COVID-19: The Caravan Documents Life Under Confinement
On March 27, the Egyptian government began enforcing a nighttime curfew in a bid to combat the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Cairo’s streets have slowly been emptied of any activity during that time and even in non-curfew hours, the Egyptian capital is calmer than usual.
These are the stories of AUC students coping with the curfew, home confinement, and online teaching. On Day One, a few Caravan reporters shared their stories.
We’d like to hear from the whole community – students, alumni, staff, faculty – as we all go through a very challenging time in history. Send us your stories to caravannews@aucegypt.edu
Day One – March 27, 2020
Global cases: 595,000; Deaths: 27,000
Egypt cases: 536; Deaths: 30
Family Going Strong
Farida El Deeb
@FaridaAEldeeb
On the first day of a full curfew, my life started as usual: I woke up midday feeling tired yet hungry because I had spent my Thursday night/early Friday morning watching ‘The Greatest Events of WWII in color’ on Netflix.
My sister, a popular ninth-grader, spent her night talking to her friends. My brother, on the other hand, a seventh-grade hardcore gamer, spent the night juggling between Fortnite and GTA on his PS4. And my parents were long asleep as they like to wake up early. That has been the typical night ever since March 12, the start of a weekend full of rain and thunderstorms and the start of a family-enforced lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bit later in the afternoon, we all had lunch, and we enjoyed our time watching ‘Hobbes and Shaw on Netflix.
Surprisingly and gladly, the family is still going strong. Our fights are down to the minimum. I believe we are all more considerate and caring towards each other. I don’t know whether it’s because we’ve realized how valuable our time spent together is. Or is it because the cases of COVID-19 are increasing and they are scared that we might be infected soon?
As a matter of fact, according to Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed, the total number of cases of COVID-19 patients in Egypt reached 536, as of March 27. On a brighter note, Megahed added that 116 COVID-19 patients had recovered so far. Anyways, this whole lockdown is comforting as we all push each other to be better. We all try not to demotivate each other nor spread negative vibes.
If someone is feeling down, he/she talks about what’s bothering them. And together, we find a way to combat the problem. I wonder what will happen in the coming weeks?
How long do you think the El Deeb family will last together? Only time will tell.
Secret Outing
By Laila Mohamed
@laylamhmd
To be honest, I did not know that today was the first day of curfew. My friends had told me about it yesterday but I assumed it was a “Facebook rumor” that a few moms picked and passed. I did not believe them because I thought that if I could say that I learned one thing from my major so far, it would be how to look for/identify the right sources for news. I ended up forgetting and not looking it up.
When I woke up today at around 2pm, I noticed that the streets were quieter than usual. I could hear some birds chirp for the first time in years, and I live in the first settlement! I thought about the possibility but then I got a text from my crush telling me to hang out.
I immediately forgot about the possibility of having a curfew today and I started getting ready. On my way out, my mom looked at me with disappointment saying “where are you going?”. I knew she would never let me out of her house at a time like this and she definitely will not let me hang out with a guy alone in a car, so I lied to her. I told her I was going to my friend’s house to do some presentation for a class.
She eventually let me out after multiple lectures. I met up with him for the first time and it was worth all of it. We hung out from 2 to 6 and these four hours were the best I’ve had in months. I then headed home and started working on an article due today.
My mom was laying in her bed with her door half open, swiping on her phone with her glasses on, like she has been for the past week. My brother finally decided to take that boredom to the punching bag and workout.
I got in my room and started video-chatting with some friends I haven’t seen in a while and am planning on binge-watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix while eating some dry cereal to celebrate two victories: a first date, and an on-time submission.
Perks of Being Quarantined
Dana Farouk
@danahfarouk
So, the government tells us we’re not allowed to leave the house on weekends. Well, that’s fine – it’s not like our very Egyptian parents were letting us wander the streets and step on the corona-rich ground anyway. When you’re forced to stay inside all day, you do whatever you can to make the time pass quicker.
I turned my days into nights and my nights into days; going to bed at the crack of dawn and waking up late in the afternoon. It’s easier that way.
Today, I woke up and stared at the ceiling for a few hours because even Netflix has lost its flavor. Why not go for a walk? It is a gated community after all. Does that defeat the purpose of a national curfew? It probably does. That being said, I went on a walk anyway.
After convincing my mother that walking does not require me to be in contact with any other human being, I left the house and wandered the empty streets for a little while. The silence was deafening to say the least. No one in sight but the security guards who have rightfully started to wear masks and gloves. It was cold but not too cold. The chilling spring weather. The perfect time to be outside. It was good to clear my mind. Let myself leave the four walls of my room.
I went back home to the feelings of paranoia of whether I could have been exposed to the virus. Take off your shoes. Wash your hands. Change your clothes. You’ll be fine. What now? Well people say you should take this time to nurture your hobbies. I could practice playing my ukulele.
Nope, it seems a beginner ukulele player isn’t really something my full house appreciates. Next hobby: Special Effects Makeup. That’s it. Now, what to do, what to do? Think timely. Think trendy. Give your Instagram audience what they want to see.
And there I was. Sitting in my bedroom at 3am painting a medical mask on my face to achieve what became my first viral Instagram post. Maybe the quarantine isn’t so bad.
