievement. Until a few months ago it wasn’t even clear whether it would be possible to develop an effective vaccine against Covid. One day in the not-too-distant future we will hopefully achieve herd immunity. 

If you need a further boost to your morale try any of the following

Exercise – go for a walk, join an online workout, follow a keep fit video, anything to get you moving. My son and I bought a skipping rope this week to exercise indoors because it was so cold outside! If you are allowed to leave the house, try to make the most of natural light and go for a walk whenever then sun comes out. 

Meditation – there’s lot of mindfulness apps to get you started and most of them have free sessions. Headspace is even on Netflix; it might sound like a contradiction (meditating while watching telly), but I found it quite relaxing and I enjoyed the graphics. If you have trouble getting to sleep, it might be more helpful than watching a thriller.

Escapism – there’s nothing like a good book or a good film to help you forget about your worries. I’m a fan of period dramas, but I realise they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. There’s one series that has attracted a lot of attention recently. I’m talking about Bridgerton. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s quite entertaining. 

I enjoyed watching Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Vinterburg’s adaptation of the Hardy classic, also on Netflix. 

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo is one of the books that helped me get through the spring lockdown and is a really good read. It follows the lives of 12 characters, most of them black British women, all very different but in some way linked to one another.

Friends – even if you might not be able to see them in person, you can still text, email, call or video call your friends. They will be just as happy to hear from you as you are to hear their voice.  

Creativity – try doing something creative… cooking, drawing, colouring, writing a diary, writing a blog, writing a story, playing an instrument… whatever you choose to do, you will feel the positive benefits. 

Finally, a word of warning, don’t spend too much time on social media!

Back to lockdown

 

The partial lockdown that was supposed to save Christmas has turned into a full Christmas lockdown. 

Today is the last day of lockdown light. As of tomorrow, we will be in a hard national lockdown. From 16 December everything except for essential shops, pharmacies, doctors and dental surgeries will be closed, including schools. Restaurants will remain closed, although they will still be allowed to sell takeaway food. However, outdoor alcohol consumption will not be permitted. So no more drinking Glühwein from outdoor stalls! 

Parents all over Germany are bracing themselves for the hard task of having to entertain children at home during the extended Christmas holiday with little or no contact with friends or family. My survival strategy, at least initially, will involve lots of baking with my son, assuming that flour in supermarkets doesn’t run out, as it did the first-time round. I’ve already seen several people out on the streets carrying huge bags of toilet paper so that is rather concerning. I’m not even going to think about home schooling at this stage.

The national lockdown was only announced on Sunday, giving people little or no time to prepare. Since Monday customers have been queueing outside hairdressers and barbers not knowing when the next chance to get a haircut will be. Luckily I managed to get my hair cut just in time! The lockdown is supposed to last until 10 January, but given the high number of Covid cases and Covid deaths, it may well last longer.

Bookshops are allowed to stay open as they are considered to be “systemically relevant”. So if you haven’t yet done all your Christmas shopping, in Germany you can at least buy books from your local bookshop to avoid using Amazon!

Once upon a time Berlin used to be famous for its cultural and party scene, but nowadays the posters advertising gigs, plays and club nights have been replaced by adverts for Covid test centres. Even the KitKatClub has been turned into a Covid test centre. Where clubbers and fetishists once used to queue up before partying the night away, they now queue up to find out if they are Covid positive. This is the new normal in the year 2020. The only glimmer of hope is that the coronavirus vaccine may soon be approved in the EU as well, so that we might start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Life coming out of lockdown: week 13

When you’ve spent weeks or months indoors, the relaxation of the lockdown measures (Corona-Lockerung, as it’s called in Germany) generally feels like a positive development. However, it might take some time before you can relax and start to enjoy life again. On the one hand, you might be feeling worried about Covid-19, even if the number of infections has dropped. On the other hand, it might feel strange to be outdoors going about your daily life again. You might feel anxious or less confident about certain things, like taking public transport or meeting other people.  This is not surprising considering that for the past months we’ve been told to stay at home, not to meet anyone and to keep a distance from others.

 

Is it safe?

 

The question I often ask myself these days and I’ve been asked by several of my friends is - is it safe? Is it safe to send our children back to school? Is it safe to take the underground? Is it safe to meet friends? Is it safe to have a coffee in a café? Is it safe to go to a restaurant? Is it safe to travel by plane? Is it safe to go to the gym?

