Veronique Heon-Klin studied public health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She worked with the Community Research Group in a study of violence in Washington Heights. When she returned to Germany she led a study of the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. She has joined us on numerous city visits in Europe and the US.
Dear Mindy,
I have a little difficulty to grasp what you look for as I have difficulties to understand “to shelter in place”
What comes to my mind is a self reflection on the lock down experience – when social life is turned down and you are locked in your place. I went through different phases:
1) With time you lose your orientation – as each day is the same, there is no difference between week-ends and weeks etc. the boundaries/limits blurr.
2) With time (with all the measures of social distancing – wearing masks where the mimic is lost as a translator for your intuition as 80% of communication is non-verbal, being 1,5 m apart so as soon as you come to near to a person you jump away and you feel faultif if you sneeze etc.) you feel nostalgic and you idealize the time before Covid 19 of hugging laughing and being lighthearted etc. .
3) With time you get angry, you feel it does something with human interaction and you start questioning – will human interaction be the same as before? From the rational you know certain measures are necessary but you start doubting listening to other theories as you feel a little sometimes lonely, sometimes angry and sometimes depressed…..
Like in our wallpaper
And what impact will it have on inequality !?!
As I am in a “luxury” situation of having big children (so I have not to take care of them), I work in the crisis unit so I change places by going to work, I have a big house with enough space and room for everybody even with a sports room, having a garden, having a secure job and being in a country where it was never forbidden to go out by yourself or with others from your household outside – so what does it do to humans to be locked in in a total different situation in a small, crowded shabby place if it impacts already me this way…..
Best
Véro