It’s both fun and a bit scary listening on what some of your family members have to say about the coronavirus quarantine.

I admit it: I’ve never bonded with my family that much. I love them, care about them, but I guess I don’t see the point in constantly verbally getting in touch with your bunch. To be fair, I’m like that with everyone: the aloof son, nephew, cousin, the awkward friend. All my life I’ve been content with loving my people from a safe distance. Plus, I’m not usually found inside the house. Most of the time, you can find me at work, or traveling.
Well, that’s until an enhanced community lockdown has been enforced.

Day 5 of community quarantine,

I’ve begun to get to know my people more than I ever did. That’s one of the consequences of being squeezed into the four walls of your house altogether for a long period of time. I learned that my grandma celebrated her 69th birthday last week. I learned that my sister has a girlfriend, confirming my assumptions that she’s not as straight as I used to think.
I also learned about their thoughts on the pandemic. And some of these notions, despite being low-key alarming for their social and economical implications, are quite hilarious.
“Para akong magkakasakit sa bahay. Sobrang boring. Mas mabuti pang mahuli ka na lang ng pulis sa labas.” (I feel like I’m gonna get sick at home. It’s so boring. I’d rather get caught by the police outside.) 
– A relative of mine said. I really hope he was joking.
jim-carrey
“Sana naman itigil na ng media yung pananakot sa tao kasi hindi naman totoo yung virus.” (I hope the media stops scaring people because the virus is not real.)
– Another relative, 58, asserted during dinner. I did correct her, relaying what I knew, telling her that so many people had died already, but you know about elderly people and their ego. She still thinks the public is losing their minds over a non-existent disease. She doesn’t go out, though, which is ironic.

“Bingo na nga lang libangan namin, tatanggalin pa nila. Mababaliw kami dito sa bahay.” (Playing bingo is our only pastime, and they also took it away. We’d go crazy in our house.)
– One of our neighbors was called out by local authorities for pushing through with their afternoon gambling sessions despite the imposed community lockdown and social distancing. Once the barangay officials were gone, this statement is what came out of her big, noisy mouth.
“Ganito pala ‘pag lockdown. Lagi akong lasing. Dapat pala tawag dito ‘knockdown’.”
-Another relative, alcoholic, said while drunk on gin. Blaming the lockdown for your alcoholism is very problematic, but come on, that joke is funny.

To be fair,

When everyone’s talking the same thing, chances are, you’re gonna come across people who share a different understanding of the subject in question than yours. Not everyone is as active on social media, and they’re probably too busy to watch TV, so some of us may be less-informed. It’s now up to us whether we’d educate them, or leave them that way. After all, thoughts are not actions. If they’re willingly working with the authorities to mitigate the spread of the virus, even if they think we are just being pranked or whatever, I think they’re good.

Any other silly things you’ve heard people say?

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