1. Introduce yourself (name, where do you come from, age and what do you do in Cork?)
My name is Beatriz, I’m 29 years old, and I’m originally from Spain. I’ve been living in Cork for the
past five years, and I’m currently working as an account’s administrator.
2. What were your emotional feelings during the lockdown and can you compare your
experience with some of your friends in Spain?
Lockdown was an emotional roller coaster; I had days where I was quite optimistic that everything
was going to be over soon, and others were the uncertainty was unbearable. Learning how to
manage all those emotions was one of the best outcomes of all of this. We might not know what the
future holds for us, but we can only hope for the best.
It was quite different, in Ireland it was permitted to leave the house to exercise during the lockdown,
while in Spain they couldn’t leave the house at all. The restrictions over there were harder than over
here, which I think it might have had a different impact on people’s mental health.
3. How did the Irish government manage this crisis in your opinion and what could have they
done more?
This is all new for everyone so I think they did the best they could, there are some contradictions at
times, but I think all countries are facing the same. It is all too new for everybody so we just need to
be patience and follow the Government’s guidelines.
4. What about the Irish people? How did they manage the lock down and how is the general
feeling now? Positive or negative approach?
I think everyone was on the same boat, there are always exceptions, but in general I think everyone
was doing their best to get over this as soon as possible. I would say that most people are facing the
situation with positivity, and everyone is eager to reach some sort of new normality were the
majority of restrictions can be eased.
5. Did the government support financially?
Yes, they did. They announced few measures and they were really quick to put them in place. In that
sense, I think that the Irish government has been doing a great job as all the people that got out job
due to the restrictions in place could have access to a weekly wage to support themselves.
6. What is your opinion for the future?
Future looks good I would say, people want to put all of this behind and get to live again so hopefully
we will be overcome all this situation stronger than ever.
7. What did you learn from this pandemic?
This has been a time of introspection; I have learnt a lot about myself, how resilient I can be, how to
manage multiple changes in a very short time while keeping a positive attitude.
This was also a time to reconnect with family and friends. I think being away from home has an extra
toll on people as not knowing when you’re going to go home next can be hard to deal with. I do
think that you need some extra support from family and friends. I could say that my family has been
great throughout all of this and some friends too. Unfortunately, in a situation like this, people will
show you their true colours as well, and I have also been surprised for the worst, I am truly
disappointed with some people that I thought they care about me. But I have also been surprised for
the best by some other friends, and that’s what I would like to keep in mind.
