So, schools have shut in Saudi as they have in many other parts of the world due to the spread of the Coronavirus. Over here, any place where people could hang out and possibly pass on the virus, such as cinemas, malls and even mosques have been ordered to close to slow the spread of this pandemic. Social distancing just got real, however being British it's an inherent part of my identity to keep people at bay and maintain a stiff upper lip so I've taken to avoiding people like a duck to water. I kid of course...
Now, there are many pros and cons to life in Corona lockdown Saudi and I've listed them below in no particular order but just as and when the thoughts came to me, like a stream of consciousness, similar to Trump's reassuring second address to the nation:
+ Food, water and medical supplies are plentiful. Being Saudi, the country has enough in the bank to ensure that supplies do not run low and that people do not horde loads of the essentials. Don't get me wrong, there was a run on water, pasta and rice on the first day but more arrived the next day and everyone calmed down after the initial worry about shortages. Also this is a land plentiful in bog roll as with bum guns installed everywhere, the need is not so great.
Bog rolls as far as the eye can see…
+ Our distance learning means children are learning from home and, whilst not ideal, it is providing them with learning opportunities and keeping the families (mostly) happy.
- Setting up the distance learning was very difficult and challenging as we had to look through our objectives for the remainder of the year and provide streamlined lessons that children could access and do independently at home. Considering that most are EAL (English As An Additional Language) this was difficult. But we are over the worst of it and now have got into a flow.
+ There has been a mixed reaction from parents regarding distance learning; some have admired what we have done as teachers in that we have created a cohesive sequence of lessons that meets the curriculum needs and provided personalised video tutorials, whilst others think that we are just dossing doing not much, getting rich off their tuition fees. I have pointed out on a couple of occasions that it wasn't us who decided to close the school but the King, Ministry of Health and most governments around the world.
- the amount of screen time I have in a day is way worse than I've ever had in my life. I know it can't be helped but as a teacher I don't like sitting in front of a screen for 6 to 7 hours a day, marking learning and providing feedback. As a parent I don't like my daughters seeing me in front of electronica all the time, I think it sets a bad precedent for them. It can't be helped but I don't like it.
+ and - As school is closed my daughters are no longer attending, obviously, but we have a very busy schedule filled with grade level planning meetings, responding to the work our class children are uploading to the online digital profile page, office hours etc This is a tough balancing act to follow and as my wife and I are both teachers it is a juggling act. Luckily we have created a rota system with a couple of other parents to take care of the kids, communal rearing is a thing and whilst it doesn't follow social distancing rules it is the only way we can cope with our work whilst providing our children with the education and socialisation they need. (Edit: people are no longer allowed to go into each others’ houses or meet communally, so communal rearing has ended :( )
- Things are shutting all the time with no notice. Yesterday, all our Compound's parks were closed as were all the restaurants. This makes sense to encourage social distancing, but as the temperature keeps rising the only bit of solace we have are the pools, which remain open and are quite busy at the time of writing. It will only be a matter of time before they close though. (Edit: they closed today… :S)
+ and - Living in the compound, I feel pretty safe as no visitors are allowed in now and so it's just the community that live here. Most people left when there was rumour of a lockdown and grounding of flights last week so our compound, which was about 1/5 occupied is even more of a ghost town. This does mean no queuing at the local shop and also I can ride my bike in the middle of the road without fear of being hit by a 20 kph car.
- The bowling alley closed. This was a key part of my week as I ate my Whopper and chilled with my mates. Alas, no more! I think with the lockdown this is what hurts the most as I got my highest score, 153, only a week or so ago.
+ I now have time to do the things I've wanted to do, catch up on box sets, finish my backlog of games, read loads of books, write that novel I've been thinking about... Okay, it's all true except the last one. I haven't got the patience for a novel, a fortune cookie message maybe, or a haiku.
Just chilling with my pile of graphic novels from the school library, and yes, I do sit casually on the floor to read them :)
+ and - Family time. I love my family and spending more time with them is awesome, however... It is A LOT of time and we are all getting a bit cabin fever-y. Too much of a good thing y'know. Do you think I may have saved myself from my wife with that last line?
+ Food shopping is still allowed and as long as you wear the polythene gloves provided, pretty safe... Well as safe as you can be wearing loose fitting wafer thin gloves whilst being surrounded by hundred of other people. I now feel like the Queen of England, the only difference between us being that I paid my taxes and I am not exempt from inheritance tax *zing*.
- Packing fruit into polythene bags whilst wearing these polythene gloves is very difficult and shopping took a lot longer as I tried to place fruit and vegetables into said bags.
Plythene bag + Polythene Gloves = Major Headache
+ I'm going for long walks around the compound as the gym (ahem, sauna and spa) is closed so purchased some Sketcher Gogo Max 5 Walking Trainers, apart from my DCs they are possibly the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.
- However, the Sketchers look like this and there is a possibility that I may die wearing these bad boys:
Check out these bad boys!
If the Corona doesn't kill me the embarrassment of wearing trainers designed for octogenarian Floridians might.
So yeah, lockdown is a little strange and whilst living in this compound bubble it has been interesting to see how the world has responded but these are exciting and interesting times. Time for some real talk: I think people are actually starting to realise what the 'essential' services are and it is often the lower paid or under-appreciated parts of society; the shop workers, cleaners, nurses, doctors, care workers, teachers, delivery drivers and many more. However, much like how the 2008 economic crisis showed the great disparity between the banking system and much of society, people thought there would be real change in the world, however these thoughts are fleeting as a new meme, trend or manufactured outrage of a hot topics takes hold. Maybe there'll be a mea culpa about man-made global warming as the data should conclusively prove the effects we are having in destroying the world, but we know how this works folks; it ain't gonna happen easily if at all.
This is a chance for people to come together and help each other in a potentially devastating worldwide crisis and we will see the best and worst of humanity. Let’s try to be the best we can be folks.
LINK- Life in the Times of the Coronavirus
LINK- The Further Adventures of Anjum of Arabia in Saudi
LINK- High Tea and High Times in the Riyadh Globe
LINK- Reflecting on Life in Saudi Arabia After 5 Months
LINK- Life in Saudi Arabia 3 Month On