Quarantime - A Coronavirus Podcast Sandy King

Taking a bit of a break to concentrate on some other projects.  But a huge thanks to everyone who's been on so far, and everyone who's listened.  Maybe speak again soon.

Alexandra is an actor, translator and TV maker living in Budapest, in Hungary.  Jen is a volunteer coordinator at a bear sanctuary in Cambodia.  Art is a teacher, writer and illustrator living in Omagh, in Northern Ireland.

We hear about the impact of travel bans on the global volunteering sector, and the pressures on NGOs.  We talk about the performing and creative arts in Hungary, and get an update from Northern Ireland.  Then we decide that dogs are ace, learn how to say 'an ant bit my nipple' in Khmer, and 'bear' in Irish.  We encourage you to draw all over your kitchen walls.

The intro music is a street in Dublin coming together to sing from their front gardens on St Patrick's Day.

To find out more about the santuary where Jen works, visit www.freethebears.org.

Robbin is a children's librarian living in Brooklyn, New York.  Julia is an author and editor living in Edmonton, in Alberta in Canada.  Marc is an avalanche researcher and possible supervillain living in a secret mountaintop lair near Innsbruck in Austria.

The seals have taken over Brooklyn Zoo!  Some people start avalanches for "research" purposes - find out how and give it a try it at home!  We discover that some businesses are set to reopen in Austria and learn how that's being received locally.  Also featuring a discussion of the effect that the outbreak has had on Passover celebrations, insight into how schools and libraries are moving their services online, and tales from an animal-themed wedding.

The opening music is a police unit singing to locals on balconies in Adana, Turkey.

Diisha is a English lecturer living in Iksan, South Korea.  Dan is a teacher and stand-up comedian living in Madrid, Spain.

Diisha gives us an insight into what it's like to be eight and a half months pregnant during the Covid-era.  South Korea is held up as a model of how to cope with the virus, but we hear that there are no quarantine restrictions in Iksan.  We get a fascinating insight into the local healthcare system and screening programme.  How has Spain changed since we last heard from Dan three weeks ago?  Sandy is outnumbered by Americans... is there a rivalry between Virginia and the Cheese Belt?  Featuring fashion tips from the Madrid facemask world.

Intro music: A military policeman in India sings to onlookers on their balconies.

Find out more about Dan's work through his fantastic website www.elinglesesrocknroll.com and Twitter: @breakbadEnglish

Zoé is studying to be a speech therapist and lives in Arras, in France.  Ryan is a probation officer in Northland, in New Zealand.

In an episode heavy on law and order, Ryan explains some of the implications of the shutdown on the legal system and Zoé reveals a surprising source of protective masks in her town.  We plan the launch of a new sports TV channel using only mobile phones, and Ryan is tasked with organising New Zealand to perform a Haka.  We talk bear hunts and Michael Rosen.  This episode is directed by David Lynch.

Brian works for an entrepreneurial guidance nonprofit and lives in Lima, in Peru.  Paco is an actor and drama teacher living in Monterrey, in Mexico.

We find out about the incredible speed of the Peruvian response to Covid, and the ways in which Mexican businesses have been helping out the people most affected by the situation there.  What are the advantages of a tactical dog?  Which football teams don't mind seeing the season end?  And just what are the secrets of the Happy Times philosophy? We learn that Peru has 4,000 kinds of potato and the challenges this presents in a Covid quarantine.  Techno-dancing pallbearers and Spanish Freddie Mercury impersonators make an appearance.

The opening music is the Israeli song 'Shevet Ahim Veahot' performed from a balcony by a band in the city of Petah Tikvah to serenade a couple who had just got married in the courtyard of the apartment complex below.