Here I am again with some wonderful news. This article was posted on Afro Tech’s website just last week and it made me smile seeing a family grow and excel together. I actually have never been to Bronx, NY – but if I ever find myself in that borough I will check out this restaurant.
“life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”
– Hellen Keller
I love the adventure that my life is on. I have been unable to travel in the last two years because of travel restrictions here in China. Here is one of my favorite travel memories from right before the pandemic.
Here I am …. Still at home. I have been at home since March 11 – it is not the first week of April. The government gave an official notice that we are on lockdown from April 1-5. During this time there would be no movement at all in the city – only very essential workers/volunteers are allowed out in the city. We also had to do at home COVID test and in person COVID test. Shanghai had the entire city mass tested- a city of about 24 million people. The city is closed. It is quiet. The streets are empty. The shops are not open. I look out my window and I see no movement. It’s so surreal to be living through this.
What else can I tell you? When we got the word days before April 1 that the city would close and that we would be in lockdown we had time to prepare- or so we thought! 24 million people all ordering and buying food at the same time? What do you think that looks like? Its madness. Apps were on overload, restaurant workers are working overtime, shops are restocking shelves hourly/daily – everyone is in a state of panic.
So, we spent the days leading up to April 1 working, and stocking up on food. Many apps wouldn’t allow people to order because everyone was ordering at the same time or because they were out of items. Amazingly, restaurants made deals and specials preparing large amounts of food to last individuals and family for a few days at a time. Soon restaurants started selling food items because they would have to close soon and couldn’t have people inside to eat. So, you could literally buy fruits, vegetables, and meat from your favorite dining places.
April 1 hit, and the city closed. We all had to stay home. I am still at home. During this time, we are all being mass tested and anyone who tests positive is whisked away to a COVID quarantine facility by local medical professionals or CDC workers. You have some time to pack a bag and prepare to be taken away. You don’t want to go. The center isn’t a fun place to be. From what I have read and seen it is an exhausting experience mentally and physically.
Now…. April 9th has arrived, and we are still on lockdown – and it is indefinite. We DO NOT know when the lockdown ever will end. Pray for healing for this city. Shanghai/China is serious about this Zero Covid policy and if there are any cases- they remove you from the public to contain the spread of the virus. It is hard to be hopeful in these exhausting times, but I am really hoping in the next two weeks we see a change and a move back to some form of normalcy in the city.
How did we get here? It is surreal to be living through this two years later. Empty quiet streets. People fighting for water and food in the supermarkets. Stocking up to survive the pandemic. With the shops closed and many drivers forced to stay at home we are unsure of how/when we will be able to order food again. Currently, I have plenty of food – but things run out. Many communities/neighborhoods have been working together to order food packages in bulk/group buys and your neighborhood community leader will deliver it to you since we are not allowed to be out and about right now. Its wild here. We are connecting with virtual workouts, virtual Happy Hour, virtual meetings, virtual book clubs- virtual everything. Social Media and technology is a life saver in times like this – but we are not made to live in isolation.
What have I been doing? I cook! I bake! I read! I sleep! I do video calls with my students once a week to check in and see how they are doing. They really miss school and their friends. So its tough! We are all having a hard time. Parents are home with their kids all day. Teachers are home all day. Kids are home all day. Just about all of the city is closed. It is extremely difficult to do anything/.
#COVID2022 or is it #COVIDTwentyAndToo #Shanghai2022 #COVIDIsStillHere #COVIDNeverLeft #SurvivingTheQuarantine #IsolationLife #TheCityIsClosed -kinda #EmptyShanghaiStreets #QuietCity #Quarantined #SelfTestAreHereToo #thankfulfortechnology #moviesandbooksandtvandcooking #virtualbookclubs #virtualhappyhour #virtualhangoutswithfriends
To Everyone who has reached out – thank you so much. So much is happening all around the world … and we here in Shanghai are still dealing with the effects of COVID and being locked down to avoid the spread of the epidemic. Here’s to looking towards better days.
Are we locked down? Is the city closed? Are we quarantined?
