I flipped my calendar from 2020 to 2021. Less than twelve months ago I dare say, you and I had never heard of COVID-19, let alone had any idea of how this miniscule virus would end up turning our lives upside down. 2020: a year unlike any other. The pandemic brought your and my world to a screeching halt last March with the first lockdown. More shelter-in-place orders followed to curb the spread of the virus. You know the story all too well.
Exposure to too much news about the pandemic was and still is emotionally draining. At times, the only topics of conversation amongst friends and family revolved around flattening the curve, daily infection rates, people in ICU’s and measures taken by governments around the world. As time passed, I continued to wonder: Was I informed? Or was I rather overloaded with information regarding the ever-changing developments? Some weeks were a blur, during which time seemed to slow down. Other times we managed to think as little as possible about the pandemic, going about our ‘normal’ lives.
“It feels as though 2020 never actually ended”, a friend said on one of our many video calls.
“I find it difficult to stay motivated and to get things done”, he continued. I agreed. My challenge still is to keep taking initiative to spend as much time as possible doing meaningful things. Alas, the so-called pandemic fatigue set in. I hear people talking about ‘Zoom fatigue’.
I promise to not use the ‘C…..’ word again in this article. Please read on.
Our sister (-in law), frontline worker in The Netherlands — THANK YOU !!!
At times Francien and I were frustrated with the fact that we were not able to plan ahead and travel abroad. But try saying that to someone who is struggling to keep her/his job, must deal with prolonged home-schooling for their kids or even worse, has lost relatives. The truth is, Francien and I had a good year compared with many others. We considered ourselves happy and fortunate and managed to keep it that way. Yes, we do miss our travels, but foremost we miss our daughter, whom we haven’t seen since March along with our extended family in Europe. Not to forget, we worry about Francien’s mother, 89 years old, continuing to go in and out of quarantine in her elderly care home.
We reconnected virtually with friends and family who really mattered, along with some long-lost connections, whom we had not heard from in many years. We made conscious efforts to reach out to them, crossing many time-zones, listening to and sharing both the happy as well as the not so happy stories.
Although we did not fear for our health, we were, and remain, cautious. As such, Francien and I upped our fitness routine and continued to do our routine medical check-ups.
New arrivals checking into a quarantine hotel in Kuala Lumpur
Have you mastered the many online communication tools and services yet? I bet you have! Francien and I organized and took part in numerous ‘Zoom’ family and friend celebrations, pub quizzes, birthdays and webinars. Sadly, this also included attending a virtual funeral service.
‘Let’s zoom together…’ has become a new activity, which did not even exist twelve months ago. Even some of the least digitally savvy friends and family, now use tools such as WhatsApp and Zoom with ease.
Everyone must scan before entering a mall, restaurant, shop, park and other public places in Kuala Lumpur
Although the internet has profoundly helped us during this exceptional period, I have also realized how attached I have become to it. I find that I am using my smartphone too much, watch too much TV and podcasts and attend too many webinars. I am simply too comfortable with looking at a LED screen. If nothing else, I am determined to reduce my screen time as soon as it becomes easier again to meet people face-to-face.
Aside from reading many more books compared to previous years, I also completed a number of online courses. And yes, after having lived here in Malaysia for more than five years, Francien and I finally started our Bahasa Malay language course, which turned out to be a fun activity for the both of us.
Together we travelled within Malaysia (borders have been closed since March 2020) three times since the start of the pandemic. We experienced a few off the beaten track adventures, which I have shared with you in previous blog posts. It is safe to say, that without these international travel restrictions we probably would have never discovered them.
We are privileged in that we do not have to worry about career, home-schooling children and finances. At times it made us feel a bit guilty. People around us fell ill, felt isolated, lost their jobs, and for some, their future was even at stake. We saw temporarily closed restaurants and shops closed down permanently. 2020 was anything but easy for many people. Francien and I helped those around us as much as we could. We brought some of our friends items they urgently needed while locked-up inside a quarantine hotel; We continued to fully pay our domestic helper during the many weeks that she could not come to our apartment; We supported our security staff with self-made masks and food to help them through this difficult time; We helped neighbors and friends look after their premises, mail and other essential activities while they were locked outside of the country. It was the least we could do.
Regular on-line purchases delivered at our elevator - my kind of ‘new normal’
No one knows what the future holds, but what I do know is that we are all going to have a certain reaction to what occurred. We are still dealing with something that we have never had to deal with before. How will it play out? I believe that the world will be a better place after this pandemic. Just like disruptive change is inevitable and necessary to improve and move forward, every crisis offers opportunities.
21 is a lucky number: it’s the number of spots on a dice and the name of a few card games. In my opinion 2021 will be a transition year for all of us, gradually moving into a new normal, which will only become clearly visible in 2022. This year we are all still required to wear face masks in public places, and for sure Francien and I will continue to give people a wider berth when walking the streets or inside shops and restaurants. Although fewer people will remain working from home after the pandemic, for many, I believe, hybrid office-home work will provide for a better work-life balance. How will I benefit as a retiree? Less traffic jams during rush-hours and less crowded lunch places in the cities.
When possible, we still hike in the forests around Kuala Lumpur
I am also looking forward to more tele-healthcare in the near future so I do not have to visit a doctor unnecessarily. ‘Zoom’ has taught me that is possible and indeed I have experienced it once already. Although I have never been a fan of shopping, having experienced the online shopping services, I am convinced that the traditional brick and mortar shops will certainly not be visited much by myself anymore in the future.
Furthermore, the car sharing services available here in Kuala Lumpur have proven their worth during this period. These services have been very useful for Francien and myself, as for now, we do not see the need for our own car. Efficient, reliable and cheap, I foresee a faster adaptation of this across the world.
Having had plenty of time to reflect on our way of life over this past year, we have learned that less can be more. During the last couple of months, we consciously further reduced the use of plastic in our household and acquired second hand household goods when possible. In a way, this crisis merely speeds-up existing trends. All this leads me to conclude that we will come out better in the end.
I experienced a deep (uncomfortable!) nose swab as part of ongoing testing programs, and now it is time to get my first vaccine jab. Living in Malaysia we will try to get these here or somewhere else, wherever it can be done earlier. I foresee a scramble to get one, which might result in us becoming vaccine tourists. No doubt, as soon as sufficient vaccines become available, people will be issued with vaccine passes, enabling a faster return to international travel in the second half of 2021.
Family picture crossing 7 time-zones since almost 1 year
Although this pandemic has changed many things, what it has not changed is our desire to travel. We itch to travel again and look forward to making up for last year. Let’s fast forward to when Francien and I take that first flight in 2021… Looking into the magic crystal ball I say: we will fly to Europe (without any constraints on our itinerary) starting in August of this lucky year, 2021.