©Camila Oliveira
It was great to hear from you and the idea for the special MGG newsletter was a breath of fresh air. Kudos!
I hope you and your families are healthy and soon our lives will be back to normal.
I am hoping to soon be able to meet you face-to-face during our Global Network Conference in Bonn.
Here in Brazil, the COVID-19 situation, unfortunately, has become more fuel for the current and difficult political polarization Brazilians have been facing for the past year. There is a lot of debate about the strategies for the suppression or mitigation of the new Corona-virus and its effects on the economy.
When checking social media and the news, it feels like we are living in a time of a single subject, filled with news from all around the globe and quite a number of conspiracy theories. When I leave the house, I have the constant feeling that at any minute a zombie will appear and start running after me. Life feels strange and everything very uncertain!
My ministry authorized home office for its staff, so I am learning a lot of new tools for remote working and online conferences, and this has been very interesting and quite productive. On the other hand, we had to cancel many workshops that were being planned for many months and we are now struggling to figure out ways to move forward without face-to-face meetings.
Schools are out for more than three weeks now in my city, so I am also helping my daughter to organize her study routine at home. My husband still has to go out to the office every day and my son, who just started working as a Civil Engineer, also does a lot of outside work, so, unfortunately, I cannot say I am isolated. The hardest part is keeping the physical distance from my parents, both beyond 70, and my mother in law, who will soon be 93. They are completely isolated and we help them from a distance whenever possible. It seems like the internet is fulfilling its purpose!
The house routine is completely different, but we try to keep some order, do more cooking, read new books, watch some movies and every once a while we are successful in organizing a virtual get together with family, friends, drinks, and music. I discovered some amazing online yoga classes and videos and this has been a new and exciting everyday task. It feels great to experience daily evolution.
Well, hopefully, all of our worries related to COVID-19 and its consequences will soon be behind us, and we will come out of this with great personal growth, increased sense of cooperation and a refreshed environment.
Camila Oliveira
Brasil
Commentary received on: 06.04.2020
