I am also a writer, a daily life, a start, a corona.
In China, the rain was blocked and employees of the company’s Shanghai branch were unable to return to their offices even after the Lunar New Year holiday and worked at home for more than three weeks. A colleague next door who was on vacation to China is spending two weeks in isolation at home, although he returned safely to the U.S. In Korea, the number of confirmed cases begins to increase, and the younger brother sends a picture of a long line of people’s street scenery in front of a pharmacy to buy a mask.
It felt like something in a distant country that was happening to people close to me, but it seemed unlikely to happen to me, but on Tuesday afternoon, March 10, the company suddenly called up a town hall meeting. It is said that there is one confirmed person in the company. He left the company two weeks ago and was confirmed afterwards, so the risk of being infected by office staff is low, but he is told to leave work immediately and work at home for the rest of the week because he has to quarantine the company building. My husband already started working from home (WFH) last week.
The state of California has announced the Shelter in Place since March 16. Only essential outings are recommended and restaurants and stores other than grocery stores are allowed to take out or deliver. Naturally, an e-mail arrived saying Ahin’s school will be closed for the last three weeks on Friday. It has been four weeks since the company and school were closed and the three of them spent time at home.
Week One (3/16-22) ‘Start’
Thinking that we should work in the same space and raise children at the same time, my head became complicated. I wondered if this was possible, but with no other choice, our new Monday routine began. He set up a temporary office on the side of the table and began to draw a daily life schedule that he couldn’t even remember when he had painted it. As I organized my schedule roughly, I had to play with my child five times a day for an hour in the middle of my work. I don’t know if it’ll work out according to the timetable, but I’m also worried about what to do with my child at that time. I ordered some toys in advance that the child would like. I was worried that I should spend the next three weeks like this, but I started with a fantasy that seemed like catching two rabbits because I could work at home and play with my child. It is said that from Wednesday, the children’s school will start their morning circle time. It was a short time in less than half an hour, but the child was delighted to be able to meet his school friends and teachers. On the other hand, he spent a whole week at home adjusting to his new routine with a child who might have been strange to see his teacher and friends on video.
On the first weekend, I had an argument with my husband, who I thought should stay at home instead of going out for a walk. According to a search on Shelter in Place, outdoor activities such as hiking and walking are allowed if only social distance designated as 6 feet is observed. (A recent recommendation has been made to limit outdoor activities within five miles of home.) We went for a brief hike in search of a nearby hill that seemed less crowded. I was grateful that there was such a natural space nearby, and it was a precious time with the child and nature, which were more special than any other weekend. But I was a little embarrassed because there were more people who would have come out because they were so frustrated like me.
Telecommuting, which began the week before my father’s first week. I worked harder all week than when I left the company because of the service that will be launched in two weeks, and I wanted to take a breather now, but Ahin’s school is off. This Monday, Tuesday, even the final inspection meeting is scheduled all day. Fortunately, I asked for your understanding in advance, so my wife made a lot of time with Ah-in, and it wasn’t as hard as I thought this week because I had revised it until late last week. However, due to the occasional alarm sound of the messenger, she often had to go back to her laptop to handle things even when she was with Ahin, and in the meantime, Ahin wandered between her mother and father in the meeting. That’s how the week passed and the weekend-weekly border began vaguely.
Week 2 (3/23-29) ‘Adapt’
He is adapting to work without boundaries and to the life of parenting. As I lived in the same space every day with a similar lifestyle, I was confused whether it was a weekend, weekday, morning, lunch or dinner, and my sense of time was getting dull. But thanks to him, I began to concentrate at that moment. As I focused on eating a meal beautifully and deliciously, I began to develop a hobby in cooking, which I was not interested in, and I woke up early in the morning to make up for my lack of work during the day, and concentrated as much as I could in the quiet morning. During the day, Ah-in was also focused on Ah-in, and her husband took turns to coordinate with each other. Information about children’s learning, useful websites, and how to play around, such as friends, company employees, school materials, SNS, etc., was piled up in my e-mail box and in my head. However, the day went by busily without time to understand and select information. While under stress from the pressure to do something for my child, I search for simple activity data provided by school and fill even a single sheet of paper to comfort myself. I don’t have enough time to prepare and it’s clumsy, but I try home-schooling with Ahin by painting and painting.