I am getting messages from family members and friends from home and in other countries asking about the lockdown and quarantine here in Shanghai. Thankful and my heart is warm with all of the contact I am getting from everyone. It means a lot that I am not forgotten about.
Where to begin? What to say? I’m at a loss for words (which is not often for me).
I have been at home pretty much – off an on – since February. Yes, I have been outside, at the park, for walks, and even made it to a friends birthday brunch at The W in earlier this month, but now the city is pretty much closed. Restaurants are working on minimum capacity as many workers are stuck inside because of the quarantine – so they are doing delivery and take away only (and even the takeaway option is beginning go away).
I am trying to focus on #peace
Am I locked in? Yep – kinda, sorta. Some days I can go out… Some days I can’t. Currently I am staying inside to avoid it all.
Is the city closed? Yep – kinda, sorta. A lot of venues are closed to the public, restaurants are at a takeaway/delivery option, school is currently closed, some government offices are open, most apartment compounds (apartment complex) are not allowing visitors and have asked people to say inside. The shelves of the supermarkets are empty. People have purchased food in a panic because we don’t know how long we will be at home.
Are we quarantined? Yep- kinda, sorta. It really depends on where you live in the city, and what COVID numbers are like in your district. Some people are free to move about the city with very little to do while out and others have to stay inside. Everyone is having a hard time with this. It’s not easy.
COVID numbers are rising all over the city in many districts in Shanghai and as a result of that the VAST majority of the city is quarantined. We have been mass testing by district and now even testing at home. Self-tests were just introduced and many compounds are having residents self-test at home to make sure no one is testing positive in recent days – if they were out and about before the lockdown. Apartment compounds are being closed off and many compounds are not allowing individuals to leave their home. You can’t even spend time in common spaces. You need to leave your trash right outside of your door and someone will come to get it and take care of it for you. Walks with your pets, family, friends, and play outside in public spaces is prohibited.
#COVID2022 or is it #COVIDTwentyAndToo #Shanghai2022 #COVIDIsStillHere #COVIDNeverLeft #SurvivingTheQuarantine #IsolationLife #TheCityIsClosed -kinda #Quarantined #SelfTestAreHereToo
If you are interested in a foreigner/expats experience with COVID and in a quarantine center here in Shanghai feel free to follow this contact on TWITTER: @leaningshane – I don’t this person but I have been following their Twitter posts
I have been following and keeping up with the experiences of others. It is TOUGH! What I am going through is tough too. It is extremely tough being home- alone all the time. I do all the things recommended to do to survive quarantine life- But people should have interaction with others.
It’s exhausting.
I am looking forward to better days that are on the way. I hold on to hope! I hold on to my faith! I don’t know when it will all be over and when school will open again. Currently- I’m home until further notice.
This is some great news worthy to be shared! If you know anyone who this may benefit please pass the information along. It is also very exciting to share this as I am alumni of this campus. Look into ‘UT Arlington offering free tuition to more students’
Of course there is always fine print, and work to be done – check out the requirements and share it with those in your circle AND on your social media platforms. You never know whose life this can change.
It feels like it is 2020-too! Shanghai is feeling the HEAT all over again from COVID numbers rising. School is currently closed indefinitely, many businesses are closed and have moved online, restaurants are working at a takeout/delivery capacity, malls are closed, parks are closed- we are on a semi-city wide shut/down-ish quarantine.
Who would have thought that two years later we would still be in the thick of it all. Everyday all you hear from anyone is talk of COVID numbers, closures around the city, travel requirements, and just “when will it all end?”….
The entire world is ready for this to end. It is absolutely exhausting to live through, read about, experience, share, and watch happen around you. I am absolutely ready for this pandemic to be over. I look towards the day when it ends. Until then… I make them M-O-S-T of my streaming sites, I take walks outside when I can, and I cook!
Here is a recipe that I recently made (I modified it a little by using gochujang) – it definitely had a kick, but its so tasty! If you are a meat eater this will be tasty on your ribs and I currently have my chicken for this week marinating in the same sauce.
