Preface

I've been living as a digital nomad since 2017. I lived in more than ten countries before I arrive in Vietnam on 25.01.2020. On 28.01.2020 Vietnam decreed the closure of the border with China after the news about the appearance of a strange virus in the Wuhan market.

On 1 February all flights from China, Macao, Taiwan were suspended. Subsequently, the flights and the border with China were opened, but the situation kept changing. The restrictions on the entry in Vietnam were changing accordingly to the number of cases growing in different countries. Thus, Koreans and Europeans were also banned from entering the country at the beginning of March.

On March 22nd, all foreigners were forbidden to enter the country. In 28.03 activities such as gyms, cinemas, tourist sites, massage parlors, karaoke, and others were closed

On 01.04 Vietnam decreed the total lockdown implementing the social distancing measures. Since then, people can only leave home to buy food and medicine.

The restrictions imposed by the country totally changed my reality, my plans and my life as a digital nomad. I decided to write this diary to report these days and somehow continue to travel within an apartment of less than 60 square meters.

05.04.20: Sundays are not like Sundays

It’s Sunday. Again it’s a beautiful day outside and I fell bored ‘cause I can’t go to the beach. I also don’t want to work again, but I look into the apartment and my creativity is gone. I don’t know what to do with so much time…

I turned on social media and I decide to make a Live on Instagram. Luckily, I found a friend who’s living in Barcelona online. I invite him to go live with me. He’s partially drunk on the other side, it’s 5 AM in Barcelona. He said that he had a party in his apartment with some friends on Zoom. He also teaches me how to plant marijuana in an apartment. He said to me since the clubs are close in Barcelona something has to be done… I’m not so much into weed, but I laugh a lot with his explanations, especially when he teaches me how to make a party on Zoom on quarantine times. We keep talking for half an hour enjoying some common friends enter on the Live. These small things full my day with joy and laughs.

After this, I pick up my phone to listen to an audiobook. I started to listen to the Alchemist, from Paulo Coelho. I assume that I had a lot of prejudice against the author, but the book is really good. Since I started to work a freelance writer I lose a bit my ability to read. I think it’s because when you write too much content in a day, your brain cannot absorb more information, so reading becomes boring. But now, it seems the time is flowing slowly and reading again is a pleasure. Actually, I’m not reading properly, but listening to audiobooks. It’s a nice thing to do when you’re having breakfast.

Breakfast is another “small pleasure” task that I’ve been practicing. Such I live as a digital nomad I like to enjoy my breakfast, but now, I’ve been working on it with more whin… I cut the fruits in a better way, I enjoy more my coffee with cinnamon and it’s the smell.

After reading and breakfast, I do my workout routine. This is another thing that I really enjoy doing lately, especially jumping rope! My workout routine is basically yoga, glutes, and abs workout and jumping rope. After, I like to do a meditation, when my body still pumping. I discover a Youtube channell with some challenges and teaching how to jump rope properly. It has been a great exercise for me, ‘cause I can do it inside the apartment and also I can sweat and burn a lot of energy that has been generated by my brain that simply doesn’t stop. Meditating after this becomes easy! Otherwise, I couldn`t make it.

At 2 o’clock I need to meet a lady who’s going to give me some contact lenses solution. I don’t know why but in Vietnam, you cannot find contact lenses solution in normal pharmacies, only at optic stores. On Saturday, I wrote on a woman’s Facebook group asking for some advice about where to find contact lenses solution, and a lady wrote me that one friend left some with her, it was full and almost brand new and I could have it. I said that I could catch on Sunday the contact lenses, so at 2 PM I’m at her door. When she opens it, she’s wearing some glasses and gloves and carry a big bag in her hands. She put the bag on the floor, and she said that the lady also left some things like cotton buds, ketchup, oats, vegan chicken and body lotion. She said that I could have it with the contact lens solution included. In the beginning, I didn’t know if I should accept or not… But what could be the problem right? She didn’t want to touch the bag back, so she also gives me the bag. I grab everything and put on my bicycle. At other times, the attitude of that woman could be even rude, but these days it was very supportive and even respectful. I thank her deeply and I can see in her eyes that she’s happy to help me more than with the contact lens.

I pick up my bicycle and I decide to take a ride along with the sea. The beach is pretty empty. There’s still some lifeguards taking care of anyone to come in. There are also some stripes that symbolize “humans - go away”. See the sea gives me a lot of relief and these small rides full my soul of vitamin Sea and happiness. Looking to the sea is one of the most inspiring things to do in this life, I guess… I really love that!

There are only a few people on the beach and some lifeguards. If you look into the other side of the avenue, however, the landscape is a bit scary. Abandoned restaurants, closed hotels and massage parlors. It seems a ghost city, in only a glance. The only thing that never stops in Da Nang are the trucks and the tractors that keep building the city. I don’t know if they keep doing this to enjoy the emptiness of the city and work faster, or if they are there trying to bring some sense of normality to the abandoned waves and buildings.

The sun is shining strong and I come back home. Cooking is another activity that keeps me sane and grounded. My mom and all my grannies were great cookers and I have a lot of passion for this too. I’ve been trying new recipes and also become vegan since I don’t have the courage to buy meat in the market. Yesterday I cooked some steamed corn that my mom use to make for me and my brothers when we were kids. I really love that dish and someway somehow I have some comfort in making and having it.

I watch some videos on YouTube, record a stupid video with my hands singing a song and send it to R., the dutch guy I meet in Chiang Mai… but I tell about him later. I paint my nails, do more yoga, talk with some friends, clean the house, make some dinner, take a shower, do more meditation. I’ll try to wake up earlies and have a proper routine, even knowing that I’m a night owl and I hate routine. Maybe it’s timed to try new things, I guess. Sundays are not like Sundays anymore.