Edinburgh in the Time of Coronavirus

I'm not going to lie, 2020 is off to a rough start. On the one hand, I'm pursuing my dreams while living in Europe, so that's cool. But my friends and I were sick for most of January, February is like a black hole for me every year, and March - well. March is when COVID-19 became a world-wide pandemic.

Many of my friends and family members in the US have reached out recently to make sure I'm safe. I can't thank you all enough for your love and concern, and I'm happy to report that I am healthy.

Here's what this looks like on a national level: Scotland is under quarantine. We have been instructed to stay inside and only leave for food, health, or work, to stay six feet away from other people, and to wash our hands. For now, we're also allowed outside once a day for exercise. I haven't seen any of this being actively enforced, but I'm sure it will be soon - a few days ago I spoke with a friend in Pittsburgh who told me drivers are being stopped by the police to ensure they've left their houses for a necessary reason. If they're out and about for something that isn't food, health, or work related, they get cited. Scotland hasn't reached that point quite yet, but like I said, I'm sure it's coming.

Grocery stores are limiting customer purchases to no more than two of the same item in one shopping trip. Even so, I had to try three different stores to find a frozen vegetable medley (not as good as brussel sprouts, but I'll take what I can get). Everyone I know has stocked up on food and toilet paper. Delivery drivers now leave your food outside your front door.

My university officially closed its doors last week. All of my classes are now online, my teachers are contacting us all through Zoom, and my deadlines have been pushed back (yay! A silver lining!). My roommate moved back to Greece last week to be with her family, and she's not the only one. A lot of people I know have moved home either for safety or because their workplaces have been closed for quarantine, so they can no longer afford rent. Travel has been restricted, too - if I wanted to fly home (I don't - I feel safe staying here) I could make it happen. But I also had a flight to the US booked for April that was cancelled and refunded.

Thankfully, I'm not quarantined alone. I have a handful of friends who are in the same university housing as me, and we've been keeping each other company. Akansha has a color-coded excel sheet with different activities for every day of the week: movie nights, game nights, poetry readings, zumba classes, etc. We had a quarantine party last week with food and games, and I won the series of competitions! First prize: fancy hand soap. Our little community is doing everything we can to stay safe while trying not to lose our minds.

The sun has reappeared for March, and it's been so uplifting to open my curtains in the morning to natural sunlight. Today had more of a misty, classic on-the-Scotland-moors kind of vibe, and a few of us went out for a walk along the canal for our daily dose of outdoor exercise. It wasn't as deserted as we thought it would be; true, most shops and restaurants are closed, but the buses are still running and so are the people. We passed runners, bikers, families playing golf, and dog-walkers while we were out. Everybody maintained an acceptable social distance, and it was nice to see other human beings outside of a screen.

I've been trying to focus on the positives. Pollution is down, dolphins are swimming in the Venetian canals, animals are venturing into cities. Doctors, nurses, teachers, food distributors, and sanitation workers are getting the recognition and appreciation they deserve. Families are spending more time together. Technology is making it possible to stay connected with friends and family.

I've heard all sorts of predictions about how Corona will progress. "The whole pandemic will be over by August"; "We're about three months behind China, and the death toll will keep rising"; "A few more weeks and everything will have calmed down". The truth is, nobody knows exactly where we'll go from here.

These are grim and trying times. But we can and we will get through them, the same way we get through everything: together. Check in on your doctor/nurse/teacher friends. Check in on people you know who live alone. Be extra cautious - stay home. Wash your hands. Stop buying all the brussel sprouts. Leave some for me.

In the meantime, I'll be sleeping in, taking care of my roommate's plant (it's flowering!), and trying to stay on top of schoolwork. Almost everyone I know in the US asked to FaceTime with me this week, so I have a lot of calls to look forward to! Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns - and if you have a loved one living in Edinburgh, I'd be happy to check in on them for you.

Instead of recommending a book, I'm going to end this post by recommending a song. The soundtrack to the movie Emma (2020) is phenomenal, and I'm partial to Johnny Flynn's song "Queen Bee". Below is a video of me singing it while playing the ukulele, which I recently picked up. You might have to let it buffer. I hope it brightens your day.