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OPINION | Beijing to Rome: South Africans share their lockdown experiences far from home

Several South Africans living abroad and who have experienced lockdown for a bit longer than the rest of us in the Republic, share their stories of being in a foreign country during these most unusual times and under different circumstances.

From Beijing to Rome to South Korea, Wesley Seale, Casper Strydom, Inge Odendaal and Judy Philander, provide us with an insight into their lives in lockdown in a foreign country.

Seale in Beijing speaks to a China coming to grips with more than eight weeks of lockdown; Strydom in Rome speaks about the importance of self-isolation; Odendaal in South Korea on her decision to stay put over there and Philander, also in South Korea, highlights the ease at which it is to get tested there.

wesley seale
Wesley Seale in Beijing. (Supplied)

S African living in Beijing told: 'Now, more than ever, is the time to be vigilant'

As the weather gets warmer and the spring sun finally shines, things are looking a brighter again in Beijing and China. Yet the vigilance, perseverance and resilience are what continues to reverberate in the city, writes Wesley Seale.

casper strydom

Casper Strydom in Rome. (Supplied)

When in Rome ... living in lockdown is the new normal

Casper Strydom, a South African living in Rome, shares some of the lessons he has learned from lockdown - the "new normal".

inge odendaal
Inge Odendaal studies and lives in South Korea. (Supplied)

I’m rather staying in quarantine in South Korea, than burdening SA’s health care system

When worried friends and family asked me if I was scared or if I wanted to come home, my first instinct was, and still is: I am staying in Busan, South Korea, writes Inge Odendaal.

Judy Philander

Judy Philander teaches in South Korea. (Supplied)

‘Why I still decided to leave for South Korea during the coronavirus outbreak'

When Judy Philander decided to embark on a journey to teach in Asia, she never anticipated that her move would lead her to a country with one of the most cases of Covid-19.

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