Link Below:
Check it out and try it. Hopefully you can find this sauce at your local Asian market or within the international aisle of your local supermarket. There is always a copycat recipe to – to find a way to make something with the items you have at home! Hope you enjoy this.
Thanks to NOMFLUENCE – a food site/blog I follow here in Shanghai and my sweet friend Rachel for this great recipe! What ese do you do when on lockdown? Cook and eat yummy food!
I hope the above link works. It was shared on a Chinese platform- if it doesn’t open for you I can share it with you directly if you would like the recipe. I don’t want to write it out here as it is not my recipe.
I am okay. I don’t like lockdown. I don’t like quarantine. I don’t like this isolation life. But if Law and Order can make it to Season 21 and counting – I can make it through this. This too shall pass and end soon. – I’m watching the current season of Law and Order with Anthony Anderson and Law and Order CI with Elliott Stabler. Stabler yet holding on yall!
Stay Safe during these difficult times!
I realized I didn’t do the best job sharing fun facts during Black History Month this year as I have in the past. The last 8 weeks have been a rollercoaster at work and in life with school closures/city closures/quarantine life… I hope to share facts throughout the year on my blog! Black History is all year round.
I absolutely love this month. I love celebrating Black History – And Black-Present-Right NowNess – There is still lots of good happening in the midst of this imperfect and troubled world that we live in. I am looking forward to sharing lots of history and lots of good that is happening currently.
This is a short but fun post as I want to highlight education and entertainment this month.
Here is a link to an article that discusses a new Disney series that touches on real world issues in a fun way to reach and connect with kids! I can’t wait to enjoy this one.
I am thrilled about this! I hope you watch and enjoy.
My Lunar New Year holiday is slowly coming to a close. I am enjoying – naps of course- and time off from teaching. I will be honest- I look forward to seeing my kids again in the new year! Be Well.
It’s Wednesday – time for some wonderful news! I came across this post (recently- it is not today’s exact news) and it really made me smile – so I wanted to share it with all of you so that you too can smile. Also, feel free to share the post on your social media platforms. Sometimes we just need to read some wonderful-good news!
I absolutely love this month. I love celebrating Black History – And Black-Present-Right NowNess – There is still lots of good happening in the midst of this imperfect and troubled world that we live in. I am looking forward to sharing lots of history and lots of good that is happening currently.
Why is this month so important? It is important for so many reasons, but I love it because it honors the leaders past and present who have made such an impact on the Black Community and the world as a whole. This month takes us beyond history books – which often are incomplete – it brings us together – and it helps us to understand and realize the importance of our stories. This month is needed. The hope is that what is experienced and the conversations that happen this month continue on in the other eleven months of the year. That conversations are started and change occurs.
I am looking forward to a great month celebrating all that who have paved the way and all that is happening now. I love the celebrations and social media shares that happen this month. It’s absolutely beautiful
Please reply and share your favorite moment in Black History! I would love to know.
It’s pretty awesome celebrating the new year two times. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year here in China. Yesterday I did some exploring in Shanghai and was able to walk across the Yuandang Bridge at the end of the city where Shanghai Province meets Jiangsu Province and hung out in two places at once. Here’s a picture from that adventure and a link to the article about that bridge (https://www.designboom.com/architecture/brearley-architects-urbanists-bau-yuandang-pedestrian-bridge-shanghai-01-28-2022/).
You will need to copy and paste the article into your search browser.
Here I am in two places at once – How fun!
Of course, I hope that you are doing well and I am so glad you are following my expat adventures!
It’s Wednesday – time for some wonderful news! I came across this post (recently- it is not today’s exact news) and it really made me smile – so I wanted to share it with all of you so that you too can smile. Also, feel free to share the post on your social media platforms. Sometimes we just need to read some wonderful-good news!
I hope to share lots of positive posts every other Wednesday here on my blog! So much is happening in the world around us and sometimes we need to see some good-wonderful news! Perfect for hump day in the middle of the week.
I am still in Shanghai! I have been here since Fall 2017 … what a journey it hasbeen….
FEARLESS in SHANGHAI 