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felipeandletizia · 5 years ago

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Pandemic days in La Zarzuela

Jesus Rodriguez - May 23, 2020 (Source)

This is the chronicle of how the crisis of covid-19 has been lived in the Headquarters of the State, of the challenge of being King in exceptional times. And also two and a half months of home confinement for a married couple with two daughters.

This April has been one of the rainiest in Madrid. Nature is in all its splendor. The path that leads from the first security control of La Zarzuela to the palace appears bordered by splendid vegetation and by deer that pass slowly. Here apparently nothing ever changes. But at the entrance of the Headquarters of the State it is already detected that it is not the same. The circumspect civil guards are covered with masks and black latex gloves. The identification is given to the agent with the arm to the maximum of its extension to maintain social distance. The gray hybrid car that transports you from that surveillance point to the heart of the royal complex, hidden in the immense mount of El Pardo, owned by National Heritage, incorporates methacrylate partition walls. The quiet, uniformed driver who doesn't open his mouth at the slightest attempt at a chat, wears his mask tight, almost to the point of cutting his breath.

We circulate slowly and alone in an environment that produces drowsiness. Four kilometers later, almost at the end of the route, you can see the tiles of the King and Queen's house hanging on a promontory one kilometer from the palace between the tops of the trees. It is the most invisible property within the invisibility that prevails in this place. The most hermetic place in La Zarzuela. It is never used for official acts. Just for some timid recording of their daily life. It is intended to be a home in which a family of four lives. Even more so in times of pandemic. They assure in this place that its inhabitants "are very respectful of the recommendations of the authorities, and in this case that means that grandparents, cousins and other family members stay each in their own homes."

A family that has been confined since March 13 with minimal and well-considered official departures (only ten, of which five have been carried out by the King alone until May 20 and one by the Queen alone, to the Red Cross). That gets up at 7.30 and eats after two in the afternoon. And where each of its members faces in this strange time the mission entrusted to them, whether by the Constitution, by life or by their age: meeting with the Prime Minister (today is Tuesday, meeting day, and they will meet through videoconference, as usual during the entire crisis); support, by the Queen through videoconference with a brain damage foundation or, in the case of their teenage daughters, carry out their education with the school closed since March 11, but connecting with it from the first hours of the morning. Without any extra school help, but with their parents trying to help them out on English homework, a text commentary, or a story presentation. And a mother who ensures that they are not hooked to the tablet all day and read books and even immerse themselves in the kitchen. Something that the youngest daughter, Sofía, loves.

It is a family that talks a lot, goes to bed early and, if there are no setbacks, ends the day with a movie. Every night one of its members chooses the title. It is a battle between movie fans: a daughter bets on the sagas of Marvel and Star Wars; another, for dramas and science fiction; the father, for the action and the thrillers. And the mother plays the role of intellectual trying to suggest more cultural titles. It is not always imposed.

Someone who knows them recounts their state of mind during this time of pandemic and isolation: “Like all families in this country, in these two long months they have been (and are) closer together than ever. Father, mother and daughters. Alone. With the same feeling that is being experienced in all the houses of this country: of greater union, of being a team, of moving forward. And the same uneasiness as the rest, given the circumstances that were lived during these 10 weeks."

Especially sad moments have passed, such as when the dramatic situation of the elderly in some residences came to light: “It left them with deep despondency and sadness. That bitter sensation and that lump in their throats lasted a long time.” Those were the days, at the beginning of April, when more than 900 deaths were counted each day. And many hospital directors from all over Spain explained to them day and night by videoconference, on the field, in real time, that they were having a hard time, that they had a thousand daily incomes; they were overwhelmed. And yet, they say in La Zarzuela, these people talked to them with integrity and the best of their spirits. And they asked them to fight for "primary care" in the future.

During this time, the King and Queen have spoken with more than 50 hospitals in all the autonomous communities. Long talks that have provided them with a very precise map of the evolution of the pandemic by time and territory. And without filters. The King, the Queen, their interlocutors and a notebook. None of those calls have been recorded.

