Quarantine life looks different for everyone. 

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically changed the world, putting a temporary halt to major activities such as work, studies, tourism, social life, religious activities and more. In March 2020, affected countries including the Philippines, are placed on enhanced community quarantine or a national lockdown to “flatten the curve” and mitigate further people to people transmission.

Photo: Unusual scene of ’empty’ Mactan-Mandaue Bridge by cebudailynews.inquirer.net

Philippines on Lockdown: Quarantine Life in Ph

What does COVID-19 lockdown look like? Public transportation was suspended; going out is restricted to only “essential” activities, Quarantine Pass is required; armed officers are highly visible on streets; millions of workers were affected; COVID statistics is the everyday headline; washing of hands, use of face mask and social distancing have become the day-to-day norm. This is the current COVID-19 life nobody has ever anticipated.

Tourism is Temporary Suspended

In an instant, nobody can travel and nobody would dare travel because of the threat of a global pandemic. I never imagined nor expected that days like these could happen. Who would have thought that by simply staying home, you can help save lives and that you help mitigate the outbreak.

No matter how difficult and paralyzing the national lockdown can be, I think it is an imperative measure to strictly follow the safety protocols. Stay home. Avoid the spread of the virus and help save lives. It only takes one positive carrier to infect an entire city or nation, don’t let that be you.

Staying home allows us to pause and focus on the “basics” and the more meaningful things in life – health, peace, time, family and life. While many people can enjoy the comforts of their home with their family, people who are working away from home will have to bear with the situation until the lockdown is lifted. This means that people like me, stuck in my “other” home, will have to be extra resilient and creative to face the day-to-day crisis while away from home.

Here’s how I’ve been making the most of my quarantine life:

1) Writing a blog 

More uplifting and travel-related blogs are found HERE.

2) Online courses

At my own discretion and time, I take online courses that interest me or are related to my work. There are several reputable and free online courses that are available online which can help reinforce existing competencies or ignite new skills. I am grateful for the slow quarantine life, I have more time to focus.

Online courses only take around 10 hours or so and are presented through a combination of short video clips, slideshows and downloadable documents. Some of these courses provide an online examination and once passed (usually with a score above 60%), entitles you to a printer-friendly pdf certification.

Recently, I was able to acquire a new certificate under Travelife – it is the leading training, management and certification initiative for tourism companies committed to reaching sustainability. I put so much value on this Travelife Certificate especially that I work in an industry and a company that puts a premium on sustainability.

HubSpot Academy is another example of an excellent learning platform. It offers online courses and certifications in areas related to digital marketing, inbound sales, content marketing, blogging, email marketing and much more.

Devoting 1 to 2 hours of my free days to attend online courses are an excellent investment of time.

3) Cooking simple  and satisfying meals

To be honest, I don’t really cook. I mostly buy “ready to eat” foods from restaurants or carinderia. But this lockdown has created many constraints which makes buying outside difficult –  there’s no public transportation, all carinderia are closed because of the community quarantine, restaurants are operating solely for take away orders, fear of catching the virus in public places, food deliveries are a bit expensive which I cannot afford during this crisis especially that I am also affected by forced leave. Given these circumstances, I started cooking my own food. My family and friends must have been very proud now that I am able to cook a variety of meals already.

I don’t have a stove in my unit because really, I don’t cook so I did not invest in it plus the fact that the landlady prohibits the use of “open fire” cooking here. With a starving stomach, desire to eat good food and hope to survive this month-long quarantine, I empowered myself to learn how to cook using the available cooking appliance that I have, the rice cooker.

Surprisingly, a rice cooker can actually cook a good variety of basic dishes aside from rice. I simply follow the instructions found on the internet and sometimes, I would text or call my mom. Some of the dishes that I have successfully cooked are tuna pasta, champorado (chocolate porridge), bihon, adobo, tamarind soup (locally known as sinigang), sauteed pork with potatoes, sauteed vegetables, corned beef plus the basic fried foods such as hotdog, bacon, egg, porkchop.

This list will probably go a long way as I continue to try more dishes and make the most of my quarantine life. Here is a blog about Rice Cooker Recipes. This can be especially helpful to stranded travelers, students, dormers, workers like me who do not have a kitchen in their rented unit. Believe me when I say it isn’t too late to learn how to cook. I just did! 😉

4) Quarantine life household chores

Household chores are some of the most underrated necessities in life. On usual days, we seem to neglect and do it in such a hurry. But as what the World Health Organization and the government have repeatedly emphasized, maintaining cleanliness and disinfecting surfaces are very important to help wash away the virus.

