COVID English Conversations: Advanced English Listening Lesson

Vanessa: Hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.

Are you experiencing a lockdown or quarantine in your country? Let's talk about it.

Vanessa: It's true that we are living in very unusual

times right now. It doesn't matter where you're from, what your native language is, what your

background is, you are most likely experiencing the same lockdown and quarantine type situation

that everyone else in the world is experiencing right now. For me, I live in the US in the

state of North Carolina, and we're experiencing this in some ways, but also in a different

way than people from other areas in the US and other areas of the world. So today I want

to bring you a special present. This is a long video, but I hope you will enjoy it because

I have some special guests for you today. It was my pleasure to be able to interview

four online YouTube English teachers who you probably know and ask them about what the

lockdown has been like in their country and just in their daily lives.

Vanessa: So our first guest today is Emma from mmmEnglish.

The second guest is Gabby from Go Natural English. My third guest is Jack from To Fluency,

and my fourth guest is Lucy from the channel English with Lucy. At the end of this video,

my husband, Dan, and I will talk a little bit about our personal experience with the

lockdown and quarantine here in the US at least in our state of North Carolina. So I

hope that you'll be able to enjoy this video. Make sure that you click CC to be able to

watch the full subtitles so that you can understand and catch every word that we say.

Vanessa: During this video, I'm going to be posting

some important expressions at the bottom of the screen, but if you want to catch every

single word, you can always click CC and look at the subtitles so that you can catch everything.

It's great to improve your listening skills, vocabulary, grammar, everything, and just

spend a little bit of time feeling like we are in this together. We can do it. All right,

let's go on and meet our first guest who is Emma from mmmEnglish.

Vanessa: All right, today I am lucky to have the wonderful

guest, Emma from mmmEnglish. Thank you so much for joining me Emma.

Emma: No worries. I'm excited to have a chat on

the other side of the world. We're doing a lot of these lightly.

Vanessa: Yeah, so right now it's 10:00 AM for you and

10:00 PM for me. So we are literally on opposite sides of the earth, but experiencing some

similar things. I thought that we could have a chat about the world circumstances right

now with Coronavirus and how that's affecting all of us. Doesn't matter what country we're

in. So my first question for you is, I'm curious what kind of regulations or changes have happened

where you live? First of all, where do you live, but also what kind of changes have happened

for you? Emma:

First things first. Well, I'm in Australia. I live in Perth, which is on the west coast

of Australia, similar time zone to Singapore, and we have been really, really fortunate

in Australia for a couple of reasons. The first reason is we're really isolated. We

are that far down the bottom end of the earth. No one comes through here on the way to somewhere

else. It's just Australia is the final destination. And I think that for us in a situation like

we're in now, that is a huge advantage because we just don't have as many people coming through.

And I feel like we were so lucky about that. Vanessa:

Especially I Perth. Emma:

Yeah, sometimes that's really frustrating. It's like, "Oh God, we're so far away from

everything," but right now it's quite handy. But we also had the huge advantage to be able

to see what was happening before it got to us. So before it got really serious. I think

that Australians generally, we're pretty easy going people. We don't take each other or

a government or anything too seriously, which is a good thing and can be a bad thing. But

I really think that Australians wouldn't have responded so well and so quickly to this problem

if we couldn't see what was happening in Italy, in China, in South Korea, in Spain beforehand,

and I think that was a huge plus for us as well.

Emma: So at the moment anyway, to answer your question,

we are allowed to go out in groups of twos or if you all live in the same house, a family,

you can all go out together, and a lot of the restaurants or all of the restaurants,

gyms, cinemas and things are closed. Vanessa:

Can you order a takeout from restaurants? Emma:

You can. You can do that. So it's interesting to think how some businesses or some industries

are able to really quickly adapt to a situation like this. So, yeah, we can order takeouts.

I've been spending a lot of time cooking or doing things at home, which I normally don't

do that much. So I've been taking advantage of cooking in the kitchen and home meals and

that kind of thing. Vanessa:

Yeah, I guess that leads into my second question of has your daily life changed much since

all of these regulations and changes have happened in the government level?

Emma: Yeah, it's interesting because I work at home

in my home office. I film in my house. I film all of my YouTube videos and things in my

house. So really not a lot has changed with me in terms of work, but my social life has

been affected obviously. All of our social lives have been affected. So for me, that's

been the biggest change is not being able to go out and see friends and do the things

that I would normally do, but yeah, not a huge amount of change for me as of yet.

Vanessa: Yeah, I guess especially because you already

are used to working from home and the people you work with, you work with remotely I imagine.

So that's convenient. Emma:

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. My whole team, actually, no one who I work with is based here in Perth

where I am. We're across time zones, across countries and are already quite familiar with

working this way. So it hasn't changed how we do things really, but it has changed the

way that we support our communities I guess. In particular, language communities that I've

run or that I'm a part of, we've done a lot to change the way that we deliver things,

deliver lessons, deliver content to support all of our students who are now at home with

lots more time, but able to connect more than previously, and I think that's a really exciting

opportunity for language learners. Vanessa:

Yeah, all of a sudden, there's more free time and the internet is really a great way to

be able to fill that and you can fill it positively with education.

Emma: Yeah.

Vanessa: I'm curious where you live, do you have any

outdoor space where you can go like a yard or any kind of private areas like that?

Emma: So I live in an apartment and I've got a couple

of big balconies which I can be outside on, which is nice. I also live right near the

beach. Just over the way. And for us we're quite lucky in that it's... We're coming out

of summer and so it's still quite long and the sun is shining, the weather is still really

good, so there's a lot of outdoor activities that we can still do, obviously within just

in groups of two or not gathering in large places and things like that, but we're still

able to make the most of the parks and things like that.

Vanessa: It's interesting that those types of places

are still open where you are because I live in the mountains where there's a lot of nature

trails and it seems like the perfect place to go during a time like this, but it seems

like at the same time, that's all that anyone can do right now. So there were so many people

doing that, but they closed like national parks and a lot of the hiking areas are closed

off because people didn't really treat it respectfully I imagine. But if the beach or

places where you're at, people are still trying to maintain some distance, then it can still

be used. Emma:

Yeah. Well, that's the thing. There was a news story a couple of weeks ago about Bondi

Beach in Sydney, which is a really famous beach, being absolutely covered in people.

And so the government came out and had to say, "Come on guys, we've told you that you're

not going to do this. We're going to have to close the beach." And so over here, there's

fewer people in the city where I live, but the government has also been saying, "You

really have to follow the rules. Otherwise, we are going to have to close down the beaches."

Vanessa: Yeah, as long as people are doing that, then

it's usable. And at the end of summer, the perfect thing to do to refresh your mind a

little bit. Emma:

Yeah, I feel like if I didn't have that space, I would be feeling a lot more frustrated right

now. So fortunately and fingers crossed, it stays that way.

Vanessa: Yeah, especially living in an apartment, it's

essential to be able to get outside and have some open space.

Emma: Yeah, sure it is.

