Brandy was driving a boat when I met him. He opens the eyes for the beauty, has a wonderful soul, eats nuts and sings songs for birds. This man is magic. But what in times of crisis?
​
Can you be yourself?
I'm a million different people from one day to the next.

Who do you think you are?
(it´s just another way to ask you: who are you)?
An expression/manifestation of the universe/nature. Stardust puzzled together by "life" to create a sentient conscious being who is in an evolutionary state of accepting and moving past the egoic phase. A neuron in the one big brain that is humanity. A leaf on the tree of life. One blade of grass upon a windy plain.

Where do you answer these questions?
Somewhere in a forrest mountain region in southern Europe.

Is your place in lockdown?
Officially yes

What do you do during the day?
Pretty much the same as other days.
Wake up whenever I awake, no clocks. Eat fruits and muesli, leave a gift in the compost toilet, have a bath in the icecold river, work on the land, gardening, planting trees, destroying invasive freak trees like eucalyptus, restauring an old caravan, cutting tipi poles, brushing the donkey, walking, going into town for laundry and good real food from a local biofarmer and also to see people with masks and the police driving around with loudspeakers "stay at home"... Playing a lot of music, piano, guitar, flute, singing. Eating beautiful meals with my partner, mostly vegetables with more vegetables, almost no animal products because I saw some documentary called "What the health?" that really made me think twice before putting that stuff in my body. Reading and meditation is also often part of my daily routines. Not to much cyberspace and crap that destractes like alcohol.

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
Not a lot really, well maybe some, I might have been working on a job for a while, but this just moved to some later moment I guess. And also a feeling of my freedom of movement being taken away.

Can you eat what and when you want?
Yes mostly, except for the restaurants being closed.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
No, I also think it's unlikely. If out of millions a couple of hundreds (thousands?) die and most of those are 80+, previously sick etc. Many would have died anyways by flue, hospital bacteria, age etc. Now they die with corona not always because of. Last year's influenza pandemic took about 25000 lives, no global panic, no authoritarianism imposed on civilians. In reality a lot more people have the virus than the statistics know of, making the actual mortality rate a lot lower, more like the flue.

Do you have a message to the world?
Where to start...
Hakunamatata. We're all terminal. Life is very temporary. Listen to Alan Watts. Sing, dance and meditate. Observe yourself. You're not as important as you want to believe, even if you're Julius Caesar the dust of time will erase you. You are not the same as you were 10 years ago, even if you still live in 10 years the you that you consider to be you right now will be somebody else, even physically all your atoms and cells will be different. No money or power in this world can truly satisfy you, it can't even guarantee that you are still there tomorrow nor whatever and whoever you hold dear. Go through fears rather than avoid them. Fear or love. There is an natureforce intelligence that can change food into the body you inhabit, create such wonders like every little detail you see around you every second of your life, it's ok to trust in it, it is far more "intelligent" than our monkey brains can even grasp at.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
Imagine by John Lennon.
He was killed in mysterious circumstances at a time when he was becoming more politically active, influencing millions of people with his music.

There is an interesting phrase in "Redemption song" by Bob Marley:
​"How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look?".

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
Hmm who knows what the future brings, the past can give us a lot of hints, but there are infinite variables to take into account, maybe computers are better at this, predicting mass behaviours. Hopefully something beautiful blossoms.

I met myself 46 years ago, in Gent, where I live nowadays.

Can you be yourself?
I am pretty good in knowing myself. It is fun, here with us :-)

Who do you think you are?
I am 4 language speaking woman from Belgium and am just somebody who´s interested in knowing and understanding other people. I´d love to trigger the innersmile of people. I love to laugh, but I am not a fool.
To pay my bills I am a Sportteacher in Brussels.
To boost my soul, I produce drama. I write and perform in theaters. I perform in Dutch, with a song and of course a smile.

Where do you answer these questions?
I live in Gent, the best kept secret in Belgium.

Is the place in lockdown?
YES!
Belgium is in Lockdown since March, 2020.
Schools, restaurants, pubs are closed.
Groceries are open, fortunately.

