It’s been over a month that our small family of 3 and our dog has been social distancing. My daughter and I due to our asthma have been practicing more “Quarantine and Chill” time. My husband does the food shopping, as he has no underlying medical conditions. The first few weeks weren’t as bad. We completed things around the house, caught up on our favorite TV shows and indulged with some lovely naps. As time pasted watching TV became boring, the house was sparkly clean and we were so rested that we physically didn’t need a nap anymore.  Watching the news became a stressful event as the number of infected and the number of deaths increased worldwide.  The relaxing days turned into days of stress and anguish as I personally felt trapped and fearing for the future. The frequency and intensity of my migraines increased to an unbearable level with the medication not bringing any relief. Living in this misery for about 2 weeks and after many conversations with my husband I realized that “this too shall pass”.
 
Maybe it’s being multiracial (I’m ½ Italian and ½ Chilean) and married to a Cypriot that makes you see things differently. We are blessed to have family in the UK and in Cyprus, which we regularly stay in contact with. We watch over the Internet newscasts from around the world in English, Greek and Spanish, so we have a pretty good understanding of how people are affected by the Corona Virus.
 
This virus has been devastating in so many ways but at the same time it has shown us that there is love, kindness and humanity within all of us. It’s been amazing to watch and read stories about how people are reaching out to help others in anyway possible. Food bank donations, meal donations, people on neighborhood/community FB sites offering to share their pantry food with those in need, neighborhood volunteers helping those who can’t leave there homes, teachers doing car parades for children to keep their spirits up, people volunteering to make face masks for those in need and the list of random acts of kindness is endless. The compassion that I have witnessed in America by fellow Americans has been truly astonishing.
 
No one knows what the future will hold or if they will find a cure or vaccine for Covid-19 but what we all can do is be the best person we can today & everyday as you adhere to the rules of your local government regarding Covid-19.
 
Stay positive, you are not alone in this fight! Together we will practice social distancing guidelines and flatten the curve and come out stronger!!!
 
If you want to help or are looking for activities to do with your family this is a wonderful resource:
 
https://kidsforpeaceglobal.org/COVID-19/
 
@VS_Mirren #VS.Mirren_ThroughMyEyes  #COVID19 #CoronaVirus #HealthyAtHome #QuarantineAndChill #WithMe #ImDoingFineBecause #AloneTogether #FlattenTheCurve #IStayHome #CaronaPandemic #Humanity
#KidsForPeace

Yesterday was Cyprus Independence Day and my husband’s friends wanted to go to a mountain picnic site to make “souvla” (Greek BBQ) I found it very interesting that there are what I call BBQ huts where everyone sets up their “focu” (grill/cooker). The men all huddle in the hut cooking while the women set up the tables and watch the kids. When the food is finished the kids are at one table, the women at a different table and the men at yet another table. There wasn’t much interaction amongst the families. Once everyone ate and about a half hour later they all packed up to go home. My husband, daughter and me stayed at the picnic site enjoying the mountain air and the sound of a small creek near our picnic table.

One of the things I found very interesting was that no one made mention that it was Independence Day. No one wore t-shirts with flags or anything that could indicate the type of holiday it was. I know that when we celebrated the 4th of July in the USA you really felt it was a special day and you could see patriotism in so many different ways. Also when we had gatherings in the USA families conversed as a whole, after people ate they would chat play games and just enjoy each other’s company. Gatherings with friends in the states I feel were more meaningful and enjoyable for everyone.

#Cyprus #Souvla #TrodosMountains  #CyprusIndependenceDay #CypriotLife #vsmirren 

This past year has been such a challenging year in so many aspects yet rewarding in so many others. I've had the opportunity to travel with my family to Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Scotland and the U.K. We have seen so many beautiful places and created special long lasting memories. I've also had the chance to spend time with my husbands Cypriot friends and family. I can't honestly say that all my experiences have been good ones but they all have been learning opportunities.

Since I was going through a rough patch my daughter one day said "Mom just blog about whatever you like from travel to cooking. Writing makes you happy so just write." It took me a while to take her advice but here I am starting fresh with a new outlook on life. I decided to make drastic changes in my life and for once I'm going to focus on me and the things I like. I've stopped caring if my husbands Cypriot friends and family like me. I know many of them don't and they have been very cruel throughout these past 25 years. I've developed a thicker skin, learned to let go and this process has been liberating.

I will be working on this site and at the same time I will be working on some other books I have in the pipeline.