Vanessa: So I'm curious, looking to the future, what

do you think life is going to be like after the pandemic has passed? Assuming that it

will pass in some way, hopefully at some point. What do you think life's going to be like

in your hypothetical opinion? Emma:

Oh, I didn't know. I've been thinking about this quite a lot lately. I think that one

of the most exciting changes is what's happening in our workforce and the way that people are

having to very quickly learn how to work from home, work remotely when their team is not

around them. And for lots of businesses, that's really, really challenging. Lots of industries,

that's quite hard to do. But for many, I think it was almost like a stubbornness by lots

of very traditional companies too who didn't believe that they could trust their staff

or that it was possible for everyone to be as productive and as effective at home. So

I think it's really exciting that we've been forced into this situation where everyone's

been put to the test a little to see is this possible? Can it work? What are all of the

tools that we need to make it work? Emma:

And the reason why I think that's really exciting is because it creates a much more level playing

field for a whole bunch of people in our society. Women, people who are raising families, for

people with disabilities or other challenges that they have in their labs that mean they

need a little bit more flexibility in the way that they do things. And so I feel like

this has been a really interesting opportunity for them to experience that and to prove to

their managers, bosses, companies, that it might be a possible way forward for them.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Emma: Yeah, I don't know what you think about that,

but I definitely feel like that's one of the biggest positives that is coming out of this

situation. Vanessa:

Yeah, I hadn't really thought about people who might be at some kind of disadvantage

how this could help them in their career, but even thinking about people who live in

some far away remote area, if a company is more used to hiring online and allowing people

to work remotely, why not hire someone who lives far away as well who maybe doesn't have

access to a really great company, but if they're allowed to work remotely, maybe all of a sudden

people in other areas have access to a great job or all of those types of things. That

would be really good thing to see. Emma:

Yeah, we can see this whole boom in the technology and the tools that we need to support us through

this as well and I think, yeah, exactly. Like you said, people in regional areas or rural

areas who previously had to move to big cities to these big job opportunities, maybe that

will change. I think that's really exciting. Vanessa:

Yeah. Emma:

A lot of things have been shaken up by this. I don't think we have had the chance to really

anticipate it. So we've had to respond really quickly. Socially, things have changed a lot,

environmentally, things are changing a lot, politically, all of these things, economically

obviously, and I think really it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to try something

different. You're forced into something different. Vanessa:

Everyone around the world is doing it. Emma:

Everyone's doing it. But the really most interesting part I think is being able to think about

what we take back to normal after this is finished, after the pandemic's over, after

they find a vaccine and the fear and the stress and the worry reduces a little. But there's

so many different things that I'm constantly thinking I caught like this aspect of this

new life that we have. So how can I take that back into what I was doing, what is normal?

So a lot of that is to do with like the social side of things and I guess just slowing things

down a little. Emma:

Before all of this happened, I was working hours and hours and hours and hours a day,

rushing round, then trying to go out and meet friends and do this and go there and buy this

and all of these things, and I was constantly running around and rushing and trying to make

all of these things fit into the limited number of hours I had in my day. And what I've really,

really appreciated is just the opportunity to slow that down and to do some more things

that are just for me or just focusing on me a little bit. More sleep or a little bit more

exercise. Like I said, I'm doing a bit more cooking, which before I was like, "I'm too

busy for that." I'm enjoying that as well. So I'm thinking carefully about what parts

of this experience now I have wanted to try and take back into new normal once all of

this is over. Vanessa:

Yeah, I think it will seem, like you mentioned, if you're a go, go, go kind of person, to

just jump back into that might seem hectic. It was hectic before but you see it as hectic

now, which will be an interesting shift. We'll see exactly what happens, but it's very interesting.

Emma: Perfect. It's very nice. But it's a very idealistic

way of looking at our current situation. Vanessa:

Yeah, I like that positive attitude though because there's so many negative things or

all of the fear and stress, so just thinking about the positives we can take away, it's

really... Yeah, it's good for the morale. Emma:

I'm always trying to think more positively of that. In this situation it’s all you

can do. Vanessa:

Yes. Well, thank you so much Emma for this chat and thank you for sharing it with all

of my students as well. I hope they get a chance to, I'm sure all of them have already

seen mmmEnglish, but if you haven't, make sure you check it out. I'll post links and

all of that as well. Well, thank you so much. I hope we get to

chat again sometime in the future. Emma:

Wow, absolutely. Have a really good sleep. Vanessa:

Have a good day. Emma:

You too. Vanessa:

Bye. Well, today I am lucky to be here with Gabby from Go Natural English, another amazing

English teaching channel. You've been around YouTube for quite awhile.

Gabby: It's almost 10 years. Hi everyone.

Vanessa: Amazing. Well, I'm so glad that you're here.

Thank you so much for taking your valuable time today.

Gabby: Thank you. I'm really excited to be here with

you, Vanessa. Thank you. Vanessa:

Yes, so even though we're living far apart, we are experiencing similar life circumstances

right now. So I'm curious for you, what kind of regulations or changes have happened in

the last month where you live? First of all, what area or what country are you living in

so people can get an idea and what kind of changes have happened over the last month

for you? Gabby:

It's been very interesting because last month, I was in Kansas City for a few weeks and then

went back to Los Angeles right as the virus was unfolding and new regulations and orders

were coming into play. And so we decided, my boyfriend and I, we decided to come back

to the Kansas City area from LA. So when LA had this roll outs of new orders, we thought,

"Okay, maybe we should go back to Missouri where things are a little bit more calm and

peaceful and less people." And so we're actually in the Kansas City area right now, and it's

interesting because across the United States, we've had these say at home orders, right?

And it happened first in Los Angeles and then here in Kansas City. It was about a week behind

here. So we had a little more time to prepare, but we have been staying at home just like

most people in the US. Vanessa:

Yeah, and probably you have a little more space there too.

Gabby: Yes.

Vanessa: Maybe you feel a little more comfortable.

Gabby: A bit.

Vanessa: Or space there to maybe feel...

Gabby: Yes!

Vanessa: ... a little more comfortable.

Gabby: A bigger yard to play in, yes.

Vanessa: That is essential. So you have some private

or personal outdoor space that you can go to like a yard?

Gabby: Exactly. Yeah. So personal stories, I have

a house in the Kansas City area and I have some family in the Kansas City area, so I

go back and forth a lot. So it just seems like an easy place to kind of hunker down

during stay at home and just have more space to walk around in the yard or be outside,

so Vanessa:

I'm curious because you teach online, I imagine most of your work related things are at home

or at least not out and in an office. So how has your daily life changed since all of this?

I know you've moved back and forth a little bit, but as far as just your daily habits,

has an awful lot changed for you? Gabby:

Honestly, because for so many years I've been working from home. I mean I know it's a big

change for many people to be working from home, working remotely. But I've been doing

this for so long, I just kind of feel like it's another day at my home office. You know,

speaking of work, not like, you know, free time or social life, but work life is pretty

much the same. It's, I feel very lucky in that regard.

Vanessa: Yeah, I do too. Just to be already comfortable

with working from home and that you can continue doing that.

Gabby: Yeah.

Vanessa: It's really a good position to be in and hopefully

helpful for English learners. We can keep giving them English lessons.

Gabby: Absolutely. Yeah, and I think more and more

people are looking to the internet and YouTube and online courses to learn from nowadays

and it's becoming more and more normal and I love that because that's what we do.

Vanessa: Yeah. Yeah. It seems like this is the perfect

time to spend more time enriching yourself if you have a little bit extra time.

Gabby: Definitely, now is the time. If you have to

stay at home and have a little extra free time because you're not going out, then learn

something new. Vanessa:

Yeah. Have you found yourself at all picking up other activities or, I know a lot of people,

at least around here have gotten pets or they like started a garden cause you're at home

a lot. Gabby:

It's really funny because my dad gave me a stack of books and magazines about country

living, which is, it's very Missouri this is kind of a rural area, if people don't know,

Kansas city is a big city, but anyway, some people like my dad are into raising chickens

and having a garden and so I've become a little obsessed with the idea having a garden and

chickens. I don't have any yet, but hopefully soon.

