It’s been difficult to know if there is anything interesting to say about being an expartriate during a pandemic. I suspect that the experience of lockdown and wearing a mask and being on Zoom is pretty much the same wherever you are. But as we begin to think that the glimmer of vaccine hope may turn into the dazzling light of mass immunity there are some things I have learnt and would share.
The Buggles told us that video “killed the radio stars” but we should be grateful that it didn’t kill radio. Not being able to travel to the UK in 2020 did not mean that we couldn’t share the mild, British eccentricity of Liza Tarbuck on a Saturday morning or the tones of Steve Wright on a Sunday afternoon. In the early 80s I found the latter as annoying as I was to find Chris Evans in the 1990s. Wright started the whole notion of “zoo format” radio in the UK so has a lot to answer for, but the decades have mellowed us all and he is now as comforting as an old jumper.
Listening to UK radio also reminds me to avoid Snake Pass during the winter, give the M5 near Bristol a miss at any time of year and to always check the rail timetables for disruption when the wrong sorts of leaves are falling. If I wanted to feel even more in the homeland, I could listen to the rhythmic heartbeat of an island nation as the shipping forecast incanted, “Dogger, Fisher, German Bight…”. Running since 1867, the shipping forecast is the longest continuous weather forecast in the world and that makes it the essence of being British.
None of this is of any practical use in San Diego but then it wasn’t of any real use to hear about snow in the Cairngorms when I lived in the relatively balmy climes of Brighton. For good measure, finding 88.5FM SoCal has been a further boon and for anyone looking to get a sense of high-quality southern California music radio programming it’s highly recommended. It’s topped off by the celebrity appeal of a Saturday evening slot with Joe Walsh of Eagles and James Gang fame whose wonderfully titled solo album “The Smoker You Drink The Player You Get” is reputedly a play on the phrase, “the higher you get the better you play.”
Walking and running in the road has become the norm as the polite dance of social distancing has been underpinned by the San Diegan belief in science and staying healthy. The nice thing is that drivers don’t seem to mind at all and there is often a cheery wave as they give a wide berth in passing. Cyclists have increased in number and remain slightly less accommodating but that’s probably to be expected of people whose anatomy is constricted by inappropriate amounts of spandex and silicon padding.
We’ve also seen the end of the plague of Bird, Jump, Lyft and Lime scooters that had threatened life and limb on the pavement or the road as they carried crazed, no helmet riders to an inevitable date with the Emergency Room. In a double sign of the times, Bird “terminated around 40% of its then about 1060 employees in a group Zoom meeting” in March 2020 and a May 2020 deal “valued Lime at $510 million, down 79% from its $2.4 billion valuation in April 2019”. The long-term consequences for “final leg” scooter companies remain unclear but it seems unlikely that the glory days will return any time soon.
Ordering food out has been one of the ways of feeling good about supporting local businesses and extending the range of cuisine beyond restaurants in walking distance. Some experiences have been brilliant, while others have shown that a dining place that is outstanding in person does not necessarily deliver (sic) when delivering. Generally speaking, Indian food travels well from distance, burgers need to be collected from nearby, noodles are no go’s, and pizza tastes fine but the organization of the process does much to explain the joke about Hell having the Italians in charge.
Restaurants are certain to be one of the most significant beneficiaries of a successful vaccination programme. One of the real downsides of lockdown has been missing the Friday night pint at the Whistlestop but there really is nothing quite like the whole ritual of visiting a favourite restaurant, selecting a much-loved meal and then walking away without any thought of doing the dishes or taking out the rubbish. It’s to be hoped that most survive until there is a chance to reopen but the resilience of the sector and the energy of entrepreneurs will fill any gaps.
With everyone stuck at home around the world the propensity to engage in calls on Zoom and other formats has brought me back in touch with people I might never have otherwise spoken to again. The notion of a global community and everyone being just a video-call away is facilitated by saving the time that is usually consumed by travelling and waiting for transport. Not having to be on the next plane or train with a group of strangers has been a bonus for communication and that’s a good lesson for us to remember.
Time zones and geography are among the disadvantages of being an expatriate but when everybody is challenged by mobility and finds themselves with more time it becomes a lot easier. Everyone is sharing a similar and unusual situation so being abroad and several thousand miles away is not much different to being seven, seventeen or seventy miles distant. It seems that being isolated has, for some people, been the very best way of getting back in touch.
That’s about it – re-finding radio, walking in the road, ordering take-out food and getting back in touch. Certainly a lot better than being bombed in a Blitz, going over the top into No Man’s Land or facing famine and I am among those who can have no complaints. No description is complete without saying how it’s all aided by the San Diego weather which permits an outdoor lifestyle and the sunshine to cure most of the lockdown blues.
None of these consolations take away from being pained by the tales of human tragedy during the pandemic or being shocked at the scale of the hospitalizations and deaths around the world. Locke told us that “any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind” and we can only hope that this worldwide catastrophe is a reminder of the connections between us. In that respect the schism of Brexit and the bitter partisan nature of the US elections do not augur well but it is best to be hopeful.