A Cross Cultural Journey Through a Pandemic

As the coronavirus sweeps the planet with all its sad news and darkness, it is juxtaposed against clear skies, transparent waters, whales and fish returning. Bees pollinating apple blossoms on beaming branches. Within just a few weeks, birdsong is no longer drowned out by airplane or distant freeway noises.

Our regular haircut appointments are cancelled and we let our hair grow, let the grey come back. We keep our loved ones close as we stand face-to-face with our own mortality, wondering if this is our time to stay or to go? The worldwide crisis is acutely evident from an economic and health perspective, and its short and long-term impacts are still unclear. World leaders, scientists, and doctors do their best to stay neutral as they search for answers.

Here at Cross Cultural Journeys, our hearts go out to those families with loved ones who have passed on, to those who are still battling the disease, to those who are home alone, and to the elderly who cannot visit their loved ones during this difficult time. Even if we have not (yet…) fallen ill or been directly impacted health-wise by the pesky virus, all of us have been told – in one way or another – to live our lives quite differently than what we were used to.

I have in many ways welcomed the long break, as a way to find out what matters most. Five years of a busy international travel schedule stalled overnight, I finally got some rest. What’s next in the physical/work realm is entirely unclear. But I also find there is beauty and peace that rests within, amidst the difficulty of planning for the life ahead.

As a life-long anthropologist and incurable cross-cultural bridge builder, I am interested in the impact the pandemic is having on individuals and families in their own communities around the world. Here are some updates from friends in the Cross Cultural Journeys family. If you’ve traveled with us before, you might recognize them.

In Havana, Cuba

My friend and colleague Arturo told me that “it is a radical change in the way we live in such a short time. Especially for those who don’t have something strong to hold on to, and you don’t know how long it will last.” Arturo was traveling through Europe when the pandemic struck, and had to cut his trip short and scramble to get back to his family. When Arturo returned to Cuba from Germany, he had to spend some time in self-isolation before he was able to be reunited with his wife and daughter in their apartment in the Playa neighborhood of Havana.

Don Fitz, author of Cuban Health Care – The Ongoing Revolution, writes in a blog post:

“Those of us old enough to remember that in the 1960s, we could still have a relationship with a doctor without an insurance company interceding can appreciate that social bonds between physicians and patients were eroding in the United States at the same time they were being strengthened in Cuba…Since Cuba brought both AIDS and dengue under control with massive increases and modifications of testing, it was well prepared to develop a national testing program for COVID-19.”

Another one of our Cuba partners, Tania, said, “the radical change in daily routine has not been easy, but in my opinion, we should see the positive side of everything, even if this epidemic only shows its negative side.”

Like many places in the world, Cuban schools were also closed to hinder the spread of illness. But unlike the Zoom calls and online classes in many countries, Tania tells us that “Children are being taught through the television, they are given tele-classes and they are then given activities to do individually.”

According to the website Cuba Standard, “close to eight weeks since the first reported cases in Cuba, official numbers suggest that the curve of new COVID-19 infections is flattening, with zero new cases predicted for late this month.”

Tania continues: “Here the government is very concerned with the well-being of the population, a public health assistant comes by every day to check in on us, how many of us live in the house, if we are all home, and if there is someone over 60 years of age. They also gave us some homeopathic drops that are to increase immunity in the body and that are supposed to fight the virus without the need to supply us with any other medicine, it serves more as prevention because they are still trying to find the vaccine.”

In Milan, Italy

My friend and intercultural mentor Milton is safely riding out the stay-at-home order with his wife, son, and mother-in-law. “Everybody is doing fine,” he tells me. He reflected on his early career and the two years he was working as a Peace Corps volunteer (a.k.a. PCV) on a tiny island in the West Pacific, and how it prepared him for right now.

In his blog post RPCV: Really Prepared for Coronavirus, he writes:

“It started with the toilet paper panic. I wondered why I was not remotely tempted to stock up, when it occurred to me that I hadn’t had any toilet paper at all for those two years. To avoid the very unpleasant native practice of using coconut husk fibers, we PCVs carefully saved every Time magazine we could find. The pages of that edition were thin and flimsy – perfect for the purpose. Occasionally we’d run out of Time, forcing us to use pages of the local newspaper printed on mimeograph paper.”

Italy was one of the first countries in Europe to enforce a lockdown, beginning March 10. Eight weeks later, the country is slowly starting to emerge, but the road to recovery is expected to be long.

In Sweden

It is a busy time for my sister Maria, who is happily working away in her small jewelry store in the town of Växjö, in the southeastern province of Småland. Graduation and wedding seasons are underway, with a steady stream of customers coming into her small store on a daily basis. “We simply ask our customers to please keep a safe distance,” she says calmly with an air of self-confidence.

Sweden has been receiving a lot of heat for their more lax approach during the pandemic compared to many of their European neighbors. Dr. Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s lead epidemiologist, is steadfast that the research about whether or not masks actually protect the general public from infection “is highly questionable” and that it could instead give a false sense of security.

During this crisis, it does appear Swedish officials are placing a lot of trust in their citizens, who in return are placing a lot of trust in the government and the FHM to implement the best strategy possible. Time will tell if Sweden’s approach gives the desired results.

In Kigali, Rwanda

My old friend and colleague Jeremy tells me, “I feel very safe here. They have their shit together.” On May 3rd, the Rwandan government started opening up only parts of society to keep the spread of the disease at bay.

Jeremy writes: “After being the first country in Africa to lock down, we can now report a stellar record of testing, tracing, and treatment; a 47% recovery rate; no one in ICU; and no deaths at all. So far.” After a stay-at-home order, Rwanda partially opened up the country again on May 4th.

Jeremy reflects on what he has learned during the lockdown: “First and foremost, it makes a huge difference when you can trust your government and most of your fellow citizens to do the right thing in terms of medical treatment, health, safety, and food security. It is just amazing what people have done here (and around the world) to help their fellow human beings.”

No stranger to infectious disease and humanitarian crises, on May 9th, Rwanda reported 280 positive cases and 140 recoveries, but so far no deaths.