The Land of the Midnight Sun

 

 

Ok, so Iceland is not exactly the land of the midnight sun but it is close! The sun shines pretty long during the summer days. From roughly midnight to 3am it did go down, but not exactly. It just kind of hovered on the horizon. Knowing we would have plenty of sunlight and not be too far beyond our time zone (just 2 hours) we formulated a plan. Last time we came to Iceland was in the winter and we had noticed that many of the attractions started late, if they had a start time at all. Tourists seemingly did not stir until 9am or after. Considering how nice it was for us to get up early, drive to a location, and then enjoy it all by ourselves we wanted to attempt this again. So, we made sure to be up and ready to go by around 7am each morning.

 

I should also mention that Iceland was “covid free” and right when we arrived all restrictions were lifted, no masks, no distancing, nothing once inside the country. They had zero domestic infections for a couple of weeks prior and 90%+ of the population was vaccinated. There was also a requirement to be fully vaccinated or to pass two covid tests, prior to departure and on arrival, to enter the country. Of course, that meant that some of the arriving tourists did in fact test positive. I think it was about 20 per week when we were there. It was nice living in the “covid free” world, but it also felt weird and at times a little unnerving.

Day 1: We arrived in the afternoon and had a 3.5 hour drive ahead of us as we left the airport bypassing Reykjavik and heading to the north. This day we weren’t going to have much time to see anything anyhow so we figured we should just make the most to put distance on. We did however make a detour to the Lave fields of (volcano) since I knew it was relatively close to the airport. The volcano was easy enough to find and there were lots of tourists there. We got close enough to touch the recently cooled lava and to peak into the depth to see it actually wasn’t totally cooled! Some orange embers were still blazing inside. There were hikes that went further uphill and could get you much closer to the actual eruption site, but we had a long day of travel behind us and a long drive in front of us so we did not go that far. We drove on to the north another few hours and stayed on a farm just north of Borgarnes.

Day 2: That night we were staying in Akureyri and in the afternoon we were going to catch a whale watching tour in a town near there called Hauganes. The drive was oh so beautiful. We saw beautiful coastline, drove through some dense fog and eventually into a mountain pass that had unbelievable views. We ended up stopping for a quick lunch by the side of the road and enjoyed looking at the peaks while eating our tuna and cheese sandwiches that I’d made that morning. The whale watching boat was big enough and the summer air was nice, but being out on the water though after a couple of hours it did start to feel cold. We were surrounded by water that was getting runoff from the mountain snow after all. The cliffs along the bay had many waterfalls pouring their cold contents in. Finally about an hour into the journey we stopped heading out and just kind of were hanging around looking and then the humpback appeared. It would stay at the surface for a few minutes getting air and then dive back down for ten or fifteen minutes. Then it would surface again and our boat captain would quickly manoeuvre us into position to see it well. We repeated this five or six times and then began to head back. After whale watching we drove the 40 minutes or so on to Akureyri and our place for the night.

 

Day 3:

The next day we drove to Dettifoss waterfall. The drive there was a little long, but the view was well worth it. This waterfall is actually featured in the movie Prometheus. https://youtu.be/ZHpJr7_5Mjg?t=24 Arriving there is a little difficult as there are two options, east or west, and the fork to choose which side you would like to visit on is almost an hour from the waterfall. Better get it right!

Day 4:

Today we drove quite far to see the puffins at but then largely just drove the day seeing beautiful scenery and ending up that night just outside of Egilsstaðir at a horse ranch. 

Day 5: Hiking and a lot of driving again no doubt. We got up early to see Hengifoss Falls. It was about an hour up and back. We had it all to ourselves. By the time we got to the car other tourists were just arriving. Hoping to again beat the crowds we kept on to Laugerfell where I’d read there was a loop trail that ran along a glacial river call the waterfall loop where there were many waterfalls all in one stretch. We were not disappointed. The hike took us a few hours and was hard at points, but the scenery was fantastic and we barely saw anyone the whole time. It was great. Tired, we made our way through misty mountain passes to our stay for the night, a farm just outside of Hof. 

Day 6: Today was going to be our last full day and we didn’t have a big plan so we visited the cave at Hálsanefshellir  and the gorge at Fjadrargljufur the stayed at our cabin right near the caves just outside of Vik. The cave we had somehow bypassed on our first visit, but our friends had told us we really needed to check it out. I thought they were really cool. The friends said to go around the first bend where all the tourists were and you might have the further caves to yourself. They were right! Unfortunately it was a quite windy day and so we didn't stay there very long but I could see making a picnic lunch of it if you had time and the weather was nice. 

