This blog has been written by Rhys Eynon, Learning Disability Champion. It is an insight into how lockdown affected him and his family. All enquiries to gwyneth.jones@pavs.org.uk
Life Under Lockdown
Right, before I begin this piece as suggested by my excellent colleagues from PAVS. Don't expect any kind of structure, that sort of thing I would reserve for something more long term if people are interested in reading about people talking about life in these weird times (though the word "weird" I will admit is quite an understatement). I'm just writing off the top of my head of things that I'm pretty sure everyone else is going through in one form or another.
If you and enough people enjoy reading this sort of thing, then maybe I'll consider being more organised. If not, I won't hold it against you.
Throughout our world's history, man and beast have been beset by every pandemic ever known and, continue to this very day. Up until recently, I would've looked at all of them briefly and joined the dots together leading to the source of origin, mainly southeast Asia. But the funny thing is, outbreaks could happen anywhere in the world. The same can be said with anything. What I'm trying to get at is, no country is better than all the rest, and no civilisation past or present hasn't had their fair share of misfortunes, their moment of brilliance or the complete opposite. And no nation can say that they haven't experienced an atrocity or outbreak. Be it inflicted upon itself or by other nations (and this is my opinion, I'm not going to waste time searching the internet delving into the history of every country. So, if you want evidence that proves this view right or wrong, find it yourself). So, regardless of who takes accountability for the current outbreak or anything, we are all in this together. There's no point in raising a finger at anyone irrespective of how lofty their policies are or whatever.
Anyway, when I heard about Covid-19 back in November last year on the news. Well, like most people, I wasn't affected by it at first. Back then, I was only concerned was how I was going to live the next ten years of my life.
Fast forward to March, when the first British couple reported to have contracted it. Next thing I know there are talks about venues to be closed. A few weeks later, I'm standing behind the till at the British Red Cross shop in Narberth waiting for a customer to show up and buy something. It was just before noon when the assistant manager, Jules, said to me something along the lines "We're packing the shop up." Reason for this was after talking to the higher-ups over the phone. He was deemed by the latter to be a vulnerable person due to his ongoing health condition so he was at higher risk of catching the disease out of the two of us.
Now I don't usually buy anything out of panic, but after he told me that the shop was to be closed indefinitely, I was immediately obliged to search through the whole place to see if there was anything that I could buy for my use. Ended up with a couple of DVDs (never really been much of a watcher of films in the comfort of my home) and a small metal figure of a knight/medieval soldier in full plate armour (got quite a bit of weight to it). Before I left, the last thing Jules said to me before we went our separate ways was "See you after the apocalypse!" To this day, these words still give me a sense of amusement. Despite the things that were about to happen across the country, I seldomly would use the word "apocalypse" to describe the current situation. It's not like people are turning into zombies upon catching the infection. I suppose I amongst others have Hollywood to blame for painting this image associated with the word with their excessive releasing of overrated zombie films, tv shows and games (never a fan of those if it isn't apparent).
Well, there goes my two days in the week where I work for a charity shop gone. Next thing in my schedule to be affected was work. Just in case whoever uploads this on my behalf doesn't mention this or if you've been living under a rock even before the outbreak, I work for Pembrokeshire County Council as a Learning Disability Champion, one of four (initially, now there are just two). Our job altogether is to promote a better quality of life and awareness of people with disabilities. Each of us was assigned a specific area to work. My role involves community work and encouraging clubs and groups to include more people with Learning Disabilities. I work half the week with PAVS and the other half with Norman Industries, the latter being responsible for the making the whole LD Champion scheme a reality.
I remember the last day I was with PAVS. It was a Tuesday. The work atmosphere was typical, though at a smaller workforce capacity than usual (and this was when the Government started encouraging us if we can to work from home). There wasn't much point for me to stay, let alone do anything at this point. Before leaving, however, I was shown our brand-new office room by Gwyneth, my colleague, who is in charge of PAVS Community Connectors group. Looking back now trying to remember the immense amount of space available, felt kind of a waste prepping it for our use since everyone will be working from home.