Vanessa: Yeah, I think at least around here the stores

have, I don't know if there's specific, there's not really specific chicken stores, but places

where you get chickens have just sold out because so many people are wanting to kind

of spend more quiet time, go back to the traditional ideas.

Gabby: It's very interesting.

Vanessa: Yeah. I guess people like your dad are ahead

of the curve. Gabby:

Well, he was ahead of the curve before even it started. Yeah.

Vanessa: Yeah, I'm curious, what do you think is going

to happen in the future after, at least the major part of their pandemic has passed? What

do you think life's going to be like? Similar difference.

Gabby: I think it will be a little different than

before. I think that we may not go out as much as before. Maybe it will take a while

to get back to where we were or maybe people will be a little bit more hesitant to go out

or do things in large groups or too close together to other people. You know? I think

long answers short, just people will be a little bit more cautious because I don't think

the virus will go away completely, we'll have to just be aware of washing our hands more

often and you know, just taking care of ourselves if we do get sick, not pushing ourselves too

hard, I hope that it will become more normal to maybe work from home if you're not feeling

well or take time off if you're not feeling well and you know for people to really be

healthy. Vanessa:

Yeah, yeah, the idea of continue. It's hard to just shake the idea that, "Oh, I shouldn't

stand too close to my neighbor". All those things that, it feels weird now, but it also

feels weird to hug a neighbor because we've got so used to that distancing so people were

not jumped back in. Gabby:

Yeah. People are not really hugging or shaking hands these days, and I think you're right.

It will be. It will be a little strange to start doing that again. I think there's going

to be some very awkward monks months ahead where we're like, do we shake hands? Or? Cause

"hi". Vanessa:

Yeah. Yeah. It even feels weird like that now because at least where I live, there's

not an awful lot of cases, or at least it's not people I'm personally know, so when you

see your neighbors, it just feels weird like, Oh, I want to help you in your garden or give

you some food, or all those types of things, but kind of keep our distance.

Gabby: Yeah, right. It's really interesting, I think

we're all just kind of figuring it out together at the same time and it's good to talk about

it, I'm really glad that you know we're having this talk and that you'll talk with other

English teachers and many other people in the comments too. I'm sure will have this

discussion continuing, but it's interesting to figure out what is life going to be like

in the following months and years. Vanessa:

Yeah. I'm curious especially too for children, how they're going to be in the future, will

this be a traumatic event where they'll be afraid to touch other people or get close.

Gabby: Or children who we're in school and they're

learning from home and they, I mean there's so many children who are not going back to

school until maybe next year, it's crazy. Vanessa:

Yeah. Yeah. Even for my two year old the other day he said, mommy, I touched our neighbor's

ball. It's okay. It's okay. He doesn't know why. We don't want him to do that. It doesn't

quite understand, but that might linger after all of this has passed.

Gabby: Right? Like these kids will grow up thinking

they can't touch anything. Vanessa:

It'll be quite interesting. I'm sure it will affect us and kids and everyone else for quite

awhile. Gabby:

Yeah, but I think just taking it day by day and just trying to help each other out and

being kind and yeah, that's all we can do really.

Vanessa: Yeah, I agree. Just sharing kindness is a

great idea. Well thank you so much Gabby for sharing your thoughts and just kind of what's

going on in your life because... Gabby:

Of course... Vanessa:

No matter where we live. We're all doing this. Gabby:

Of course. Yeah. I loved meeting on, online like this, this is so cool. It's a great substitute

for face to face meetings and you know, we're not even in the same city so of course we

would probably do this anyway online. But it's great.

Vanessa: A good excuse.

Gabby: Yes.

Vanessa: Yes. Well thank you so much. I hope everyone

gets a chance to check out. Go natural English, YouTube channel.

Gabby: Thank you!

Vanessa: Keep learning, enriching yourself with all

the time that we have now to not go out and be social. You can learn online.

Gabby: Yes, thanks so much Vanessa.

Vanessa: My pleasure. All right, I'm here with Jack

from the wonderful YouTube channel ToFluency who is another English teacher on the YouTubes,

so thanks for joining me Jack. Jack:

Sure thing, Vanessa, glad to be here. Vanessa:

So we are surprisingly living in the same city, which is unlike any of the other people

who are in this video. But even though we're in the same city, we are living different

lives but experiencing the same thing, this quarantine business. So I'm curious for you,

even though they're similar to me, what kind of regulations or changes have happened for

you over the last month or so since the quarantine or just the pandemic has been going on?

Jack: Yeah, it's hard to think about the timeframe

of it all because I remember there was before the lockdown happened and the city basically

said, we are implementing these guidelines at Kate and I had done some of that as well.

So we, we were a little bit aware of, we thought it was going to happen. My son wasn't feeling

very well, so we took him out of school as a precaution and then suddenly it, it started

and those, those guidelines were something that I was expecting, and it's been interesting

for me as well to compare them to other cities around the world and other countries. I'm

from the UK, I live in America. So just like comparing what everyone is doing in that regard.

Vanessa: Yeah, and even within the U S it seems like

different cities and States are dealing with it in different ways.

Jack: That's right. And it's interesting also to

see how cities are dealing with that and then how that compares to the state and then the

country and the different advice and guidelines are being passed down. But yeah, I feel in

terms of the guidelines have been set, they've been pretty general in terms of what other

people are facing right now. And it started with no large gatherings and then it started

to be a little bit more strict with schools closing. Certain businesses are allowed to

be open and some of that has changed slightly, but a lot of it is just it's down to essential

versus non essential. Vanessa:

Yeah, so you can, there's not a specific amount of time you can be outside or even saying,

for example, Emma in Australia said that they can only have gatherings of two people. I

feel like the U S hasn't really implemented something that specific. It's just don't gather

in large groups of more than 10 or something a little more vague than other places.

Jack: Yeah, so a good, a good example is in the

UK you can go outside to exercise once per day. So you have your very specific hour,

let's say when you can go exercise and the cracking down on people even just like stop

in and have taking a break. Where as here there's no general guideline to that. So we're

spending a lot of time outside in our neighborhood, especially in the yard.

Vanessa: Especially with kids, you have to get out

of the house or else you just go stir crazy. Jack:

Oh yeah. It's bad for everyone. Yeah. And luckily right now the weather's just incredible.

Vanessa: I can't imagine if this had happened in the

middle of the winter, we would be going crazy. Jack:

Yeah. Vanessa:

So I'm curious about your daily life. You kind of hinted, you live in a neighborhood,

you have kids. How has your daily life changed in the last month or so?

Jack: Well, we're, we feel very fortunate that we've

all been healthy throughout this, this period. And also that I do what I do, which is, similar

to what you do. And my wife also has a job that allows her to work from home. But with

that, with the two children I'm working, my wife's working, they have to have schoolwork

done and there's no, there's no way that we can get childcare at this time. It's been,

it's been a challenge but it, it's actually been really nice at the same time because,

Vanessa: How so?

Jack: Well part of it is, I can be flexible with

when I work, my wife's school teaching, she has certain hours that she has to do stuff.

Our children, it's both good and bad that the word we have to in regards to them being

able to entertain each other, they have company cause they can't play with other children.

