Lockdown Week 4 Begins- Highlights: 'The New Normal' and MasterChef Lockdown Edition in the Rebello Lobo Kitchen
Today we begin our fourth week in lockdown. We continue to cope reasonably well, are grateful for jobs that allow us to work from home effectively and for school work that continues seamlessly online. We are thankful that our supermarkets continue to be well stocked and that we have enough green space around us to walk and refresh. And most importantly we are thrilled that our family is together (Arhantika made a quick decision to come back from Uni in the UK last weekend. We had about 12 hours of drama as she was initially not allowed to board, but things worked out in the end and she IS HERE).
So yes, a new week begins. If you ask if had a good weekend. I will tell you that I did; that I was glad the sun was out, that I could sit out on the terrace, that I finally watched the movie CATS and got why James Corden half regretted ever doing that movie. I will tell you that the highlight was organizing a Master Chef- Lockdown edition for the kids on Sunday- two teams, ten ingredients, much fun, healthy competition and...a fabulous dinner I didn't have to cook😀 (Tomato and roasted red pepper soup, roast potatoes with herbs, Korean stir fried chili pork with a hint of Indian spice served with steamed rice, pork fillets with creamy mushroom sauce served with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and roasted aubergines and fresh strawberries with cream for desert. )Double score for me actually- there are enough left overs for lunch .
And so life goes on in this 'the new normal'. Our house is noisy (Thanks mainly to Liraya😉😉) but the silence of the city around us is heavy. When we stand out on our terrace as dusk settles, the stillness is palpable, and we know that so many are in their homes afraid, lonely, desperate. It is no longer just the virus that haunts; for many it also perhaps a job loss or even just plain loneliness and depression; and for many students the insecurity of an unknown future as exams are postponed or even cancelled and graduations called off. As each week passes we remain hopeful but I have to admit our shoulders droop a tiny bit further. The news remains dim, the death count is still staggering and while we do see a small drop in new cases, we are unsure if the graph is teasing and we will see another spike in the days to come. We have also begun to worry more about 'everywhere else'. Our parents in India trying to cope with a sudden 21 day lock-down, They are anxious, unsure how to cope with self isolation, and angry that the sudden decision has stung millions of our poor and marginalized citizens, leaving many hungry and forcing jobless migrant laborers to flee cities and walk hundreds of kilometers to their native villages. The numbers in the US worry me too. My brother and sister in law are health professionals, at the front line of the war there.
The new normal. We sit in our homes, our laptops always on. We work, we home school, we attend virtual meetings; we take breaks- call our parents, lecture them not to go out, comfort them that this will pass; we cook, clean with rising annoyance; take a walk, check on our family and friends in various corners of the world, all in similar situations; we share our anxiety, try and share a laugh, then get back to that email that needs replying and the day goes on and before we know it, its time to cook again, but wait we have to first play that board game, and finish the Lego we started yesterday, and what about that family walk... but everybody's got an excuse today, so we grant dispensation, watch half of a movie instead and finally its bedtime. And then another day begins, we repeat...and another week passes and the weekend comes and goes, and life in lock down continues. The new normal.
Thanks to all of you who have been checking in with us. As you must have already noticed I am so much more active on social media (have even resurrected Insta) and I promise to continue to keep you updated. In the meantime, let's continue to pray, be there for each other and hope this crazy situation doesn't last too long.
Have a good week everyone. Stay strong, remain active, read and dance. This is going to go away, maybe not tomorrow, but it is going to go away.
 |
| The MasterChef table- every dish prize worthy |
And so life goes on in this 'the new normal'. Our house is noisy (Thanks mainly to Liraya😉😉) but the silence of the city around us is heavy. When we stand out on our terrace as dusk settles, the stillness is palpable, and we know that so many are in their homes afraid, lonely, desperate. It is no longer just the virus that haunts; for many it also perhaps a job loss or even just plain loneliness and depression; and for many students the insecurity of an unknown future as exams are postponed or even cancelled and graduations called off. As each week passes we remain hopeful but I have to admit our shoulders droop a tiny bit further. The news remains dim, the death count is still staggering and while we do see a small drop in new cases, we are unsure if the graph is teasing and we will see another spike in the days to come. We have also begun to worry more about 'everywhere else'. Our parents in India trying to cope with a sudden 21 day lock-down, They are anxious, unsure how to cope with self isolation, and angry that the sudden decision has stung millions of our poor and marginalized citizens, leaving many hungry and forcing jobless migrant laborers to flee cities and walk hundreds of kilometers to their native villages. The numbers in the US worry me too. My brother and sister in law are health professionals, at the front line of the war there.
The new normal. We sit in our homes, our laptops always on. We work, we home school, we attend virtual meetings; we take breaks- call our parents, lecture them not to go out, comfort them that this will pass; we cook, clean with rising annoyance; take a walk, check on our family and friends in various corners of the world, all in similar situations; we share our anxiety, try and share a laugh, then get back to that email that needs replying and the day goes on and before we know it, its time to cook again, but wait we have to first play that board game, and finish the Lego we started yesterday, and what about that family walk... but everybody's got an excuse today, so we grant dispensation, watch half of a movie instead and finally its bedtime. And then another day begins, we repeat...and another week passes and the weekend comes and goes, and life in lock down continues. The new normal.
Thanks to all of you who have been checking in with us. As you must have already noticed I am so much more active on social media (have even resurrected Insta) and I promise to continue to keep you updated. In the meantime, let's continue to pray, be there for each other and hope this crazy situation doesn't last too long.
Have a good week everyone. Stay strong, remain active, read and dance. This is going to go away, maybe not tomorrow, but it is going to go away.
Comments
Post a Comment