Blog: lockdown in South Africa
Alumna Elise Malherbe and her family took the plunge: time to move back from South Africa to the Netherlands! And then... everything changed due to the corona crisis. Currently, they are in lockdown in South Africa. In this short blog, Elise shares her experiences. Now what?
''Winter is coming… and literally so on this side of the world. Let me quickly introduce myself: I am Elise, 100% Dutch and living in Cape Town with South African husband Willem and our children. Trying, like everyone else, to make sense of the world right now.''
Preparing to leave...
''Back in 2018, we decided it was time to move back to the Netherlands. I am a doctor and have been working in South Africa for the past years, mainly in the infectious disease field, because there’s no lack of that here (even without Covid-19). We set the date for August 2020, because I applied for a primary healthcare specialisation (the well known Dutch “huisarts”) post that starts on 1 September 2020. I familiarised myself with the application process and I was aware of the fact that I had to travel to the Netherlands at least twice during this process.''
''Moreover, I decided to quit my job to both avoid the hassle of going through the - very hierarchic and time consuming - process of leave application risking a decline, as well as to prepare and manage our move. So, not too long ago Willem and I made the most beautiful year planner in Google sheets to visualise our great plans. Wow! Weren’t we totally nailing the precarious balance of professional and family life? Right?''
...and then everything changed
''Currently, we are in lock down in South Africa, which for us means staying inside unless you have a very good reason to leave. Grocery shopping and going to the doctor or pharmacy basically are the only things allowed. We can’t buy (or drink) alcohol and neither our dogs nor us can be taken for a walk. Even online shopping and delivery is banned if it’s not considered essential. The list is long and very detailed.''
''Let me just say that I don’t expect to travel any time soon. With my qualifications, I am considered an essential service professional so technically I am allowed to work. Only, I quit my job… So here I am at home, not sure whether our brilliantly planned move is going to happen and wondering if I can still justify not using my skill set to myself when the whole world is turned upside down. I just don’t have a good answer. Yet?''
To be continued.