Life in the Age of Corona

A Daily Diary

Friday, August 20th, 2021

The Endemic Pandemic

It has been three months since we declared the pandemic over and celebrated this and EM’s high school graduation with a road trip to California and while life almost feels like normal, the pandemic is of course not over.

Masks are back as a far more infectious variant is spreading among the unvaccinated like a wildfire and more and more breakthrough infections are reported. However, as many experts had forecast for vaccinated people these infections are largely mild. Like the flu COVID is set to become endemic, but no longer a deadly disease for those who are vaccinated.

Overall, almost 70% of all Americans are vaccinated, but there is a deep divide along party lines and color. Republicans and people of color are less likely to be vaccinated and people in deeply red States are currently being hospitalized in large numbers. Despite this, the governors of these States are banning masks and discouraging vaccine mandates; it feels almost as if they are seeking to kill their people. It is a rather bizarre strategy to win votes.

For us, the pandemic is still largely over. Yes, we continue to be cautious and wear masks in public settings where we have no control whom we are interacting with, but otherwise much of life as we knew it before March 12th 2020 is back. Most importantly the dojo has re-opened, and we engage in open hand partner practice albeit with masks to comply with county rules. Given everyone needs to have proof of vaccination this seems unnecessary, but we of course do want the dojo administration to be vulnerable to lawsuits. So while the pandemic has become endemic and we adjust our lives to this, it is largely back to normal – save for work travel, which I miss.

Since May 28th, the day Montgomery County fully reopened so much has happened. First came our road trip from LA to Sacramento, this was followed by EM’s graduation. Then we made our way to Europe and spend two fabulous weeks floating around the Mediterranean Sea on a yacht and now EM’s final months living at home is coming to an end.

California

We made our way to the airport after the final sign-off from Zoom class and arrived into LAX at 21:00on the 28th. Notably we had a one-hour line to pick-up the rental car. Fortunately, that remained the only unpleasantness of the entire trip. Our Santa Monica motel was functional and clean, what more could one ask for?

Our one day started off with some drive-by tourism through Beverly Hills, where we also had breakfast in a small café on Rodeo Drive. Sadly, we did not see any celebrities, maybe because they were all still asleep. Then again, I would not be able to recognize one if they sat across from me.

On we made our way to Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood to Walk of Fame. Admittedly, many of the stars meant nothing to me, but we did get to take a picture with R2D2. By 11:00 we were walking up to Griffith Observatory to take the obligatory shot of the famous Hollywood sign. By the time we made it back to the car it was time for lunch, for which we headed over to Venice Beach.

Venice Beach was a shocking and beautiful experience at the same time. A place full of life and art and music. Riddled with drug users and homeless people squatting on the beach. The latter reminded me of the townships of the Cape Flats. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected such poverty in the richest nation on earth. Finding food in Venice turned out to be a mission as people under twenty-one are not allowed onto premises serving alcohol. As a result, we ended up in some second rate Chinese joint, but at least it was food and gave us enough sustenance to head to downtown Santa Monica in search of a graduation dress. I learned these had to be white and knee length.

Unlike Venice, downtown Santa Monica was clean and free of any visible poverty. Many shops later we came back to the Motel without a dress, but in time to change for dinner with one of our friends from Istanbul. Tammy took us to a very Californian hip place with wonderful food full of interesting combinations of flavors and all very healthy of course.

The next morning started with a stroll down the pier and a breakfast at a celebrity Café, again not a single celebrity in sight. Disappointed, we left LA taking the Pacific Highway Route 01 North passing through Malibu only stopping in Santa Barbara on our way to San Francisco.

Like so many cities and towns across the USA COVID has resulted in al fresco dining, which I hope is here to stay. It makes the urban areas so much livelier. Santa Barbara had converted Sate Avenue into a pedestrian zone with large flowerpots were intersections used to be. Parking bays now featured terraces with tables and chairs, live music, art exhibitions and people were milling around (all masked, complying with California’s mask mandate) popping into the shops lining the sidewalks. It was a beautiful atmosphere. Much to our delight we came across a Turkish shop selling Lokum and Baklava which we to not only try but also buy our excuse: a contribution to the Memorial Day with friends in Oakland.

Unfortunately, we missed the turn to scenic Route 01 ending up on the desert road to San Francisco, passing through fruit and garlic country to find ourselves in San Jose, where we visited the Winchester House. The story goes that the widow of Mr. Winchester was haunted by all the ghosts killed by Winchester Riffles and spend the rest of her life building this house with dead ends, fake doors and staircases to nowhere 24/7/365.

In San Francisco we stayed with my friend K. Given almost all of the museums were still closed we thought going to Alcatraz would be a great idea. Stupidly we took the Bart into town and after breakfast on Pier 1 set out to identify the Alcatraz ferry terminal. Not sign in sight. No reference to it on any of the maps. After a five-mile walk, we arrived at Pier 39 and there it was the ferry, just about to leave. We considered ourselves lucky to arrive in time, just to be told tickets were sold out through September! Our feet hurt and we were in no mood to walk back, so were glad to see the tram, which took us straight to MOMA, which is always worth a visit.