Doing integral household chores such as cleaning and doing the laundry has become my most important daily routines because I really have nothing much to do. For my quarantine life, I still follow a schedule – a basic home chores schedule which includes going to the grocery, disinfecting “high-touch surfaces” like faucets and doorknobs, mopping the floor, scrubbing the bathroom floor, etc. I do things differently now, not in a hurry but rather slowly, thoroughly and happy. Having a schedule makes me more efficient and makes me look forward to a specific day. In my personal experience, it gives me pure and untainted joy to be able to do these things for myself.

5) Home exercises

I burn calories without the need to leave the comfort of my home. Doing a 30-minute to 1-hour indoor workout allows me to stay fit and burn extra calories. I use an online workout demo as a guide. A brief brisk walking in the garage also helps me move around while on community quarantine. Doing these simple exercises helps me stay active and fit somehow.

6) Connecting with family and friends

Facebook, Skype, Viber and Facetime are excellent apps that help me connect with my family, friends and playmates in Bicol. During difficult times, talking to valuable people in my life gives an extra boost of strength and happiness. A simple message, call or a video chat means so much especially now that we all share the same dilemma, fears, constraints and crisis. I worry about their safety and I’m sure they worry about me too. I take time to send them a “how are you” messages and give them a call.  At the end of the day, I am at peace to know that they are safe. It is calming to hear and express words of concern and love. 

7) Watching news, travel shows, documentary films, movies, etc.

I watch news and live stream updates to know what’s going on. Although watching news can be quite disheartening, it is integral to remain informed about the important happenings in the nation as well as with the rest of the world.

I also watch movies online, travel-related shows and documentary films. In the past days, I have been inclined to watching documentary shows related to COVID-19 to help me better understand it. Great shows are never a waste of time.

8) Listening  to music

Spotify and Apple music are great partners whenever I am doing something like cooking, cleaning, doing my laundry or when I cannot think of anything to do. When music is on, time flies.

9) “Dalgona coffee” craze

Recently, there has been a trending home-made drink that netizens are all hyped about – it is called the dalgona coffee or “whipped coffee” produced by mixing together basic ingredients such as instant coffee, sugar and hot water using 2 tablespoons for each ingredient.

Due to boredom and curiosity, I tried doing my own dalgona coffee by following the suggested procedure online: that is to whisk the mentioned ingredients for at least 400 times or equivalent to 10 minutes or so in order to create that fluffy whipped coffee that you put on top of your iced fresh milk.

 It can be a good alternative to the expensive cold coffee cravings. It is easy to make, it uses available and basic ingredients and it tastes great! To date, I have been doing dalgona coffee for quite a few times already because I just love it.

10) Attending online mass

COVID-19 also caused the suspension of masses and Holy Week activities. Even the Catholic church is challenged to find ways to connect with the people and carry on with its religious activities.

I attend masses via online live stream. This will become more integral especially this coming Holy Week when all traditional activities are suspended. At least, even through these online platforms, I can still participate in meaningful religious activities. There are also some parishes that are going around the streets to offer a prayer, bless the homes and sometimes host a procession carrying the sacred image while residents stand in front of their homes.

11) Nurture the mind and body

This is the perfect time to realize the forgotten importance of basic rest and relaxation. This lockdown is like taking a “day off” from reality – for a period of time, we are not governed by clock or work or studies or any artificial restraints that the society has imposed on. Sometimes, it’s about seeing things from a different perspective and I refuse to view this quarantine as a boring phase of life, but rather I take it as an opportunity to rediscover and nurture myself. 

I get to choose how I’m going to spend my days – I can wake up slowly, enjoy my morning coffee, eat home-cooked meals, take my time in the shower, sit by the window and enjoy the view of the sky, sing along with my playlist – the possibility is limitless. I can do what I want to do.

Travel Can Wait

To  my dream destinations, I will see you soon! But for now, I’ll stay home and help flatten the curve.

Probably, half of us are gonna come out of this quarantine as bloggers, amazing cooks, cleaning experts, laundry masters, fitness enthusiasts, etc. In what other creative ways are you making the most of your quarantine life? What other home-based activities can you add to my list?  Leave a comment 😉