My 2020
I realized that in my previous blog I didn't write anything about the Corona crisis. Maybe it was because I thought everything would be over by summer. But now that we are about five months later we are at the beginning of a new part of lockdown, I wanted to kind of record my own Corona timeline in this blog post.en.
How I have experienced the struggle with Corona in my own way, without having been ill.
Hate love
In recent months, my feelings for Corona have been tossed between hate and love and peace and turmoil. Corona brought an early and one of the sunniest springs I can remember. From the first moment that Corona emerged here, the sun continued to shine. That made it not look so gloomy in spite of everything and that it was a little easier to deal with the situation.
I will never forget that on one of the first mornings of the lockdown I was sitting in the sun on my roof terrace and enjoyed hearing the birds chirping for the first time. But that in a previously so lively street in the middle of the city you could almost hear a pin drop in the street, it was also very sad at the same time.
What I will never forget is that I walked past the Holland Spoor train station on King's Day and that there was really no one there; abandoned dead-silent platforms on what is normally one of the busiest days of the year. That was so bizarre and unreal! The photos I took there could go straight into the history books..
Hamsters
Shopping will never be the same again. Where AH previously encouraged to come and hoard, that was now really out of the question! The happy family of hamsters was nowhere to be seen, but despite that, there was a good chance that if you were waiting outside in the queue for the supermarket, you would eventually find empty shelves inside.
Conceived in the past I always thought about what I wanted to eat on the day itself, now I had to think further ahead. My kitchen cupboards were stocked with a small supply for the first time since I lived in town. In March we even reached the low point that you were lucky if you just managed to get a pack of Euroshopper macaroni or a pack of toilet rolls.
Who could have ever imagined that here in the Netherlands?
Silence before the storm
At one point, the first major retail chains such as H & amp; M and de Bijenkorf decided to temporarily close their doors. Slowly the rest followed and with this intelligent lockdown the city was suddenly completely locked.t. There were notes everywhere on shop doors and shop windows bearing the same message; stay home, stay safe. Even now, thinking about it like this, I can barely imagine those empty shopping streets and terraces.
That ominous silence was also noticeable in the digital shopping streets. Not only the cities were locked, people also kept their wallets really closed at first. I talked about it with other online entrepreneurs and got some consolation that I was not the only one where orders were temporarily off. At that moment I was also extra grateful for the income from my side job, not only because I was not eligible for any subsidy from the government, but also because my side job is in the cultural sector and everything there was virtually flat.
In the meantime, I worked silently behind the scenes on my new website and corporate identity. With in the back of my mind that there would come a time when people would want to spend money again on other things than just groceries and DIY materials. And when that moment came, at least I was completely ready for it.
Hague mat
I remember that Rutte announced during a new press conference on May 6 that the hairdressers and beauticians could open again from 11 May. Rutte was not the only one who could use a good haircut by now, the rest of The Hague also seemed to have grown a large mat in The Hague. Because the waiting list at my hairdresser for a simple haircut was longer than a month. Until then, I fully embraced my just got out of bed haircut.g.
Cheers
On June 1 the time had finally come, albeit with many cumbersome and often unclear protocols; but the catering industry was allowed to open again! That seemed so nice, but it was also very complicated, especially at the beginning. All spontaneity was immediately gone; because you had to book in advance for a spot on the terrace, how are they going to spend food and drinks at a distance of one and a half meters Can you join friends if you see them further away and how long can you stay seated at all?
Waiting in line for the terrace, I realized that what I was hoping to find back there on the Grote Markt was really not going to find anymore. Those carefree long summer days with endless GM bakeries where everyone sat down during the day are over for the time being. Our bench was also gone after all, it should have made way for a one and a half meter wide walkway.oppad.
Recharge
Some things took some getting used to over time, new habits that are actually not common at all. But what still hasn't gotten used to after all these months is the complete lockdown of music events and nightlife. Besides the fact that this is hitting my friend hard, because most of his activities have come to a standstill. Our nightly adventures in a foreign city, our shared love for the music, the artists and everything around it, are also a great loss. And although I managed to win a few times during a game night in recent weekends, that feeling of happiness is not quite the same
Because for me there is nothing comparable to the pure ecstasy I get when I feel the bass of the music deep into every cell of my body during a DJ set. It isthat outlet to really go completely empty so that I can fully recharge and recharge myself!
Just
Of course I know that there are much worse things than not being able to have drinks with as many friends as you want, not being able to go to parties or not be able / to dance anymore and to cheer with enthusiasm..
I am grateful that I and the people around me are healthy. And of course I think it's bad that there are people who do get sick from the virus.
But I really can't wait for the day when the masks have disappeared from the street scene and you can just smile at people again; spontaneously and out loud. That the one and a half meter distance is a thing of the past and you can just give your family and friends a big hug again without being asked.
Simply because it is possible and because it is normal.
Love,
Melina