Laurel Academy

Today is the last day of the first week of our lockdown. I think other towns in Spain have been in lockdown a few days longer, but the nationwide home confinement started last Saturday. A week ago we were already being cautious about interactions, but we left the house to go to a farmer's market in the square down the street from our apartment. We bought some beautiful cheeses, the yummiest sausage I've ever had, and some candy for the kids. And that was the last time I left the apartment! Matt and the boys have been to the grocery store, but it's not much of an outing because it takes 30 seconds to walk there. The first several days at home weren't bad at all. There was this spirit that we were in this thing together with the rest of the world and we were just doing our part to help by staying home. I read a bunch of books, cleaned the apartment to a standard I suspect it hadn't seen in months if not longer, watched some television, played some games, did some Yo...

The Spanish government instituted a nation-wide lockdown starting yesterday morning to slow the spread of covid-19, which has gotten quite bad in Spain. They published a clear and specific FAQ that helped us understand the extent of the lockdown. For example, we assumed it would be fine to go for a walk in a nearby park. But they don't want people out of the house at all, except to work, buy food or medicines, or care for someone in need. Or in the event of "force majeure," which they leave completely unexplained, but I assume it has to do with complying with the demands of the armed forces should they arrive at your doorstep and demand for some reason that you exit your home. In any case, all restaurants, shopping centers, libraries, museums, etc. are closed. Grocery stores and pharmacies remain open, although they are limiting the number of customers in the store at any time. We stocked up on food earlier this week so we don't have to go shopping for another couple...

I have received a number of thoughtful emails from people concerned about us in Spain amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In short, we are fine. Being on sabbatical from our university, we are already working remotely and the kids are already being homeschooled. So on a day-to-day basis our lifestyle is not especially impacted. Of course, we did wake up this morning to the news that our president ( who I did not vote for ) does not want us back. But that's okay because we're not planning to travel home until mid-July, at which point I certainly hope the worst of this situation is behind us. Of course we are concerned about those at greater risk of illness than we are. And we are doing our best to be responsible, socially-distancing citizens. Our greatest disappointment is that our dear friends are no longer able to visit us over spring break, which we had all been looking forward to. Matt's parents are also scheduled to visit in mid-April and we'll see if that is able to h...