The week, dear reader, started out well enough, with me being quite busy just managing to keep to my time management schedule. By Wednesday of last week I had planned half of the lessons for the week and by Saturday was completely done. And that included the two-hour lesson for Mohamed in The Hague. But really, that was for the best as there wasn’t anything to do. On Friday night, the Dutch government announced a new lockdown that started on Saturday and will continue for three weeks. At that time there had been no word from the English center as to whether we would be holding lessons. I took the precaution of moving what lessons I could online.
ShinWei was easy because he and I sometimes meet at a café but the cafés here are all closing at either 6 o’clock or 8 o’clock depending on whether they are considered essential or not. Rather than taking the chance, on Saturday, I contacted him on WhatsApp and we agreed to move online for the duration. It’s a pity because we were planning on going to a Chinese restaurant where I would get to sample some authentic delicacies that I might not otherwise try if I wasn’t with someone who was native to the cuisine. With my lesson planning done by 4 o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday, all that was left to do was read a book and chill out. At least until I had to go to a birthday party.
While I did not stay long at the birthday party, I wanted to go and see if the balloons that I had ordered looked amazing. My friend had asked for a large number balloon delivery. So I contacted our mutual friends and we went in on a group and we bought her 33 balloons, one for each year of her life. She loved it. While it was a surprise, I had asked her straight out what she wanted and that’s what she told me. She had ordered balloons for other people but had never received them herself. So that’s exactly what I did.
This lockdown makes me angry. I am angry because this lockdown did not have to be a lockdown. If people had followed directions and maintained social distancing, and worn masks instead of acting as if the pandemic had never happened, we would not then have 16,000 cases in one day in the Netherlands from Wednesday into Thursday. I am angry at the government that there was no foresight taken for people who did not vaccinate. For the last few months, it’s been a free-for-all in terms of access. While it’s true that you have to show a QR code for vaccination status, apparently people have been showing fake QR codes. And that is insane.
I fully agree with people making the choice not to vaccinate. But then they should have to deal with the consequences of not being vaccinated. In Germany, they have started stricter measures called 2G, But those measures are still being debated by the government here in the Netherlands. With some major family trouble in the states, Jasper and my travel plans are up in the air. You see, I may have to go to America at a moment’s notice because a family member is ill. Terminally so. So the plan for the next few weeks is to do as little as possible in person. I will still have to go to the shops as Jasper shouldn’t. But most social activities will be online, and any in-person social activities will happen both distanced and outside.
I have also decided in conjunction with Mark that it’s best if we take the writers group online for the moment. We still have some people who are not vaccinated and Jasper has asked me not to have people who are unvaccinated in the house. It’s a small enough ask that I am happy to comply with. Still, it makes me sad that all of this could’ve been avoided if people had just thought about anyone other than themselves. After all, it’s just a small jab and will protect you in the long run. While I do believe that you have the right to make any choice that you wish for your body, you also have to deal with the consequences when it doesn’t conform to the rest of society. I just wish having complied with the rules, I didn’t now have to pay for other people’s stupidity.
That’s all she wrote for this Inkreadable installment. But stay tuned. As always, there is more to come.
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