Before reaching our destination, we cross a stone bridge over the almost overflowed by the Trofa stream. Here is another checkpoint. This time, in charge of the Royal Guard. There are far fewer guards than at other times. Much of its 1,500 troops no longer honor each ceremonial step of the King; they are on the street, disinfecting residences and fighting coronavirus in Operation Balmis as decided by Felipe VI on March 23 during an interview with Defense Minister Margarita Robles. And a few days later he did the same with the members of the Security Service of the Headquarters of the State, composed according to various sources (because the King's House does not provide data) of more than 300 escorts, police and civil guards.

When the King sent his guard and bodyguards to work against the virus, he tried to send a message of solidarity within the framework of the policy of gestures with which the Spanish Monarchy communicates, an institution that rarely issues statements and hardly ever claims or denies. The Jemad, General of the Air Miguel Ángel Villarroya, declared in a martial tone on March 23 that with that act "the King proved to be the first soldier in Spain." He was wrong. What Felipe VI was trying to demonstrate with that decision, as with all of these months of crisis (people he has seen, words he has uttered, world political and economic leaders with whom he has interviewed, hospitals he has called, consultations that he has made to scientists, requests that he has communicated to businessmen), is that he is next to the people. His great concern is the "day after"; the problems that this pandemic is going to cause among the most disadvantaged citizens when it all ends.

A source from his environment explains: "He has analyzed a thousand and one times how it could be valued what so many entities are doing in the face of the impoverishment of thousands of people who were already very vulnerable and will see their ability to get ahead even more hindered. And see what he could do as Head of State in the face of the tragedy of those self-employed who did not receive their full salary in March, nor have they received in April and are waiting for May. And all those who await their ERTE.” As someone who knows the King well says: “From the moment he opens his eyes until he closes them, he doesn't stop thinking and scheming how, with the tools he has, he can make things go better for the Spanish. And it does not do so for personal or political interest. But out of a sense of duty. It is his job. It is his life ”.

The final destination of the tour of this immense farm where La Zarzuela is located ends in the Magnolias building, a 2,600-square-meter brick construction that was designed in 1987. Here is the structure of direct support for the head of state, connected to the palace by a tunnel and a staircase. The King's office is three minutes away. Magnolias is like the Semillas at La Moncloa, which houses the President's Cabinet, its nervous system. In La Zarzuela there are a hundred people, many career officials, and with an abundance of military and civil guards, who manage their agenda, write their speeches, prepare their visits, answer their mail, attend to the media, inform, advise and help make the most serious decisions. And, above all, they work on the relationship between La Zarzuela and La Moncloa. Two constitutional legitimacies forced to understand each other. They are the most hermetic officials of the Spanish Administration. They measure their words to the millimeter. At the head of this team is the harsh 64-year-old State lawyer Jaime Alfonsín, who has been working with Don Felipe since the now King was in his twenties. The average age of that team is 61 years old. Most have done their entire careers here.

The Magnolias building is quieter than ever. At the entrance, two gatekeepers in white jackets and military shoes as mirrors solicitously open the doors. Beyond, a cold semi-darkness of empty rooms, a pretentious decoration of Madrid's upper class and a sepulchral silence. No voices or footsteps are heard. Less than a third of the King's team is in place. The rest have been teleworking since March 13. La Zarzuela is in the box.

However, the head of the House, the secretary general and the six most involved directors (among them, Protocol, Coordination and Communication) are here. They arrive at eight in the morning. At nine they have the first meeting. And with the digital press summary prepared by the House already read. This daily meeting is a novelty, before it was only done on Fridays.

Their boardroom is quirky: a huge room with chandeliers and marble flooring with enough space to stay within the statutory social distance. They sit in a circle on uncomfortable Empire-style chairs. The agenda of the previous day is analyzed, the current one is reviewed and the following one is prepared. They eat from the machine. Not everyone sees the King daily. Alfonsín is the only one who dispatches with him every morning. He's the link with the director of the President's Cabinet and the secretary general of the Presidency. It is in La Moncloa where all the words of the King and Queen are given the go-ahead or "edited", however harmless they may seem, because "it cannot be forgotten that this is the Head of State." In the case of Felipe's message during the referendum crisis in Catalonia on October 3, 2017 nobody touched a comma in the La Moncloa from the Rajoy era.

