When this global pandemic is finally over, the repercussions will be felt for a very long time
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May 4th, 2020 marked the beginning of Phase Two of Italy’s emergence from more than two months in lockdown. Like millions of others in Italy, my Instagram and Facebook timelines depicted my breakout into the sunny, open space of freedom. Piazzas that were once deserted showed signs of life. In Orvieto, streets were occupied with familiar faces—covered in masks yet eyes smiling at the thought of better days ahead. We all knew this day would come. At some point, we have to venture out and learn to live with the virus.
I thought I was ready. On day two, I’m not so sure.
Grey, overcast skies replaced the bright blue ones of 24 hours ago. From my bed, I scrolled through my phone, jumping from article to alarming article about flattening curves, peaking contagions, a looming resurgence, and risks to a vulnerable workforce. I pulled the covers over my head to hide from the harsh reality: the end of the lockdown does not mean the end of the pandemic.
In her piece Why you might be dreading the end of lockdown in the Washington Post, my friend Elizabeth Heath wrote about her apprehension at leaving the safety of quarantine. “For those of us who haven’t been sick and who haven’t lost loved ones or jobs as a result of the pandemic, life has simply gotten strange — and really, really small. And while stay-at-home orders come with their own set of stressors, there’s also a certain comfort in being cocooned, of our routines being limited to a few permissible daily activities, and in just having to take care of the people and things in our immediate bubble.”
Phase Two offers a reprieve from my solitary confinement, but like a prisoner who’s become used to her captivity, I’m uneasy outside my apartment walls.
These days, nearly every conversation that dares to broach the subject of planning for the future, sputters out and dies with the phrase, “No one knows for sure.” No one knows when we can visit friends, share a meal, or travel outside our region to the seashore. I ask when will tourism resume? Will there be a vaccine or a treatment? How will businesses and families survive? When will I see my mom and son again? It’s an endless loop of questions that go unanswered. What I do know with absolute certainty is that we just can’t will this pandemic away.
Posted in Coronavirus, Expat in Italy, Italy, Orvieto, Umbria | Tagged Coronavirus, COVID-19, Italy, Italy's Phase Two, Orvieto | 7 Comments »
It’s day 14 of Italy’s nationwide Coronavirus lockdown and things are looking pretty grim. As we struggle to digest the barrage of statistical grafts with redlines climbing upward and social media posts spreading false information faster than the virus itself, it’s important to acknowledge some of the positive by-products of living through a global pandemic.
In the last two weeks, I’ve heard from former neighbors, old school chums, and complete strangers. I’ve chatted on the phone. I’ve had my first “virtual” aperitivo with friends on Zoom. It helps to know you’re not alone.
As work evaporates, we need to replace that time with productive activities. I found a DIY video for making surgical masks at home. I don’t have a sewing machine, but I was able to MacGyver the operation using new tea towels, iron-on fusing, embroidery thread, and shoelaces. They aren’t medical-grade, but I’ve gifted them to friends to limit the number of death stares they get at the grocery store and pharmacy.
I’m becoming a better cook and I can now make a decent cup of coffee.
Silver linings.
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I’m so thrilled to announce that my good friend, Kelly Medford (of Kelly Medford Art and Sketching Tours Rome) and I are collaborating to bring her famous Watercolor Sketching workshop to Orvieto this October. It’s open to anyone who wants to spend a week painting and experiencing Orvieto, one brush stroke at a time. To register or find out more, go to Kelly’s website, as spaces are limited. Share with anyone who might want to join us. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. PAINTING ORVIETO, KELLY STYLE!
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Posted in Italy, Living abroad, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Travel, Travel to Italy, Umbria, Uncategorized | Tagged Arronne, Foresco, gelato, iloveorvieto, Italy, Luca Signorelli, Nero, notjustadaytripfromRome, Orvieto, Palazzone, Rooster ceramic pitchers, travel, Umbrichelli al tartufo nero, visitorvieto | 20 Comments »
Step one: If you’re eligible to vote, register at the local election office before the deadline.
Step two: Go online. I found a helpful video entitled, “Elezioni politiche 2018, come si vota.” Watch it here:
Step three: Visit your local coffee bar and ask the baristas and patrons for advice. They are a fountain of information. Order a double espresso to fortify yourself for what is about to come next.
Step four: Walk over to your polling place. Once there, things get a lot more complicated.
Step five: Find the voting room that corresponds with the number on your voter registration card. If a crowd has gathered, ask who is the last person waiting–it’s similar to queuing at the doctor’s office. There are no lines. Italians prefer to bunch.
Step six: While you’re waiting for a booth to open up, some enthusiastic citizen will give the group an explanation of how to mark your ballots. They’ll use the samples ballots hanging on the wall as a visual aid. After the lesson, you’ll still be confused.
Step seven: As a crowd forms and grows bigger, don’t get involved in arguments about who was there before whom; hold your ground and keep your elbows spread. Inside, poll workers were calling our group in–alternating between men and women–though no one is quite sure why.
Step eight: After you’ve been handed your ballots and a pencil, enter a voting booth, close the curtain behind you and mark a large “X” across the party or candidates (or both – this still isn’t completely clear to me) you’re voting for. Fold the ballots and drop them into the color-coded cardboard ballot boxes.
Congratulations! You just voted in Italy.
Posted in Italy, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Travel, Travel to Italy | Tagged guide to voting in italy, how to vote in an italian election, how to vote in italy, italian elections, voting in italy | 6 Comments »