Thursday of the same week and I find myself at Norman Industries. Sat comfortably in the office of my boss Karen Davies, talking about our options. The building itself is split into two areas; you got offices and reception at the front. Then at the back, you have the workshops where the people of various abilities will be working away, making a variety of things. Tables, cupboards, birdhouses, you name it, these guys (boys and girls) will make it. Usually, you could keep these two sections separate, except the canteen where most people have their lunch break is on the other side of the workshop area. A narrow corridor also connects the office and the workshops areas, so good luck trying to maintain a minimum of two metres distance from everyone else here. Anyway, going back to the conversation, I offered to do whatever work could be possible from home. Karen gave some modules to read over and said to stay in touch, and that was it.
The last thing to address was my good friend Deborah Withey. A lady from America now living around Fishguard area, who now runs a creative workshop called HENRY HEDGEPODGE, at the Green Shed in Haverfordwest. I started getting to know her when she offered to help proofread a novel I had been working on for some time. With the lockdown slowly coming into effect, we sat down and discussed what we could do, and the solution was to continue going through my story by one of the many chat apps. We chose zoom (and I recommend this to anyone) due to being flexible and accessible on any device.
And so, begins the first couple of weeks in isolation for me. I'm sure I'm not the only person to say that it took some getting used to, being stuck at home every day, so yeah not much point talking about what was going through my head (other reason being that I've almost forgotten what I felt like during the opening weeks).
As for work, my father and I offered to help out in our village community. However, we've only ever had one request so far. Fortunately, there was an alternative. A friend of my father who lived in our village showed us how to make faces shields. It's a simple process that takes up to two or three phases. The first phase involves cutting up the materials used. To keep it simple, you just need two sheets of plastic, and a lot of plastic straps cut into various lengths to ack as the straps, clasps and welding parts. The second phase, (you guessed it) put it all together. My father made a board that I could use to make the measurements and fit the pieces in place before welding them together. We've already delivered a box load of face shields to the County Council and Narberth bus company. So yeah never thought I would be doing this sort of thing, but never hurts to do something different.
I'd be lying to myself; however, if I said that I didn't suffer any loss or something similar to it and couldn't do much about it to the current situation. I say this because midway through April, I lost a friend. Someone who I knew to a certain extent since childhood who would play football with me for a club called Cleddau Warriors since its foundation. If you're like me, even looking at a picture of the person you called friend or family can still make your eyes water a little or somehow make your throat feel dry. And no, it wasn't Covid-19 that killed him, it was something else (won't mention more about it since I do not have his family's permission to say so). His funeral came at the beginning of May. I was surprised, (honestly) that my family were allowed to visit the venue, where the service would take place due to distance regulations (and if I recall at one point people couldn't attend funerals), but there we were. After the reverend delivered his speech about my friend, we watched in silence as the hearse carried his coffin away to his final resting place. All the while, we listened via speakers to The Lion King opening theme; his favourite song (a great choice, makes me want to add that to my funeral song list). What hurts me the most that day (and still does as I continue to type this up) is that I will never see his face again, nor will I or anyone else in my club see him play football again. Not in this lifetime. Everyone will miss him.
It's not all been gloom and doom though. For even in times like these, something brilliant comes along to remind us of what we humans can achieve together (and for the record, I'm not a big fan of people doing everything by themselves). One of the other groups I help out with that I failed to mention above is Span Arts. For those who only just moved to Pembrokeshire (or you have been living under a rock for the last hundred years), Span Arts is a local community charity. They have 30 years of experience, providing a significant contribution to the arts in Pembrokeshire.
Hosting a variety of events from comedy, drama and plays for children, to monthly gigs with almost every genre of music. I have been a volunteer with Span Arts for a good couple of years (I say this because I can't exactly remember how many). In that time, I made friends all of the ages, especially been popular with the managers who have come and gone, and learned a few things along the way. I started out as an usher/steward, then moved on to being in charge of setting up the PA system for the monthly Comedy Club (for those who remember it used to be called Kill for a Seat). Like all such groups specialising in the arts; unfortunately, the lockdown has put Span Arts in a spot where it can't host any live events.
So, what does an organisation do in a situation like this? Find a solution; that's what. Span Art's managers and volunteers have turned to the use of live streaming and video chat apps to broadcast their events. The first example. A concert that was supposed to have happened in the Queen's Hall. It was adapted to be performed live on YouTube, starring the Baghdaddies, a band known for pumping out their rampant brand of world music. Infusing Balkan melodies with ska and Latin grooves and energetically played brass.