On March 13, at 15:15, President Pedro Sánchez addressed an audience of 18 million spectators with these words: “Today, I have just communicated to the Head of State the celebration, tomorrow, of a Council of Extraordinary ministers to decree the state of alarm throughout our country”. There were 120 dead.

That afternoon the alarms went off in La Zarzuela. The situation was complex. There had been no national crisis of this magnitude since the Civil War. There was no road map. How should a Head of State who reigns but does not govern face a health, economic and social crisis of such magnitude? What should be his agenda? Should he go out? Should he address the Spaniards? Should he preside over the Councils of Ministers? Should he be involved in any activity? Does he have to intrude? Who does he have to talk to and who does he not? Does he need to appear with his family? Does his consort have to show up making cookies with their daughters? How would each action he takes be politically and socially interpreted? How does he get no one to complain? How to achieve a territorial, sectoral, political, cultural and opportunity balance in all of his actions, initiatives and audiences?

On March 13, the King's House (and the King himself) lacked an instruction manual. And it was not the best time for the Spanish Monarchy either. For years it had been hanging over Felipe VI and the institution the finances of his father, the King Emeritus, Juan Carlos de Borbón, 82 years old. For a long time, the relationship between father and son has not been the best possible. The last time they saw each other in public was during the funeral of the Infanta Pilar, on January 28, in El Escorial. They were in mourning. His greeting was protocol. And the old King looked out of the corner of his eye, his head down, lost, as his son, the Head of the State, walked away from him coldly.

The week before the declaration of the state of alarm, just when the dripping of infected people and deaths began and the situation began to be out of control for the Government, the King and Queen did not stop. Especially, the Queen. Reviewing the images of those days knowing what we know today about the COVID-19 causes amazement. Not an act was removed from their schedule. Not even a trip to Paris on March 11 that the French president, Emmanuel Macron (the couple's personal friend), did not want to suspend: at the gates of the Elysée, they greeted each other without handshakes or kisses. All the King and Queen's appearances that week were massive. An act with the ambassadors of the Marca España in the old palace of El Pardo; a women's soccer final riddled with screams and sweat in a packed sports hall in Salamanca (the same day as the questioned feminist 8-M demonstration); a meeting overflowing with attendees with the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases ... And all trying to photograph, touch and hug them. The usual landscape.

But it was March 6 that gave the most. And lit the wick of the following events in La Zarzuela. Doña Letizia met that morning in the Uned classrooms, in the heart of the Lavapiés neighborhood, in Madrid, with the professionals of the Association for the Prevention, Reintegration and Attention to Prostituted Women (Apramp), an NGO which she had already called to La Zarzuela in June 2018 and with whom she maintains close contact.

That morning riddled with photographers had an added morbid: its "minister of the day" was Irene Montero, holder since January of the Ministry of Equality and leader of Podemos, a party very critical of the Monarchy. Would there be blood? Would there be a photo? The working meeting was held behind closed doors with Montero side by side with the Queen. It was long. Everything flowed. When they left, according to someone who was there, “they said goodbye with the usual kiss that the Queen gives in cases similar to the ministers, secretaries of state or general directors who attend. It had begun to be suggested in official media that perhaps it would be good to avoid kisses and handshakes (that day there were already five deceased), but neither of them dared to stop doing it, because it was going to be interpreted as an unpleasant gesture by one to the other and vice versa. Something that did not happen and has never happened between the King and Queen and the ministers, no matter the sector or the party they are. Everything always happens within the constitutional correction. It is their job. And then behind the cameras there may be more or less cordiality, but always absolute correction, starting with Podemos,” they assure.

