Hi.

I’ve received a lot messages this week from friends and family who are concerned about our well being during the COVID-19 global crisis, so I thought I’d check in from abroad to let everyone know that we are fine.

There have been moments over the last 3.5 years that have made it tough not being home, and as much as I really don’t want to be home right now (for obvious reasons) it is unnerving watching everything unfold in the states while being more than 3,000 miles away.

Things here in the UK are a bit different, although starting to take a turn for the worse. I feel like we’re slightly behind with the whole “it’s just the flu” mentality.

If I’m being honest, no one was really taking the coronavirus that seriously until maybe a few days ago. Last weekend, we went for some fresh air walks (because Roxy still needs to go out), and we noticed the park was still packed, and stores and pubs were still fairly full, and this was in the afternoon, so I can’t imagine how the evenings were. Needless to say, there was certainly not a strong sense of social distancing occurring by any means.

It was odd seeing this while learning of how things were unfolding in America and knowing that certain states like California were even on total lock down. I’ve never felt so disconnected while living abroad.

What’s happening in the United Kingdom

As of today, March 17, the only guidelines in place in the UK are for those who are considered high risk, and those who believe they may be infected with the virus. Other than that, we’ve been told to practice safe distancing, which is described as maintaining a distance of 1-2 meters from other people.

As I sit here typing this, schools are still in session. Restaurants, pubs, stores, etc. are still operating. It feels like an alternate universe seeing what’s happening in the United States compared to living over here in London, as the two seem to be managing the crisis very differently.

As of this morning, the UK has confirmed 1,950 cases of those who tested positive with the virus, which is an increase of 407 people just from yesterday alone. Our cases are nowhere near as high as the United States, or other parts of Europe, but I fear these numbers are only going to dramatically increase in the coming days and weeks due to the UK’s lax provisions for “safe distancing” which are neither clear or safe for anyone.

Living in a country that you are not a citizen of during a major crisis such as this feels surreal, especially seeing as the United States seems to be suffering a lot more. When scary things happen in the world all you want to do is be close to your family and friends, and knowing that we can’t do that right now is a strange and isolating feeling.

What it means for us now

Even though the Prime Minister has yet to impose stricter regulations, we have remained at home, only leaving for walks around our neighborhood and grocery store runs. Luckily, Mr. Dave has been working from home. Our grocery store trips thus far are about twice a week, and besides toilet paper (BECAUSE NO WHERE IN THE WORLD SEEMS TO HAVE THAT), we have managed to get most of our necessities. I was even able to get hand soap off of Amazon UK, so we’re all good in the hygiene department.

Even though both of our gyms have remained opened during the outbreak, we’ve decided to forgo our gym activity, and are sticking to runs in the park near our flat.

Other than that, life has remained boring around here. Because we live in a world with a 24-hour news cycle, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed and even a little paralyzed by all of this. Especially knowing it is only going to get worse, and much of the future is uncertain.

I’ll close by sharing a few happy photos from the last week, and to once again say that our little fam is hanging in, and doing just fine.

Take care of yourselves. And take care of your neighbors. Now more than ever before, we need each other to survive.