Day 7: The next day up and early to get back to Rejkyavik and get on our flight back but we did have a few hours to spare and so looped to Thingvellir national park, the site of the first parliament in Iceland. Oddly, in was no that funkadelic. Also along the way was Kerid, a volcanic lake of azure blue. FYI  if you are planning to visit, there are no toilets there but there are some nice bushes right by the carpark. 

Oh... and of course we went back to the tomato restaurant for the all you can eat soup direct from their greenhouse grown tomatoes. Iceland, see you again! 

 

 

 

 

The New Horizon

 

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Before dawn on the new year

 

It is January 1^st, 2021. A new year opening. In the afternoon Aya and I start talking about going to the grocery. By the evening we are making plans to go and what we are going to get but more importantly, when are we going to go. “Should we set an alarm?”. No, I say, I’ll wake up early enough, and I do. By about 5:45am I am rolling out of bed. Aya is up already. I get some coffee and sit at my computer for a little while, but by 6:30 we are getting ready. We’re pulling on our jackets and backpacks, but our masks and latex gloves too of course. We both have hand sanitizer in our pockets. We are ready to go out.

 

As we leave our building we make sure not to touch anything with our hands, but push doors open with our elbows. It is very quiet and nothing is moving, nobody is outside yet. We are alone and that is good. As we make our way in the dark to the grocery we see a couple of people walking about, but not many. Getting to the one crosswalk we have to cross there are very few cars, just one sitting at our side waiting for the light, none crossing in our path. I say to Aya that we should just cross, but I know she won’t want to anyways so I am really saying it into the cold January air. Aya comments on how few people there are and I say well, it is a Saturday and a holiday weekend so most people are probably sleeping in.

As we cross the street the grocery comes into view. The sign isn’t lit, a little strange. Aya asks if they are even open but just as she says that a car comes tearing into the parking lot. Looks like, I say. Crossing the parking lot Aya says, how many other customers do you think are inside? One, I guess.

 

Going into the sliding doors we use the alcohol provided and rub it on our latex gloves. Then we enter the second set of sliding doors and get our first look inside. Not a customer in sight, but a few workers quickly moving about unpacking and restocking. We split up and start gathering things to make the trip as quick as we can. Of course, we manage to find everything on our list and everything not on the list. As we are checking out we notice there are now a couple more customers in the store. Looks like we beat the “rush”.

 

As usual no one is at the cashiers’ lanes so we use the self-checkout. I have some beer to scan and I know it will stop me from checking out before getting assistance, so I tell Aya to use another one to complete the rest of the items. As I wait for someone one of the security guards comes over to help. I kind of wish he wouldn’t as moments earlier I heard him coughing wetly and sniffling. He has a face shield on, but it is already pretty full of droplets. His eyes are bloodshot and he doesn’t look well, but then again, he could just be an old guy with a cold who had to show up to work early in the morning. We can fit just about everything in our bags but a box of tangerines and some bananas, green the way Aya likes them.

 

We pack up our bags and head out the double set of sliding doors and as soon as we exit I put down the box of tangerines. We both use sanitizer on our gloves, then carefully remove them, then sanitize our hands again. We’ll use the gloves again on a future trip. They seem to last three or four trips before they get a tear in them. I then pick up the box of tangerines with the bananas on top and we make our way home. It is just starting to get light out and there are a few more people, but not many. As we enter our building we again try not to touch anything with our hands, but there is one door there that isn’t possible when opening it, so we coordinate and one of us uses the key fob while the other uses their hand to open it, then sanitize hands again.

 

When we get to the apartment we turn our keys to go inside and close the door with an elbow. We then put down our bags and unload. Things that can go on the shelf and sit there for two or three days before we use them. Things that we want to use now or need to be kept cold get an alcohol rub down. Is this even needed anymore? We always say it, but never bothered to look it up. Once the goods are put away we put our bags back on the shelf and then wash our hands thoroughly.

 

The shopping is done.