But then when it's, when there are times of the day when everyone's a little about on

edge, it's just, it's madness. Just before dinner time for example, when let's say I'm

trying to finish a video, my wife gets a call from her lead teacher to say, you know, we

need this done now. And then the children are hungry on one of them is tired, one of

them hasn't napped. It's everything like comes together at one point.

Jack: But we're, we're managing pretty well and

we're actually in a routine that we haven't been in for a long time because we don't have

to do the school drop off, we don't have to do certain things that the commitments that

we have classes, soccer practice or that kind of stuff.

Vanessa: Yeah everything has come to a halt.

Jack: So we, we've just gotten to a really good

routine at the moment that's more or less working for everyone. And yeah, everyone's

been quite flexible at the same time. Vanessa:

It's really great that you guys can flexibly work and first of all have jobs that are still

continuing but be able to work from home as well. So what do you think, I guess we should

say when this is over and not if this is ever over, but when this is over, what do you think

the future looks like? What's your prediction? Jack:

It's, I mean it's very difficult isn't it? Because we're in very uncertain times and

there are different things to consider with this. And you know, you, this is from a very

American perspective as well. When I, when I think about what's going to happen and think

about the UK, but yeah, it's, I feel that these lock-downs are going to probably continue

in terms of it's already been extended as a lot longer than most people thought.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Jack: And then it just seems like everyone is saying

there's going to be that second wave, well, she's likely going to come in in the fall.

So we're preparing in many ways for this to be extended over the long term. And from that

we, I say we, Kate and I've talked about this a lot, my wife and I, and we were actually

watching The Big Shore together last night. Have you seen that movie?

Vanessa: No, I haven't.

Jack: Well it's, it's based on the 2008 crash.

Vanessa: Oh, okay.

Jack: But there's certain parts of it where you,

you watch it and you think this is just like what's going on at the moment in terms of

the economy, but also that was during the SARS outbreak. So there was a scene when one

of the characters was wearing a mask and they ridiculed him because he was wearing a mask

in America. But now that has come around where we're all being told to wear masks outside.

But just to go back to that, I see there's so many different ways that it can play out

and you can just take any kind of industry and think, okay, how's that going to be affected

and what's the knock on effects of that? Vanessa:

Right. Jack:

So you can think about the travel industry and it's very difficult to picture this time

next year. The travel industry being back to normal.

Vanessa: Yeah. Even in a year, who knows what's going

to happen? What do you think about the education side of it? Because you have two kids in the

education system there. My kids are too young for that now. So for you, what do you think

is going to happen with education? Not so much even will they go back to school in the

fall, but do you think that remote education will be integrated at all into whatever the

new system is, even if it's completely safe to go back to school? Just because that's

what's been going on. They've been remotely educating for awhile. What do you think about

that? Jack:

Yeah, I think it's interesting because you can, some people are seeing the advantages

to it, where, I mean the biggest advantage is you don't have to travel and just the fact

that you can work remotely, but at the same time, I see a lot of frustration with it and

it seems like it's been just, just put onto people in such a big way that they haven't

had time to ease into this and get used to the resources available. But what surprised

me is that how, how good it has been with the limited time that I've had. So the kind

of resources we're getting from both the schools that my children go to just been, they've

been excellent and they have enjoyed it. I've been surprised at how well it's worked. Yeah.

Vanessa: So they're engaged even though it's just a

screen. Is it the teacher that they see or did they see all of the students? What's that

like? Jack:

Usually they do it on a grid and they can see every student. And the benefit of this

from a teacher point of view is that you can mute everybody. So then, so instead of when

you ask a question, you can just say, okay, so my daughter just had a Spanish lesson and

she's, she's three and a half, they teach in preschool. So today's lesson was Spanish

and I was listening and it was just incredible because they get everyone to repeat stuff

and Emma was repeating it and then they'll unmute Emma and say, all right Emma, how'd

you say it's snowing? And she just said it and they're completely engaged and my sister's

been given our children lessons as well, doing craft projects. So they've been for two hours

at a time in front of the screen interacting with my sister and she's going through all

these different projects that they're doing, asking questions or having discussions and

it's, it's, it's been incredible. Some of that that's been going on.

Vanessa: That's really sweet too, that your sister

would do that. I. mean, probably a good way to connect, but that's so kind.

Jack: Oh, everyone's winning because the children

love it. We love it. And she just loves that she loves to be, you know, with them. So,

yeah we... Vanessa:

It's not a bad idea for like remote relationships. Even for like my two and a half year old.

Let's do a puzzle together and just pretend like they're there, but it's just a screen.

Jack: Yeah. And if you're going to .

Vanessa: It's a screen.

Jack: Yeah. And if you're going to do that, I recommend

having a computer setup and then sitting down at a desk because we found any type of Zoom

time with my sister on a phone just turns into a battle where they're both trying to

get it and they're holding it, they want to be over here, they want to be over there and

it keeps them centered. Vanessa:

Sure. It's already fixed on the desk. This is where you're going to stay. That's really

interesting. I'm kind of surprised. Maybe just sounds like you were a little surprised

too that they're actually engaged with the class or with your sister doing projects because

you'd kind of think that maybe it's not for everyone, but that most kids would just think,

"Oh no one's here. I can do whatever I want." Jack:

Yeah, I think the craving that kind of interaction too, the type of work where they have to work

through things on their own. You can tell they're not as engaged into that and you have

to be with them and try and lead them down. But when it's a class they're definitely engaged.

Vanessa: Yeah. I guess that's a kind of thing that

I've heard as kind of a complaint about this remote learning is it's not really homeschooling

because that would mean you're coming up with the curriculum as the parent, but you're kind

of just the intermediary. You're being given the information, which could be a little tough,

but sounds like kind of working for you guys so far.

Jack: Well, yeah to the best of its ability. I mean,

everyone needs this space. Vanessa:

Is that possible? Jack:

Not really, no. It's very difficult to get that time, but then it's just shown that people

are having to get creative and to do things in different ways. So for me, I want to have

certain time to exercise. If I start exercising, like, "Oh, I'm just going to sneak off and

do something," then within two minutes they're jumping on my back if I'm doing pushups. But

then you just have to think how can you get them involved so everyone's doing things together.

Vanessa: Sure. A level of creativity and patience has

to double. Jack:

Yeah. Vanessa:

Well, very interesting to hear how things are going even just across the city from me.

So thank you so much, Jack, for sharing about your daily life, your predictions for the

future. I'm curious to hear what other people from around the world, especially with kids,

have experience with remote learning and all of that. Every country does it a little differently,

but kids are still kids. Jack:

Yeah, I think a lot depends as well on the parent's job. So Kate and I are a little bit

more flexible and we can spend more time with them. But I know people who are having to

do that while having to log 10 hours a day at home.

Vanessa: Oh my goodness.

Jack: And I see them at the end of the day and-

Vanessa: That is impossible.

Jack: It's impossible, that's the thing. And that's

why I feel very fortunate that we can be flexible and spend that time with them.

Vanessa: Yeah, for sure and for those people it would

be the perfect time for them to be able to have a babysitter come over. But we can't

do that. Jack:

Exactly yeah. Vanessa:

Kind of this strange cycle. But we are all pushing through. So thank you so much for

sharing Jack. I appreciate it. Jack:

My pleasure. Vanessa:

Anyone who hasn't found Jack's YouTube channel yet, make sure you check it out and continue

learning to use this free time to have remote education. All of us are doing it well.

