Unfortunately, it is not possible at the moment to go into the city and take photos. I can only watch from the window at our backyard and look longingly at the, just now becoming nicer, weather. What is usually taken for granted can no longer be perceived and I have to wait until everything opens again.
Every day we do a Corona test, once outside in the community yard and then again a self test inside in the apartment. So far all negative. Everyone is already afraid that one of the people in our community will be positive, because that means the lockdown will be even longer for us. We only know that it will be even longer then, but not how long it will last. There are no clear statements about that. Today is 04/10/2022 and we have been in lockdown since 04/01/2022.
Everyone here knows that in the western world everything has been opened again and many complain about the measures here in Shanghai. Often there is not the desired food and my wife clicks all day on the APPs with of the grocery stores that deliver stuff, for hours, but 99.9% without success. Shopping groups are establishing themselves in the community and buying large quantities together. This motivates the remaining stores to stop by and deliver stuff after all. Ultimately, however, it is complaining at a high level. Everyone has enough to eat and no one has to go hungry. It’s more the feeling of not being able to do what you can do otherwise. Freedom is limited.
But regardless of how you evaluate the situation, it shows something important. Today we had a family in the house whose son (10 years old) has a birthday. The 10 year old birthday is an important birthday in the life of a Chinese person. The son can’t leave the house and he doesn’t get a present. So the father decides to prepare his favorite food. Chicken wings with Coke. Chicken wings are in the freezer, Coke is missing. So the father sends a call in the Community, which in the meantime has a chat group. Immediately a resident answers and offers a bottle of Coke. Others get in touch and want to bake a cake and also want to help. Neighbors who have probably never or hardly met and talked to each other in the last 5 years help each other.
Maybe the actually-human behavior only comes out in bad times and not in good times. As long as everyone was busy making as much money as possible, we never experienced that. So I decided that I want to be a little sad, that after the opening I can be much happier again.
There are few photos now. Only the beautiful blue sky, which is still there waiting for me.
