The scenery you can't take with you — may we meet again after the pandemic.

Text and photos by murphybj4
 
The drizzling rain, the damp cold brushing against your face — early spring in Taipei feels just like Dublin, ten thousand kilometers away. The TV news reported that Ireland’s prime minister donned his medical scrubs again to contribute to frontline epidemic prevention. It might seem trivial, but actually we all can do something for the pandemic, right?

That year, after I was discharged from military service, I decided to leave Taiwan and go on a working holiday in Ireland. I was fortunate enough to travel through the UK along the way, visiting London and its surrounding attractions. Seeing those street scenes again after the outbreak of this pandemic has brought even deeper emotions and reflections. This morning, the British Prime Minister’s condition worsened and he was admitted to the ICU — the severity of the epidemic there is truly worrying.

From a laid-back approach to epidemic prevention to now implementing a stay-at-home policy, the differences in local customs really open one’s eyes from an outsider’s perspective. From what I’ve heard from friends abroad, national sporting events and cultural activities have been largely canceled — this is the first time since World War II that the British have made such a significant decision. The seriousness of the pandemic is quite evident.

Ireland, next door to the UK, also announced a nationwide lockdown at the end of March. In the beginning, when the epidemic was intensifying, a friend of mine who was studying there was even heckled by local teenagers on the street, who told her to “go back to Asia.” Taiwanese people working there also experienced bullying for wearing masks on the street. Discrimination has been magnified significantly because of the pandemic.

I still remember that year in Dublin, when a blizzard led to work and school closures — everyone rushed to empty the supermarkets. The scene is not much different from now, where we stock up on supplies and stay home due to the spread of the pandemic. The only difference is that back then, we knew when the snowstorm would end, but now, none of us knows where the end of this pandemic lies.