Items

• 2020-05-06

  COVID on the Border: Part II

  A personal account of the pandemic. COVID on the Border: Part II Its been 6 weeks since I arrived in this small little border town. COVID and its accompanying regulations changed everything here since then. The mask rules went into effect two weeks ago, police will ticket on the spot if found in public without a mask. Over the past week I continue to watch the numbers climb, soon the U.S. has surpassed the rest of the world’s nations with COVID illnesses and deaths. Social distancing has just become the buzzword of the year. Everyone knows who Dr. Fauci is. I went to the local Walmart to pick up a few groceries; my hotel room has a fridge and stove. Milk, gone. Bottled water, gone. Eggs, gone. Soap, hand sanitizer, forget about it. There’s a hushed panic on the faces of many of the shoppers. I make do with the basics and head back to my hotel room. Is the zombie apocalypse coming? Working in a new places forces me to meet new people. After introducing myself there’s an awkward feeling when we both realize that shaking hands is now taboo. Will shaking hands ever return? Should we adopt the Eastern bow? We now question the traditions that have shaped our lives. Who are we deep down? We’re naked and vulnerable without tradition. Breakfast at the hotel is now a thing of the past. Can’t serve it, too many COVID concerns. Sure. And how much is the hotel saving now. We make do. The hotel receptionist now serves our coffee. She’s nice. I use it as a way to practice my Spanish again. I enjoy it, I think she’d rather me speak English. Life in the hotel consists of channel changes back and forth from CNN to FOX. I have to ensure my understanding is balanced, I guess each network cancels each other out. Although life here is at a standstill, I am impressed with the way the farms and agriculture moves forward. I still witness workers arriving at the fields in the afternoon to escape the heat of the day. They work hard, picking carrots, broccoli, spinach and lettuce. Life doesn’t stop for many. They’ll be getting no stimulus checks, yet they continue forward, doing the only thing they know to do: work to put food on a table for a family somewhere. I’m impressed. This small little border town has some grit. It’s growing on me.