At home exercise equipment - 2 cans of beans, resistance band and a chair

Day 5

This is when I’m really grateful for all the electronics and messaging systems we have available!

It’s pretty much the only way to keep in contact with anyone during the South African lockdown, and being on my own, it’s super important that I keep in contact and know that if one messaging system isn’t connecting, I have four others to try!

Unfortunately, this isolation is strangely, well, not so strangely, familiar to me. It is so reminiscent of being stuck down in my little house in Washington, often for weeks at a time, as I conserved resources and tried to keep my sanity. When I did finally cry uncle, it was because I knew that if I didn’t get the hell out of there, I would die!

It isn’t THAT bad here! And certainly hope it doesn’t get to that point! That’s why my messaging systems are so important to me. The time differences between South Africa and the US and New Zealand do present some challenges - I’ll be having a cocktail, while in the US, it’s coffee time. Or I’ll be having coffee when the New Zealand contingent is available.

How I Keep Busy During Lockdown

So what do I do to keep busy, as we aren’t allowed to go for walks or get out unless it’s to the grocery store or medical appointments, just what is deemed “essential” movement. And this is definitely not the time to mess with the restrictions, as the army has been brought in to “assist” the police in enforcing the rules.

The exercise class I was going to twice a week, of course had to stop but they have been very proactive and put the classes, live, online using Zoom. Three times a day and five days a week, I can pick a class to join. It’s amazing what you can do when the only equipment is a chair, a resistance band and a couple of cans of beans! Today’s class had 35 participants from around the country, so people are taking this seriously.

The online store Ryan and I operate, is going strong now that China has opened up again, so that keeps me busy for a couple of hours each day. And I am contemplating making a couple of dresses, as I have access to a sewing machine and have fabric I can use. However, I’m not that motivated yet.

I’m also doing a Spanish class online, using Duolingo, preparing for a move to Ecuador or somewhere like that in the near future, if I ever can leave here.

And of course, there is Netflix, which is far too easy to get hooked in to!

Avoiding the News

What I don’t do, or try not to do, is watch too much news, either on TV or online. It is just too depressing and scary. Which brings me to the situation here.

For the first time, I actually feel quite scared about how this lockdown could be the start of complete insurrection here. With the army and police as heavy-handed as they are, and have been, and with the pandemic affecting so many people here who live in unhealthy situations, it feels like we are sitting on a tinderbox, which is ready to blow.

Plus Moody’s downgraded South Africa to junk bond status, which is causing even more trouble for this economy which is really struggling. On the other side of that coin, for me and others with foreign funds, the exchange rate has gone through the roof. When I got here in October, I was getting around R14 to a dollar. Now it’s hit R18 per dollar, which is great for me but awful for the country.

It’s also a complete feeling of helplessness being here, with no possibility of any flights out for heaven knows how long. And I have a suspicion that this lockdown will be extended. It currently is set to end April 16.

But I count my lucky stars that I am not stuck on a cruise ship somewhere, trapped in an inside cabin with no access to fresh air! Or in a highrise somewhere, locked on the top floor, with no opening windows or fresh air.

At least, I can sit here at the computer, looking out at the birds in the feeder with all the windows open. It’s still warm here, so i’m still barefoot. I have music I love playing through iHeart Radio. There’s enough food in the fridge and cupboards to last several weeks (although I will have to limit my intake of garbanzo beans as I need the cans for my exercise class).

And I can look at my Washington isolation days as training for this South African lockdown!