So in my last blog post I said I’d update you all on the sitch in Arg with coronavirus. Even since I started writing this post yesterday, things have now changed. It feels a bit like we’ve taken a step backwards. Things were freeing up a bit more but on Sunday evening it was announced by the governor of Salta that we’re going back to restricting the people who are out and about. This means that if your ID document ends in an odd number, you can go out on certain days, and if it ends in an even number, you can go out on the other days. Annoyingly, my passport number ends in an even and Noly’s is an uneven so technically we can’t go out at the same time. It’s a good thing we did my supermarket shop this weekend just gone, otherwise I could be a bit stuck! I mean, I could walk to the supermarket from my house but it’s just so much easier going in car, rather than lugging my food back on foot. Supposedly, this restriction is only for this week, to see if people follow this rule or not but I can’t see how it’s gonna end up being just this week..
Anyways!
Even with the above change, things are now more chill than they were a month or so ago. It’s interesting for me seeing the difference in approach between England and Argentina. There are some differences! The most significant one is that it’s obligatory to wear a mask wherever you go, whether to church or the supermarket. One of the weirdest things in life at the moment is going to church and seeing the congregation singing, all with masks on and those in the band who aren’t singing, also with masks. Since the rule about the odd/even number has been reinstated, I’m not sure what the situation with church will be…
Which leads me to my next point, at least for three weeks, churches were open for services on Sunday. This has been very new and obviously there have been precautions put in place. Masks on, chairs apart, limited spaces etc. Sadly, it was announced on Sunday that the youth group will be returning this Saturday to have meetings in person but it seems like that won’t be the case now.
Another quite big thing for here, is greetings. As mentioned before in previous posts, the people here are big on greetings. It’d be considered a bit rude if you entered a room and didn’t immediately set to greeting people, even people you don’t know. In pre-coronavirus times, greetings here were with a kiss on the cheek or a hug. Obviously now we can’t do that so the solution to that? Clonk elbows! It’s quite funny, going around, clonking elbows with people to say hi and then clonking again to say bye 😂 and maybe throwing in a few more clonks every now n then for good measure.
For people here, this is quite a big and hard change, as the greeting with a kiss is such a big part of the culture. Even though we’ve been clonking elbows since March, people still sometimes go to give a kiss. It makes me chuckle, thinking about the difference here with this point, between England and Argentina. I feel like, generally speaking for England, having an excuse not to physically greet someone is a huge plus and a bit of a sigh of relief!
In terms of stuff being open, most things like shops, businesses etc are now open again. The things that aren’t open are schools and universities. In theory, classes are going back at the end of July, after the winter holidays though I don’t know if that will be everyone. I think I heard it would be two specific years and I’m not sure about other years.
For social meetups, the last I heard was that we’re allowed to have up to 10 people around at the weekends and on bank holidays and all the time to social distance, until midnight. Restaurants are also open until midnight and restaurants seem pretty normal, you’re just plied with hand sanitizer as you enter which is fairly standard on all sides, when you enter shops as well etc.
In terms of the amount of cases, it seems we’re still rising, though our numbers currently aren’t so high as other countries. Currently the numbers are: 40,000 active cases (63,000 in total), 1,280 deceased and 21,000 recovered. For Argentina, it seems that we’re having a longer period getting to the peak but the numbers are lower. But it’s going on for an eternity! Or that’s what it feels like anyways.
For me, it all feels a bit weird. Since I’m back at my place and no longer have access to a TV, I don’t feel so connected with what’s going on and I feel fairly relaxed about things. It is a bit strange though, as when I was at the Matus’ I’d see the news every day and be fairly well informed. Now I rely on people keeping me updated.
In case you’re wondering, I’m loving being back at my flat! I think when living abroad it’s important to have a safe place, where you can totally relax and stop being on the go all the time. Though my place can be a little cold at times, it’s cosy and I love it. The teething problems of moving in (dodgy ceiling, interesting loo situation, scolding hot/freezing cold showers, oven not working), for now, all seem to be sorted with and I’m enjoying having my own space. Something that’s really great about where I live is my neighbours. Even today, I was talking to my neighbour and she said to let her know if I ever need to go to the supermarket or anything like that and she’ll take me there. She then helped me open my tin of sweetcorn which is near impossible to open with the tin opener I have and said she’d buy me over of she came across one! Little things like that make a difference when you’re not in your home culture.
Anyways, I feel like I’ve been chatting away for a while and I could keep going for a while longer too! (Maybe the result of not having blogged much lately) but I shall stop for the moment and leave you with my face. Love to all!
p.s. if you fancy one day coming to see me in Salta (yes please!), then I have a book for you! In fact, it was written by yours truly (*smug face*). If you fancy getting yoself a copy, click this link here for the paperback version or here for the kindle version. Unfortunately I don’t get royalties from the book but if you buy it through the links I’ve put in this blog post then I’ll get a portion of the sale. If you order a copy please do let me know! It’s fun knowing that people have ordered it!
Nadia's Adventures 