Surviving The Virus – Week 6

WOW! I am 6 full weeks into this but it feels like so many more.

What this has taught me if nothing else is that we need to do a better job on checking on people. We are looking out for friends, family members, and neighbors now because its a crisis – but we need to look out for people more. We have the time. We do. If you think you don’t have the time ask Alexa or SIRI to remind you to stop by a friend or family members house to see how they are doing. Use this time as a bookmark in life to not forget those around you. I hope that you are able to take this time. To work on yourself, and enjoy the moments you get to spend with your family and the ones you love.

If you live alone like me be intentional about reaching out to others. It is okay to be HONEST about where you are in life. Tell people that you need them. They need you too. Technology has made it easy for us to stay connected. Take advantage of the technology that is at your fingertips. You can video chat, text, message, call, email, send faxes, share books, do all kinds of things from your phone, tablet, or even computer … DO IT! Our phones make more than calls – they MAKE MAGIC HAPPEN. Be The Magic that you need in your own life. Be your own hero in this chapter of your story. You can do it!

The Good …. The Bad … The Ugly

The Good

• I am healthy and I have been the entire time
• I have a green health QR code. We use QR codes for everything there and we have an app we use where we get our health code. If you are going to be out and about in the city you need to have a green QR code.
• I am still wearing a mask when I go out
• No one took my temp today when I went out. I’m a little nervous about this but I guess the government/the city is slowly easing up on everything.
• Shanghai is slowly coming back to normal. I have seen more people out this past week then in the last 5. That’s a good sign.
• I was able to finish a book! Finally. What are y’all reading? ANYTHING GOOD?
• I have tried new recipes
• I have been able to workout – I have even tried yoga and I don’t think its the most amazing thing ever but its not the worst thing ever either
• Green QR Code friends and myself are getting out together and its the best thing ever
• The weather has been nice about 91% of the time and I try to take advantage of that as much as possible!
• So many education sites have made their resources available free of charge. Just google away and you can probably find what you’re looking for. A previous post of mine gave lots of sites with resources (https://wordpress.com/post/kmarietakesshanghai.wordpress.com/1081) –          Titled: Lessons From Ms. K (2) Oh NO! School Is Closed. What Do I Do???
• A ton of museums have made virtual tours available.
• People are getting creative with staying connected while social distancing. Virtual Happy Hour with friends! Teachers reading to kids online. Family Zoom and FaceTime calls. This is all great.
• IG (AKA Instagram) is full of celebrities giving live shows for free and DJ’s are doing the same! It’s amazing
• This social distancing/working from home is giving you more time with your family. Enjoy it.
• All the things on your calendar have to wait and YOU are the focus. GIVE YOURSELF the attention that you deserve.

The Bad 

• We just don’t know! Unknown. Unprecedented. Strange. Bizarre. Scary. These are words I hear every day to describe what people are experiencing. What the world is experiencing. When we describe things like this it is hard to make a plan of action for responding to it. I don’t know how to make a plan of action so I have been taking life day by day. I have been back in Shanghai since 2/01 so today makes 55 days experiencing all this. What a journey it has been.
• You have to deal with you! All of You. And this can be bad. And Real. And Hard. And Difficult – but very needed. Do It! And reach out to others as you are dealing with the hard parts of yourself.
• This is a hard time. Everyone is experiencing and responding to this in different ways and with a myriad of emotions. The best thing I can think to all of this is feel everything you are feeling, write, journal, cry, sing, laugh, take a walk, play – deal with your HARD. … we can do HARD things. We Can.

The Ugly

• There is no timeline on all of this … indefinite is just that… indefinite – but I can see light at the end of the tunnel
• A lot … and I do mean a lot of people have died because of COVID-19 so I hope that people around the world are taking this seriously
• The world is experiencing a horrible time. It makes me think of moments in history that have been remembered like The Great Depression, we will definitely remember this time. I am on the other end of this. We are slowly going back to the life knew about three months ago but it will take a long time to fully be 100% again. I don’t know how long that will take. I just don’t. No one does really.
• I have lost (they haven’t died) a lot of friends because of this. I know that the expat life is temporary, but a lot of people I have become close to have moved back to their home country because of this for a number of reasons. Community is very important to me.

Oh My WOW! There is so much more good than bad. I get it the bad is real. It is very real for me knowing that some of my friends won’t/can’t return to China. That part is hard and this week it really hit me hard when I knew they just wouldn’t be coming back. That this was no longer just an extended holiday but that they wouldn’t be returning at all. This whole ordeal has changed lives completely. And that is something that we have to continue to deal with every single day.

I meant to post this a few days ago. The week has been busy. I have been resting and taking care of KMG. That has been needed and important.

This city has been very quiet – its busy again. Not as busy as it usually is but busy again. Lots of people are out and things are slowly going back to normal. I am still e-teaching right now and I don’t know how long that will last either. One day at a time. ONE. DAY. AT. A. TIME. That’s all any of us can do really. So do that. Take it all one day at a time.

Life is different right now. We all have very new normals. Kids are at home who are usually at school. Parents are at home who are usually at work. Businesses, stores, and restaurants are closed. Social Distancing is happening around the world.

Nothing is stopping me from praying and believing in faithfulness of God. I am still living by grace daily and my faith continues to keep me strong.

Stay well. Stay Healthy. Take a Nap. Have a glass of wine. Do some yoga. Whatever it is that works for you. Do That!

#FearlessinShanghai #Thankful #joychangeslives #KMarieTakesChina #BlackGirlMagic #KarlaGirlLivingLife #BlackGirlJoy #LivingMyLifeLikeItsGolden #ChinaorBust #ChinaAintReady #BlackInShanghai #BlackInChina #BlackAmericanInChina #LookOutWorldHereComesKarla  #KarlaGirlJoy #BlackGirlInShanghai #eatsleeppartyrepeat #givingisgood #givingisfun #WakandaForever #ShuriAndNakiaAndOkoye #MelaninMagic #Blessed #-FaithfulIsMyGod

“life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”  – Hellen Keller

*I choose ADVENTURE

…. i love this song …. enjoy!!!