 

That is probably the 12^th time or so that we have gone in person to the grocery since March of 2020. The rest of the time we have things delivered. Beyond that, we don’t go anywhere. There is nowhere to go really. Ok, sure in the summer some things were open and we did get a couple small road trips in, being very careful to distance and avoid crowds, stay outdoors, sanitize hands, wear masks and wipe down our rooms, etc. Now, all the restaurants are closed, but delivery is open thank the gods and politicians. Any place for people to gather is shut. Going to friends’ places is an option, but knowing what we know about what they are up to it isn’t a good idea. Everyone says they are careful and we want to believe them and meet up, but then in the same breath mention they went to their in-laws for dinner last night and can meet up but after finishing a yoga class and picking up their kid from the daycare. No, thanks, I hope you understand.

 

We try to look on the bright side and there is much of that. We are healthy and happy. We have both kept our jobs and enjoy them. We live in a place that is fairly relaxed and good for our mental and physical health. Our families are doing ok. Our friends are doing ok. In some ways this has highlighted the better parts of ourselves. From my perspective one thing I am thankful for is the shift to the introvert. Those who preferred to be home, be online, and be generally less social have done much better in this life than others might. From online classes to no contact deliveries, I’m hoping we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water once things do start to shift back to normal. 

Still, life is getting tough as many people know. The initial lockdowns in the spring led to a lot of reimagining and uncertainty about what would come next. After a few months most people chose to try to get back to normal, a big mistake. People were then and now complaining of fatigue. I understand that, but I also understand that the virus is not fatigued. Something I think of often is how when Aya and I arrived in Beijing we did so with about 30 other teachers and their kids. In those first few weeks we saw each other often as we figured out the city and the new positions in the school and quite often I saw people wearing masks or curtailing certain activities due to air pollution. We did too but it didn’t take long for people to stop wearing masks (unless it was really bad pollution) or just regularly going about their lives. They were fatigued, but the pollution wasn’t. Aya and I always continued with our original precautions and we continue to do so now in the pandemic. At least in this case there is an end of sorts in sight.

 

That end has got us all looking forward to 2021 and what may come. What may return to “normal”. For many that means going back to making a living as normal and I can sympathize with that. I’m a teacher and I know a lot of my colleagues want to go back to “normal”, but there is the thing. It won’t be “normal” even when we are back to normal. This year has scarred us. Many will continue to feel the presence of it for the rest of their lives. The way we work, travel, and come together will be forever changed for this generation. In time that may fade away, but it will take a generational turn over. Though the vaccines are rolling out now it will take years to get to any sense of herd immunity around the globe. And then, what about the next one? Everyone now can clearly register that a global virus spread is a possibility. In the past experts said not just a possibility, but an eventuality. Now, those same experts are saying this is our dress rehearsal for the next one.

So, it may come, some day and unexpectedly just like this one. For now, we listen to the experts. We overcome. We get strong and, eventually, we gather and reunite. We count our blessings. We look on the bright side. We find the silver linings. We support each other and we enter 2021 with optimism but also clear eyes for the future. We get up early to get all of the things we need and all of the things we don’t need. 

A Start to the Covid School Year

 

12 weeks ago, on August 18^th, my school opened doors to students learning in person. Over the summer there was a lot of debate as to how the school would open to in person learning or if it would select a more online option. Many schools in the US and some internationally had chosen to stay virtual. Others had plans that were hybrid or staggered how many kids in a room, how many days together and lots of other imaginative protocols. However, in Poland there was not thought to be a plan to do so. Polish schools would open three weeks after our start and each district would decide how that would happen. Some were planning to open 100% as normal, others were thinking to go completely online and lots in between.
For my school the initial plan included lot of new measures around the school to keep things cleaned. There were plans for distancing in some area. Testing would take place at least once a week for all staff and students with an antigen test. Masks would be worn at all times unless eating or outdoors for physical education or break times. Windows and doors would remain open and fans were encouraged to keep air fresh. All people entering the building would have to fill out a survey each day asking temperature and other variables that would determine if you were ok4school, if not a student or staff you would not be allowed in at all. If not ok according to the app you had to exclude for 72 hours then come back for a test before entry. At the gates the there was a check to see the survey was completed and there was an automatic temperature check, another layer of security. Those with high temps or incomplete apps would be stopped. The school had multiple defenses in place and though we knew some would get sick from outside activity the chance of getting sick inside the school seemed low.

Meetings among staff, such as this one at the beginning of the year, took place in larger well ventilated venues with everyone wearing masks. 

Plenty of measures were quite effective at what they were intended to do such as this temperature scanning device at all entrances. 

And all around the school as well as at every entrance there are spray disinfectant hand dispensersaries that everyone uses with frequency.  

