Some ideas for a quarantine

Hi everyone! Today I’m going to talk to you about the trending topic of 2020. I think you know what it is. Exactly, the COVID-19. I’m not going to tell you about the virus itself, but about the quarantine.

The first thing you think when you hear this word is home, sofa, eating and doing nothing at all. But I don’t think like that. Myopinion is that the world is giving us an opportunity to do things we didn’t have time to do. For example, this quarantine I’ve done a lot of things like watching series and films all day long, playing with my sister (in case you don’t have one you can play with your teddy bear:), reading, listening to new music, writing, playing songs on an instrument, and also studying!

Some of the series that are most watched by teenagers are Élite, La casa de papel, Stranger Things, Black Mirror, Dark, Sex Education, Peaky Blinders, Lucifer, Big Mouth, The Umbrella Academy, 13 Reasons Why and a lot more, but I can’t enumerate them all.

About books, now that we can’t go to the library or to buy new ones, we can search on the Internet for online books or we can search among the books you have at home. Yes, those ones. The ones you said you will start reading tomorrow, knowing that that tomorrow will never come. Never say never, now you have that opportunity. Start reading them. No excuses. We are so bored that anything that distracts us a little bit is fine.

Writing is another alternative. Some of you are good at writing. So good you could write a whole novel. So come on, what are you waiting for? And the ones that are not so good at it could write a story. Or a poem. Or a micro-story. There are no wrong answers. Everything is worth it. Just be creative and let the ideas flow.

Another good idea of what to do during this time is learning a new language, but not a spoken one, like French or German. I mean something like sign language or braille. I have started to learn a little bit about both of them and you can't imagine how interesting they are. Another thing that everyone should do is to write letters to the ones that are at the hospital. This takes little effort, and makes the people that are ill very happy, since they have to be isolated for most of the day.

You can also practice some sport. If you have no space at home you can do sports like yoga, or you can play Just Dance. It is about doing a little bit of exercise, not about becoming an NBA player, you know.

One of the things I do a lot these days is to be at the window talking with my neighbours. I have a very good relationship with them, and because of the quarantine we can’t meet each other, so we have decided to talk through the window to catch up about all the new things that happen in our houses. Yes, I know what you are thinking. We have phones. We live in the 21st century, with a message or a phone call is much easier to communicate than through the window. That is the way normal people would do, but we don’t. We like the window because we can see each other “in person” and not through a screen. It is also very good because like you can’t go outside, you can breathe another different air than the one from your house. Besides, you spend a little time with different people that are not from your family (that no matter how much you love them, sometimes you need to be with other people, because being with the family all day is exhausting).

A very good idea is cooking. Do some recipes that you already know, and you can also innovate and create new ones (but be careful not to burn the house!). Some very common and yummy recipes are chocolate cookies, brownies or a chocolate cake. An important thing you must know is that all the things mentioned HAVE NOT TO BE EATEN on the very same day. Some of us are going to get out of this quarantine rolling down the street!

A popular thing to do during this quarantine is doing a wardrobe change. I think that 80% of the people have done it. Take out that t-shirt that you hate or throw away those pants that you love but can no longer be used because they are shabby. Changes are positive! (And in some cases, they are necessary)

Another useful activity to do is to organize your photos into digital albums. Perhaps the time has come to organize all the photos that we have accumulated on our devices. Last year's or previous year's vacations, birthdays, events with friends or end-of-year performances. We can sort and classify them and we can even edit them. However, an excellent idea too is to take photos at home. I have tried it and the results are incredible. You don’t have to be an expert, just be creative.

If you want to spend time with family, there is no better thing than getting out board games to play all together. Sometimes, we don’t realize how much time we spend out of home without seeing our loved ones. In my case, I spend practically all day outside and I can see my family only at dinner. Now that we are home all together, we have time to speak with no hurries and do a lot of things that we had no time to do.

By the way, talking about my family, our favourite sport these days is cleaning the house. It is a kind of race. The first one to finish has a price (most of the times it is a Nutella sandwich, yummy!). This is a strategy to clean the house and to have fun at the same time. You have to try it.

Leaving this topic aside, I also want to emphasize the importance of music and television. What would we do without series, films and music? I think most of us would drive crazy. Me first. I spend all day listening to music without a quarantine, so imagine now. I think I’m not the only one. Now, more than ever, we have started to value musicians and actors as they deserve. All the people that say that arts get you nowhere are wrong. Most of us wouldn’t survive without the things I have mentioned. So please don't devalue people for what they do, because you never know if you may need it someday. I can't think of a better example than the one we are experiencing these days with the quarantine.

An excellent idea to do at any moment is taking a nap. I really don't think you need a lot of instructions on this. It is the perfect opportunity to sleep well and fall asleep at any time of the day. No duties or obligations to fulfil. What a good excuse to spend the whole day in pyjamas.

In conclusion, this quarantine is a great opportunity to do a lot of new things, do the ones you didn’t have time to do or just stay with your family and chill out.

And remember, STAY AT HOME!