Because schools are closed, I just don´t have to be teacher for the upcoming weeks. In day a week I have to go to school, to secure the permanence. Parents are encouraged to keep their kids home, but if this is not an option, kids are allowed to go to school. So far the school in Brussels welcomed any kid. So I just go to school, I check if there is any kid, do some admin and go back home. I do this by train. Which is great fun for the moment: there is place enough in the train and they run on time, ok, with a slight change tin schedule. There where I have normally 3 trains an hour, I just have only 1 in 3 hours. With a bit of flexibility, I managed the trip to Brussels.
Before the corona-virus I used to go several times a week to the grocery shop. Now I reduced theses visits to 1 or 2 in a week. I cook too much and put the rest in the freezer.
Because I was Fasting, 40 days before Easter, I don´t eat meet nor drink any alcohol. This also is a kind of gift. It´s so easy to start drinking during daytime, especially when friends and (it is not or, but and) familly call to say cheers with a drink. It is very cosy, though. So I drink water.
Till Easter…

I read books, more than ever. About the Italian renaissance and about political systems in the world. Also I start to Quantum energy. Very interesting topics.
I facetime and whatsapp as if we would live in a 8G world.
and I write on my next shows: 2 at a time, for the moment.

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
My days start nowadays around 9am, which is very comfortable.
I live inside, almost don´t leave my house. I remain hopefull inside and think that the better I stay inside, the sooner I could go outside again.
Not biking, no tennis, no pubs, the library fortunately has a very good managed adapted online reservation system.

How is your general mood?
I was born hopeful.
With Eater just a couple of days away from today, I am so terribly hopeful. Like: I have never been so hopeful in my entire life. Eater is the day of hope and light. That the light might come in, we have cracks enough now.

Can you eat what and when you want?
fortunately YES.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
fortunately NO
Not due to the virus.
I lost a cousin, Monday March 30. A great man, only 1 year younger than I am, lost his battle against cancer. He was an angel on earth.
He surely is an offical angel now.

Do you have a message to the world?
Stop copying.
Only trust your own experiences.
Only trust what you see.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
l´aigle noir / Barbara
is a song that comes in my mind when I need consolation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9cEY13bUTo 

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
Birds are singing, skies are blue, trees will blossom, that´s for sure.
About mankind?
A new world: plane and complain free.
Whynot?
 

I met Etienne in Honest Arts Movement. A club to support artists. Wondering if he was in Gent or Laos...
 
Can you be yourself?
Yes, I can.

Who do you think you are?
(it´s just another way to ask you: who are you)?
I have been an English teacher all my life and I still teach English in Laos twice a year for 2 months.

Where do you answer these questions?
From my home in Hamme (Belgium).

Is your place in lockdown?
Yes it is.

How do you survive?
(same question as: what do you do during the day?)
I do some gardening, walk or cycle every day, but most of the time I work on my poetry.

Where were you when the virus said hello-here-I-am to the world?
Home in Hamme.

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
The biggest change is that I won’t be able to go to Laos next month, because of the lock-down.

Can you eat what and when you want?
Yes, I can.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
No, I didn’t.

Do you have a message to the world?
We will have to live with less.
That includes that we have to share more with other people. Inequality is the cause of misery and pain. We should also be aware of the fact that we will have to decrease the multiplication of the population on earth.
7 000 000 000 is enough.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
No song, but I wrote a poem about corona.
The title is ‘De kracht van een witregel’,
which can be translated as ‘The power of a blank line’

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
We will have to cope with all kind of diseases as corona.
​That’s what scientist tell us and that’s what I believe.

I met Ron during a train training. He´s fully charged with energy and never believed he would take 25 seconds to reply this corona-questionnary:

Can you be yourself?
Yes

Who do you think you are?
(it´s just another way to ask you: who are you)?
A worried but hopefull mind.

Where do you answer these questions?
At home.

Is your place in lockdown?
Yes.

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
More free time.

Can you eat what and when you want?
Yes i take more time to prepare my meals.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
No.

Do you have a message to the world?
Trust in yourself God does the rest.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
Paul McCartney: hope on deliverance.

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
In a transmission: more entrepreneurs & more digitalism

Renaat used to be my mom´s choir master and the father of 2 beautiful schoolfriends. René is his official name, now that he moved to Turkey, they call them enişte or Kaya. Curious to find out about his lockdown:

Can you be yourself?
I guess so, I never felt like me being another person.

Who do you think you are?
(it´s just another way to ask you: who are you)?
Very quiet, also in quarantaine but not depressed. 'Carpe Diem' is still my device.

Where do you answer these questions?
Laying in my couch, my wife is looking television. And actually I am doing this only to pleasure Astrid.

