“I live in Venezuela and so far, in one hand, it has been a tough experience since, even when we aren’t one of the most affected countries by the virus, we lack basic services such as water, internet, and gasoline, but, on the other hand, I have used my time to expand my knowledge of literature and politics, as well as focusing on my academic life.”
“I have never experienced something like this before, but I think that being in quarantine with my family, supporting each other, talking and living together, motivates me to keep going and my state of mind does not decline because I am happy to live with each one of them, since most of the time they work to support our family.”
“My already quiet area seems even more languid than usual – nobody really ventures outside but for walks. Everyone’s walking, though – much more than usual. Unfortunately I need to avoid a popular walking path by my house because, although so many people are walking, only a few (if any) are practicing proper social distancing.”
“It’s hard to believe I’m only 19 and this has only been 5 months into quarantine. If I was as old as I feel, I’d be a dry, bony fossil.
I don’t mean to discourage you, dear reader, because there have been silver linings in this shitty cloud.”
“[…]our family has not seen each other in person this year, and I am afraid that we will not be able to make it happen. While my family members and I are all incredibly lucky that nothing has happened to us (yet), the lack of togetherness has affected us all emotionally.”
“I saw the wave coming way in advance of most. How’s that? I work with international schools and was due to host a conference in Bangkok on 21 February. Mid January the news from China started getting more pronounced and then our host school in Thailand shut down so we had to cancel our event. Sitting in Europe I could see the news of the virus going in all directions”
“At times, my focus flees, and my mind goes foggy and I find it unusually arduous to work on the two books I was writing before the world stopped. I become lost in my dark places and must turn to words and music. I cloister but I am not alone.
I turn to family and community to bring me back.”
“Ik heb mij soms wel geërgerd aan de maatregelen, zeker naarmate de kennis rond corona toenam aan hoe sommige mensen daarop reageerden. Ik begrijp het wel, het onbekende angstbeeld, maar heb mij wel afgevraagd waar het gezonde verstand van mensen gebleven was…”
“…I spread wide my arms,
stretch heart skyward
breathe deeply under
overarching boughs
and open my eyes
to a small universe
of grey-brown spheres
gently swaying
midst the frenzied
feeding,
each one so like a
tiny spiky
Death Star—
a perfect
wooden replica
of a COVID-19 cell…”
“Another thing I didn’t realize was how the pandemic would affect Ramadan and Eid. I know for a fact that it would have been much harder to do if I were still in school because I didn’t have my own kitchen. It would also have bothered my neighbors a lot if they heard a microwave going at 3 AM!”
Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic is an initiative sponsored by the Poetic Media Lab and the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis at Stanford University.
Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA),
Stanford University
Address:
4th floor, Wallenberg Hall (bldg. 160)
450 Jane Stanford Way
Stanford, CA 94305
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