Greetings dear readers and friends !!!

Today I would like to share with you some of my experiences in this situation of preventive social isolation. How has my experience been in this period of isolation... Let me think, a delicate way of putting it... A COMPLETE AND ADSOLUTE CRAZY. I have come to the conclusion that if God allows us to get out of this quarantine safely, I will need a quarantine vacation. But, I say, not because I can't get out, nor because of the social isolation as such, but because I can't. If I'm honest, that hasn't affected me, and neither has my family, my daughters spend their happy days playing all day, thank God zero trauma.

Now, I am the traumatized one, because my work is multiplied, I no longer only have to fulfill my duties as a university teacher. Although I am aware that both my husband and I must be thankful, because we can continue doing our work, without having to risk leaving our home, like some of our acquaintances and family. But now, too, I must be a teacher of a 6th grade girl and a 2nd grade preschooler. What has me on the verge of madness, I don't know what it is to be bored, or tired of doing nothing. From the moment I wake up, it's about getting everything ready so that the girls can complete their daily assignments.

The teachers... though I love and respect them very much, are, as it were, more inspired and creative. And don't get me wrong, I'm not against homework, on the contrary, I think it's necessary, given the situation, that they continue their activities, but from home, so they don't fall behind. Besides, I enjoy and appreciate the time I share with them, guiding them and helping them a little, especially the little one. But, in this situation, where we can't leave the house, to buy what we need, it's an ordeal. The truth is that I'm already afraid of checking out the virtual classroom when I get up to find out what the teachers have come up with for the day.

Our mornings are spent between housework, as well as preparing and finding all the necessary materials so that, above all, my youngest daughter can do her homework. Then, after lunch, (thank God, my husband helps me with that) it's time to pick up the house a bit and then do the homework. Finally, I struggle with the internet, to be able to send pictures of the daily activities. My eldest daughter, who is in the 6th grade, thank goodness, does her homework alone, but of course, there are always things we need to clarify for her and of course, once she is done, to check that everything is okay. But maybe once it's over, we should also fight the terrible signal from the internet, to send the videos and pictures of her activities.

In almost a year of quarantine, we have done everything, from masks with messages alluding to quarantine, to videos with recommendations for coping with this difficult situation, videos doing some physical activity, etc, etc, etc, etc and etc. So as you can see, we have not had the slightest chance to get bored. Although it has been crazy, we have had a great time as a family. Although I confess that, in the bottom of my heart, I am a little envious, but a good one, of some of my friends and family, who keep complaining that they are bored and can't find anything to do. I don't know, I would like to have a little more time to read a book, do my crafts and sewing. And of course, to write more, with great difficulty I manage to sit down to write.

I know that what I am telling you today is a trifle, a little joke, and it does not even compare with the seriousness of the real situation we are going through. It is a really necessary effort, for the common good, and don't misunderstand me, I am not complaining. Besides, I am privileged to be with my family, whom I love madly. I thank God, because all my relatives and acquaintances are healthy and I pray daily that neither they nor anyone else gets infected, let alone dies. But, I just wish that the teachers would lower the intensity a little and that they would somehow understand. Unlike them, in their regular classes, we parents don't have all the materials they work with. And we can't afford to go out and buy them, given the economic situation. Imagine, I worry about those mothers and fathers who do not have the simplest of things, blank sheets of paper, or do not have internet, to receive the homework and then send it to them. Now you understand why my quarantine story is so crazy.

Well, the most important thing is that my daughters, in spite of all the chores, are happy to be home with their daddies. In the little time we have, we have had the opportunity to watch anime series and children's movies that we had pending to see. We have dusted off several board games, which we haven't used for a long time, because of our daily comings and goings. My youngest daughter, at least, lives her days in a continuous game, when she is not playing the teacher and everyone else is her student. She is playing the chef, and she does not bring all the imaginary dishes she prepares. And when she gets bored, she sits down for a while, in the computer to play with a series of educational CDs, in English and Spanish very didactic, by the way, that teach her the letters, the numbers, figures, human body and other topics. My older girl, on the other hand, likes to do digital drawings, so, if she is not doing any activity, she spends her time, drawing on the computer, reading some of her books or checking something on the internet.

I really think that, up to now, our day-to-day quarantine, although in a way, for me it has been crazy, has not been a waste of time at all, nor has our life stopped. Moreover, I am convinced that, once this situation has been overcome, our family ties will be stronger and we will value our family time even more. Now, society in general, I believe and hope that it will become aware of how important it is to share with family members and loved ones in general. Otherwise, the crisis we are going through, the efforts of thousands and thousands of people and all the deaths will unfortunately have been in vain. It is time, to look back, to evaluate our arrogance, our self-centeredness in believing ourselves to be owners and center of the world. To be more humble, to value the gift of life, and at the same time understand its fragility. To become aware that we are not isolated, self-sufficient beings, and that even the smallest thing can affect our lives, changing them completely overnight.

Content and photographs of my intellectual property

Technical information

Camera: Pentax * istDL

Lens: Pentax 18-55

Lighting: Natural Light

Location: Barcelona, Anzoátegui state, Venezuela