Keeping busy during coronavirus confinement: 10 ideas

March 17, 2020

I’m writing a very special article today, one that I never thought I’d write. As you all know, we’re going through a global health crisis, and many countries have gone into lockdown, inviting everyone to stay at home. It goes without saying that these rules must be respected, even if it’s not easy to do so. For those of you who can’t telecommute, here’s a light-hearted article with a few ideas to occupy your days at home in the face of the current coronavirus epidemic in Portugal and around the world.

Also, as I recently proposed on the Facebook group “amoureux du Portugal”, I invite all restaurateurs and businesses offering delivery services to contact me by private message so that I can communicate about the setting up of their online service. My email: annesophie@villaferia.com

N°1: Learn Portuguese

You’ve just moved to Portugal, or you’re thinking of moving to Portugal, but you don’t speak Portuguese yet, or you don’t speak it well? Well, now’s the time to learn it! You’ve got plenty of time! (The same goes for learning other languages, by the way. On the bright side, you’re about to become multilingual!) As for learning techniques, there are several:

reading short texts in Portuguese(books, magazines, newspapers),
watch short videos(Youtude, Podcast, Instagram videos),
watch films and TV series in Portuguese with subtitles,
sing in Portuguese,
use language apps,
buy a Portuguese grammar book.

To find out more about the above techniques, I invite you to read the article“10 tips for learning Portuguese quickly“, where you’ll find some useful ideas and links.

N°2: Become a chef!

Why not become a king or queen of the kitchen during this quarantine period? Portuguese cuisine is full of delicious dishes! You’ll find lots of recipe ideas on the Internet via cooking websites or on video on Youtube. Here are a few easy Portuguese recipes that I love:

Caldo verde: cabbage soup
Bacalhau à bras: cod with fried potatoes
Arroz de pato: duck rice
Arroz doce: a kind of rice pudding
Bolo de bolacha: tiramisu-style Portuguese cookie cake

Chef Daniel Cardoso, a former contestant on Masterchef Portugal, has also been posting daily recipes on his Instagram for several days now, which you can find here.

Finally, I publish recipes every month on the Villa Feria newsletter, so don’t forget to subscribe if you’re interested via this contact form.

Bacalhau à bras

N°3: Pretend you’re Véronique and Davina… Toutouyoutou!

Confinement means less physical activity and more snacking, so it’s important to exercise at home. Don’t have any equipment? Be inventive! For weights, use a pack of water, logs of wood, your child, your wife 🙂 And for exercise ideas, many sports coaches and gyms set up daily videos on social networks with exercise ideas. On Youtube too, it’s easy to find videos. So there’s no excuse to “gym tonic” all the way! I did write “gym tonic” and not “gin and tonic”… I can already see you coming 🙂

Gym tonic not Gin tonic 🙂

N°4: read the blog “La vie d’une française au Portugal” (“The life of a Frenchwoman in Portugal”)

The blog “La vie d’une française au Portugal” includes a good dose of articles now so you’ve got plenty to do! Now you’ve got time to read them all, and I hope they’ll teach you plenty about life in Portugal and, above all, take your mind off things a bit! Below are your favorite articles of 2019, but there are plenty more on the blog:

N°5: organize “Skype aperitifs” with your friends and family

You can’t live without aperitifs, we agree! And this damn Coronavirus isn’t going to take that away from us! Containment means being far from your loved ones, but you can keep in touch with them thanks to new technologies. I know, it’s no substitute for “human” contact, but with Skype, Whats’app, Facetime … and the star of confinement HouseParty, it’s easy to keep in constant contact with your loved ones, even for those who aren’t “pro” at new technologies, these applications are very easy to use once installed. So don’t hesitate to organize your aperitif remotely 🙂

N°6: clean, sweep, polish…

It’s a bit sad, but we’ve never talked as much about the importance of hygiene as we have recently. In addition to regular and essential hand-washing, take advantage of this confinement to spring-clean your home. Sort, tidy and clean your home with Zouk Machine’s Maldon tube to motivate you.

Get into every nook and cranny: behind the fridge, under beds, windows(which we never want to wash because we’re too lazy), above cupboards, shower drains, under sofa cushions(and what’s more, I’m sure you’ll find coins there!).

Take a look in your closet too. It’s a bit like going on a shopping spree: you’ll find clothes you’d completely forgotten you had. And don’t forget to sort. What you don’t wear anymore, put in boxes to give to charities when you can get out.

Finally, take a look in your kitchen cupboards. I’m sure you’ll find some old cans of tuna, sardines, cassoulet … that you bought on special and never used. It’s time to eat them! Well… check the expiration date anyway – this is no time for food poisoning!

Clean, sweep, polish…

N°7: gardening… sunbathing…

I realize that this won’t be possible for everyone, but for those of you who have an outdoor space, make the most of it. It’s the perfect season to prepare your vegetable garden, flower beds and do some DIY.

You can also take advantage of this time of year for a few sunbathing sessions, and what’s more, it’ll do your spirits a world of good. It’s scientifically proven that sunlight stimulates the production of serotonin, the happiness hormone that relaxes and energizes us. So get out in your garden, on your balcony, on your terrace and soak up some sun (using sun cream, of course).

Sunbathing on your balcony

N°8: Play!

I know it’s almost a dirty word these days to say “fun” and “play”, but it’s time to take your mind off things and play together. The more “geeky” ones will be delighted to stay at home and play their video games, while the others can dust off their old board games that were tucked away at the back of a cupboard. Who doesn’t have a little Monopoly under their elbow? And what’s more, a game of Monopoly can keep you busy for most of the day. Leave me Avenue Matignon, it’s my favorite 🙂

N°9: Take a trip

Yes, I know, you’re in confinement, so you’re not allowed to move around, let alone travel, but you can take a trip on the net… Find out more about the destinations you’re dreaming of, plan a trip you can take once your confinement is over. Learn the capitals of each country. I know all about the capitals of Latin America. Are you ready to challenge me? Capital of Honduras?

Travel on the net

N°10: deal with administrative paperwork

Doing the paperwork, the thing you always put off, that you don’t like doing and that takes time … Now you’ve finally got the time, so make the most of it! Tidy up and sort your papers. We never take the time to do this, and yet we should: your insurance, your internet subscription, your telephone subscription, your credit, your electricity service… On the Internet, you can easily run simulations… And you may find that it’s time to switch suppliers!

In conclusion

It goes without saying that this list is not exhaustive. You can also read, meditate, sing, dance, write, paint… and for the lucky ones, take care of your little ones 24 hours a day! It’s up to you to find your own hobby, and to make your little bubble of confinement as “pleasant” as possible.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the health professionals, but also the food retailers, cashiers, carriers, deliverymen, letter carriers..

Thank you to everyone else for playing along and respecting this confinement, which is necessary for the good of the whole world.

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