As the plague breaks out and begins to ravage the world, I'm currently in Ukraine.
It could be worse.
My strategy for the next two weeks or so is to do nothing. As I write this it is currently 17 MAR 2020 and people are still losing their damned minds, freaking out and shutting down countries. So I really don't have all that many options other than to stay put.
The EU has shut down, my return plane flight cancelled and who knows if the UK will close it's doors.
Considering this isn't really 'that deadly' of disease (compared to say 'the Black Plague') it is a great test of our readiness.
We are sorely lacking.
Until the government closed them, people were still going to bars to hand out ("Cause I'm a Murican!") and religious nutters gather together in huge groups despite their religious zeal literally never having worked before. If it were just those people that died instead of them acting as vectors and passing on the disease to the vulnerable we could just give them Darwin Awards and celebrate but sadly it doesn't work like that.
It will be interesting to see what happens as far as society norms goes also - will hand shaking be replaced by goofy shit like in the old Demolition Man movie? Or bowing like in some parts of Asia? Or Nazi salutes like in the more inbred parts of the USA?
It's all up in the air right now.
As to my specific situation - I'm in a comfortable place right now. I'd rather be in the UK but the world doesn't move on what Logan wants. I chose not to enter the panicked melee of people trying to get somewhere else before the borders closed. I'm thinking the borders will open soon. Betting on money trumping trying to keep the borders closed. People cannot go long without working - they simply don't have the resources to take a month off and hang out at home.
I'll write again when I have something interesting that's going on. I've not been writing as much as I'm mostly just going and 'living' in people's countries and haven't encountered a lot of 'new' experiences.
So to the people who read this - be safe out there, stay the fuck away from other people and wash your damned hands.
It could be worse.
My strategy for the next two weeks or so is to do nothing. As I write this it is currently 17 MAR 2020 and people are still losing their damned minds, freaking out and shutting down countries. So I really don't have all that many options other than to stay put.
The EU has shut down, my return plane flight cancelled and who knows if the UK will close it's doors.
Considering this isn't really 'that deadly' of disease (compared to say 'the Black Plague') it is a great test of our readiness.
We are sorely lacking.
Until the government closed them, people were still going to bars to hand out ("Cause I'm a Murican!") and religious nutters gather together in huge groups despite their religious zeal literally never having worked before. If it were just those people that died instead of them acting as vectors and passing on the disease to the vulnerable we could just give them Darwin Awards and celebrate but sadly it doesn't work like that.
It will be interesting to see what happens as far as society norms goes also - will hand shaking be replaced by goofy shit like in the old Demolition Man movie? Or bowing like in some parts of Asia? Or Nazi salutes like in the more inbred parts of the USA?
It's all up in the air right now.
As to my specific situation - I'm in a comfortable place right now. I'd rather be in the UK but the world doesn't move on what Logan wants. I chose not to enter the panicked melee of people trying to get somewhere else before the borders closed. I'm thinking the borders will open soon. Betting on money trumping trying to keep the borders closed. People cannot go long without working - they simply don't have the resources to take a month off and hang out at home.
I'll write again when I have something interesting that's going on. I've not been writing as much as I'm mostly just going and 'living' in people's countries and haven't encountered a lot of 'new' experiences.
So to the people who read this - be safe out there, stay the fuck away from other people and wash your damned hands.
