Lockdown in Switzerland

Woah-ho-ho! It’s been some time now, hasn’t it? And meanwhile, our entire world has fallen into a pandemic. I myself have been isolated inside my apartment in Switzerland for the past 5 weeks now, going on 6 starting tomorrow!

This also means that all of my travels have been put on pause for as long as I can tell this year. We did manage to go on a couple of trips towards the beginning of 2020. In fact, we were in Portugal a week before lockdown was officially announced (things changed so quickly!!!).

With all this time at home now, it means taking up new hobbies and rediscovering other ways to grow myself. I’ve started new indoor hobbies, while also expanding on some existing ones that weren’t getting much love. Here a little on what I’ve been doing to give you an idea:

• Painting and upgrading my Millennium Falcon 1:72 scale model
• Lock picking
• Playing FF12 (after, I’ll be playing the FF7 remake)
• Daily yoga
• Tending to our house plants
• More love to our freshwater nano tank
• Harmonica playing
• Reading
• and of course, cooking!!

Like everyone else, it feels like we’ve been doing so much cooking and eating. Currently, we have been receiving groceries from our online orders. The only problem is that every time we place an order, it takes at least a week to arrive. This means that we really need to plan ahead.

Besides online groceries, we also subscribed to a meal service. This has turned out to be one of the best things we’ve done. We receive ingredients to make 3 meals each week. Whenever we want to eat a “fancy” meal, we cook one of the meals following the simple recipe that they provide. Not only has the food been delicious and a fun way to spend our time, it has also been educational and has introduced us to new produce that we would otherwise never have tried in Europe! It’s a win-win.

Some other activities that I’d like to do more is painting. And now that I’ve thought of it, blogging!!! I don’t know why I haven’t been blogging this entire time that I’ve been home. Guess I don’t find the computer to be a good way to relax when I’m already on it all day for work!

Having all this time to myself at home, there are things that I want to take the time to be thankful for. I have so many and I don’t feel like I deserve to be so lucky when so many others are not.

• I got very sick right after my trip to Portugal, and even eventually ended up in the hospital, but am still recovering now. I am thankful that I feel that I am getting better.
• I have a stable job that allows me to work full-time remote during this pandemic.
• I share my home with someone who I love and we truly enjoy each other’s company.
• I live in an apartment that is spacious enough for us to be present in 24/7, has lots of natural lighting, windows, balcony, and even dedicated spaces for us to work-eat-sleep-tv-game-layaround-exercise from.
• I don’t need to worry about any food or supply shortages within Switzerland.
• I have a car that allows us to safely go outside if we need to.
• I have the ability to connect with friends and family online.

There’s so many more, but those are the ones that come top of mind. My biggest worry that I have through all this is everyone’s health. The feeling of not having any control over the future can be scary.

Despite things, we need to keep looking forward at whatever lies ahead, and do our best. Sometimes we need to put aside our plans for the year, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t still make the best of the time that you have. Take advantage of the new opportunities you have to grow your friendships with those who you normally can’t connect with. Find ways to help out the community, no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be. Because if no one decides to make a difference, no difference will be made. Let’s turn things around for the better.

Wishing you all safety and happiness. We are all in this together. Feel free to reach out to me if you ever need anyone to talk to. I’m always here.

x Sarah