L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano H ere we are, our second w e e k i n i s o l a t i o n b e g i n s . I t ' s strange to think how much our existence has changed i n s u c h a s h o r t p e r i o d o f time. It's strange to think something as minuscule as a virus can create such havoc. But it did, it does. These d a y s , I h a v e a r e c u r r e n t thought, one that brings my memory and heart even clo- ser to my grandparents, the people who brought me up and made me the person I am. They belonged to that generation born during the First World War, who lived a n d f o u g h t t h e S e c o n d : think about what they had to endure in those five years o f c o n f l i c t , o f h o w m u c h their daily life had changed, of the danger, of fear han- g i n g l i k e t h e s w o r d o f Damocles above their head, always. Yet they lived, they k e p t o n l i v i n g . T h e y h a d moments of incredible joy, they had smiles and jokes and evenings spent at the ballroom, even if these cer- tainly weren't that many. They had months passed in isolation, two, three families together, in farms outside cities and villages, to avoid bombings. They had chil- dren being born, jokes being told, celebrations being held and love stories blooming. They managed to find a new normality in a tragic situa- tion, and with resilience and courage they carried on. They tell us that against the coronavirus is war, a n d i t ' s t r u e , i t ' s t h a t serious. But as bad as it is, we aren't facing anything as tragic as what that genera- tion had to go through. I felt I had to say this because one of the first things that hap- pened when the lockdown b e g a n l a s t M o n d a y w a s complaining: I can't go to the park, I can't go for ape- ritivo, I can't go to the café, I can't go to gym, I can't do window shopping. W h a t d o y o u n o t i c e i n that list? Yes, they are all less than essential things, but they were the first we n o t i c e d w h e n t h e y t o o k them away. Our everyday habits were the first we mis- sed, but we quickly recove- red from that, because resi- l i e n c e a n d i n v e n t i v e n e s s kicked in. Italian virologist Ilaria Capua said it well: "We live in a bubble where time and space stopped. All this free time we've been gif- ted, even if we didn't ask for i t , c a n b e u s e d t o d o a l l those things we always wan- t e d t o d o b u t w e n e v e r managed to: write a letter, reading a book, tiding up the closet, decluttering…". Or calling that old friend you hadn't heard from in a w h i l e , c a t c h i n g u p w i t h family members you barely see usually, spending more time with your pets. In the short time of a week, we rea- lized that there is a lot to do a n d t o e n j o y w i t h i n o u r homes, and we don't really n e e d g o i n g o u t t o h a v e a good time. A n d t h e n , t h e r e i s w o r k . S o m e p e o p l e s t i l l have to work everyday but, because many companies h a v e e n d o r s e d w o r k i n g f r o m h o m e , I t a l i a n s a r e finally getting to grasp the i d e a o f t e l e - l a v o r o o r smart-working: good, old fashioned "working from home." You see, we are a p r e t t y t r a d i t i o n a l n a t i o n when it comes to the work- p l a c e : y o u g e t t h e car/bus/train/metro, go to the office, sit at your desk, lunch break, coffee break, 5pm comes, back home. We just couldn't understand the concept of not leaving the house but working for real: as a writer who has been working from home for the past 10 years, I can tell you t h a t m o s t I t a l i a n s w o u l d look at me as if I had no job a n d z e r o i n c o m e w h e n I m e n t i o n e d i t . B u t n o w , e v e r y t h i n g h a s c h a n g e d , with people appreciating the advantages of it and compa- nies noticing that producti- vity has not lowered at all. If we are lucky, they may allow tele-lavoro to continue also after the coronavirus emer- gency ended. When it comes to social life, things have changed pretty drastically. You know it yourself: we Italians are into physical contact, we hug, we touch, we use body language as words, and so, b e i n g p h y s i c a l l y d i s t a n t from people, being unable to show friendship, attention, love, care without contact is excruciatingly difficult for us. But we are learning. We keep the 2 meters distance, w e s a y t h i n g s m o r e . Yesterday I received a mes- sage from a friend of mine I've known since we were 5: she just wanted to tell me she loved me. That was all. I don't think we've ever said that to each other in more than 30 years of friendship and it took us Covid-19 for us to do it, so hey: that's one g o o d t h i n g t h i s s i t u a t i o n brought to us. People speak their love, and show it with s m a l l g e s t u r e s : a d d i n g a small box of chocolates for your elderly neighbor when y o u d o t h e i r s h o p p i n g s o they don't need to leave the house; ringing your parents more often (and realizing you do it because you are the one needing them more than the other way around), s h a r i n g m e m o r i e s w i t h friends via vocal messages, planning dinners with them, e v e n i f y o u d o n ' t k n o w when you'll be able to see them. You see, if anything, isolation made us love our loved ones more, made us u n d e r s t a n d w h o i s r e a l l y important and what is really important. It works as a sort of imposed self-assessment of our values and priorities and I hope we will remem- ber what we've been lear- ning these days also when, in a few months, this will be part of the past. There is something more I ' d l i k e t o m e n t i o n . Something I feel may have b e e n c h a n g i n g s i n c e t h e beginning of the emergency: I b e l i e v e w e a r e p r o u d again of being Italian. When the epidemic started, we felt ashamed, convinced that it was — once again — our ill-handling of the situa- tion to bring the country to that stage. And let's be hone- st and upfront, it was, at least in part. Now things are a bit different though. We've seen and we keep on seeing e v e r y d a y t h e d e d i c a t i o n , skills, expertise, humanity with which our healthcare p r a c t i t i o n e r s a l l o v e r t h e country are caring for peo- ple; we hear the world tel- ling us "your docs are great," and we feel a bit ashamed for all the times we complai- n e d a b o u t o u r h e a l t h system, forgetting that, with all its issues and limits, it remains one of the best in the world, and it's free and accessible for everyone. We are proud also becau- se even our institutions, despised — and not without reason — by a large chunk of us, have been demonstrating what you would expect from a country that has always placed Man, the protection of Life and Humanity in all its facets at the heart of its creed. Our lives come before the economy, that's what the Government's decisions of t h e l a s t 1 0 d a y s s h o w e d . They may have not always worked in that direction, it's true, but right now, in this situation of incredible fear a n d e m e r g e n c y , w h e n mistakes cannot be made, they do. They didn't undere- stimate the gravity of the epidemic because of the age bracket of the most affected, as other countries of the Old C o n t i n e n t d e c i d e d t o d o ( y e s , I ' m l o o k i n g a t y o u Great Britain), because the elderly are the wisdom and the historic memory of a nation, they are those who w o r k e d t o g i v e u s , t h e working generation of today, the opportunities, wealth and life standards we have and enjoy. Protecting them is not a choice, it's a civic d u t y a n d , m o r e t h a n a n y t h i n g , i t ' s w h a t b e i n g human brings us to do. Here they are, some con- siderations on how this first w e e k o f q u a r a n t i n e h a s changed us. It'll be intere- s t i n g t o s e e h o w m a n y o f t h e s e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s w i l l remain true after the end of the emergency: let's hope we'll show intelligence and humanity and keep them all with us, like a small treasu- re. LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE On lockdown, in Rome: going out is only for strict necessities and harsher measures may soon be implemented (Photo: Dreamstime) Daily life during the coronavirus: changes, quirks and new habits of a country on lockdown FRANCESCA BEZZONE

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