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cabin fever
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2020-04-30
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Hugo Ling
“It’s strange having all this time to myself at home. I'm not necessarily someone who spends a lot of time at home alone doing my own thing in normal circumstances. The first few weeks were very funny to sit back and think ‘What are my interests? What am I into?’ I’ve been trying to do things that keep my brain active, like Boggle, practising my French, and learning some Spanish. Coming back a few months ago from exchange in France has given me some perspective on COVID19. I’ve got a few friends over there who are completely locked in their apartment. Here, we’re lucky to still have the freedom to walk and bike ride at our leisure. I’ve been doing both of them a lot. Earlier in the pandemic, everyone was talking about ‘social distancing’. My mum pointed out that the better term is ‘physical distancing’. You don't want to be socially distant, you want to be socially connected, with a distance - something that me and my friends have maintained. I’ve been feeding off the creativity of some of my friends: weekly Zoom live music; a home-made magazine; a friend is making Vino Quarantino. So there are a few things that have been happening amongst my close circle that keep us all talking, interested and connected. We’ll definitely carry the habit of diligent handwashing into the future, and a greater consideration for general hygiene. The pandemic has definitely sparked that in my house. I get bouts of cabin fever from time to time, but am trying to keep busy and active.” Instagram post on Hugo Ling, student, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-05-28
Paper Bag Extravaganza (creativity in quarantine)
I was working as a dancer on the Cruise Ship MS Zaandam when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit. Countries began to close their borders and passengers and crew began presenting with flu-like symptoms. The entire ship went into lockdown to prevent the spread of this illness which was later confirmed to be Covid-19. We were denied entry to Chile, Peru and the Panama Canal. At this time we had 4 deaths onboard. The MS Rotterdam came to our aid with medical staff, test kits and supplies. Eventually we were granted entry through the Panama Canal to disembark passengers and sick crew in Florida. The ship then left port and sailed to the Bahamas were all crew had to undergo a 14 day CDC ordered quarantine. Repatriation plans were made and I was transferred to the Nieuw Statendam and sailed across the Atlantic to disembark in Rotterdam on May 13th. This ended up being a total of 60 days stranded at sea. After flying home to Perth I faced another 14 days away from family in mandatory Hotel Isolation . We were delivered meals 3 times a day that came in paper bags and other biodegradable containers. I wanted to do something creative and a little bit quirky to pass the time. This packaging became my inspiration to create a range of outfits constructed from these recycled materials. I posted a video of these creations and it went viral on Facebook. I have kept these costumes as memorabilia.