Jack: Yeah, well thank you.

Vanessa: Well thanks so much and I'll talk to you later.

Jack: Yeah. Bye-bye.

Vanessa: Bye. All right, I am here with the wonderful

Lucy from English with Lucy. The wonderful- Lucy:

Hello. Vanessa:

Thanks so much for joining me. Lucy:

Thank you for having me. It's such an honor to be here.

Vanessa: Oh it's my honor to talk with you. So even

though you are living far away on the other side of the ocean, we are experiencing some

similar circumstances as is probably everyone watching this. So I'm curious in this strange

quarantine times, what kind of regulations or changes have happened where you live? First

of all, where do you live and then what kind of changes have happened in your area?

Lucy: So I live in Bedfordshire, which is a county

near London in England. And there have been quite a few changes. But I will say from the

beginning that I live on a farm in England. So some of the changes haven't quite reached

me. So life is quite unaffected compared to how other people's lives are affected.

Vanessa: So you're not in the middle of a city in a

small apartment? Lucy:

No, and when we do have to drive to a city or a town, it's unbelievable how different

everything is. It feels like the apocalypse. Vanessa:

No one's anywhere. Lucy:

Yeah, and I think one big thing is that people don't make eye contact as if that's going

to spread the disease. Vanessa:

The virus will shoot out of your eyes. I'm going to get you.

Lucy: Yeah. So we are you being told in America

to stay six feet apart? Vanessa:

Yes. Lucy:

But we use the metric system, so we're being told two meters apart, which I think is similar.

Vanessa: About the same, yeah.

Lucy: Yeah. I've forgotten, whereabouts are you?

Vanessa: I live on the east coast in North Carolina,

so it's not even a big city, but still it's pretty deserted like any city I guess in the

UK too. But strange thing to have to stay away from people, especially people that you

previously knew. All of a sudden they have something and you have to avoid them.

Lucy: Yeah, and everybody has different standards

of how seriously they're taking the recommendations. So it's kind of awkward at first like, "Are

we doing the two meters? Are we're doing more?" But I guess my biggest problem at the moment

is I'm really missing my mom. Vanessa:

Oh sure. So generally even families aren't really getting together if you don't know

live together? Lucy:

No. You have to stick with your household. So, for anyone that's not in your household,

you're not allowed to visit them. If you do bump into each other, you've got to be two

meters apart. If I wanted to go on a walk outside of the farm then I would be able to

go with my fiance Will, but that would be it.

Vanessa: Oh, interesting. So that's actually a regulation

that you can't meet with people because here it's not a regulation that you can't, but

it's generally suggested. Lucy:

It's funny isn't it? Vanessa:

So we are together sometimes but- Lucy:

Yeah, I think it's hard for them to tell us absolutely don't do this. I think there's

a lot of ethical boundaries maybe, but we're advised no meetings of more than two people,

but we're also advised to not mix with other households. So it's a bit hard to understand,

but there've been lots of really good things our government has done because we've obviously

got a lot of people that now can't go to work. You're only allowed to go to work if it's

essential or if you can still maintain the, what's it called? Self-isolation.

Vanessa: Oh sure. If you can still self-isolate while

you're working. Lucy:

Yeah. Whilst you're working. So for example, gardeners can still work and window cleaners

can still work as long as they don't have contact, but they are doing something which

is called furloughing, which is a word that I've just learnt. I've never had written before.

But it's basically, if you have to stop working the government will pay up to 80% of your

monthly salary up to £2,850 a month I think. Which is a lot. That's a high salary.

Vanessa: You can survive and probably not change much

of your lifestyle. Lucy:

Yeah. So for anyone who is employed by someone, if their employer is choosing to put them

on this scheme, employee has to pay them now, but then they can claim back the money later

from the government. So I'm surprised that the government have been so generous with

that figure, but I think it's really good. Vanessa:

Yeah. People in the US don't listen to that. Lucy:

No, no sorry. Vanessa:

They’ll get jealous. Lucy:

But it's not good for everyone because we have a lot of self-employed people and there

are quite specific regulations on who can claim.

Vanessa: Talking about being self-employed, I imagine

that's the category you fall under. Lucy:

Yeah, I'm a company and I employ myself. But I'm not taking any money from the government

because my business isn't really affected by this.

Vanessa: Sure. So has your daily life been affected

much? You said you live far enough away from the city, but I guess you still go to the

grocery store and places like that when you need to?

Lucy: So my whole world hasn't changed too much.

Honestly, I lived quite a solitary life anyway because we live on a farm. My fiance's a farmer,

I work from home and anyone who I do work with, I work with remotely. So over emails

and Skype and things like that. And I also never ever go to the supermarket because I

have a shopping delivery because the closest supermarket is still 30 minutes away. So that's

a long round trip. I'd have to take out a whole afternoon to do a week shop. So normally

at 7:30 on a Monday morning I have a shopping delivery. But this has been quite difficult

since the lockdown's come in. Vanessa:

Sure, everyone wants that now. Lucy:

Everyone wants it and the prime minister, before he became ill he was doing a daily

broadcast in the afternoon and one day he said, "And I really recommend that everyone

uses online delivery services." Explosions everywhere.

Vanessa: Wow.

Lucy: I was in a queue. I tried to go on to edit

an order that I've made and I was number 63,000 in a queue to get onto the website.

Vanessa: What? 63,000?

Lucy: Yes, it was overloaded and then the orders

that we had made didn't arrive, so it was chaos. So now they're doing priority customers,

so people who are vulnerable, definitely people who are older, people who have underlying

health conditions and people that maybe are a single parent, but with children they are

meant to be given the priority. Sometimes it's not reaching them. So I am going to the

supermarket now. Vanessa:

So this is the new life you're actually going back into.

Lucy: Yeah.

Vanessa: When you go to the store or other places that

are more public like that, are people wearing masks and gloves or what's that like? Because

I know that's a little different everywhere. Lucy:

Yeah. It's funny because masks aren't a part of our culture, I know in some countries,

especially in Asia, wearing a mask is quite normal, but it's not a part of our culture.

And so no one really has them. And if we do have them then they're not necessarily the

right ones. So Will, my fiance, gave me a mask to wear and I was like, "Will, this is

a dust mask for doing woodwork. I don't think that's going to do much." But he made me wear

it anyway and I did go to the supermarket and there was a huge queue outside of people

two meters apart and it looked really low, but actually because it was so spaced out,

it went down quite quickly and they're doing it so that there's a limited amount of people

allowed in the shop at each time. And yeah, it did take a long time because also you don't

want to crowd someone. If I want to look at the tomatoes, but someone is already looking

at the tomatoes. I have to wait my turn. It's an interesting experience and I try not to

go too often. Vanessa:

Yeah, it does seem like it's meant to help, at the same time, a little inconvenient. Here

they've put arrows on the ground in grocery stores so that you have to follow certain

patterns. It's a recent thing. Lucy:

What the fuck? Vanessa:

Yeah, I haven't been to the store in maybe two months. I don't know. It's been forever.

My husband's been going, either I was really, really pregnant or just had a newborn. So

it made sense for him to go anyway. But I've heard that if you, for example, want a bag

to put the apples in, you have to follow the arrows all the way to the other side to get

the bag and then follow the arrows. So it's maybe not so intuitive right now, but the

idea is nice. Lucy:

Oh my God. Yeah. It's been interesting to see how it's just slowly changed and the restrictions

are getting stronger and stronger because at first I don't think we all really believed

that it was going to be such a big deal. I remember saying myself back in March like,

"It'd be fine. I think it'd be fine." But now, yes were not fine.

