Spain’s Coronavirus: Life in Quarantine

The world has been shaken from the coronavirus. It started as a far-off worry after seeing the devastation in China, however, once things began to escalate in Italy, the reality and severity of the situation abruptly became a concern across all of Spain. It felt as if we could see the future of Spain through Italy, and it established a deep uncertainty in the future of the country I now call home.

The moment that really shook me was when I was in Sevilla traveling with a friend. We had just gotten to the city and went to a rooftop bar to take in the stunning views of the cathedral. While sipping on our sangria watching the sky painted in a dancing sunset, we chatted about our game plan for the next coming days. 

We were completely unconcerned, the only things on our mind were which cocktail we would be ordering next. While the city seemed a bit more quiet than normal, you still wouldn’t have been able to predict what was about to happen within a few short hours.

After a fantastic dinner in the center, we decided to have an early night so we could have a full day of sightseeing. By 4 am, I woke up to my friend panicked on the phone, and from the conversation, all I could tell is she needed to get back to the US as soon as possible. The coronavirus was picking up speed and it was no longer safe for her to be traveling, as Spain was quickly becoming the epicenter of the pandemic. 

I reached for my phone and I had a long list of missed calls and worried text messages from friends and family. Turns out while we were sleeping, President Trump had made an announcement that the US borders would soon be closing in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. 

I call my parents to get more information about the situation and I could hear a genuine worry in their voices. The virus was going to make a much larger impact than initially anticipated, and now the world was doing everything in its power to minimize the destruction. 

I sat in the living room of our Airbnb at four in the morning weighing the pros and cons of buying a plane ticket home. I knew if I stayed and I got sick, I could be in trouble, however, if I go home, I might be stuck in the US for months without being able to return to Spain. 

So I decided to stay. After talking with my family, we decided the best thing for me to do at this point would be to wait out the storm in Spain. I knew the more traveling I did, the higher the chance I could catch coronavirus, and then spread it to my family. And since I had been traveling so much the weeks prior, I knew the best thing to do would be to stay in my home in Barcelona with my roommates.

Daily Life in Quarantine 

As we are in quarantine, I’ve actually started to like my simple afternoons and nights reading and conversing with my roommates. Luckily our apartment is flooded with sunlight every day and we even have a nice balcony that is the perfect spot to get some fresh air. 

Our cozy terrace has actually turned into my little sanctuary. Some days it serves as my writing desk while others it’s my lunch spot. Other times it’s just a place for me to escape the confines of my bedroom and living room and to unwind from a day locked up. No matter what job it serves, I’m thankful to have a piece of the outside where I can feel a breeze and get some sunshine. On the weekends, Pablo, Libby, and I all pile on the balcony to soak up a few hours of sun. 

As I work overlooking the surrounding buildings of my neighborhood, I can see little pockets of life on the balconies of others. Across there are two friends smoking a cigarette, further behind I can see an elderly man doing arm curls with soda bottles, and on my diagonal, there’s a couple having a close conversation in the sun. Seeing everyone in the same situation makes things easier to process, knowing that everyone is going through the same struggles as they try to navigate what’s happening around us. 

It’s very clear the world is having a moment, one that will change the trajectory of many lives as we know it. While there are new uncertainties every single day, the one thing that reminds me that it will be okay is that we are all in this together, and not just your family and friends, but also your neighbors, your coworkers, and every country affected across the globe.