Is your place in lockdown?
es, Turkey is also in a sort of lockdown. Certainly I am, because from the start around 15 the March 2020. All 65+ were not allowed to go out anymore .

Where were you when the virus said hello-here-I-am to the world?
Of course I already knew of the existence of the virus when it started killing people in China, later when it arrived in Italy, I was a bit more interested, when it came to Belgium I was mostly interested because my family still lives there.
Also my mother of 95 years old and my only brother who had his spinal cord transplanted, in December 2019.

My daily activities are rather programmed, firstly learning better Turkish on app, working on PC and complete family tree, walking in the garden.

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
Actually very little, only my normal trip to the nearest town where I went every day from 11 am to 2 pm.

Can you eat what and when you want?
No problema.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
Lucky not.

Do you have a message to the world?
Do not panic, accept this.
Carpe diem.
Certainly don't be stupid by thinking this is not your concern.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
Not really

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
Completely changed, our way of thinking, working. Social, economic will need a long time to restore from this desaster. We will survive but we will wake up in another world.
​Somewhere somehow I think in a better world.

Tasha used to live in Gent and sat in my audience, before becoming a friend of mine. Spassiba for sharing your story:

Can you be yourself?
yes, I can.
I always remain myself.
This is one of the few things for which I should not pay.

Who do you think you are?
(it´s just another way to ask you: who are you?)
I'm researcher of my life and learning to understand myself, my feelings and my desires. I try to teach this to the children with who I work.
​
Where do you answer these questions?
I live in a country that no one will ever bring to its knees / neither war not an epidemic or mediocre government.
The name of this great power….
Ukraine!

Is your place in lockdown?
Yes!!
Quarantined Ukraine since March 17, 2020… schools, entertainment centers are closed, public transport is stopped. Pharmacies, shops and strategic enterprises work.

How do you survive?
(same question as: what do you do during the day?)
to survive in Ukraine is an everyday quest. So in quarantine we have got one more new task: to survive without being able to work. Now I read a lot of books on psychology and self-development, draw and spend time with my grandson.

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
I'm an entrovert, so I don't feel discomfort, but I do sleep and eat more than before the lockdown. I discovered the possibility of virtual visits to museums and listen to several webinars.
 
Can you eat what and when you want?
it’s not a super diet, but of course I can eat what I want and when I want.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
nooooo...thxx God!!

Do you have a message to the world?
I would like to say that in any conditions we must remain people and support each oher in this difficult time.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
Now when I go to the store it is associated with a comic song about a cashier girl that her best friend called by a different name at night…
Jerry Heil
(охрана-отмена)
or (security-cancellation)

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
I think we will review many of our values and will be able to work online which will give us more opportunities and freedom.

One day, Edith asked me if I wanted a kitty. Ever since that day, I am so in love with Qaboos, my cat. Thank you for this present and for sharing your present with us: 

Can you be yourself?
yes and no

Where do you answer these questions?
Tauranga, New Zealand

Is your place in lockdown?
(same question as: what do you do during the day?)
yes: I work nightshifts in a factory so I usally wake up in the afternoon, cook and go to work.
On free days I walk around and watch televisión and go to the supermarket, laundry… .
Plus I brunch every single day :)

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
well, what hasn't?

Can you eat what and when you want?
YES, and I love it.
My friend at the hostel where I sleep bakes cake and patisserie every couple of days, and I am learning how to cook :)

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
No, fortunatly not,

Do you have a message to the world?
Dance and eat good food.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
Dance for me… :p

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
Still shaken, I think that people will travel closer to home, produce more in their home (country) and some will learn how to live with less.

Anne-Marie used to sit in my audience.  We share a same good friend: Odette, so this is how we finally met.
 
Can you be yourself?
The place where I can be who I am , is at home.
Right now I'm all myself. I really enjoy answering these questions. I think it's an honour. I am cheerful, have a lot of discipline and a strong character. This is very important to get through this corona time. But even with a positive attitude the lockdown feels already too long.

Who do you think you are? ☺
(it´s just another way to ask you: who are you)?
I’m one of the 11.46 million Belgians who are trying to fight together against the coronavirus. I’m a teacher of French and religion, married and mother of two children. Which are two full-time jobs.
Now I’m in” lockdown light” this means that I teach distance learning and I’m also at school 3 times a week for emergency childcare. I’m still allowed to leave the house to do some shopping and to go for  little walks or to cycle around in our neighbourhood.

