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Traveling in times of Covid: learnings for the new course- By Pilar de Kucavana

As a general rule, I speak little of opinions and less outside the world of travel and caravanning. But today is one of those days that I woke up wanting to share my reflections.

In fact, along with the cup of coffee, I have started talking to myself recording an Instagram story. Then I saw that he had some hairs that not even a crazy one and I decided to delete all the videos. I'm not very presumptuous, but this exposure to Instagram lately is taking the shame out of me, if I had any.

Overall, after a lot of teleworking with children, getting off my period and leaving me KO, taking the dog to the vet for an infection, videoconference at my children's school, preparing the virtual classroom of the master's degree that I teach at the UOC and giving dinners and putting them to sleep children ... I told myself, today does not happen. It is 21:21 pm, I am extremely tired, but I need to write what I think.

And here I am, a bit KO, but already brave for what I am going. What I was going to do, I got involved: I was on schools and traveling during Covid times.

Fear at school, fear of Covid

Some of you are already starting and others, like us, are in the last days of vacation waiting for what will happen on Monday, between videoconferences from the school and communications of the news. Many protocols and many fears and doubts of fathers and mothers.

Actually 3 months ago I would have experienced this in a very different way. With many fears and anguish assured. The confinement served to stop the blow of the lack of medical attention but also to create a lot of fear.

My mother is at risk, we have grandparents, an older great-grandmother, a doctor brother and a pregnant sister who is a children's teacher. Imagine, anguish assured. A perfect cocktail so that anxiety could appear at all times before my two sons start school.

But, you know what? All my fear disappeared. It got deleted. Although some suspicion always remains, it is too heavy to erase the happy fear. As a child I was taught that there are two primary feelings: love and fear. Fear generates all negative feelings and emotions and love generates positive ones. What reason I think my teachers had.

Overcoming fear is a journey. Travel in times of Covid

The fear disappeared the day I saw, lived, experienced, and left my "comfort zone of confinement within my home." And that is the key, go out, live, know and learn to overcome fears.

It disappeared the day we went on a trip to Europe in July. . More than a month crossing France, Belgium and Holland. Traveling in times of Covid erased it

At first, people threw themselves on us: Where are you going unconscious? Do you know that they will close the borders? What if something happens to you outside? 

We finally decided that fear would not paralyze us. Traveling by motorhome makes us more free and have more control over the covid. We traveled in our home and that comforted us from minute 0.

We went out to live, to see closely what was happening outside our home, our town and other countries with the Covid. Because in the media we didn't really see much information from other European countries.

Learning comparative politics between countries to erase fear

Just stepping on France we began to see another reality. The mask outside was not used. We even went to Futuroscope, an amusement park. We were the only ones wearing a mask in the queues. We begin to observe, ask and discover. In France people had never been confined like in Spain. Only some big cities, and always less time than here.  

But we continue on the journey and Belgium is more of the same as in France. Here we see the same measures as there and we already see the great respect and patience of the people with the people. The so-called social safety distance.

And we arrived in Holland. The first thing they made us do in Holland was take off our mask. Literally. They asked me if I was sick, since I was wearing a mask. I told them no, and it was then that they told me: “keep your distance and take off that unsanitary mask”. In the Netherlands you do not wear a mask or in the supermarket. It is only mandatory in big cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

What will we do so wrong?

The French, Belgians and the Dutch shook their heads when we told them that we had spent practically 3 months without leaving home confined. And they were even more scandalized when we explained that schools had been closed since March 13. 

And to all this, incredulous looked at us and asked how it was possible then that we were the European country with the most cases at that time.

I discovered how deceived I had been during the months of confinement. I believed that we were the last Europeans to confine ourselves, to close schools and that is why we were in that situation. 

The media really manipulates a great deal. That added to the fact that I was very paralyzed by fear and did not contrast the information online either. I didn't want to look at anything about Covid, fear paralyzed me.

Schools must open because education is the key

Well, ladies, be that as it may, our children must go to school. And please without fear, without fear. 

We are one of the few countries that have closed schools. And the rest with open schools have done better. Is there no learning from them? I find it difficult to think that we are not talking about success stories where we can see ourselves reflected, when there are European countries that have them and are months ahead of us.

Perhaps the problem is one of education. Hence it is good that there are schools and that they are open. Although education is a family matter remember.

After much reflection, what is being done in the European countries that we have visited and what is not done here. I have come to the following conclusion:

We lack education, education and education. It is not a question of masks or safety distance. Without education first, the others are not effective. Let's start at the beginning: education, education and education.

Safety distance is not only a question of distance, it is a question of education

It is not possible that when I go to the supermarket I am picking up a pack of yogurts and a lady literally smashes me over to grab the yogurts from the side. Ma'am, is 15 seconds long, what will it take to get out of there with mine?

It is not possible for me to take the train, and with half the car completely empty, the boy on duty comes and sits next to me, right next to it.

It is not possible that I go to the pharmacy and the man on duty hooks me right next to it while we wait together

It is not possible for them to sneak into a queue when I am 2 meters away from the lady in front to give her her safety space. 

It is not possible that I go to the vet and my vet is getting closer and closer to me talking to me when I am retreating taking steps back.

It is not possible that people who are walking do not go to the right and have to pass without leaving space for me by my side, when their sidewalk on their right is completely empty.

It is not possible for me to go for a walk in the countryside and the neighboring family on duty will not stray to cross us.

It is not possible that you go to the butcher shop and a man enters without a mask and challenges the shopkeeper to ask him to put it on.

No, it is not possible. What's more, it is possible. In Spain all this is possible. We lack education, values, respect, and empathy. The Spanish are missing something that I have not seen especially in Belgium and Holland.

Let the schools start now without fear, with joy, and with a lot of education!

For God's sake start the schools and teach education, because it seems that the Spanish families who would have to educate our children do not have enough education to even set an example.

And I end here, because they did not want to talk about how necessary schools are just to be able to work and eat, which is already obvious, or for our children to learn to read or write, develop and socialize among much more. I wanted to do a different opinion piece. With the point of view of an inveterate traveler with her summer learning as a family and pissed off by this society, in part (and thank goodness, only part), so impatient and selfish in which we live.

You may not agree, remember that this is just an opinion. Comment below and we continue chatting.