Six days later, on Thursday, March 12, the bomb exploded. La Moncloa announced early in the morning that Minister Irene Montero had tested positive for the coronavirus. And the most difficult days of Felipe VI's reign began. In just six years, he has had to deal with four general elections (two of them repeated), eight rounds of consultations with political leaders, the motion of censure against Mariano Rajoy, a weak coalition government with one of its partners resistant to the Monarchy and the endless secessionist process in Catalonia. Without forgetting the trial and prison of his brother-in-law Iñaki Urdangarinand the continuous information on his father's activities, with private accounts in tax havens and income of dubious origin. These two more personal matters, Felipe de Borbón would be forced to face them as Head of State and not as a member of a family.

In January 2015, six months after his proclamation, he had already drafted a rigid regulation on the gifts that members of the royal family could receive, which stated in its article 6: “They will not accept loans without interest or with interest lower than the normal market, or gifts of money. In the latter case, it will be returned or donated to a non-profit entity that pursues purposes of general interest." From that moment the estrangement would come with his sister Cristina (to whom he revoked the title of Duchess of Palma in June 2015) and from his own father.

It has not been an easy reign for Felipe de Borbón. And nobody anticipates that things will improve. Journalists investigating the finances of the King Emeritus in Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom confirm that things will continue to come to light. They also have it very clear in that home in La Zarzuela. And that any action by Felipe VI as Head of State will be overshadowed by that judicial situation.

On the same morning that Montero was positive, the military doctor from La Zarzuela performed the test for the new coronavirus on the King and Queen. They did not have the results until early on March 13. Neither of them tested positive. However, it was decided that the Queen would keep two weeks of quarantine at her home, not isolated, but without leaving home or interacting with anyone from outside for two weeks, until the 26th, in case it was a false negative. She fulfilled it to the letter. During that time, she did not even go down to her official office in La Zarzuela, where she arrives every morning at nine. It is in an adjoining room, bright, white and minimalist, where she holds the videoconferences. By mid-May, she had already completed more than 60 within what she calls her specialization: culture, society, dependency, sexist violence, cancer, rare diseases, food and childhood. They last around an hour. "There is no protocol required in them other than politeness."

But between March 12 and 16 there was not a single event on the King and Queen's schedule. The King also did not leave the limits of the El Pardo mountain until his surprise visit, with no press called, to the field hospital of Ifema on May 26th. However, on the 13th he had already put himself in “virus mode”, started to make calls and was totally immersed in the crisis, a state of mind from which he has not escaped. “He keeps in constant contact with all kinds of people linked to the management of the pandemic, wherever they are. Today, at home, the virus is talked about at all hours. They are the only conversations their daughters listen to.”

On March 14 Spain closed. And also appeared published in the British press, in The Telegraph, the exclusive that Felipe VI was beneficiary of one of the foundations created in tax havens by his father with a patrimony of 65 million euros, apparently from Saudi Arabia. His team at La Zarzuela knew that information was about to come out. This was confirmed by journalists from The Telegraph and EL PAÍS (who had been months behind the subject) by email; they wanted to know the King's answer. But La Zarzuela did not answer. Why? "Because it was a judicial matter that we could not enter. And because there was no documentary evidence; not a bank paper, income or account to confirm it. They preferred to wait”. At La Zarzuela they always take their time. They say that its rhythm is more like that of the Vatican than that of the White House. Even if it is in theoretically banal matters. For example, the decision that the Princess of Asturias and her sister, the Infanta Sofia, briefly read passages from Don Quixote on camera on April 23 to commemorate Book Day took five weeks.

That Saturday of breaking news, March 14, La Zarzuela's team had to change plans on the fly and write an extensive and harsh statement that same afternoon of four pages that would be released to the public on the afternoon of Sunday 15 (the second day of confinement and when 288 deceased were already counted), in which Felipe VI disassociated himself from the activities of his father (who he claimed to be unaware of), resigned to his economic inheritance (also in the name of his daughter), placed the King Emeritus outside the administrative and legal umbrella of the Royal House and withdrew the official allocation of 194,232 euros per year. The statement concluded with this statement by don Juan Carlos: "That of the two foundations previously mentioned at no time did he provide information to HM the King." The elaborate formal and legal drafting of the text indicated that it had been prepared in sufficient time. For about a year, La Zarzuela had been aware of what was coming through the mouth of the British lawyers of Corinna Larsen, the old friend of Don Juan Carlos.