Where do you answer these questions?
I'm at the computer, the most important thing these days. If this lockdown happened 15 years ago, it would have been much harder to work from a distance and we'd feel much lonelier.
 
Is your place in lockdown?
Belgium is in lockdown since march 18, 2020. We have to stay at home and only make essential transfers. We can go to the supermarket for half an hour. We can't visit our parents and friends.  
  
Where were you when the virus said hello-here-I-am to the world?  
I was already in lockdown during the Easter holidays. The 40-day period (the Lent) seemed more realistic than ever. “Do something that’s hard or difficult  for you”. Yes is was very hard. Every day of the good week and also Easter I followed the celebration via livestream in Paris; in Rome; in Antwerp; the abbey in West-Vleteren and in the crypt of St Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent. I felt differently connected with other Christians all over the world and I enjoyed the silence.
 
What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
We get up at 7:30 wondering what day it is today and we still do the same after 7 weeks. Always the same rhythm. My husband and I are both teachers, sometimes we remind each other that the school bell rang.  Even if we don't hear them now. 
We see our students, colleagues through Teams, Zoom, Skype and Whatsapp. We give many live sessions and correct tasks.
After this online school time, I can wash, iron, cook and clean every day.

Every day seems the same, as you can see on this drawing from De Standaard. But it has an added value. Normally my daughter lives in Ghent during the week. My son and husband work during the day and I give evening classes and take a Spanish course. On Friday evenings we're all together at the table and it's nice and busy in the house.
Because of the lockdown we are together every day and it's party time every day. Eating together, talking, working ...We enjoy the smallest things and we realize that a person can be very happy in his home. I enjoy the birds in the garden; the cats of the neighbours from a safe distance 😉 and the blossoms of the cherry tree. For the first time in 20 years, we admire this tree every day. The sun rises and sets. Many people on the bicycle highway to Ghent along the railway. My house is central in “Flandersholidaycountry”.

Can you eat what and when you want?
Yeah, we can eat anything we want.
Tasty fruit and vegetables. Unfortunately our shopping cart has become more expensive.
 
Did you loose any family member, friend due to this Corona-virus?
Right now, no one from our close friends or family has died of the coronavirus and we touch wood.

Do you have a message to the world?
No I have no message for the world.
Every human being is different.
For myself : I hope to continue enjoying the little things, but I would also appreciate a trip to France or Spain. After a long time in “Flandersholidaycountry”.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
There are many songs that can be related to this time.
You never walk alone. 
https://www.bruzz.be/samenleving/youll-never-walk-alone-voorsamenhorigheid-coronatijden-2020-03-19

Spain keeps itself straight with this anti-corona song. Resistiré.
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl3B4Ql8RtQ

But perhaps the best song for all of us:
We zullen doorgaan. Ramses Shaffy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yga6O3WhRFY

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
I'm hoping for a new conference by Astrid Callens. 
Meetings in real life.  I don't mean a videoconference.

Khadija is a friend of a friend, thus a friend. She lives there where some of you´d like to be right now... 

Can you be yourself?
I feel ok about the confinement because I am not a social person (you would not think that if you meet me ;)).

Where do you answer these questions? 
I answer these questions from Morocco which is in lockdown, too.
During the day,I do housework,read and watch the news, read about another thing I like (history, art...).

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
The change in my daily lifestyle is that now, I cannot go where I want, whenever I want. I cannot see who I want, do what I want whenever I want. In brief: my freedom is limited.

Can you eat what and when you want?
Yes,I can eat when I want.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
No,I haven't lost anyone due to Corona virus.

Do you have a message to the world?
This situation shows that we are very weak and ignorant regardless of all the achievements that humanity has accomplished, so far.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
There isn't a song I will associate with this time,but a movie.
It's called "Into The Wild", it's a true story.

I hope me, people, and the world will be better after this crisis.

Ischa is my very elegant neighbour and willing to share her LOCKDOWNsong:

Can you be yourself?
I’m starting to know myself every day more and more.

Who do you think you are?
(it´s just another way to ask you: who are you)?
I’m an entrepreneur who started a new company during this lockdown, Studio Kimchi. An interior studio who wants to guide people true there interior struggles and to reflect there personality in there homes. Why? Because I love people and I love being an interior designer! 

Where do you answer these questions?
In my cave in Gent.

