What we have going on right now is not the new normal. I am baffled by the fact that it is nearly July, and I am still very much interested in the series of daily disease tallies. Even if you are long-bored of this news cycle—or worse, you don’t think that this coronavirus is really a thing—the truth is that we are all inhabiting an undetermined period of “let’s see what happens next”. Now more than ever, “Let’s see” depends not only on our individual behavior, but also on the deliberate actions of those around us. If ever there was something that ruined the view for whatever 2020 was going to be, COVID-19 takes the prize.
I finally got a chance to leave the city and enjoy a proper excursion into the Italian countryside. It felt nice to go somewhere different: to stay in a bed and breakfast, pay a local guide a few euros even for only a few minutes of history (my sweet spot when it comes to exploring and simultaneously having to politely listen to someone tell me new things). But even as I drove south to explore, I passed near a town in Italy that has recently been reclassified as a red zone after a new breakout of COVID-19 has sprung up. The entire region, managed by my favorite Italian politician, has announced the delay of the fall school year. And this one town is not the only place that is seeing a COVID resurgence (although Italy’s number have thankfully continued to decline). Nobody wants to go back to how things were before June 3rd…but honestly it wouldn’t take to much for that to be the case.
As humans, we are all keen to rejoin our social spheres beyond the computer screens. To spend our money and continue life in as much the same way that we used to before we had this huge extra thing to worry about. We had plans for this year. But now, even if restrictions are lifted, it’s hard to overlook the fact that things are different. Never in my life did I think that I’d feel disdain while watching a video of a woman standing in a supermarket not wearing a face mask as she threw items from her cart out onto the floor. Roles and responsibilities have shifted. To quote my dad, some people remain “first class assholes”.
During this past weekend, I got to visit some caves in southern Italy with at least three face masks packed into my things. One of my first stops was to an impressive network of caves that were discovered 82 years ago, but the growth of the stalagmites and stalactites go back kajillions of years (see my first parenthetical statement on retaining new knowledge). The popular tourist attraction had only opened back up the day before, and I was part of a sold-out tour comprising 30 people who were willing to take the 100-minute underground tour in face masks. Most of us are grateful for having been reunited with what has been returned to us. Like spectacular and truly worthwhile touristy things.
While many of the associated souvenir shops and restaurants are still fairly quiet, you do see signs throughout Italy imploring personal spacing. And of course, like the American idiots who screech about an infringement on individual rights senza mascherina, there are people here who do not respect the rules. The microcosm was the older Italian man I saw squashed onto one side of a shopping center at Porta di Roma shopping center. He’d created just enough space to sit if he pushed aside the large white oblong box placed on the bench seat—the white box bearing the “prohibited” symbol.
More preoccupying than the old man was the Saturday night walk I took through a town square in Puglia. The summer air was electric with activity. It was easy to forget your cares until you strolled past the odd person wearing a mask who suddenly jerked you back into reality. Ah yes, we should all be doing this because we don’t want to die. Sure some people have masks slung on their wrists….but most don’t. Even the vendors who hawked clever LED configurations resembling helium balloons, they all had their masks slung under their chins. I tend to think that if aliens came to Earth right now, they’d report that we all had something weird going on just below our chins.
The masks aren’t super comfortable, I totally get it. But for now, it’s the price we’re charged with being released to the outdoors again. And I hope it will last. Honestly, the thought of being locked inside for a few weeks more sounds incredibly unappealing. I might have to finally read Ulysses or Infinite Jest. No, right now I just want to go out. I like doing stuff like hopping in my car without remembering some self-declaration form stating my intentions. Will the masks ever be enough to stop COVID’s spread? Or, better yet, in the end will this even matter if they are not? As it stands right now, depending on the town and nation, it seems abundantly clear that commerce is winning out over prevention. We’re all gonna be let back outdoors irregahdless.
I absolutely love that I was able to travel across regions and explore a bit of the world in Italy. I’m grateful. And I also really miss my family. Even as I have airline credits that replaced my planned trip home in March, I can’t say for certain when I will get to reclaim those flights. I would love to visit in August—to take a few weeks being in America and doing nothing but great Cape stuff—but the European Union (understandably) does not think that this is a great idea just yet. Nor do I.
I would really love to see and hug many people in America. There’s a church near my flat here in Rome that strikes bells at regular intervals, reminding me that time is passing. There are moments that I will not get to experience by simply hopping onto a plane. Like going back to American and watching my best friend not only complete her tour in command, but also experience a promotion in rank. I’ve got nieces and nephews, a godson and all kinds of interesting humans who already don’t see enough of me. And they are growing too. I don’t want to miss all of these things. But the reality right now there are still too many variables at play. I’ll need to wait a bit more. Continue to explore and appreciate this garden of a country where I’m currently growing.
Things might be getting back to the way they were, but I have no clue if the needle will ever edge back fully to where it was. As it is, all I want right now is for life everywhere to be trending in a more optimistic direction. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.