Today we stand naked in our own homes. Usually our homes are a very familiar place where we know everything, it provides comfort and safety. You know how things work and there’s little unexpected. Then Corona virus (aka Covid-19) quickly developed into a pandemic and confined us to our homes. The territory felt like new. Now it’s the only place you can be – it’s your office, your gym, your restaurant, your only entertainment. Not just a place you come to chill and relax after all the other activities.

People are not able to travel to their holidays to experience new cultures, so you need to bring the new cultures home. Many museums have made virtual tours. Artists are giving free concerts on youtube. Your home has become something much greater than it used to be before. It has become your entire life. Meeting friends broadcasting their faces on your TV rather than distinguishing them from the bar background over a tasty cocktail.

V and I don’t have any children or pets so the day to day life hasn’t really been thrown upside down. The environment is still controlled. The biggest change probably is that the gym has moved to home – with no proper kettlebells available we now lift a canister of soap meant for cleaning wooden floors. 😀 Working from home every day is new, but rather pleasant and so much more productive. I have managed to cross off everything on my to-do list that has accumulated over months. I do miss the canteen at work, making food is a daily activity now.

However, the point I actually wanted to make with this post is that for an introvert (like me), this is actually like a dream come true. There’s no pressure to go anywhere, meet anyone. It took about a week to disable the function in my brain: ‘reach out to people, organise something’. The function that helps me integrate to the society and to actually have friends that I know are so important to have.

I am the outgoing introvert type. Meaning if I’m already out with friends I really enjoy myself and have a great time. Just getting out of the house is difficult, because my home is the place that gives me energy and where I enjoy being by myself doing my own thing. The contest of recharging myself at home not talking to anyone versus being out with a smaller or a bigger group is always won by staying at home. But then this function I have built in my brain to push myself to do things overrides and I actually make it to social gatherings.

Hence the now popular term ‘social distancing’ is my default behaviour. But I am very grateful that under normal world order I manage to be outgoing, as that is what gives life meaning and generates stories to remember. I praise that function in my brain.

Yet taking this time off to be in my cocoon is paradise. Even though, now after 3 weeks of working, chilling, partying from home I start to realise it would be nice to put on my best clothes and go to a cocktail bar with a few people. In my head of course I imagine myself in the pretty clothes in a busy cocktail bar, fully enjoying myself, still in solitude. 😃

I have been so happy the past week. It’s of course difficult to narrow down to the causes, but I think it’s likely that I feel recharged. Having had 3 weeks of no social pressure my brain is celebrating, dopamine is flowing in excess. It doesn’t need to process the function of pushing my social limits. Meeting friends over Skype is fantastic. It gives me the happiness from “meeting” them yet the recharging of lost energy begins as soon as the end call button clicks.

We were so lucky that we did our gap year last year, travelled freely everywhere we wanted. And now the situation really supports us getting back to our former savings levels with no temptations. 🙈
Also super happy for all the friends that had weddings last year (we attended 5 in 5 countries). We were all very fortunate to avoid this unforeseen circumstance. I feel for the ones who made their amazing plans for this year. 😢

There has been a little bit of anxiety as V decided to quit his job just before the pandemic. However, the bastard was lucky again and nailed a job this week starting on the 20th of April. 🙂

Here are some captures of our daily lives under the pandemic.

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Artists have gotten creative during the quarantine life. Jamiroquai funny as usual. But the catchiest so far I find the Ugandan version. I’ll leave you with it.