Coronavirus Lockdown Spanish Edition - Day 13 - Life goes on... online!

So nothing for days 11 & 12 simply because I was angry and in a foul mood on Tuesday, and yesterday just so, so tired...

Much better today! I guess we're all going to have our ups and downs while being locked up, more than normal. To be expected.

I wanted something cheerful today... to celebrate that tomorrow's Friday so it's almost the weekend! Need to find ways to mark the different days of the week other than work yes/no. So I'm planning a "movie night" with the friends I usually go to the cinema with. If it works out I'll report back.

We've all be finding ways to do things with other people online. The simplest is work related. I'm spending the mornings all this week (and half of next) in lengthy Skype meetings with my colleagues in Vietnam to see what the situation is like in their universities, and to talk about how our project is going and how we can continue moving forward (within the Covid19 limitations).

Not everyone can work online... but more and more people are finding ways to at least contribute their knowledge or skills in an online form so other people can benefit from them! I have to say it's terribly distracting for those of us who have to work, but it's absolutely FABULOUS!!! 

There's Yo Yo Ma promoting sharing music 🎶on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram by creating (I think) and promoting the hashtag #songsofcomfort. He uploads videos of himself playing the cello (beautiful!), and many other people are also sharing their music using that hashtag so it can be kind of like a playlist. A trio of roommates in Barcelona (members of 2 different bands) are making music together about the #Coronavirus and #stayhome and are posting it online. They even talked about them on the news the other night! Check them out on Instagram as Stay.Homas (lyrics in Spanish but even if you don't speak the language can enjoy the music). French musician Patrick Bruel has also been doing almost daily live sessions on Facebook and Instagram, playing music, answering questions just chatting in general. And my favorite Starfleet Captain, Sir Patrick Stewart is daily reading a Shakespeare Sonnet! It's great!

Then there are the proponents of physical activities! I don't know how many options of "live" sessions I've come across for different workouts, but I know there's no way I could even try them all! I've been mostly following an account on Instagram that I just discovered is associated with a gym in Madrid, "Yo Entreno en Casa" (I train at home). Four times a day they go live with one of their trainers (so along the lines of group classes in a gym) and do either a session of pilates, yoga, dance, pump, balance, high intensity training etc. (the dance class last night left me too tired to write on the blog... I just wanted shower and bed! 😅). Also the city hall of San Vicente (small town next to Alicante where the University of Alicante campus is located) has been fielding proposals for online activities from its citizens, and publishes a schedule daily on their Instagram account for various live sessions on either their Instagram or Facebook pages (since sometimes their simultaneous) that vary from cooking, baking, to dancing, to crafts, a workout or someone playing music or reciting poetry.

And in the academic arena, I read yesterday about a couple of whale experts based in Seattle who are offering a free online marine biology camp for kids (and older) twice a week (Mon & Thur) live on their Facebook or Instagram account! With extra materials (like coloring pages) and info on their website. Today was about whale poop and parasites. 🐳

So much to do... Damn it's a shame I have to work!!! 😝

#stayhome #quedateencasa #yomequedoencasa #restecheztoi