Lockdown – then and now (and all that I learnt)…

Disclaimer: these are personal reflections

Spring had not quite set when we locked down for the first time. We were expecting it, but when it came, it still felt abrupt. We live in Switzerland, three hours from Italy. We knew very little about the virus, other than that it was highly infectious and the best way of avoiding an infection was to stay away from crowds. And wash hands. So when we were told that our daughter’s crèche would stay closed for a month and that our home would be the new workplace, we hoped that this would be temporary.

In theory, there was no “official” lockdown in Switzerland. There were measures. Restrictions. Closures. The borders first closed in an attempt to contain movement. Then restaurants, theatres, cinemas and other (indoor) public spaces closed. In our neighbourhood, we watched helplessly as the park suddenly closed off swings and slides and all forms of common recreation facilities. So our disappointed three year old used her scooter and learnt how to cycle. As trees started to bud, we picked up a tree hobby, identifying giant redwoods and sprouting oaks in the park.

We were locked in for six weeks. During that time, my husband and I developed a routine that primarily focused on keeping our daughter entertained and working during the time she napped. We also split household chores – meals (him), cleaning (him), shopping and outdoor errands (him), laundry (mostly him), childcare (mostly me). It was the perfect division of labour. When the crèche finally reopened, life got even better as I could spend the time I did looking after our daughter to improve my French.

It was a few weeks before schools and restaurants would open. I remember the queues when shops opened their shutters. During the lockdown, not only had the season changed from spring to summer, but also our daughter had grown like a reed. None of her clothes fitted her anymore. Suddenly, shopping seemed to be an essential activity.

Our summer was short lived. We socialised with friends with whom we had created a bubble. Our few visitors were entertained outdoors. We kept an eye on how the pandemic spread and how the epicentre shifted – from Europe to North America and then India. As public behaviours eased – mask compliance was not mandatory, hand washing was replaced by ubiquitous sanitisers – it was a matter of time before the old measures would return. It was also a matter of time before cases would climb to higher than they had been at the peak of the pandemic.

The “measures” in Switzerland came in the third week of October. This time, schools and crèches would remain open, but we were back to working from home. Public and private gatherings were restricted to five adults and masks were (finally) made mandatory in all indoor public spaces. Borders did not close. The Swiss Minister for Health, Alain Berset, told an edgy nation that they were committed to avoiding a lockdown. Somehow, these restrictions did not seem as tough as they did in the past. Maybe because childcare was still off my hands? Or maybe because we knew how to minimise our outdoor activities?

One week in, I find we have eased ourselves into a routine better than the first time. We have become accustomed to working productively from any space – my husband was on a panel on health and the changing environment, seated comfortably in our kitchen, and both of us have worked in a study when our daughter decided to simultaneously conduct a music lesson for her toys in that same room. So, I must hand it to this virus for making us so tolerant and flexible!

More time at home has also given me more time for the home. I find myself arranging, rearranging different spaces because I suddenly use them. I find myself moving lamps and since he always is a step ahead of me, my husband took on a project of replacing every single lamp in our house with LEDs and even borrowed a ladder from our neighbour to complete the task! I am looking forward to a reduced energy bill next month.

We have decluttered and donated. Tons. Books, clothes, shoes, crockery, things we had hoarded but never used. We have gifted art we will never display. Material objects have never seemed important compared to the gift of being with a family one loves and nurturing relationships.

During the previous lockdown, I spoke to my family in India every single day. This has now become routine. Conversations that were once hard are effortless because of this pandemic. Even with friends, the connections are far more frequent, far less contrived, and ever so spontaneous.

We walk everywhere. If it’s too far, we cycle. Yes, this virus has pushed us to adopting a more sustainable lifestyle (and I had better be model thin when it’s over)!

We are planning differently. Six months ago, we would focus on what we would do after the pandemic. Now, we consciously plan for what we can do with the pandemic. So we explore our own city and discover hidden treasures. We find joy in very, very small things.

We know that we are in this for the long haul. That all these measures are just efforts at buying time until a vaccine hits the market. Until such time, we have to do the only thing we can to survive – adapt. Focus on the positive while embracing the new normal and keep those hands clean.

Gitanjali

The writer, and the other stuff.

Hello. I’m Gitanjali — development practitioner, sometime author, full-time mother, and very part-time golfer. I’ve spent the last two decades working across South Asia, West Africa, and bits of the world in between, mostly on polio eradication, regional integration, global health, and gender.
This site is a collection of essays I started writing during the pandemic and never quite stopped. Some are field notes. Some are rants. Some are about the strange things you notice on a video call when you’re on your thousandth one. They are written from Switzerland, where I now live with my husband and our daughter.

Writing is how I figure out what I actually think. I publish in case any of it is useful — or, at minimum, mildly entertaining — to you.

If you’d like to get in touch, you can find me through the usual channels. Otherwise, thank you for reading.