As Covid-19 started to spread also in the small island of Cyprus we have been asked to work from home, “smart working” they say, in order for everyone to keep safe in the house, reducing as much as possible contacts with the outside.
Challenge accepted! First of all, we had to rethink the space of the house, to find our comfortable place, and couch, in it. Something that could allow us to work efficiently as we were doing in the office.
Also, it was important being able to separate working hours from free hours, since now everything is happening in the 5 square meters of the living room: working, taking a nap, having breakfast, lunch and dinner, practicing hobbies and finding a way to survive to this endless quarantine.
Anyway, we managed to find this way to survive. As Italians, we scheduled our pizza day and in order to never get bored my home mates came out with theme-aperitivo, every Saturday! Until now, our themes have been red carpet, the ‘90s, Mexican style, Alice in Wonderland, and on Monday it will be our special beach day party (on the balcony).
The positive side of staying close in an apartment for a length of time not specified is that, finally, you can put your hands on your bucket list, and you have no excuses to postpone it once more!
I love this. It is the perfect timing for things about which you always said “I have no time for this” or “I wish I had more time for that”. This is the time!
So now it is a month that I am planting whatever plantable I find in the house: carrots, tomatoes, apple seeds, strawberries, basil and mint until now. These last two without success. To the non-successful plant-attempts, we shall remember my two avocado seeds. Even though I gave them all my loving and two beautiful names, such as David and Agar, they didn’t grow. With one of my two homemates we also managed to save a plant from the garbage. Her conditions were so bad that the only name I could think for her was Maria Dolores. Now she’s fine in her new little home-vase. And everyday with a new leaf she’s thanking us for this new chance we gave her. But I am thankful too, Maria Dolores.
I am also going through my Arabic lessons, which means I am studying it by myself from a book that I hardly understand in the Italian explanation. Also, sometimes I just throw some language-challenge to my flatmates, as speaking in French for a couple of hours. As you can imagine, of course none of us can speak properly French.
Also, as Italian, my bucket list if full of cooking recipes. And as woman coming from the south of Italy, ¾ of these include frying everything is around me. So, I am experimenting bunches of new (mostly fried) food such as lasagne, parmigiana, fried chicken, fried balls of vegetables, stuffed vegetables, chocolate cakes, cookies. I think that’s it. For now, at least.
I am really trying my best to enjoy this very special time we are passing though. Of course, is it not easy and sometimes you feel that closed in such space that you cannot even breath. I know. But I also know that nothing is by chance and that everything happens for a reason. While I wait for this reason to appear as an epiphany to my life, I try to appreciate this phase, taking the good and the bad it brings along with it.
