Coping with Life in a Limited Environment

I have just realised that it's nearly 2½ years since I last wrote on this blog. When I started in 2010 I wrote fairly regularly and since then it's just gone downhill. This is mainly because I've been too busy.

When I first slowed down I was working as a diving instructor so was coming home at night very tired. It was a good time for Egypt. Tourism was on the rise and everyone was very busy. Then we had the revolution.

During and after the revolution was a tough time for everyone. Many people lost their jobs because tourists didn't visit any more and we had time on our hands. So, there was a spike in my writing. Predictably, that tailed off once we returned to normal and everyone was busy again.

Since that time I have only written anything if there has been an event in the news that I felt strongly enough about.

Eventually in 2015 I retired. I spent the first 2 years of my retirement looking for a flat that I liked to buy then furnishing and organising it. I also bought a car so I don't have to use the buses any more. Once my new home was as I wanted it I took up art. I also joined a ladies' social group and spent my days either painting, shopping, joining my art group at a fabulous local cat cafe or taking part in activities organised by the social group. Then last summer a friend who owns his own business asked me to return to work. What started as 3 days a week quickly became full time.

However, now we are all affected by something called Coronavirus or Covid-19! This means I'm sitting at home with time on my hands needing to keep my brain active.

My "confinement" started in March. Of course, we already knew a little about this new virus by then but it wasn't really affecting our daily lives. In fact, in early March it was difficult to negotiate any time off at all but I did finally manage to bully my boss into giving me 10 days to go and visit some friends who have moved to Abu Dhabi. I was really excited about this trip. Sadly it did not go as planned.

On  14 March I spent the day packing and taking my cats to a Cat Hotel. Then on 15 March flew to Abu Dhabi arriving very tired mid afternoon. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with my friends and went to bed early. The next day I spent time with my friends. Emirates was already into some social distancing measures and most of the attractions had been closed the day I arrived. Nonetheless we went to a lovely park that normally charges an entry fee and is very busy. During our visit all the activities and kiosks were closed so we were allowed entry for free. It was a beautiful place and I really enjoyed the walk among the sculptures. We then went to an up-market shopping mall. All the outlets were open and our first stop was a cafe/restaurant where we had coffee and cakes to die for. We then went on a tour of the shops. The only customers were ourselves and a group of 3 German women. We didn't buy anything at the time but determined to return nearer the end of my stay.

We returned to my friends' home and that was when we heard the news that Egypt was closing all its airports to international traffic from noon on 19 March and that anyone arriving before then should voluntarily self isolate at home for a period of 14 days. The airport closure was supposed to be just until 31 March. This was followed about 10 minutes later by an email from my airline telling me my return journey had been rescheduled for the next day. We went out in the evening to a really nice restaurand and the next morning I did my packing. By lunch time I was at the airport.

I arrived home in the middle of the night so the next day I did a big shop ready for my 14 days of isolation.

At this point the schools and universities here had been closed but everything else was still up and running. However, we were hearing more and more reports about the virus and on 25 March the government closed all bars/restaurants/coffee shops and other social gathering places and imposed a curfew. We started to receive advice about hygiene and social distancing although those measures are not enforced. People are advised to stay home and go out as little as possible but many people here ignore this. Normal shops can open during the day and initially restaurants could only work if they did home delivery but recently that has been relaxed and they can now allow customers to enter and get their food to take away. Food shops and chemist shops can still open whenever they wish as they are considered essential.

All hotels are closed and I am feeling really sad for the staff. They have mostly lost their jobs. Many of them come from outside the area to work and send money back home to their villages. They have now been sent back to their villages with no guarantees of being reinstated once the crisis is over and, in many cases, with no money as hotels and not paid them for 3 months or more. In fact, because this is so widespread the government has decreed that any hotel that does not pay the staff what they are due will lose their licence to operate and will have to pay a very hefty fine. I hope the hotels take note and do what is right.

All this means that in the last 5½ weeks I have only been outside my flat 6 times, apart from visits to my 2 balconies!! I have been shopping 3 times to top up supplies. I have needed to take my rubbish to the local skip (the system we have here) 2 streets away 6 times - 3 times combined with a trip to the shops and another 3 times when I went out just for this task.

When this started I tried to stay active but I am a very introverted person so I am actually enjoying the solitude and my own company. I am also very lazy so things quickly went downhill. In the first days I was doing some copywriting for a friend who builds websites using Google Docs so we can share online. He needed some information on several species of fish. I've now been asked to write about some dive sites but, somehow, just don't seem to have got around to it yet. However, I've promised myself I WILL start tomorrow! I've also joined an online creative writing course and am trying to build myself up to do my homework. I have to come up with 3 characters and write a dialogue between them. My goal for the end of the course, which spans 5 weeks, is to write a short story between 500 and 6000 words. I already have an idea for the short story and know who my main character is going to be.

In preparation I have just downloaded and printed some guides for building a character. My plan for today is to study this and try to come up with ideas for what my characters will talk about so that I can write my dialogue tomorrow.

I have also indulged in one of my favourite hobbies which is reading. Since this began I have been able to read 6 novels without interruptions and without feeling guilty that I should be doing something more productive. I will start another book this evening.

I have to admit that this has been a wonderful opportunity to spend time alone with peace and quiet to recharge my batteries. After all, we are never truly alone. God is always with us no matter what and I also have 4 cats so there are lots of cuddles. Plus, it's a beautiful day to day. Perfect for sitting on the balcony in my swing seat reading. I couldn't ask for more.