                        One of the items that we probably shoud have had a long time ago and are effective are these hands free water bottle filling stations. No more fountains were people can put their mouth, and their spit, all over. 

and of course lots and lots of cleaning by the janitorial crew

Some measures that we started with were not effective. You can see some of these below and most have to do with distancing, something teenagers and younger children have little concept or control of. 

This is my classroom. Those upright mini-whiteboard can seperate students who would otherwise literally be touching elbows. Those lasted about a day before I gave up on having students removing them all the time to chat with the person next to them. 

Here you can see I put a shield around my desk, but I only had enough for one side. Naturally people just walked around it so it was useless. I've now gotten creative with the furniture so even if they walk around they can't get within 2 meters of me at my desk. Of course I still get up to teach and that means being within a meter or close to students much of the time, but always with a mask on. My lovely wife has also helped me to buy about a dozen masks so I can switch them in and out for comfort or use throughout the day and her mom has just sent me some intended for wearers of glasses as when talking I get quite fogged up. 

Signs telling students to keep apart on the stairway. The signs look nice, but the results do not. 

I'm not sure if people even read this one. 

This was a good idea, have people queue a few meters apart. But, when it's your friend and your chatting face to face why distance? Not effective. 

Distancing at lunch tables, while enforced, is kind of a moot point since the kids are still sitting well within a meter of one another with masks off eating and talking. 

Yeah right. Even if the best of intentions were there the hallways of a highschool as classes transition does not allow for distancing. 

There are other measures that have been partially effective at distancing. Routes around the building are outlined and in just about every instance cohorts between elementary, middle, and high school are kept to seperate areas. Teachers are encouraged, though not forced, to stick to your own cohort. For the most part this has worked, but as a side note it has also meant social isolation for many like families that have kids in multiple grades and teaching couples in different cohorts. Of course they can still mingle at home, but in the building they are not supposed to see each other. 

This way to the pool, not the most direct route as it goes through the elementary school. 

Areas have signage and are closed, usually, to people moving between. 

 

In August the weekly infection rate in our district of about 5.5 million people was around 600. This was not very high and Poland was coming off of the summer months when there were not many cases reported. Upon entering school everyone was tested and not one case was detected. Coming back from break, we were ready to go. While we all knew there would be infections we were surprised to have our first positive just a week after classes began, on August 24^th. This led to the closing of an entire grade level shortly after as other cases were detected, a spread among a few students of a grade but thought to have occurred outside of the school. This lasted a few days, testing was ramped up, and then all were brought back for in person instruction.

The school had protocols in place for when a positive was detected to contain the person in these nifty shipping containers and to have the nurse do their work there as well, one container for normal business and one for quarantine. Each division has two, so there are 6 of these mini-containers around the school grounds. 

Through the end of August and September new cases would pop up among students. Usually this did not trigger a closure, but rather an exclusion of the student and close contacts followed by much testing and then business as usual. At the end of September, the rates in the district for new infections had more than doubled from the summer and staff were concerned as more positives were popping up in the school. Still, we went on testing and teaching. Rates seemed to be ticking up in the district just a bit each day. By now Polish schools had been open for a couple of weeks and while I think many expected higher rates due to all the kids mingling the rate did not rocket up, initially. The government took cautious steps at closure, first closing just some key districts and only to some degree in "yellow zones" then moving others to "red" as cases and closures became more serious. Yet, other parts of the country were doing ok, so for a couple of months it was a bit of whack-a-mole. 

In the beginning of October, we had our first case among staff, then a teacher, and more students. The rates in Poland were picking up. The rates the first week of October were double the previous week. This trend continued in the month going from 1404 the last week of September to 3037 to 5652 to 8610 by the middle of the month. It was now becoming noticeable in the community. Ambulance sirens could often be heard or the ambulances seen racing about. At first it didn’t click for me, but talking to another colleague they said they heard ambulances all day long from their classroom window. That morning on my run I saw one outside a neighboring building and in the silence and dark of the morning the sight was impactful. I too started to see and hear them more. Approaching the final week before our autumn holiday the tension in the community was high. The Polish government had just the week before ordered that high schools go virtual, but we are a private school so we went on. The government also made the city a “red zone” meaning that activity would be curtailed in some places and masks would be mandatory even outside.

