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Instead of Hoarding Toilet Rolls at the Onset of the Pandemic, I Sought Refuge at a Friend’s Place
Pandemic Reflections
At the end of our shared workday, my friend and I exchanged our thoughts on this newly discovered virus that was on a destructive spree in Wuhan. It all felt far away from home, even when the first few dozens of cases were discovered in Europe.
This was spring 2020. I wasn’t worried much. Then the WHO declared it a pandemic.
Pre-global lockdowns, I had already been working remotely for months. I spent most of my days in front of the computer in a tiny town in Spain.
In March, I had to fly back home to get some administrative things sorted. At that time, the virus was picking up its pace, and the authorities started to talk about taking “drastic measures”.
We were dealing with a whole new situation. The idea of spending months on end by myself got me worried about how I could spiral down into more of a mental mess. Not sure how I’d cope, I’d have to decide: stay put, or fly back to the Spanish pueblo and potentially be stuck there for a to-be-determined number of months, but at least with some good company.
I tried sleeping on it. That night, I kept waking up with my heart racing, worrying myself sick about the whats and the ifs. We’ve seen the videos of Wuhan residents stuck in that first 76-day lockdown. The sight was surreal.
If they’re treating it that seriously, we’re probably in for a treat too, I thought.
Still terrified of the uncertainty, I spoke with my friend. With an impending, ultra-strict nation-wide lockdown, there was no time to waste.
I booked a ticket for a flight due in two hours. It was a tight call. I dumped whatever clothes that were within arm’s reach in a carry-on, threw my devices in a backpack, and hurried to the airport. Chaotically Tetris-ing the contents of my overloaded backpack into the CT-scanner, workers from baggage check made snarky comments about how “this one isn’t prepared at all”.
They were 100% right. I wasn’t prepared. No one was.
That evening, we watched the live announcement of the “state of emergency”, which went into effect almost…