For Ah-in, who was still adjusting to the society of school, adults, friends, and new environment, even though Ah-in started school for about six months now, this time at home with her mom and dad seems to be just a relaxing and happy thing. Although I feel sorry for not being able to take good care of my child because I have a lot of time sitting in front of the computer for meetings or working, the child is adjusting by increasing his or her own time.
I heard the news last weekend that some national parks are also closing because people are flocking to the mountains to the beach. I also felt guilty thinking I was one of them, and the sky was cloudy and I had company work to do on weekends, so (?) I went home to supplement my work and take a short walk in the neighborhood to wrap up my second weekend.
My father’s second-week work was all sorted out, and the service he had prepared so far seemed to be released next week as scheduled unless there were any special problems. So on Monday morning, I asked the team members and the manager for their understanding. From 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Ahin will be seen offline unless there is something special during that time. Then I wrote Quality time with Aina on the calendar. I did this, and naturally there was no meeting scheduled during that time, and I was able to spend the whole time with Ahin, and at other times, I was able to relieve a little of my guilt and concentrate more on my work. Of course, while playing with Ahin, I checked my cell phone often.I wondered if I was a little used to it, but I was looking forward to lunch time with three family members and enjoyed a light exercise in the parking lot for a while. Oh, and I’ve been using the dishwasher that I’ve only used as a drying rack for five years every day, except when I’m greeting guests. I never thought it would be this comfortable…
Week 3 (3/30-4/5) ‘Extension’
It’s already April. The initial plan was to return to work next week, but the California Shelter in Place was pushed back to the end of April. The same goes for schools, of course. Fortunately, tuition was adjusted to only a quarter. Now it’s at least a month, but I think I’ll have to live this life for at least three more months because the school is likely to close the whole semester. Ahin toys and bicycles that I had ordered in the first week arrived.
These days we are making full use of our front and back yards. After lunch, I play badminton and jump rope. Ahin rides a bike, plays ball, and plays sand. Enjoy the warm afternoon sun and drink bubble tea.
It rained all weekend. It must mean not to go outside. For the first time in our lives, we had a relaxing time at home, making a lot of pork cutlet together. Once again, I gathered myself and looked back on the plan I had set up in the first week. Don’t be too greedy and I think we need to set up some strategies on how we’re going to get along.
At 9 a.m. on his third Monday, the service he had been running for three months came to the world through a Tech magazine article and a company blog. Maybe because I started the week pleasantly, I had more time to play with Ahin. After a day or two, my calendar became full of meetings, and the things that I delayed because of the meetings ended up getting up at night or dawn and taking care of them. Ahin made us laugh a lot this week because she knows how dad feels. On Thursday afternoon, at 5 p.m., after the last meeting, I went to the grocery store to blow up the wind. There weren’t as many people in the mart as I thought, and a lot of things were on display again, so I could put everything I wanted in my shopping cart. However, shopping in masks and plastic gloves was not very pleasant, and even when folded twice with the unprecedentedly large screen on the counter, the long receipt was still unfamiliar. When she comes back from shopping, Ahin runs out to the door and takes the groceries one by one to the kitchen. Of course, Ah-in’s main purpose is to make sure that her father has bought her well, but even that is cute.
Fourth week (4/6-12) ‘Rest’
To my shame, the week has begun to be too busy. Suddenly, the deadline came on Thursday evening, and I had to consult with a team member in Shanghai in the evening, so I had to work all day from dawn and work an extra hour or two after work. There was always a deadline before, but as the boundaries between work and life became blurred, I kept working in front of the computer, and around Wednesday, I felt that I was relieving my stress by not doing anything for Ahin. It is also true that the timetable and plans for what they are working for have all gone and that they have become a little vague about how many more months to go. I even put off the time to think about finishing Thursday’s deadline and coming up with a strategy for what to do in the future.
On Friday, I decided to take a vacation and recover my tired body and mind. As soon as I woke up on Friday morning, I had my first meeting with the mothers of overseas correspondents in each country. Also the main theme was the current situation and was consoled by similar stories. In fact, talking about people who are sick from the disease, people who lost their families, children who are at home but can’t eat, children who can’t access classes or overflowing information provided by schools because they don’t have the Internet, and medical workers who are working hard in hospitals, I reflected on whether I’m struggling with work and childcare. And I was thankful that I could spend precious time eating warm meals with my child and husband.
