Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA
On Sunday February 29th when the Paris half-marathon was cancelled at the last minute due to the arrival of COVID-19 in Europe, imagining that the situation could still be ongoing at the end of May might have seemed absurd for many.
Countries across the continent have spent months in states of lockdown, limiting people’s movement and avoiding socialising. Now, as the infection rates of COVID-19 begin to fall, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
In Europe
In France, since the 11th May, many pupils have returned to school, shops are reopening, and citizens are making the most of their city’s green spaces with friends once again. Life is slowly, but surely, returning to normal. Throughout Europe, countries are plotting out different ways to emerge from the pandemic.
Please note that, in France, the rentrée scolaire will happen next September. That means French families are looking for someone to take care of their children. So if you're living in France and would like to become a babysitter or a language teacher, do not hesitate to apply through our online form!
Here in France, across Europe and overseas, these testing months have also highlighted the phenomenal work that our key workers do. We spend so much time idolising celebrities and those in high power roles, but now we realise those working in healthcare and retail are superheroes too.
In France, the #OnApplaudit and #TousAlaFenêtre have seen us come to our windows and doorsteps to applaud our health workers for all their hard work – a habit taken up by many other countries including the United Kingdom too.
Across the channel, Banksy even donated a special image of a child playing with a superhero nurse to the National Health Service! The clips from such moments have been broadcast across the nations and certainly brought a tear to our eyes. From here, we can move on and remain constantly thankful for our health and key workers, as well as treasuring these memories of unity.
In Germany, the return of Bundesliga football has excited the globe, the three Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are allowing free movement between countries and in Netherlands the dearly missed hairdressers are back in business.
For our English-speakers hailing from the United Kingdom, friends have begun to see each other again in open spaces whilst maintaining social distancing practices, with more restrictions expected to be lifted by Boris Johnson on June 1st.
At Mômji
Here at Mômji, the restrictions around COVID-19 have affected us all. We’ve missed working with all our Language Ambassadors in the bustling environment we love and we know you’ve all been missing your families and students too. Whilst we can’t wait to be back to full swing as soon as possible, we can also take a lot of learning points from these crazy few months we have lived in! In the face of adversity, we’ve seen communities unite on local and global levels. The Mômji group of internationals have been there to support each other every step of the way and we’ve even run some online live streams with bloggers and Montessori experts which have brought us together in the virtual world.
Around the world
On a global scale, we’ve loved the range of live performances artists have shared via social media and events such as Lady Gaga’s ‘One World: Together At Home’ have raised millions and millions for those most in need.
Social media is clearly much more than a tool for killing time, it’s a real asset that our generations are able to benefit from! As difficult at this time has been, we can all strive to take that sense of community and desire to help one another into our lives, both socially and professionally in the future.
Going forward, even as the COVID-19 transmission rate drops lower and lower, certain precautions in social distancing and the banning of large crowds will remain for now.
Whilst that is the case, top scientists globally are working day and night to find a cure or form of medication. In the U.K. a drug to boost the disease-fighting cell is being tested,
In the U.S. the possibility of hydroxychloroquine as a cure is being examined and countries across the world are all partaking in similar experiments. Every day we are closer than the day before, and that is a real positive to take.
It’s been a tough, tough few months with COVID-19. Now, we are nearly at the end and close to normal life.
We are proud of all the Mômji community and how you have managed these life-changing events. We know that as people, both yourselves and ourselves have grown from the experience and we cannot wait to be sharing the gift of language at 110% with you again.
