Sunday Reads 3/29/20
What a month, eh? I was only gone for a week, and it feels like I’ve been traveling for months! My medical trip was originally planned for July, but with the ongoing COVID situation threatening my summer plans, I decided to take my chances and condensed all of my treatments for one single week in March. The idea was to essentially “outrun” the spread of the virus.
- I left when my home state of Michigan reported 0 confirmed cases.
- Chose to transit through Istanbul, Turkey which had 0 confirmed cases in the entire country at the time.
- Wore a mask and practiced good hygiene and social distancing as much as possible during the flights.
- In Moscow, which only had like 15 confirmed cases at the time, I used taxi services to get around and only ever went out for short walks after my medical treatments when the streets were empty [many of you noticed how deserted the city was when I shared on stories].
- Traveled back through Turkey on a nearly empty flight – pictured here.
- I got a hotel room at the airport terminal to stay in during my long transit to limit contact with other people. Sure, it cost more money but it gave me peace of mind.
- Again, I practiced good hygiene and social distancing as much as possible on my flight to Chicago, where I got cleared by CDC after a mandatory medical check-up for all international arrivals.
- Currently, self-isolating. So far it’s been a week and I’m not showing any symptoms. My plan is to stay inside indefinitely until the government gives an all-clear and the threat passes.
The photo above shows the Kremlin, the world-famous St. Basil’s Cathedral and a small piece of Red Square. What makes this photo so impossible is the lack of people and cars in the background. Imagine Time Square with no people or cars around [actually, you don’t have to imagine – check out this live cam]? For Moscow, which houses almost 20 million people in the metro area alone, this scenario is just as unprecedented!
Anyhow, now that I finally had a chance to take a breather and catch up on my Bloglovin feed, here are some articles that resonated with me this week.
1 // How I Learned Beauty Can Be a Curse – We talk a lot about beauty on this blog, but for many people being conventionally beautiful has been an absolute nightmare.
2 // The Four Possible Timelines for Life Returning to Normal – It was an interesting read. We all want life to go back to normal as soon as possible, without realizing that our “normal” will never be the same again.
3 // Miso Butter Pasta with Tuna and Cabbage – Looking for some interesting uncomplicated dinner ideas using stuff you might already have in the pantry? This Japanese recipe is pure genius!
4 // Make Your Own Face Mask – A DIY reusable face mask pattern that you can make at home with some cloth and elastic. Or, you could make a bunch and donate them to a local nursing home or a hospital.
5 // 1 Formula – 3 Ways – Leggings – Basically, a quick visual guide on how to look chic in leggings, because that’s what we’re all wearing these days.
6 // How to Make Quick Pickled Vegetables – Spice up your veggies with these easy pickling recipes. I know I’m not the only one that rations cucumbers, haha!
Stay safe and enjoy your Sunday!