I went out for a walk with Ahin for the first time on weekdays. Standing on a deserted street in the neighborhood, I watched cherry blossoms, drank as much as I could in the spring, and tried to go home, but Ahin passed by the school. Ahin pulled my hand to go to school only once. He lingered around in front of the closed school door, asking, “Isn’t it okay to wear a mask?” When I looked back on how to explain this time to a small, innocent child at least a month, or two, three, or four months, to make this new life a more meaningful and quality family time, I had to think about what I, a mother, should do to make it a good memory for both of us.
During my father’s fourth week, team members often had meetings after 1 p.m., and my wife also had a team meeting at 10 p.m., so I decided to spend time with Ahin one hour earlier than 11 p.m. and work from 1 p.m. after lunch.m. after lunch. Thanks to you, Ahin had a circle time at 9:30 and naturally came to her father at 10. Confession, the two hours before the meal were set by my condition rather than Ahin’s condition of the day. When I was tired, I lay in bed with Ahin, read a book, went into the bed, played a tent game (the main purpose of these games is for me to lie down). When I had energy, I took Ahin out to the backyard, watered flowers, sanded, and played soccer in the parking lot. I learned something from being together, in fact, that Ahin sympathizes with what she does and expects a true (!) reaction, rather than expecting her father to actively do something. Maybe it’s a good thing and I’m sorry that I got to know you now while being with you.The founder’s young daughter suddenly appeared in the middle of a full meeting of the company on Wednesday, showing the founder’s embarrassment, and an interview passed by Professor Kelly, who was embarrassed when two daughters entered the room during an interview with the BBC. Working with children, and adjusting working hours for this reason, has become a new norm for working parents, and it has become our own routine to sit side by side at night at our desks and make up for the backlogs (in fact, to eat late-night meals).
And today again.
When Monday began, the child would drop out of school and we would rush to the company, work frantically, come back, spend time with the child who was lacking during the day and fall asleep exhausted. In addition, I spent more time on weekends going anywhere, working hard and meeting other people in the name of filling my time and mind with my child, which I lacked during the week. Looking back, it seems that the three of us didn’t have as much time as we thought.
What is something comfortable and familiar that I felt at the same time during the four weeks of adjustment and chaos?
It reminded me of my childhood when I sat around with my family, talked and ate leisurely. I remember waking up late on weekends, watching TV, and eating my dad’s special ramen on weekends. Maybe that’s why. I didn’t have much past hobbies, but I became interested in cooking that I started actively to solve three meals a day. Cooking became fun, and having breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the three of us became small happiness.
Having been busy going anywhere with my child on weekends, I began to think about the fun things I could do at home. The small niche flower bed in the backyard, which had not been used for much, has been renovated and many kinds of succulent people scattered in the flower pots have found a new house. In the remaining pots, waves are planted and various edible crops are planted to water Ahin and water it every day, waiting for the buds to come out. In the past, many people used to live in the yard growing plants and gardens, but these days many friends around them are planting seeds and gardening, getting closer to the soil.
One night I lay down to sleep, and the stars were twinkling in the black sky outside the window. I lay down with Ah-in and fell asleep after talking about stars for a long time. And one evening Ahin says, playing in the yard and looking at the crescent moon that rose in the sky. ‘Oh? I guess it’s about to be night, the moon is here?’ Thanks to the quiet road, the sky in San Francisco is exceptionally clear and clean.
In the front yard, they play badminton, play ball, jump rope, ride bicycles and literally run around. When I was young, I remember playing games with my friends using apartment parking lot lines, scribbling with chalk, throwing water balloons on the floor, blowing bubbles, and sitting on the dirt of the playground. Will Ahin be able to recall the dim memory of running around in front of her house?
There are many people who I miss for four weeks, but I also feel the importance of my neighbors in this special life. They come to tell me that they ate delicious food and ask me if I need anything because I went grocery shopping. Ahin makes a mask and delivers it to them. It reminds us of the gratitude of our neighbors who live together, even though they have to be loved and cared for by wearing masks.
I woke up in the morning and was taking notes of things to remember on the whiteboard. Ah-in was staring at her mother and ran to her blackboard and was drawing on the blackboard like me. The fact that 24 hours now are all filled with mothers and fathers came a big time to the child, who imitates and imitates all of the speech and behavior of adults.
I’m at home and I’m organizing drawers and closets in every corner of the house. In addition, I and my family are doing new maintenance. If we concentrate on the positive things and live our day, will we be able to be more faithful to the basics and become stronger and greet another daily life?