Crazy Month of May 2020 Meme – Pandemic Experiences

Blogger Pauleen from Cassmob Family History published a post that grabbed my attention immediately. The title was Crazy Month of May 2020 -Pandemic Experiences. I do love a Meme, but I particularly love a Geneameme, so I couldn’t resist participating.

Pauleen’s introduction: “It occurred to me that perhaps we should have a meme which captures our response to the hopefully-once-in-a-lifetime May that we’ve just navigated….it might be a way to preserve the tip of our experiences. Remember that many blogs are being archived in Pandora so perhaps this is a way for our descendants to learn about our experiences during the covid-19 crisis.”

I do agree with Pauleen that this is a great way to record our pandemic experiences for those who come after us. This  blog is archived in Pandora so it will be available for any of my descents, who are interested enough to wonder what life was life in the Pandemic of 2020. And also, Meme’s are fun, so I can’t possibly resist. Thanks Pauleen, for coming up with this Geneameme.

What are you most grateful for during this covid-19 crisis?
I feel extremely grateful to have good health and to have avoided the Covid-19. I’m also grateful that my family have remained safe from the virus.

What have you missed most during the full or partial lock-down?
I have missed being able to sit quietly in my local bakery with coffee and a book. I have missed catching up with friends, my monthly book club meetings, and being able to go to the library. Even though cafes and restaurants have opened up for indoor dining, I plan to stay at home for longer, just to be sure there isn’t going to be another wave.I have missed lap swimming at my local swimming pool.

Has your hobby sustained you during this time?
I have been in self isolation, and not working for six weeks, so have had more time than usual to spend on genealogy.

What changes have you seen in your life over May 2020?
I’ve had later starts to my days and leisurely breakfasts. When working I usually had early starts, often before 6am, which didn’t leave time for breakfast. I would usually race out the door early with a coffee to drink in the car on the way to work

Have you been exercising more or less?
I’ve been walking and going into the gym most days. My walks have been only about 5k due to injury recovery which was happening before the virus. I have my own home gym, so isolation hasn’t affected my gym at all.

Has the refrigerator been your friend or foe?
I have definitely been eating more than usual, mainly due to having more time at home. I need to take that in hand

Have you been participating in virtual gatherings with friends or family?
I have begged off virtual gatherings, both social and official meetings. This is mainly because since being in isolation I have been feeling slightly anti social and feel that I need time to myself. Also, as we live in an isolated area, our internet isn’t perfect.

Have you taken up new hobbies during the lockdowns?
I haven’t taken up any new hobbies, but have been spending more time on hobbies that I had before the pandemic.

Are you cooking or gardening more?
I am definitely spending more time on gardening. Gardening was a big hobby previous to the pandemic and I’ve really enjoyed being able to devote more time to it. Our vegie garden is looking fantastic after the many hours I’ve spent in it. I am cooking more. I’m not really being more adventurous in my cooking, but making meals that I didn’t have time to prepare when working.

Have you shopped more or less? Online or offline?
I have definitely done less shopping, and no online shopping at all. I have only done groceries and shopping at Bunnings for the garden

What have you found to be the strangest change to your life?
Not working and being at home all day has been very strange, but I’ve loved it

Have you found the changes and experience stressful/anxious/worrying?
I have had to limit my watching of the news as I was finding it a bit stressful. I’ve been worried about how the virus was spreading, but not at all worried for myself, as I have self isolated most of the time.

How have the closures affected your local community?
I have noticed the streets are quieter and many shops are closed. The parks are not as busy now that playgrounds are closed and there are no bootcamps being held there. Community meetings have been cancelled.

Have in-person meetings been replaced with virtual meetings via Zoom, Skype etc?
Meetings that I’m involved with have been held virtually via Zoom, but I’ve chosen not to be involved. I decided that having to self isolate was an opportunity to stand back from my responsibilities to enable me to rethink how busy my life has become. Zoom meetings are a problem also because we have unreliable internet service that can drop out at any time.

Do you enjoy the virtual meeting format?
I can’t say as I haven’t participated in any meetings. But I have participated in two virtual genealogy conferences which I loved.

Are you working from home instead of in your usual place of work?
No, I’m not able to work from home, so I’m taking time out from work.

Have your habits changed over the past months?
I am staying at home, unless I need to go out for groceries. I have noticed a few lazy habits have crept in. My life isn’t as rushed as usual. I’m waking later than usual.

Have you had to cancel travel plans for pleasure or family?
For the past few years, we have been to Port Fairy, with friends, on this weekend coming. We have had to cancel for this year. In August, we were going to Bali with those same friends, and have also cancelled that holiday.

Do you think you’ll be able to travel in 2020?
We intend to lay low for a while and not travel at all in 2020.

Have you/others been wearing masks when out and about in your area?
We haven’t been wearing masks and I have noticed only a few people wearing them in our area.

Will you change your lifestyle after this experience?
We have decided that we won’t be travelling overseas in the near future. I am an Ambassador for Family History Down Under which is scheduled to be held in March 2020. Pre-pandemic we had planned to fly to Queensland for this conference, but we will now be driving. We also don’t intend to eat out as much as we did in pre-pandemic. We will be holiday in our local area and around our state. Perhaps in the future, if there is a vaccine, these plans might change. 

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