In the last week of school cases among staff, teachers, and students continued each day and rounds of testing increased to find and stop the spread. The government made a new proclamation that grades 4-8 would also go virtual. All of Poland was declared a “red zone” and all restaurants and some other businesses would have to close their doors. In this final week of school, we learned that some of the week’s cases might have been from an internal spread. Everyone knew it would happen at some point, but it still cast a pall on what would normally be an upbeat day before a vacation. Then, the next day, there came an announcement that the president had also gotten the virus. A week later all schools went virtual, but being a private school we kept on. 

 

At the moment things don’t look good. Cases at the school are at 55 in a population of about 1200. If we keep on this pace about 1 in 5 will have gotten the virus by the end of year. Look left, right, front and back. One of the five of you will get it.
We are heading into a dark and cold period for the next 4 months or so. Poland’s government and the people have been fairly good about mandating protections and following those mandates. Not perfect, but good. The school has also worked extremely hard to put protections in place and the community has largely followed the protocols. Not perfectly, but well. There is a lot to see as positive. Still, the virus is spreading fast and given the outlook for winter months the forecast is likely to be bad.

 

 It doesn’t look like we’ll get a vaccine for at least another 6 months or so and even then it will take some time to get to everyone. Just a few days ago Pfizer announced what seems like a successful vaccine, but still it takes time. Aya and I are ok. We rarely go out anywhere but the forest for a walk, run, or bike ride. We order groceries to come to us. We don’t socialize much at all and if we do it is on Zoom or outdoors with fresh air. A few weekends ago Aya had her birthday and we did a scavenger hunt outside then Zoomed with family and friends. I think we’ll have to be more creative like this in the coming year. For now it is getting colder though so our picnics and walks in the woods will be fewer and the Zoom calls will increase.  

The prospect of a long dark winter staying at home is not so bad, but I do know that we will be disappointed not to travel in Europe or to our home countries. The US is still facing border restrictions with Europe. Japan has not yet lifted the border to foreigners, though there are exceptions. Within Europe some borders are tightened, others not, yet no matter what the rules it isn’t a good time to travel. In light of this we’ve added Kuma and Shiro to our home. They are a good distraction and reminder to stretch out and take a nap sometimes.

Teaching has been very hard. Maybe even the hardest year I've ever had, including student teaching. Like many people I've been jolted into thinking about what my priorities are and I've daydreamed of just taking time off and smelling the roses. Still, I am teaching everyday in person with the occassional not in person teaching. It has been emotionally hard as each day I enter a school that, while defenses are high, is having a few cases pop up each day. I've even had a student in my class turn up positive, and then you wonder, am I at risk? For privacy reasons though you aren't told much, just get the swab up the nose and go right back to the classroom like nothing is amiss.
In addition to that we are have a virtual school running alongside the in person school. This means that kids can attend virtually if they like. So, sometimes I have students in class and out communicating with each other and myself and with me trying to teach to the two different groups. Sometimes I pull it off. Other times I am just glad to get through the day. Then there are days where I am not in school because the app has flagged me and I'm not allowed in. I can still teach, virtually, but it is hard. A sub enters the room in my place and then I direct the class via Zoom. The students and I do the best we can and in some ways it is better than in person teaching. It is much easier to monitor their work on a google doc for example, but it is much harder to not have them distracting themselves or others. All in person is best, all online is next best, then mixed is at the bottom of the barrel. 

Here a student holds up their work to the camera so I can see it well (you can see me projected on the screen to the left). I am connected to the speakers so I can easily be heard by students and the camera captures most of the room so I can see most of what is going on. Still, it is hard. 

Here I am in class directing a debate. There are groups of students paired up for the activity. Some are both in class, some 1 in and 1 out, some both are out of class. Still, we use the cameras, the mics, and the chat to get the job done. It is extremely draining to have to manage it all smoothly, but it is the best we have at the moment. 

This year is getting emotionally hard too. Pretty soon I’ll have reached the longest stretch without seeing my mother or father. I think the last stretch was 1.5 years from summer of 09’ to my wedding at the end of 10’, a little longer for my dad. I've not seen many friends in months or more. Even the friends I have in Warsaw I've seen in person much less than normally I would. It feels surreal and isolating in many ways, but I’m sure I’m not alone in that feeling. 2020 has had a decade's worth of personal and civil strife just about everywhere on the planet. There is an old (I think) Chinese saying about wishing someone an interesting life. When you say, I hope you have an interesting life, the phrase sounds positive. However, that was not the intent as an interesting life in old times meant one of tumult. For now I count my blessings and hang out with Aya and the kitties hoping 2021 is a much less interesting year.  

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