Vanessa: It's serious.

Lucy: Yes. But we definitely have to stay far away

from the cashier. The person that's, what do you call the cashier in America?

Vanessa: The cashier.

Lucy: Okay. Store clerk, isn't it that?

Vanessa: It kind of feels a little old fashioned. And

maybe in the official title it says, "I'm a store clerk," but yeah, cashiers. Do they

have any kind of barrier? I know some places have put up a glass barrier at the bank or

something. Lucy:

Yeah, we do have that actually. Yeah we do. One thing that's become really popular that

I think is really good is well because people are struggling to find the food they want

in the supermarkets and also to get the delivery slots. We are or people in general in the

UK are using local providers more. So obviously I'm a farmer's wife to be, so I'm very passionate

using farm shops, but all the local farm shops are noticing booming trade and they're doing,

you can phone them up to say what you want and they'll pack a box and pass it over the

fence to you. The local butchers are doing deliveries and all of these kind of service

providers that were overlooked before, like milkman. I don't know if you have milk delivery

services in the US. Vanessa:

No, but that sounds really quaint and amazing. Lucy:

In little glass bottles. Vanessa:

Is that a real service? Lucy:

Oh yeah, the milk man. It's a running joke in my village that my mom had an affair with

the milkman because I'm blonde and so is the milkman and my dad isn't. But that's not true.

Vanessa: Usually we just say the mailman like, "Oh

you look like the m-" Lucy:

Yeah, exactly. No, and we've always used a milkman. He's very nice and well loved in

the village. Vanessa:

I imagine he is well loved. It kind of reminds me of something that might have happened at

the turn of the century. Lucy:

They use electric milk floats now, so the little vans that they drive are electric.

So you don't hear them. They're just *vroom*. They're very modest.

Vanessa: The mysterious milk coming, arriving at your

door. Lucy:

Yeah. It's a really good low carbon footprint because you have driven to you in an electric

van from a local dairy. Vanessa:

Oh, that's cool. Lucy:

Brilliant. Yeah and they bring goods and services and so milkman were in decline and now-

Vanessa: The business to be in.

Lucy: Yeah, curiously it's cool.

Vanessa: Yeah, I'm curious to hear if other people

from other countries too, if local businesses, especially food businesses have gained in

popularity because that is true. People want to avoid going to stores and it's maybe more

convenient to get something. You have a CSA type programs?

Lucy: What's that?

Vanessa: You get like a weekly box of vegetables usually

from a farm and you sign up for a membership and they-

Lucy: Yes. Lots of those around.

Vanessa: Community supported agriculture I think is

what it stands for. Lucy:

Oh okay. Vanessa:

But you can say sign up for something like that.

Lucy: I mean there are lots of farms that do vegetable

boxes. They're normally run by farm shops. There's a really successful one that's near

us. They have a barn that they sell the food for them and then they also do deliveries

on a certain day. Yeah, and they've been, I mean it's a luxury now if you get stuff

with them because they're so popular. No, it's really cool. I'm really glad that people

are going back and are happy to pay a little bit more for something that is more local

and kind of meat that's being responsibly produced as well. I like that.

Vanessa: Sure, and not transported halfway across the

globe. Lucy:

Yeah, that is good because the moment we're noticing in our supermarkets that we get a

lot of meat from New Zealand, which couldn't be further. Yeah. So it is nice that people

are using British products more. Vanessa:

That's a pleasant positive turn of events. And that kind of leads to my final question

because I'm curious what you think is going to happen after all this passes, but even

with food, do you think people will continue to go to those local shops after all of this

main part of the pandemic has passed? What's your prediction?

Lucy: I think so. I think so because it's about

forming a habit isn't it? And once you get used to something, it becomes kind of just

part of your day or your week. I really hope that food delivery services, whether they're

from supermarkets or from local providers become more popular because instead of lots

of families all driving to the supermarket and coming home, it's just one van doing a

calculated route, which I think is quite good. Clears up the roads, because that's one thing

we've noticed. The roads had been so clear. I walk my dog normally with a lead, but I

don't even have to do now because there are no cars around.

Vanessa: So even now in a rural area there's noticeably

less traffic? Lucy:

Oh yeah. Way less, but there are a lot more, I wonder if you know what this is, MAMILS.

Vanessa: Is this a different way to say mammals?

Lucy: No. It's M-A-M-I-L-S. It's something that

is a recent phenomenon. It's the middle-aged men in Lycra.

Vanessa: This is an actual acronym?

Lucy: Yeah. You'll hear it mentioned on the radio.

People are getting really annoyed about the amount of MAMILS because men, it seems to

be predominantly males but there are lots of females as well, have taken to cycling.

But it's unbelievable. There are so many of them.

Vanessa: All of a sudden everyone just pulled their

bike out of the garage or out of somewhere to-

Lucy: Oil it up, squeezed into their Lycra and yeah,

they're going everywhere. And so we've been told by the government-

Lucy: And yeah, that going everywhere and I think

it's, so we've been told by the government that we're allowed one hour of exercise per

day. It's either one exercise session or one hour long session, I can't remember. And people

are taking that really seriously. Like they feel like they deserve that hour. They're

entitled to the hour - Vanessa:

And if you're wearing Lycra, maybe that should be like 30 minutes.

Lucy: Then my mother, my dad once bought a pair

of Lycra shorts for running in, which you should never run in lycra shorts, and she

cut out the crotch area so when he put them on he couldn't wear them.

Vanessa: She did that just so that he couldn't wear

them? Lucy:

Yes. Not for any other reason. Lucy:

He wouldn't wear them. So he put them on and she'd ruined them. And it actually was a big

issue in our house for awhile. He was really upset, but she hated them so much and he wasn't

listening. Vanessa:

Oh man. What are you going to do, how are you going to dissuade him from doing this?

Only one way. Lucy:

I know! Everyone else thought that day yet. Yeah. I wonder if people are going to maintain

the social distancing regulation? Like not shaking hands, not kissing. I'm quite happy

with that. The less I have to touch people, the better.

Vanessa: Yeah. It seems like there's been so many,

at least for me because I have a newborn. My neighbors are dying to hold him and like

be close and - Lucy:

Yes. Vanessa:

So I, it will be a little bit weird though when this passes to feel like it's okay because

maybe it's not and we felt like it wasn't okay for so long.

Lucy: Yes. Because I hear that one thing, especially

with newborn babies, is people want to kiss them.

Vanessa: Impossible not to kiss the little cheeks.

Lucy: Ah the cheeks. I love the cheeks. And then

also when they look like they have elastic bands around their wrists, you know when they

get chubby. Vanessa:

He has the little baby rolls. But yeah, it's going to be weird to feel like we don't have

some kind of complex after this. Like, Oh, is this okay? And not be kind of traumatized.

Lucy: Yeah. Yeah. It's going to be weird. I wonder

how long this will go on for. We're meant to be getting married in September.

Vanessa: Oh. I hope by then.

Lucy: Fingers crossed. We can postpone it. There's

no issue. But I've been growing my hair, especially for the wedding and I'm really getting tired

of it. Vanessa:

You can only take a couple more months. Lucy:

It's started tickling the bottom of my back now and if it goes any further.

