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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

Tuesday evening,<strong> 23 March 2021 at 8 p.m. all over the United Kingdom, people lit their doorsteps and front windows with candles, flashlights, and phones as a "Beacon of Remembrance" for those who have died</strong> in the pandemic. 23 March marks the anniversary of the UK's first Covid lockdown.<strong> Here in Scotland, my family and I shone our flashlights at the people in the house across the street from us,</strong> whom we've only come to know since the pandemic began - standing at our garden gates and shouting encouragement to each other from across the street. On Wednesday, 24 March 2021, I did<strong> my third stint of volunteering at a local Covid vaccination centre</strong> - and got<strong> my own first vaccination</strong> at the same time, right in the middle of my volunteering shift.<strong> It was so uplifting!</strong> Everyone there was in my own age cohort, as they roll out the vaccine by age group - but also, because I was in a local vaccination centre, I met so many people that I knew as they came in for their own vaccination appointments. Within 40 minutes of ushering people to vaccinators (NHS - National Health Service - nurses and the Army were both giving vaccinations), I had met four people I knew - two friends and two of my grown children's former teachers. When it was time for my own vaccination, I was made to feel like a poster child for the entire programme - someone had to fill in for me for ten minutes while I stood in the queue, all the other marshalls laughed and joked with me as they gave me the necessary information, and half a dozen NHS staff all exclaimed, "You should have told us you had your vaccination letter, we'd have slipped you in earlier!" When it was done I went straight back to marshalling. <strong> I am an American ex-pat living in Scotland</strong>; I have had dual citizenship since 2016.<strong> My heart absolutely swells with pride to see how my adopted country is rising to the challenge</strong> of vaccinating its people, and<strong> to be able to help out with that a little bit.</strong>

March 29, 2021

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