Day 14 of lock-down here in Iraqi Kurdistan. I'm dealing with it well enough
Cooped-up
in Kurdistan in the Time of Coronavirus…
March
25, 2020
Jazz
music. Smoke. the Lanai. Work-outs,
power-walking, knitting, sewing, laughing w/quarantine buddies- either remotely
or together- at a respectable social-distancing spacing, of course, reading
(Circe, The Prague Cemetery, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Port of Saints
are all lying on the coffee table. Vying for my attention each of them.
Shamelessly. Netflix: Cable Girls, Tidelands, South Park, Freud, Troy to name a
few. And on and on and on.
I’ve
learned a few things about isolating. It’s good to sort of have a routine- that
you know you can mainly stick to. I
struggle with this still, but I’m working on it actively. Here’s what I came up
with:
First thing waking up, coffee. Cruise around- maybe burn
some incense. My current mixture is frankincense from Oman, myrrh from Oman,
amber from Jordan, Cyprus from North America, some blend called Gloria Resin
something that I remember from childhood because Catholic. I recall my sister
being on a quest to locate some one summer she was back visiting us in SoCal.
We traversed all through the funky shops in Laguna Beach searching for this. I
think she found a big dark blue (?) cardboard cylinder with the loose resins,
etc. It looked like you would never run out of it. That perceived by a 11 year
old kid who didn’t begin to understand the art of incense burning… Recently I
found either the same or similar blend at this Catholic religious shop in
Porto, Portugal just down from the Clerigos Tower. I go there every time I am
in town and stock up. It makes me happy beyond description.
Gloria Resin #44, as I recall.
But I digress… So, sometimes it’s straight to the
incense. Others I start right on in with
a few hours on my work computer. I’ve
been busying myself creating a midterm for my class. I gave it a big push this
morning, magically, and completed it early this evening. Great feeling. Also, I was missing my students and so
started a new on thread Moodle Discussion Forum. Everybody who wished to
participate was to post a meme representing their feelings cooped-up in
Kurdistan, or Iraq more appropriately as many students come from Baghdad and
further south. They are from everywhere.
It is fascinating. I posted my response
first, so they could get the idea and have some fun in expressing themselves.
I’m looking forward to checking responses in 2 days!
Or… I take my computer, and phone, and coffee onto my lanai and sit in the sun, or rain, on my
Iraqi cushions and watch my world wake up. Obsession of checking daily covid-19
statistics globally…
Can’t.Stop.Myself.
Not true. I have consciously weaned (like a conscious
uncoupling!) myself of that tedium. Not completely, of course. I’m limiting my
reading and doing well with it.
I try to get to the gym (downstairs in the basement of
the apartment building) by 9:30 every day.
I’ve been doing great with this routine. Yes, I’m discussing routines… I
bring my jump rope and after every 3 sets of something I jump-rope 100 times and
then go in the bathroom and wash my hands. And jazz. Always jazz now while
working out. Sweet.
Often I power walk around the entire apartment complex-
either alone with my jazz, or with my power-walking buddy. It’s great stress
relief and also just nice to come into contact with other people. Work, travel,
politics, fashion, fitness; all the subjects.
I’d say quite often it’s about noon when I return to my
apartment. Sometimes I cool down by going to our corner dukkan (store) and picking up some necessities including water,
bubble water usually. Next-door is the green grocer so stock up there. Currently I’m enjoying their bananas, ginger,
and colored peppers.
Every other day is either a smoothie or other health
concoctions I’m known to make.
Admittedly, I have a VERY nice-looking storage/surplus from all my
favorite haunts in America: Mana Foods and Dragon’s Den on Maui, Ashland Food
Co-op and Medford Food Co-op in southern Oregon, Celario health food stores in
Portugal, Macro Center in Istanbul, and some random health food stores around
Budapest.
On a side note, I love to search out health food stores
when I travel. Yes. And beaches.
Afterwards it’s back to the lanai if I’m not already on the lanai
with my book. Occasionally I play my favorite app- Wordscapes.
About 2 pm is when I’m starting to feel peckish. Back to
the refrigerator, staring. Lately grilled cheese comes to mind or peanut butter
and jelly. My new fav though is a rice
cake with Thai sweet chili sauce on it (not too much). Next come my sprouts
that I grow weekly. So delicious and gratifying a routine this is. Okay after
sprouts is a veggie burger (from Carrefour) that I toast in my funky white
toaster. Top it off with some melted Emmental cheese (like a harder Swiss
cheese) and there you have it.
Cooking seems especially pleasing while cooped-up in
Kurdistan during the time of coronavirus. A smug satisfaction really. I really want to make the experience last
because it is so deliciously satisfying.
The weather has been hit or miss. On those hits I simply
soak it up. My lanai is a lifesaver. That is all.
Afterwards, I end my routine. I like this set-up; I keep to a routine in
the morning to early afternoon. Afterwards I just let it be, however it’s
supposed to be. Keeps things interesting.
Later,
-H
Later,
-H