Vanessa: Yeah, if you postpone until next year, you're

going to have world's longest hair flowing behind you. You don't even need a veil.

Lucy: Especially as all the, Oh, this is something

funny actually, that's happened during lockdown. Men can't get their hair cut. Now women, it

doesn't matter that much, apart from maybe the roots I think some women are struggling

with, but all the men have started shaving their heads.

Vanessa: Oh, shaving their heads, really?

Lucy: It's only been a couple of weeks. How fast

does their hair grow? But they've all been putting it on their social media and some

girlfriends seem to be better at it than others. Some kind of lawn mower stripes.

Vanessa: This has not caught on in the US yet, but

we're usually a couple of weeks behind. So maybe in a couple weeks that will happen.

Vanessa: Oh yeah, I saw a funny picture that was like

a little comic and it showed men lining up to go to a barber shop after this is finished

and everyone had crazy hair and the barber was just in shock. How am I going to deal

with this? Because that's all you can do. Lucy:

Will is starting to feel it a little bit, I think it was like back in 2007, 2008 when

men had like sweeping side fringes and stuff and they click it like this. He's starting

to look a little bit early two thousands for my liking and his liking, but we'll get through

this difficult time. Vanessa:

Because it's either that or shave your head. So we've got two options.

Lucy: No. He can't shave it just in case the wedding

does go ahead. No, we're not doing that. Vanessa:

Wow. Well thank you so much for sharing your life and thoughts and predictions. We'll see

what happens. Hopefully your wedding can still happen and Will won't resort to having to

shave his head. Lucy:

Pray for me. Vanessa:

Or you. Lucy:

Yeah, I know it's lovely to talk. Thank you for having me on.

Vanessa: Oh, my pleasure. I hope you continue to have

an okay quarantine there on a lovely farm. At least you've got some nice space outside

to roam freely. Lucy:

Yeah, it's good. We are in a fortunate position. I really do feel for people who don't have

any outside space and people with animals who don't have outside space because that

must be so frustrating having to tell your dog like I'm so sorry, but we can't. Because

you can't explain to a dog, can you? Vanessa:

Yeah, I didn't even think about that with with dogs.

Vanessa: I was just thinking about the crazed three

year old children running around in an apartment going insane.

Lucy: Yeah, how do you explain to like a two year

old, no we can't go to the park. My dogs become really entitled. I mean cause I've been going

out quite a lot on a run in the morning and like another walk in the evening just because

even though my life hasn't changed, I feel like I should make the most of it and that

now at like seven o'clock if I haven't taken him on his additional walk, he like gets all

up in my face. Vanessa:

I deserve this now. Lucy:

Yeah, poor old me. Mom! Vanessa:

So maybe dogs that have space are the real winners here. They get all the attention,

all the time. Lucy:

Yes, definitely. Vanessa:

Well, thank you Lucy. Lucy:

You're welcome! Vanessa:

I really appreciate your time. For those of you who may be one person out there in the

world who has not yet run across your channel, go check out Lucy's channel. Yeah, I appreciate

it. Thanks so much for your time. I hope we can chat again soon in the future.

Lucy: Yeah, it'd be lovely to catch up. Maybe post-quarantine

and see how things change again. Yes. Vanessa:

Yes. See what has happened on the hair front. Lucy:

Yeah, I'll be back. Vanessa:

Well, thanks so much. I'll talk to you later. Lucy:

All right, bye. Vanessa:

Bye. Vanessa:

My final guest is my husband. Dan. Dan:

Hello. Vanessa:

Thanks so much for joining me. Dan:

You're welcome. Vanessa:

We have a couple minutes of silence in our house, so I thought that we would -

Dan: I know, it's a miracle.

Vanessa: I know.

Dan: Except Theo did just start crying a little

bit, but hopefully he'll keep it down. Vanessa:

Hopefully we can a little conversation for a couple minutes talking about the world situation

that we find ourselves in with the virus and a lockdown, kind of quarantine situation.

So would you like to explain a little bit about any kind of regulations or changes that

have happened in our city or in the US lately? Dan:

Yeah. I think in our state, it's been a little bit more lax than some places.

Vanessa: North Carolina?

Dan: North Carolina. So they're still allowing

essential businesses to be open, which it's a little bit loosey-goosey on what that means

exactly. Vanessa:

Loosey-goosey? Dan:

Loosey-goosey. Yeah. It's a little unclear, although, I mean there's still restaurants

open, but you have to drive up and pick up the food and do takeout. You can't go into

the restaurant. Vanessa:

It is official that restaurants have to close businesses. I think the rule in North Carolina

was, or at least in our County, is that if you are in contact with someone for 10 minutes

or more, so if you are a haircutter, if you are a massage therapist, like a tattoo artists,

these kinds of jobs, then you can't do your job.

Dan: And this is statewide.

Vanessa: Yes. So every state's different.

Dan: Yeah.

Vanessa: Every city or county kind of has some different

rules. But something I noticed that's different in the US, at least where we live compared

to some of the other interviews that you just watched with other countries, is that we don't

have a specific rule that says you can only be with two people. So only two people can

be together. Dan:

Oh. Vanessa:

So Emma mentioned that in Australia - Dan:

That seems really intense. Vanessa:

There's a specific rule that says you can only be in groups of two people or a family.

And then Lucy mentioned that in the UK too, but we do not have that rule.

Dan: Yeah, I think that's too far, personally.

Vanessa: It's a little, that is quite strict.

Dan: Yeah.

Vanessa: But in the UK they also had a rule that said

you can only exercise outside. So outside your personal property for one hour, go for

a bike ride, go for a run for one hour per day. And in the US we do not have this.

Dan: Yeah. Although they are closing down a lot

of public spaces, which is a little annoying to me because they closed down our local park.

And to me, I feel like if you're outside, that's a lot better than being closed inside

with somebody. It's better for people's mental health and wellbeing to be outside and be

able to use these spaces like the walking trail around our lake, you know, if somebody

is not exactly six feet, that's not the end of the world, in my opinion, when they're

walking outside. Vanessa:

Mm-hmm (affirmative). I think that it is interesting because we live in the mountains and I mentioned

with some of the other interviews that they've closed the national park, which means you

can't go on a hike. Usually you see nobody when you go hiking.

Dan: A lot of times, yeah.

Vanessa: But you can't go into the national park. I

understand closing playgrounds and any kind of equipment that you touch.

Dan: Yeah.

Vanessa: But it's quite difficult for people who have

no outdoor space to find somewhere to be able to go for a walk or go for a run. If you have

a dog, it'd probably be really challenging. Dan:

Yeah, we're really fortunate that we have a nice open backyard and that we can spend

a lot of time outside and even though it's the same space over and over again, you know,

we still have a lot of fun just walking around our neighborhood or being in our backyard.

Vanessa: Yeah. So I'm curious, how has your and mine

subsequently, daily life changed then? All these regulations, how much did they change

your life in the last month or so? Dan:

Yeah, so technically it hasn't changed that much because we already worked from home and

do a lot of stuff at home, but it still feels like a lot.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Dan: Like maybe just even just the mental weight

of knowing that if I go to the grocery store, I have to ... for a long time, like before

in America it's a little different than some other countries, they thought it's not a big

deal to wear a mask. But right from the beginning I thought, yeah, it's a good idea to wear

a mask. Vanessa:

Yeah, you've been wearing a mask for a long time.

Dan: But you'll get looked at really funny in America

if you do that, but not anymore. It's starting to become more accepted.