 

Small steps

 

If you are feeling worried and anxious, my advice would be to take small steps. You don’t have to do everything at once. Try one activity at a time and see how you feel about it. If you don’t feel safe or if you’re not comfortable with something, you don’t have to do it. In general, being outdoors is safer than being indoors. Try to avoid crowded places. Try to avoid stuffy places. If you have to travel by public transport, try to find a carriage that is not too full, preferably with an open window. Only meet people that you trust. Always carry hand sanitiser with you so that you can wash your hands. Always carry your own pen in case you have to sign a document or write down your contact details. Pay contactless if you can.  

 

Exercising with a group of people

 

This week I went back to my yoga/pilates studio for the first time since it closed in March. As everywhere else, there were strict hygiene rules. Class sizes have been halved so that we were spread around the room at a 3 m distance. I was asked to wear a face mask, but I was allowed to take it off while exercising. I was also asked to bring my own mat and drink and not to use the changing rooms, except for leaving my bag and jacket. Although I was really grateful for the digital lessons during the lockdown, I definitely prefer being in the same room as my teacher and exercising with a group of people.

 

Enjoying life outdoors

 

At the weekend, as the weather improved, I decided to test the open-air swimming pool with my family. I don’t think we’d ever seen Sommerbad Pankow so empty. There was plenty of space to lie on the grass and to swim in the pool. We bought our online tickets for the afternoon slot the day before. You need to purchase an online ticket in advance for all lidos in Berlin this summer. Once again there were strict hygiene rules to follow and certain areas, such as, the paddling pool, the slide and the indoor showers were closed. As there were so few people, it was much more relaxing and quieter than usual. Boosted by this positive experience, we decided to try out the lido (Waldbad) at Liepnitzsee, about 40 Km north of Berlin. Even that was surprisingly empty. The man at the entrance wondered whether people have no money left to spend on leisure activities (€10 for a family of three). We were asked to leave our contact details and were given a card to return when we left, so that they could count the number of bathers (300 is the maximum). If you don’t have the sea nearby, swimming in a lake surrounded by trees is the next best thing and the water isn’t even that cold at the moment.

 

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. 

How to survive the next phase of lockdown (because let’s face it, it’s not over yet)

After roughly two months of lockdown, many of us are feeling fed up and frustrated. The effects of long-term isolation from family and friends and/or spending too much time in close proximity with others, have taken their toll. When the social distancing measures were first introduced, we had to tell ourselves that this was a) necessary and b) temporary. Though the lockdown in several countries is starting to be relaxed, we’re still living through challenging times. Although some of us can now get a haircut while wearing a face mask or go jogging in the park or even meet up with another family at a distance, many of us still have no idea when we will be able to see our parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and other close family members again. We are hoping it will be this summer, but we don't really know. Moreover, for many parents, lockdown will not be over until schools and nurseries fully reopen. Even if schools are restarting in some places, distance learning or homeschooling is still a reality. Finally, the coronavirus is still out there and infecting people, though hopefully at a slower rate, and we still don’t have a vaccine. 

 

So, here are a few tips to help you get through the next few days and weeks:

 

1)    Do whatever works for you. Just because your neighbour enjoys baking fresh bread every day, it doesn’t mean you have to do the same.

2)    Try to ignore the pressure to be productive: this is all about survival. You don’t have to be the next Shakespeare.

3)  On that note, ignore advice if it's irritating (except for your government’s advice, but even then, don’t swallow or inject disinfectant).

4)    Exercise can help, especially if you find an activity you enjoy. If running is something you would only normally do when being chased, you don’t have to take up jogging just because everyone else around you has become a professional runner.  

5)    Find something to help you relax at the end of the day; that includes washing up while listening to music.

6)    Read books or watch films and tv series that you enjoy and that help you forget about everything else. Escapism is your goal.

7)    Try not to feel bad or guilty if your kids watch more telly than usual or play video games.

8)    It’s impossible to look after someone all day (and night) and not to lose your patience. You are only human after all.

9)    Give yourself a break, even if it means locking yourself in the toilet for a few minutes.

10) If you’re having a really bad day, tell yourself that tomorrow will probably be better.

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.