(a small corona-like play on words from Gabriel García Márquez)

One day melts into the next.  Weekday indistinguishable from week-end.  Day after day of monotony.  Those are apt descriptions of our life in Corona lockdown.

Just kidding (sort of)

First of all, we are all safe.  Saudi Arabia has been generally much better than most at containing the coronavirus.  We even have a dashboard to keep up updated.  (We are in Al-Jubayl).

Secondly, we are still gainfully employed. We actually received 3 months of paychecks at the same time, our summer pay.

Now if we can just get some excitement, that would be much better!

Life in Corona lockdown (AKA virtual school)

We are now onto week 10 of virtual school/teaching.  It has not been the easiest for our family.  To be fair, we haven’t had a huge amount of responsibility.  We need to provide work for each of our classes each week, have one 20-minute, live Zoom session per week with each of our classes, and be available via Google Hangout to answer any questions from 9-3.

Despite this reduced schedule, it seems that we are barely keeping our heads above the water.  It is difficult with a needy 4-year-old and a newborn baby.  We have had to cancel a number of live sessions due to child needs.  Also, we worry about Simon and his education.  We haven’t been able to put nearly as much time and effort into his schooling as we should, and we have watched far too much TV!  For Simon, we broke down and got a Disney+ subscription.  Did you know that there are 6 different Spider-Man cartoons there!  We know them all.  Luckily we have been able to throw some Sesame Street in there once in a while.

We have also used ABCMouse.com and the DuoABC app (from the makers of Duo Lingo).  These seem like good alternatives to help Simon learn a bit more.  We also like to cook a lot.  Simon has been a great helper!

People like to say that ‘we are all in the same boat’.  We have a saying in our household.  Actually we are all in the same storm, but peoples’ boats look a lot different from family to family!

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Summer Plans

All of our summer plans have gone awry.  Obviously, because of the corona pandemic, things were always going to be tricky. (especially because Michigan has been hit harder than some other states)  It was finally confirmed a couple of weeks ago that KLM has canceled at least one leg of the flight.

We mulled over what to do, but in the end, we applied for vouchers with KLM for a later flight.  We aren’t sure if we will use it at Christmas or next summer, but it just didn’t seem feasible to go back to the US this summer.  Not only would we be putting ourselves at risk on our journey, but also, we might have to quarantine when we arrive; we couldn’t just go around visiting our parents, and we have no idea how the Saudi authorities would treat us when we try to return.  In these uncertain times, it is best to stay where we have a job.

Another big regret is the cancellation policy on our Airbnb rental.  All hosts set their own policy, and the place we booked this summer does not allow refunds.  Morbidly, I am hoping that they extend their extenuating circumstances policy through July so we can get our money back.

Getting Healthy

Like many, this quarantine because of corona can be used as a time to get healthy.  While I have tried to be a bit more active, it has been a bit hit-and-miss because of all of the things that we have going on. We have a gym on the compound, but it is closed down (along with the swimming pool). Our neighbor has built a bit of a gym in his yard, that I have used off-and-on. (more off now that the weather is gross outside).  I use the rowing machine and kettlebells. I don’t really like running, but I am debating about whether or not to invest in a good quality jump rope.  We will see how motivated I am.

Most kids are not the best of eaters, and at times, Simon seems to take the cake.  We were worried about his nutrition a bit and looking for a way to help get more healthy food into him (a kid should only eat so much Mac N’Cheese).  That is why we got this veggie powder from ENOF.  We like ENOF because it has all-natural ingredients, and we can just put 3 shakes on any kind of food.  “One serving of ENOF packs around 50% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B6″

Another thing that we have done for Simon is to get a set of SOUNDSORY^® headphones.  We actually got these last summer, but haven’t really had the time to commit to them.  It is meant to improve motor and cognitive abilities.

According to their website, “SOUNDSORY^® uses a multi-sensory approach which combines sound with movement to stimulate the vestibular and auditory systems simultaneously. This integrated method provides a unique approach to sensory processing, emotional regulation and cognitive skill development”

Basically, Simon wears the SOUNDSORY^® headphones for 30 minutes a day (including 5 minutes of body movement exercises) for 40 days.

We are not sure what to expect out of these SOUNDSORY^® headphones, but Simon likely needs a few more services than what we can get here in Saudi Arabia.  These are meant as a stopgap.

Click here for 10% off SOUNDSORY^®

The Future?

We are on the Eid break now (including a wonderful 24-hour lockdown!).  We have virtual school until June 16, and then the outlook of summer in 110-120 degree weather.  Ugh!

Our one bright spot is that in a week, we should be moving to a 3-bedroom place on the same compound.  Let’s just say it has been less than ideal to live in a two-bedroom with two kids (one of them being a colicky newborn).  Yet, people are in much worse situations.

How are you dealing with Corona?