Vanessa: In the last like two weeks or so.

Dan: Yeah.

Vanessa: Everyone's started.

Dan: But it's just kind of like a mental weight

to be walking around like "Ooh, who's touched that?", "Who's done that?" And it's just kind

of like gotten to you psychologically. And then of course there's other things like places

that we normally go, like the library, that's closed. A lot of the public parks that we

go to that's closed. Vanessa:

I think that also about one month ago when you watch this, we had a new baby. So a lot

in our personal lives has changed. But some things such as our family wants to come visit

our baby. Dan:

Yeah. Vanessa:

My family hasn't been able to visit our baby yet and it would be really nice if our babysitter

could come to watch our two year old. Dan:

Yes. Vanessa:

But she can't come to watch our two-year-old. Dan:

Well, she could, but it's not advisable. Vanessa:

Legally she can, but most people are choosing not to do those types of interactions unless

they're absolutely necessary. And it would just be nice. It's not necessary.

Dan: Yeah, so that's not against the law yet.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Dan: I hope it's not personally.

Vanessa: But that's something that we choose not to

do. But those are things that have changed in our daily lives. But honestly, we were

planning on staying at home, not doing that much, not really working that much during

March and April because we knew we were having a baby at the end of March and it would be

a crazy time and we'd want to kind of adjust to our new family life. So for us it's just

kind of an extra level. I feel like what you said, the mental weight is the biggest change.

Dan: I think it's gotten weird with neighbors,

too because we have really friendly neighbors and a couple of them are children and you

want to just play with them and even if you're thinking about it a lot more. If they're playing

with the ball, they've touched all over the ball and you can't play ball with them, for

example. Vanessa:

Or our neighbors want to hold our new baby, but they can't hold the baby.

Dan: Yeah.

Vanessa: So in that situation, those are the people

we see the most often. They can't really interact with us in the way they did before. So that's

really, yeah, that's a bummer. But we're all in this situation at the same time.

Vanessa: So what about in the future when the main

parts - Dan:

Prediction time? Vanessa:

Yeah, when the main part of the lockdown or quarantine, all of this has passed.

Dan: I'm going to be guaranteed wrong about this.

Vanessa: Okay. What's your prediction? What's your

wrong prediction? Dan:

My wrong prediction is, well, what's your question exactly?

Vanessa: Oh, what do you think is going to happen?

Dan: What's going to happen, period? Yeah,

Vanessa: I don't want to say like, do you think it's

going to be good or bad? Just what do you think will happen?

Dan: I think the virus is here to stay.

Vanessa: Okay.

Dan: It's going to probably com back again in the

winter, you know, it might mutate. So we're just going to have to deal with this. I have

a hard time believing they'll be able to get rid of it anytime soon. So it will be more

akin to like the flu, like influenza, or even the common cold, but just more serious. So

I don't know. I kind of hope, I'm hoping that people start living a little more regularly,

but I don't think that's possible. Even if the government said that they're going to

stop lock downs, I think it's in people's heads now.

Vanessa: I think it will be tough to get out, but I

have a feeling, at least - Dan:

In some people's heads. Vanessa:

...In the US, because there's not as many laws as there are in other countries. I think

that in the US, probably after if the government said, okay, concerts can go, you can go to,

can go on, you can go to restaurants again, you can do anything.

Dan: I don't think they'll do big groups for a

long time. Vanessa:

Well, when that happens, I think that people will be very hesitant for maybe like a month,

this is my prediction, and then we'll realize, oh, we're so tired of just keeping to ourselves

and they'll go out again. Dan:

Or they might do it for a month and then they'll start doing it again and then the numbers

will creep up again and then it will start being reported again and then people will

start cutting back. I don't know, I think there'll be kind of like an ebb and flow of

people going out and doing stuff and then staying back inside again.

Vanessa: I'm curious.

Dan: But I don't know how much, like especially

in the US where like so far it seems like the central government hasn't put down the

lockdown. It's been state by state, and it just hasn't been quite as intense as some

places it sounds like. Vanessa:

Yeah. For me, personally, I'm going to be really curious what happens with the education

system and what happens with businesses that aren't used to having all of their employees

work from home when they can go back to work, if that's going to change how they do things.

Like maybe they'll let people work from home more often or ...

Dan: Maybe some office businesses, office-type

businesses, will let them work from home more often anyways.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Dan: School is a big question though. I have no

idea. Yeah, that's, cause that's a really hot spot for germ spread obviously.

Vanessa: Yeah, and I think that if both of the parents

work, it is extremely difficult right now for them to manage their work and also help

their kids do homeschooling. It's not traditional homeschooling but do schooling at home. But

maybe there'll be some flexibility. Who knows? They might not be so strict with how many

days you miss at school if they can do stuff at home. I don't know. It'll be interesting

to see. Dan:

Well I think a lot of places, I think I heard in Canada, they already canceled public school

for the rest of the year. Vanessa:

Like rest of the school year? Dan:

No, like this year. Vanessa:

Like 2020? Dan:

Yeah. Vanessa:

Whoa, okay. Dan:

Pretty sure, we'll have to look that up. Vanessa:

Fact check it. Dan:

But I don't know about America. Have you heard anything about that yet? We don't have kids

in school yet, so. Vanessa:

Yeah. I haven't heard necessarily about, yeah, being canceled until the end of the year,

but I not necessarily, I wouldn't be surprised because it seems like that's part of the mental

weight is that there's always an unknown of what's going to happen.

Dan: It also seems like in general the government

has been more like the things that they do control, they've been shutting that down more.

Vanessa: Oh, like they control the school system -

Dan: And the parks, and stuff like that.

Vanessa: Parks and stuff, yeah. It seems like every

country is dealing with it differently and in the US the main way is letting States kind

of do their own thing because yeah, New York is different than North Carolina or California

or Missouri or wherever you might be. So just interesting to see.

Dan: I like the little experiments too.

Vanessa: Every state doing something differently?

Dan: Yeah, I mean we have that in Europe, too.

Like apparently Sweden is doing less than normal.

Vanessa: Oh yeah? It's an interesting to see how things

are going. Dan:

And right now I think they have a higher case rate, but like it's, I don't know. I probably

shouldn't talk about it because I haven't looked into all the details.

Vanessa: Well, that's kind of part of -

Dan: That's the whole problem with this thing.

Vanessa: Yeah. Everyone is their own little expert.

Right? Well thank you for joining me and talking about this strange daily situation that we

find ourselves in. Dan:

You're welcome. I don't know how much I added but you know, well perspective. Everybody

gets to see my quarantine beard. Vanessa:

Yeah. Chit chatting about daily life and yeah, trying to figure out how to do our new, new

norm. So I hope you appreciated this video. I hope it was interesting to you. Thank you

all for spending some of your precious time learning English with us. And I want to know

in the comments, how has daily life changed for you in the past month or maybe two months

if your country has been, was ahead of everyone and started quarantining earlier.

Vanessa: What's your daily life look like? Is it different

than before? Pretty normal? Let us know because we are all experiencing something pretty similar,

which is very unusual for the world. Vanessa:

Thanks so much. Dan:

You're welcome. Vanessa:

And see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel. Bye.

Dan: Bye.

Vanessa: The next step is to download my free ebook,

Five Steps to Becoming a Confident English Speaker. You'll learn what you need to do

to speak confidently and fluently. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more

free lessons. Thanks so much. Bye.