FAR FROM HOME

Expat Tim Gray was at home in his Barcelona apartment when the Spanish government declared a nationwide lockdown. He shares his ‘surreal’ experience with MiNDFOOD.

For the past nine years, Kiwi expat Tim Gray has travelled the globe, calling the likes of London and Vienna home. Since settling in the usually vibrant and bustling city of Barcelona, the gregarious Spanish way of life has become the norm for him.

Gray was at home in his apartment in Barcelona when the Spanish government declared a State of Alarm and imposed a nationwide lockdown due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Gray says despite the lockdown happening so quickly, most in Barcelona appeared to handle the situation well.

“For the most part everyone followed instructions,” he says. “Last Saturday afternoon I went out to get supplies before the total lockdown and have never seen Plaza Catalunya (the centre of Barcelona) so empty. For a place that is inundated with tourists year-round, it was quite surreal.”

How are people’s spirits in Barcelona?

People are fine for the moment. Obviously no one likes to be cooped up inside, and that is probably the most difficult aspect. Spanish life is very social and noisy and involves a lot of being out and about daily, drinking coffee, dog walking, taking a beer with a friend on a terrace. As you can imagine, it is challenging to lose that all in a second, but people understand the impact and seriousness of not changing our habits, too. Ask me after a month, though, and I might feel differently.

How has the coronavirus lockdown impacted you?

Personally, it is a little bit of disbelief, to be honest. Just the speed in which everything changed, not only here but for almost every country around the globe, was a surprise. I am handling it fine for now – cooking, reading, catching up with friends on FaceTime. I love to exercise and keep fit so unfortunately living in an apartment in Barcelona isn’t compatible with that – bodyweight circuits and stairs are my go-tos for the foreseeable future!

Do you feel like you were prepared and was there anything you would have done differently?

I feel I was prepared; I didn’t do anything crazy, and wouldn’t do anything differently. I actually began

“I KNEW IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE SAME THING HIT SPAIN.”

TIM GRAY

making a few trips for supplies and grabbing stuff in the week prior while everything was still normal here. I had been watching the whole story unfold last month when I was back home in New Zealand, though I didn’t think too much of it at the time. I took precautions flying back to Barcelona but nothing pedantic, though the number of travellers at Dubai International Airport wearing masks and seeing some groups being questioned gave me slight pause. Being back in Barcelona and watching Italy’s situation play out in the news, I knew it was only a matter of time before the same thing happened in Spain. There are a lot of Italians here in Barcelona that travel back and forth regularly, and it is a massive tourist destination, hence I started to prepare sooner rather than later.

What message would you share with Aussies and Kiwis?

Just be smart about your movement and interactions ... be considerate about others. While it seems a lot of people are dealing with the virus like it is the normal flu, or perhaps even being asymptomatic – it spreads incredibly fast. I think there are probably more cases than we know about, but we just don’t have the capacity to test everyone. Therefore you could inadvertently have picked it up somewhere and be passing it on to others without realising, and this is the real danger as you could pass it onto someone elderly or high risk who is more likely to suffer more serious consequences. Be prepared, but don’t be fearful.

Also, take advantage of the situation as much as possible. Being locked down is a great time to practise hobbies, spend time with family – even if it is via video calls – read and plan for future projects. Practise healthy habits!

How are you coping with being away from your family?

It’s probably the toughest part about the whole thing. I was fortunate to have spent five weeks at home enjoying the amazing Kiwi summer and spending time with family. I am concerned about my parents and grandmothers, as they are obviously older, but they are smart so I am sure they will be prepared.

It would be preferable to have been locked down back home, but I am fortunate to have good family here, too, to ride it out with.