Part I – Paris, France
I wrote this post just over two weeks ago, while I was still at home in Paris. As by now you may have guessed, there is a delay between my brain and the blog: I am only just publishing this, and it is the first part of my thoughts and experiences regarding life in the time of the virus. The second part will follow shortly and will cover my return to Korea and my experience being taken to a facility to be tested for Covid-19.
Tuesday 17th March
I had the idea for this post in the shower, while listening to some of my favourite Chet Baker songs. His softly crooning voice seemed, just then, to epitomise the meaning of springtime for me, and to be the soundtrack of its coming. So it was that the first half of what is now the title of this post took root in my brain. And then I thought of how it was that the once noisy roads beneath my apartment are now quiet, as are the bars and restaurants and rest of the city, and the second half of the title shimmered into being.
Though not completely silent, Paris is but a shadow of its former self. My access to the rest of the city is limited only to my small corner of the 16ème arrondisement, and even that mostly from my bedroom window – though we are permitted to leave the house for dog walks and the purchase of “primary necessities”. From my window I can see how much the city has changed, if the view from my room says anything about the city’s wider condition. The street below, normally so bustling and busy, is void of cars; likewise the little square across from my building is empty of the habitual passersby and chatting acquaintances. Cinemas, brasseries, shops: everything is closed, except for supermarkets and pharmacies. The city has gone into complete lockdown, and that just as spring has started to show its colours. The warming weather beckons us to go outside and enjoy the sunshine which seems to have been absent from our lives for so long; it’s been a brutal and gruelling winter, in spirit if not in climate, and to be forced to stay indoors in such lovely weather can be painful.
I have a week left until my departure for Korea. Anticipating a trip to London this coming weekend, I’d extended my stay at home for an extra week and changed my flight ticket last week. Needless to say, the trip to London has been cancelled; I’ll be spending my remaining week at home, indoors, occasionally taking my dog for a walk or going to the supermarket. Reading through my last post “a hiatus”, the irony of my return home fails to escape me. I left Seoul because of my mother’s worries about the danger of the escalating crisis in Korea and my own worries about my safety and liberties being compromised. Having spent two weeks in self-quarantine at home upon my arrival from Korea, I had a mere weekend of freedom before the announcement of the lockdown. I had come back to Paris with a heart determined to make the most of this city and its museums and walks and lifestyle. Now I am forbidden to venture further than 2km away from my own house – and that only if it is strictly necessary to go out.
The times are grossly unpredictable. One could be upset about this and how because of it certain opportunities that seemed unquestionably, inalienably our right have been taken from us. Yet the fact is that everyone is in this together (for fear of sounding like something from a certain teenage musical). Separately, it is true, but still. It seems that we have to put our lives on hold, and we shouldn’t begrudge this too much because everyone is doing the same. And though coming back to Paris has seemingly resulted in a loss in my autonomy rather than a gain, I’m grateful for this time at home with my family, baking and eating sweet things, watching films, listening to music, writing, reading, drawing; and I intend to spend my remaining week in the same way, sitting at my desk, pen in hand, letting the sound of Chet Baker’s voice drift through my room and out of my open window into the silent city.
For those who want to listen to spring as it sounds to me, click here for my short playlist of Chet Baker favourites.
