Je Suis Chez Moi

I’m at my place. The local stay-at-home campaign has different slogans up all over the neighborhood but “Je suis chez moi”—“I’m at my place”—that’s my favorite.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We go to school at home. We go to church at home. We eat every meal at home. We slowly go insane at home. We enjoy the weather and read and nap in peace outside under the cherry blossoms at home. We stress clean at home. We wear stretchy pants and wonder what’s the point at home. We try to figure out local takeout and can’t at home. We read the news and feel anxious and drink a liiiiitle more wine or beer than we used to at home. We get tired of staring at blank walls and figure out how to use Command Strips on concrete walls at home. We get frustrated by technology at home.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We feel shockingly unmotivated and lazy at home. We get excited and dressed up for a walk to the grocery store at home. We watch the apple trees leaf out and the cherry tree unfold into blossoms at home. We get moving and clean the entire house at home. We watch the flower petals swirl down on the spring breeze at home. We open all the windows and let in colonies of flies and then close all the windows at home. We climb trees at home. We are kind at home. We are grouchy at home. We learn formal manners at home. We do science at home.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We paint and draw at home. We FaceTime and google meet at home. We wonder why nothing we want is available on European Amazon at home. We try to order a couch in French online and fail at home. We read lots of books at home. We watch lots of tv at home. We play a new video game at home. We try again to figure out local takeout and can’t at home. We plan our evenings around 8pm, when we thank the doctors and nurses fighting coronavirus on the front lines by hanging out our windows to clap and dance along with all our neighbors at home. We make the kids draw a national flag and map and give a report, and try to coordinate with regional cuisine for dinner at home. We improvise Easter egg dying at home.

We organize all our foreign currency at home. We study French at home. We feel annoyed at the unending construction in our neighbors’ backyard at home. We are the loudest and most annoying family around at home. We try again to figure out local takeout and can’t at home. We drink tea every afternoon at home. We contemplate the state of the world at home. We watch people walk down the street at home. We pray together at home. We ponder the past and wonder if the future will be the same or different at home. We marvel at how, when we went on a walk, we didn’t recognize anything because it looked so different all leafed out and green from last time we were out at home. We try to set goals but days are meaningless so what’s the point of a deadline at home. We celebrate Easter at home. We have spring break at home. We play with the hamster at home.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We prepare for the rest of the school year at home. Eloise celebrates not going back to French school at home. We smile and wave awkwardly when we accidentally make eye contact with the next door neighbors through the windows at home. We water the tiny lemon and calamansi trees and butterfly palms on the terrace at home. We overcook steaks on the grill at home. We get exasperated at massive five-year-old tantrums about not being alone in a room while we are all at home. We feel trapped at home. We feel safe at home. We adjust to life lived entirely at home. Given enough time, someday we might even figure out local takeout at home. But let’s not get crazy.