Before returning to Oakland for a BBQ with K, my high school friend G. and his wife, we had two missions to complete: buy the graduation dress we had not acquired in Santa Monica as well as a Baguette. The former was easy. A&C was quickly located. The dress was there, fitted, paid for and bagged. The bread proved to be a mission. Four of the five bakeries Google Maps offered us were as closed as the Amazon Fresh store in the mall. With aching feet, we dragged ourselves to the French Bakery furthest afield and struck lucky; we scored their last Baguette. No more public transport for us, Lyft all the way back to Oakland for a long and fun evening before heading to our final stop: Napa the following day.

We first set out for the Golden Gate Bridge which we crossed to come back into downtown San Francisco. Of course, it was shrouded in mist, so no view of Alcatraz or the ocean, but we had seen enough of that on the Pacific Highway anyway. San Francisco was eerily quiet, no traffic, ample parking everywhere.

In Napa we met our friend S. We go back a long time since we lived in Asia and later in Istanbul together and S. considers herself somewhat of a mum to EM. She took us on a tour of the Napa Valley which ended with a wine tasting at Dariush, a vineyard founded by a Persian immigrant from Syrah, whose grandparents had already been winemakers. This was followed by an Indonesian BBQ in S.’s assignment house as she calls it. Now that both her girls have finished their university education in Berkley and UC Davis respectively the assignment is over and they will return to DC. We had an early start heading to Sacramento at the crack of dawn to make it home in time for EM’s graduation ceremony.

Graduation

With the County fully reopened graduation was in person, but outside on the BCC field. I had no idea the field was this big. It easily accommodated the 597 students, the faculty and all the families, in total some 3.000 people and there was still space for many more. Fortunately it was a cloudy day, so the students in their dark blue polyester gowns did not get cooked in the sun during the two hour long ceremony, which was beautifully done. Before the official beginning the BCC string quartette played classical music. At 9:00 precisely the procession began. First the faculty filed in. They were followed by the students coming from two sides, passing the standing faculty members and filling the ranks. We stood for the national anthem, sung by the BBC choir, one last time, listened to the speeches (a little too long for my taste) before each graduate was called up to receive their diploma. It was a moving moment when EM’s turn came.

Sadly, she was a little under the weather having developed a cold the day before. Hence, she did not mill around and catch up with her friends after the ceremony was over. All she wanted was to go back to bed, hence we cancelled our dinner plans, and our bubble family went alone. Apparently, we missed out on a great meal in DC’s latest hole in the wall eatery.

Europe

Four weeks later we arrived in Germany to spend some time with family before packing up mum and continuing on to Turkey for two weeks on the Esintin with Osman bey, our favorite captain. For the first week we were joined by a group of friends from our time in Istanbul who arrived from Vienna, Berlin and Luxembourg. The theme of the second week was high school graduates for which D. and A. came over from the US and the remainder of the gang was made up of mums with whom I had worked previously. Friends who had their children in the same four weeks as I. While they had been very close for the first three years of their lives, this group had not met before. The only common denominator being the friendship between the mums and EM’s friendship with each of the teenagers and the dynamics in this agewise homogenous group were so much more awkward as in the group with an age range from 8 to 18. These two weeks eating, swimming, reading, drinking, being with nice people were badly needed after our 445 days of COVID restrictions. They were magical weeks filled with fun and laughter, wonderful food and people.

We returned to the US tanned and relaxed. Summer here continues to be in full swing and work remains quiet, so the vacation spirit has continued on even after its official end. I continue to enjoy daily swims at the community pool and EM is splitting her time between friends and work. As August is coming to an end, so is her time here.

Exactly three months after we declared our return to normal, EM is leaving the USA and set to go to Segovia in Spain. We will make a trip out of this, spending five days driving from Hamburg to Segovia. The closer the day of departure comes, the heavier my hear gets and I find myself crying for no apparent reason. I am not even sure why. I am so proud of her. I am so happy for her to be going on this adventure. None of this is a reason to cry, be emotional yes, but surely not sad. Only now am I registering what a big change this is. This is the final week EM will be living at home ever, whether this home or any other home. Yes, she will always visit, but that is very different to eating, drinking, sleeping under the same roof every day. No one to make meals for. No one to wait up for to come home at night. No one to make plans with for day trips or evenings out. I will miss our dinner table conversation, the chaos in her room, the socks on the stairs and the shoes in the hallway. My house will feel empty without her, just me and the cat to talk to. I know I will feel sad every time I see her deserted room. I know I will want to call out to her, ask her something and realize she is no longer here. Too much time on my hands, many plans to make, new hobbies to develop. Or simply time to move on.

EM is feeling equally miserable as she realizes she is unravelling her entire life, leaving her friends, work and the BF behind. Of course, all of her friends are leaving for colleges all over the country as well. And in a year from now so will the BF. So, even if she staid life would be very different. Unlike her peers though she knows she may not return to the US, may never come back to this house, which has been her home. A home different to the others we have left behind as we own it and have really made it our own.

For both of us a new chapter in life is beginning, starting August 28th, 2021.

Comments

20.08.2021 22:36

Nikola Koritz

Das ist in der Tat ein neues Kapitel für Mutter und Tochter und ich wünsche Euch beiden die notwendige Gelassenheit und das Quäntchen Glück das zum Leben dazugehört.

)) Keep both safe.