The second example (which I participated in) was our adaption of the play "Under Milkwood" by Dylan Thomas. I never heard of it before until a few weeks ago when Span was looking for people to participate in the rehearsals. After weeks of trying out different characters. Adjusting our virtual backgrounds on Zoom to suit our characters, and rehearsing the script (a bit of cutting out of certain parts were made, so the play didn't take more than two hours); we performed the play via Zoom, which was then streamed live on YouTube. I played as the following characters, 1st drowned, Ocky Milkman (voice only) and Lord Cut-Glass. The play was hosted in both Welsh and English and received a lot of positive feedback. We even had spectators from around the world, such as one from Vancouver, Canada. My favourite thing about doing this play was the dressing up part (I'm sure everyone else who participated in the production will agree).
I think I've put more than enough for this blog. As a final bit of advice if that's what you're looking for while reading this (whether you are going through the same situation as me or someone reading in the future in preparation for even more terrifying outbreak), here are my suggestions:
- Make a to-do list – reasonably straight forward, just get a notebook (A4 size I use but size shouldn't matter too much) and a pen/pencil and jot down things you plan on doing each day. Tick off each one you do and then by the end of the day, write off a new list. Don't worry if you miss out on some points because moments like these are when "time" really doesn't have much of a meaning. So there's no need to worry about deadlines unless you're very good at (or have a crystal ball for) predicting when this outbreak will pass, and everything will return to normal. As for the tasks/choirs you missed, just put them on the next day. More often than not, your daily routine will change depending on where you are, your job role and family-related things.
- Download a chat app – let's face it; most humans will struggle to go about life without any form of contact with friends and family. And not everyone is into texting and messaging. That's where video chatting comes in handy. I would recommend Zoom because 1) its free, 2) you access on almost any device, even your phones(although I recommend having it on a laptop or a tablet big enough, so you're squinting at the screen see the people you're supposed to be talking to) and 3) you can speak to multiple people at the same time, just send someone an invite and let them in, finally 4) you can even share your screen with other participants, which is great if you're on a project with other people like I am doing with Deborah. Other participants can use this feature as well, but only if the host has set it so in the settings.
- Go for a walk – If you're like me, you don't do a lot of exercise (I'm talking about hard, intense stuff like aerobics) and not into it, or you're more use to doing things in the outdoors than walking is the best especially if you're living in the countryside. You can walk for as long as you want and use it to clear your mind. I often do this too when I need to come away from my to-do list before going at it again. What I do is make sure each walk a day is different from the previous one. What I mean bluntly is don't walk the same path every time. If there's a path you've noticed before but never actually been that way, walk that path. And don't rush it, a simple walk can burn a lot of calories if you're doing at least 30mins of it. And vary the distances, sometimes a simple walk from your house to the other side of your village/town will be enough. However long you want to spend walking, whatever direction you take regardless of when in the day (or night) you choose to walk, just remember to maintain at least two metres distance from other people thinking the same idea, even if it means crossing over to the side of the same road.
- Try out something new – being advised to stay at home doesn't mean your options to entertain yourself are limited or that you can't leave the house at (just Don't do what a lot of idiots are doing right now and make a dash for the nearest beach just because its Summer). Yes ok, your options for hobbies that require more than one person or physical contact are going to be limited (unless you're living with your family), but think of this as an opportunity to try out things you usually wouldn't have time for or never got around to. For me example, I took the time to sign up for Netflix and explore the almost endless variety of things to watch, such as anime. It could anything, from something as taking up drawing or even setting an account on YouTube for a hobby or subject you're already into. I'm atm working on a personal project making AMVs (Anime Music Videos), which I hope will get done before the year is out.
- Make a post lockdown to-do list – you heard it. While lockdown prevents us from doing all the things we enjoy and often take for granted. So, take all the things you used to do, what you would like to do and put them in a list and keep it separate from your daily to-do list (I got mine stuck to my bedroom door). Even though we have no way of predicting when we will be coming out of this mess, as some countries like Germany are already experiencing their second outbreak of the Coronavirus, it never hurts to have it as something to look at now and then.
And that shall be it for me. Hope that I contributed more than enough for this, so I can go back to working my other projects, and whoever is reading this, hopefully, you'll have learned something.
Stay home, stay safe, keep a sanitiser close by and as my friend Jules said to me "See you after the Apocalypse!"