Covid-19: Life in Germany

Covid-19: Life in Germany

I flew from Bangkok to Germany on 1apr2020 and I’m optimistic to be back in Bangkok end of July or begin of August, which makes today half-time. That will be 4 months spent out of Thailand, the longest since 2012.

As I said in previous posts about Covid-19, under the restrictions by government to reduce spread of covid, I rather spend my time in Germany than in Thailand, and that still holds true. Here a funny article (in German) about travel restrictions:

Leo&Gutsch : Nachts über die Grenze nach Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; Unser Autor Maxim Leo ist mit einem besonderen Osterwunsch seiner Patentante konfrontiert. 12.4.2020
https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/kultur-vergnuegen/nachts-ueber-die-grenze-nach-mecklenburg-vorpommern-li.80897

Before Covid started, I already had a collection of face masks that I found in the street. Some of them I took to Germany to distribute to family.



The mask with butterflies I found in Thailand. The mask with Hello Kitty I took off a little girl in Hanoi as a gift for my mother, but my mother prefers the butterflies so I wear the Hello Kitty when necessary. In supermarket, I was asked already twice by other customers to swap masks.

Advantages of life in Germany

When we go for hiking (10 – 20 km in the countryside and forest), I don’t sweat and don’t need to drink water.





Two months without sex, two more to go.

In Thailand I used to shower every day and before and after sex, now need to shower as little as twice per week, saving a lot of time, water and energy. 

Plenty of time without distraction (I restrict social networks and online dating to stay in contact with friends in Thailand to once per day, some days not at all). Study Chinese, reading books (The Decameron, we have a copy but I have never read it before, now it fits), watch TV (in Thailand I spend more time watching my laundry in washing machine than watching TV; my current room does not even have a TV), processing data on mobile phone and computer. Even time to post every 5 days. Barely; I wonder how others manage to go to work beside doing all their other business, and some even raise kids!

Large choice of tasty food (yoghurt, cheese, cookies and cakes, bread and rolls). My mother’s cooking or eating in restaurants (now that they are open again). Ripe strawberries (I have given up eating strawberries in Thailand as I found them all to be unripe, hard and no taste), and soon cherries, raspberries, blackberries from our garden.



I can live without Thai food in Germany, but I would not want to live without Western food in Thailand.

Disadvantages of life in Germany

The downside of eating a lot with little exercise is, increase in weight about 1 kg per month.

I’m now on a cake diet that I invented myself, where I eat nothing more between lunch and dinner than is shown in the picture. Unfortuately, it doesn’t work!



The belt that I bought around 2012 in Klong Lot night market for 20 THB is becoming too short. Now there are about 5 cm left and soon I will have to wear the buckle asymmetrically to get the end of the belt in the loop.



I will spare my readers pictures attempts of me trying to put on trousers that don't fit any more.

I couldn't get a haircut in Bangkok (70 THB in the slum, including wet shave) before leaving. In April and May hairdressers were closed in Germany, but among my parents' circle of acquaintances is a hairdresser who came to our house and cut my hair to 5 mm for 5 EUR. Now I can go without haircut for the rest of the year. Side note: my mother spends as much for a hair cut as I spend on a gogo-bar visit (including taking a boy home).

Even at temperature of 20 C, I have cold hands and feet and wear two layers of clothes. Long socks and trousers clips to prevent the cold from sneaking up my legs. Only in bed and in shower do I not feel cold. Before going to bed, I warm it up with an electrical heating cushion. But there is a good side to this: having cold hands is strong anaphrodisiac for me (same applies to my sexual partners, I prefer them to have warm (even hot) and dry skin).

I’m planning a sightseeing trip to Barcelona end of June and wouldn't mind meeting a few African refugees there, but a look at online dating shows nothing for me.

Compared to Thailand, where I would have to run the aircon throughout because it’s too hot; it’s easier to protect against cold with another layer of clothes. And another layer of clothes costs less than electricity for aircon.

Summary: coping well with huge changes to my lifestyle.

Copyright 2020 ChristianPFC