Is your place in lockdown?
Yes, only groceries  and pharmacies are open.

How do you survive?
(same question as: what do you do during the day?)
Bad luck will turn into good luck for me. Bad luck because I lost my partnership and good luck because I have all the time in the world to start my new company. In 3 weeks we realized to launched Studio Kimchi. So it was a really intensive 3 weeks of hard work. Now I have some time to do some research about architecture and believe me architecture is an endless world!
 
Where were you when the virus said hello-here-I-am to the world?
he first time I heard from the virus was while listening to the radio during work. I was sitting behind my desk and they where talking about Wuhan, China.

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle?
My live turned upside down… normally we’re rarely home. Now we are constantly home. And after all we don’t really have issues staying home. Actually we enjoy spending time together and finally got time to spend on our to-do list. We still have a lot of contact with friends and family by skype, zoom, facetime, whatapp, ect.  

Can you eat what and when you want?
Yes, my husband is acting like a chef in a 5-star restaurant.

Did you loose any familymember, friend due to this Corona-virus?
No, and hopefully we won’t have to. We lost someone special but not because of the virus.

Do you have a message to the world?
Love yourself and love others with no judgement! 
Be critical to the world we live in and lay trust in your own knowledge and experience.

Is there a song you will associate with this time?
Edelweiss
from The Sound of Music
 
How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021?
Let everybody be self-conscious with respect for nature. Free from jealousy and judgement!  

​Lots of love, Ischa

Jack Wells is my friend, we met on a unforgettable Rivercruise and he is willing to share his LOCKDOWN experiences with us:

Can you be yourself? 
I am Very comfortable with myself.  I recognize many of my faults. 

Who do you think you are?
☺ (it´s just another way to ask you: who are you)? 
Very fortunate retiree.  Good health, great family, and more than comfortable life style.  Hunting, fishing, golfing, traveling, spending time with children and grandchildren. 

Where do you answer these questions? 
I live in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.  Approximately in the center of the USA.  HSV is the best kept secret in the world.  A retirement community of 11,000.  Located in the beautiful Ouachita mountains.  We regularly have wild animals in our yard.  Deer, raccoons, bobcats, fox, chipmunks and many birds, including turkey. 

Is your place in lockdown? 
Self-imposed stay at home.  No quarantine or imposed curfew.  Schools, restaurants, churches are closed.  All sporting events are postponed or canceled.  It is encouraged by the authorities that no group meetings be held, and that all individuals keep a “Social Distance” of six feet.  Grocery stores are open, and the shelfs remain fairly full except for a few items people tend to hoard.  At the onset of the crisis, it was a shock to find the toilet tissue aisle completely empty; spawning extremely funny jokes for those who have a sense of humor. The grocery stores have begun allowing only a certain number of persons at a time in the store, depending on the square footage of the store.  By the way, toilet tissue is now available but being rationed. 

How do you survive? 
(same question as: what do you do during the day?) 
I go to the grocery store once a week. I gargle with peroxide and wash my hands immediately before leaving home, and immediately upon returning.  Disinfecting/antibacterial wipes are provided at the stores.  Also 99% of the customers are wearing face masks. 
Before corona we were very active. Very busy social calendar. Very active in Church. To the gymnasium three times each week. Visiting our family. Traveling.  Eating out with friends.  Spending time at our cabin. Now, we take walks in our neighborhood, and I am still able to go fishing on a regular basis. 

What are the changes in your daily lifestyle? 
Stay home.
Yard work.
Organizing files.
Watching TV.
Reading. 
Honestly, have not been bored.  Rise at 6 :00, to bed at 10 :00. 

Can you eat what and when you want?
Yes, no change what so ever. 

Did you lose any family member, friend due to this Corona-virus? 
No.  As I mentioned above, we live in a small rural community of 11,000.  No cases of corona in our community.  Our state, Arkansas, is a small state of only 3,000,000 people.  To date, it has had 1,000 cases of confirmed corona, with 18 deaths attributed to corona.  I’m sure our experience has been quite different, and much less drastic from those who live in large cities and other countries.   We constantly remind ourselves of that fact.

Do you have a message to the world? 
THIS TOO WILL PASS. 
Hopefully, we will be thankful, and not soon forget how fortunate we are during normal times.   

Is there a song you will associate with this time?   
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS”

How do you see the world one year from now. Easter 2021? 
That will depend on each person’s experience, and how drastically they were affected.