Blog - Page 3 of 6 - GatherBoard

Just last summer, I embarked on a journey as a remote intern across multiple continents, staying in the homes of families in many different cultures. Now in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, this kind of travel is just a distant dream. In order to protect our communities, we all have to do our part to remain physically separated. However, this does not prevent us from being socially connected! In fact, this crisis has created a shared experience for all of us, one that transcends cultures and borders. Desplázate hacia abajo para leer esta entrada en español. I am currently in Vigo, Spain as a study abroad student, and it has been a cultural experience to watch how my host city has come together, even as the country has become one of the epicenters of the outbreak. The government has ordered a lockdown, which means we can only go out for essential trips. In this time, I’ve been contacted by concerned acquaintances and previous hosts from around the world, who have given a wide range of advice on how to prepare for Coronavirus. Many are helpful, some made me laugh, and they have all provided special insight into how different cultures react to crazy times like these. I thought I would share a few of their preparation and coping tips below. Stay safe and stay connected! - Betta How to Deal With Coronavirus: Advice from Around the World Spain: I’m currently on lockdown in Spain, which has left me lots of time to cook and stare longingly at the sun. My neighbors however, have decided to face the virus with what they know best: fiestas! Every night at 8 pm, everyone comes out on their balconies to applaud health care workers. This soon dissolves into several hours of banging on pots and pans, and singing along to different songs being played on every balcony. The excitement may or may not have a correlation with the amount of wine that has disappeared from supermarket shelves in the last few days. Italy: Last August, I stayed with an Italian family to teach their kids English, and now they have made it their mission to send along daily moments of inspiration from their country. The Italians have perfected the art of balcony sing alongs, from 80s hits to opera. The kids have also made some parody videos to their favorite songs, with lyrics reminding everyone to wash their hands and stay at home! China: I have not traveled to China, but I’ve been living all year with two Chinese students, who have been warning us that we should have been prepared long ago. I suppose I should have taken notice when our kitchen table was taken over by mountains of dried noodles and at least six bottles of soy sauce. Now, they are determined to keep my roommates and I healthy through a combination of open windows and special teas. I hope it helps! United States: My family back home urged me to buy as much hand sanitizer and toilet paper as I could find, and to do it quickly before it’s all gone! I also made sure to stock up on one American staple: peanut butter. Luckily, Spaniards have not yet discovered the magical properties of this essential item, so there was plenty to spare. Tibetan Buddhists: I stayed last July with a group of Tibetan Buddhists in California, and grew to really appreciate their peaceful worldview. They have advised me not to view my lockdown as solitary confinement, but as a valuable time for growth and reflection. Their center hosts meditation retreats where people come from around the world to do exactly what I’m doing right now: sit alone in a room for weeks! I’ll try, if I can resist checking the news every five minutes. Chile: My travels last summer took me through this beautiful coastal country, and I met so many kind people. One of my previous host families reached out to implore me to drink as much lemon tea as is humanly possible (accompanied by a very complicated explanation of the effects of lemon on the human body)! And of course, they told me to take care of my neighbors, because that is what good communities are built on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ El verano pasado, me embarqué en un viaje como una pasante remota a través de múltiples continentes, permaneciendo en los hogares de las familias en muchas culturas diferentes. Ahora, en la época de la pandemia COVID-19, este tipo de viajes es sólo un sueño lejano. Para proteger a nuestras comunidades, todos tenemos que hacer nuestra parte para permanecer físicamente separados. ¡Sin embargo, esto no nos impide estar socialmente conectados! De hecho, esta crisis ha creado una experiencia compartida para todos nosotros, que trasciende culturas y fronteras. Actualmente estoy en Vigo, España como estudiante de estudio en el extranjero, y ha sido una experiencia cultural ver cómo se ha unido mi ciudad anfitriona, a pesar de que el país se ha convertido en uno de los epicentros del brote. El gobierno ha ordenado un encierro, lo que significa que sólo podemos salir a viajes esenciales. En este tiempo, he sido contactado por conocidos preocupados y anfitriones anteriores de todo el mundo, que han dado una amplia gama de consejos sobre cómo prepararse para el coronavirus. Muchos son útiles, algunos me hicieron reír, y todos han proporcionado una visión especial de cómo diferentes culturas reaccionan a tiempos locos como estos. Pensé que compartiría algunos de sus consejos de preparación y afrontamiento a continuación. ¡Mantente seguro y mantente conectado! - Betta Cómo vencer al coronavirus: Consejos de todo el mundo España: Actualmente estoy encerrado en España, lo que me ha dejado mucho tiempo para cocinar y mirar con nostalgia al sol. Mis vecinos, sin embargo, han decidido hacer frente al virus con lo que mejor saben: ¡fiestas! Todas las noches a las 20:00 horas, todos salen en sus balcones para aplaudir a los trabajadores de la salud. Esto pronto se disuelve en varias horas de golpes en ollas y sartenes, y cantando a lo largo de diferentes canciones que se reproducen en cada balcón. La excitación puede o no tener una correlación con la cantidad de vino que ha desaparecido de los estantes de los supermercados en los últimos días. Italia: En el agosto pasado, me quedé con una familia italiana para enseñar inglés a sus hijos, y ahora han hecho su misión de enviar diariamente momentos de inspiración de su país. Los italianos han perfeccionado el arte de cantar en el balcón, desde los éxitos de los años 80 hasta la ópera. ¡Los niños también han hecho algunos videos de parodia a sus canciones favoritas, con letras que recuerdan a todos a lavarse las manos y quedarse en casa! China: No he viajado a China, pero he estado viviendo todo el año con dos estudiantes chinas, que nos han estado advirtiendo que deberíamos haber estado preparadas hace mucho tiempo. Supongo que debería haber tomado nota cuando nuestra mesa de la cocina fue tomada por montañas de fideos secos y al menos seis botellas de salsa de soja. Ahora, ellas están decididas a mantener a mis compañeras de apartamento y yo saludables a través de una combinación de ventanas abiertas y tés especiales. ¡Espero que ayude! Estados Unidos: Mi familia me insistió a comprar tanto desinfectante de manos y papel higiénico como pude encontrar, ¡y a hacerlo rápidamente antes de que todo se haya ido! También me aseguré de abastecerme de un alimento básico americano: la mantequilla de maní. Por suerte, los españoles aún no han descubierto las propiedades mágicas de este artículo esencial, por lo que había mucho de sobra. Budistas tibetanos: Me quedé en el julio pasado con un grupo de budistas tibetanos en California, y crecí para apreciar realmente su pacífica cosmovisión. Me han aconsejado que no vea mi encierro como un confinamiento solitario, sino como un tiempo valioso para el crecimiento y la reflexión. Su centro alberga retiros de meditación donde la gente viene de todo el mundo para hacer exactamente lo que estoy haciendo en este momento: ¡siéntese solo en una habitación durante semanas! Lo intentaré, si pueda resistirme a revisar las noticias cada cinco minutos. Chile: Mis viajes del verano pasado me llevaron a través de este hermoso país costero, y conocí a tanta gente amable. ¡Una de mis familias anfitrionas anteriores me contactó para implorarme que bebiera tanto té de limón como sea humanamente posible (acompañado de una explicación muy complicada de los efectos del limón en el cuerpo humano)! Y, por supuesto, me dijeron que cuidara de mis vecinos, porque eso es lo que las buenas comunidades se construyen en.

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