“Two more weeks in quarantine!”. That’s what I heard in the news, and this was when it hit me. This isn’t going to last for only two more weeks. And I did what I always do when I get depressed; I fell asleep.
I must have been in bed for a couple of minutes when the following happened. An urgent need to clean my rug crawled under my bed and squeezed my throat. I had to clean the beautiful handmade rug I bought with my first salary in Ireland! I stepped on it with my shoes and it must be filled with Covid-19.
This rug has moved from apartment to apartment with me. Somehow, it is my magic carpet. I fly with it, and as long as we are together, things will be okay. I lifted my body from the bed and started meticulously spraying it with a cleaning product.
Something out of this world then happened. On the carpet, there were million small Mikes, all closed in their tiny tiny apartments. When they saw me holding the spray they started shouting at me.
“All these years you are spraying down to kill us, but the only thing you have succeeded is to eliminate the weakest of us. The rest of us are alive, locked in our apartments. How do you feel now that you are the one trapped in your own house?”.
And I woke up. It was just a scary dream. Stay safe. – Mike Questionmark
Let’s see what we gathered from your quarantine.
What do you like/love about the quarantine?
I can cook, play video games and dance more frequently. / Is this a joke? Nothing / I love staying home with movies and snacks. / Every moment / No travelling to work. / I’m an introvert, so it suits my personality. / That I am off work and I can sleep so much. / Isolation, I can work more on my hobbies, little to no human interaction.
“I don’t mind the fact I am staying at home. Actually, I was doing this a long time before. Well, I cook more often now – I guess that’s something. Also, I am doing online the lessons so I can stay with my pyjamas.” – QuarantineSinger
“Being able to rest and sleep/wake up whenever I want. Not having social obligations. I’m an introvert and now that I don’t have to experience fomo I don’t have to worry about not going out on the weekends or about how I spend my time in general. It’s funny how everyone struggles with online classes now but I’m used to them since my studies are online full time. Also being able to dye my hair and not being afraid if it comes out looking like shit lol.”– Anonymous
No rush. / Lone time / Staying safe. / Flexibility with work / Getting to enjoy the warmth of my home makes me happy, just because I don’t get to do that very often due to work schedule. / I like that I am less tired and I bought plants for the house. / The infinite amount of movies / I’m doing more exercise. There’s less traffic. I’m spending less money. / I love that it feels like Xmas. / Working from home and having the time to do more things for me.
“The options I have to personally develop and take a moment to check on where I am at and where I want to go. If there was any time to do a minor reinvention or start a new career, this is it. An internet connection and a bit of willpower are all anyone needs today to get out there. It feels like a little break has been put on the free reign of hyperconsumerism in Dublin, which is by no means a bad thing.” – Anonymous
Taking care of more things around the house, plus binge-watching k-dramas. / The world has (finally) stopped for a bit. / I can day drink a lot. / My house is cleaner, diet better, and I’m exercising daily. / The pace and predictability of my day. I’m loving the pace.
What is a good skill to take up in quarantine?
Haircut. / New languages. / Cooking. / Mathematics. / Musical instrument. / Drawing. / Artistry. / Sleeping skills. / Cleaning / Writing – be it functional or poetic. / Time management.
“Maintaining healthy habits as much as possible and a lot of patience.” – Anonymous
“Mindfulness, practice meditation each day at least once. Now is the perfect time to start if you’re not already. It’ll help during this time especially and a great routine to get into after.” – Aaron H
Learning an instrument. / Reading / Illustration / Anything that you like and isn’t work-related. / Handyman, know how to do a bit of everything / Algorithms / Remote working skills / Cooking, and for me, hand-washing clothes / Patience / Enjoying your own company. / Breathing. / Cooking, and gardening if you have space. / Relaxation
“Knitting. I’m currently knitting a scarf. I’ve finished a hat already. Also teaching yourself to touch type would be very useful.” – Anonymous
“Spend time for yourself, exercise a bit and spend time with people you live even through a video call.” – Ody
What is an excellent book to read in quarantine?
Diary of a wimpy kid. / Gender Trouble by Judith Butler. / Anything from Alki Zei because I’m feeling nostalgic. / Wuthering Heights. Demian / Isabella Allende City if Beasts / Kazuaki Tanahashi – Sky Above, Great Wind
“Currently reading: Io non ho paura – Niccolo Ammaniti. Previously read a bit of Sophocles and Shakespeare classic theatrical work – they are always a must. 😁” – Anonymous
Shinsetsu / Natsuo Kirino – Grotesque / The miracle of mindfulness by Tich Nhat Hanh
“The communist manifesto, preparing you for what’s to come afterwards.” – Anonymous
Voices from Chernobyl. / Harry Potter series cause it is long. / The Witcher. / “The Great Arc” by John Keay / Something like Tolkien, so you project yourself out of this mess. / Any science-based book. / The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Saga. / You can choose among Jo Nesbo’s books.
What is a great series to watch in quarantine?
LOST / The 100 / 12 Monkeys / Bodyguard / Supernatural / Drifters / Community / Parks and recreation / Ahs apocalypse (fits with the vibe of the quarantine) / Scream queens / Ozark / Mad Men
YouTube channel Great Big Story.. beautifully edited videos of stories from wonderful people all over the global and places to add to the bucket list when all this is over. – Aaron H
Currently watching Tiger King. However, I always recommend Suburra: Italian series focused on political corruption with great photography of Rome (fun fact: Gerasimos Skiadaresis acts perfectly as a Vatican Catholic priest) – Anonymous
You boy. / La casa de papel. / B99 on repeat / The Windsors. Hilarious. / Anything with zombies and end-of-the-world scenario / Ozark / Line of Duty / Crashing / Lovesick / Flea Bag.
Elite and murders documentaries / Queer as folk / Star Trek series / Nelly w Sherihan / The blue planet / West World / Brooklyn Nine Nine. / Valhalla murders on Netflix.
Under the dome, watching it now, living it, too.😂 – Kuba
K-dramas. Kingdom in particular – Queen of the universe (Aka The Master)
Anything not too heavy but addictive, and not necessarily about pandemics, death and destruction. Give yourself a break. Sex education is a nice one. – Doulis <3
The Last Man on Earth by Will Forte. A post-apocalyptic comedy about the last man on Earth after a virus wipes out the world. It’s hilarious! – Anonymous
I’m watching Euphoria right now. Obsessed with it! But I find it quite triggering for me and brings back scary and painful memories of my own early adulthood. I think it’s exceptionally well made. – Anonymous
Stories and notes from your quarantine
I am up at 3 a.m. looking for okra recipes instead of working on my dissertation and I think this is my lowest point, thank you. – myrto🌸
I went outside for the first time in 14 days, and it felt like the ending of The Truman Show. – Anonymous
I gained a kilo already, fml. – C. T.
I’ll share this video instead as I think it’s time for people to take this seriously – Kuba
I wanna travel again and see my friends and also hug someone and make out etc. 😘 – Queen of the universe (Aka The Master)
We always complain about how fast life is going, flying over our heads, our lack of control on it, we all so overwhelmed that we very often wish the world stops. And it has. So just chill, you don’t need to be superwoman or superman. Embrace the pause and don’t be an irresponsible prick. – Doulis
Staying with a lot of friends/flatmates can be very stressful. – G Natal
I think I’ve fallen in love during the quarantine. – Anonymous
The last week I’ve learnt about the neighbour more than he really knows about his life and his body. 😂 – Ody