Why was this statement issued coinciding with the start of the confinement and on a Sunday? "As soon as we had documentary evidence of the accusations of the British newspaper, we could not leave for a second the slightest doubt that Felipe VI was the beneficiary of these accounts; it was necessary to act without delay; there could be no shadow on his conduct; that news could not be for a second on the internet without a response from the King”, explain his collaborators. "Why did we get it out that day and not a year earlier? Because until that weekend we did not have the documentary certainty of those accusations, a year before we lacked that documentary confirmation”.

That Saturday the King made the decision to publicly disassociate himself from any matter that related him to his father and that could be questioned, as he had already done privately a year earlier, on March 12, 2019, before a Madrid notary, exposing his intention to renounce the inheritance of Juan Carlos de Borbón at the time he passed away (now legally he cannot). Those dubious financial actions do not enter the head of Felipe VI. They go against his vision of the world and the “Monarchy renewed for a new time” that he has tried to build since his proclamation on June 2014.

On Wednesday, March 18, there were 598 deaths. At five in the afternoon a meeting of the King with the President began in the audience room of La Zarzuela; the ministers of Health, Defense, Interior and Transport and their deputies, the Coronavirus Technical Management Committee. It was intense. It lasted until after 7:30 p.m. The King concluded it with just enough time to run down to the Magnolias room and, without changing his tie, record a message to the nation, with no time to repeat, that would be broadcast at nine at night. The Queen and her daughters did not accompany him on this occasion. They were confined.

It was not the King's best speech. Not even gestually. It was witnessed by 14.6 million people. He and his team thought about referring in the text to the affairs of his father, Don Juan Carlos. They decided not to. There was not the slightest mention, to the perplexity of many citizens. "There was no attempt to hide anything," responds a member of the Casa del Rey, "but there was no point in talking about the King Emeritus in the context of a terrible health emergency, especially when he had done so immediately, extensively and firmly in the statement three days before. There was not anymore to say. And even more so when it is a judicial matter. On March 18, the Head of State talked to the country to give his encouragement against the pandemic and to tell the Spaniards that he was by their side. Not to talk about his father's problems."

The total activation of La Zarzuela in times of crisis did not arrive until March 26. That day the King went to Ifema, the Queen began her video conferences and a complex agenda of contacts and initiatives was launched. Dozens of calls and videoconferences with all sectors. Absolutely everyone. And meetings with 16 ministers (although it took more than a month to receive the first of Podemos, Manuel Castells, in La Zarzuela). Always with the idea of having their own and direct information about what was happening in Spain and sharpen the shot. The utility of those actions of the King is difficult to specify. You never know if they are of any use. Because it is, as a person in his environment explains, “a job that involves being a link, generating trust, mediating, cooperating and weaving complicities to solve the problems of 48 million people. And to do it with a rectitude and exemplary that for this King is not negotiable”.

According to another person in his environment, "this work has a lot of soft power”. A parallel diplomacy that consists of having quick and direct access to the most powerful on the planet, Amancio Ortega, Jack Ma (the Chinese millionaire owner of Alibaba Group), the president of Huawei or Microsoft. And also to all the monarchs in the world (they have spoken with the majority, from the Queen of England to the Emperor of Japan or the sovereign of Morocco). Or to chat with Donald and Melania Trump in a long and intense conversation on April 1 in which the President of the United States did not stop questioning the King and Queen about the confinement and closure of economic activity; between maintaining business and the need to avoid spreading the virus. It was his concern. And, by the way, it unlocked the sale to Spain of a hundred respirators, at a time when there were already 4,500 deaths from covid-19 in the United States and they could be needed there.

Not everything is based on planetary relationships with ministers and statesmen. One of the great concerns of the King and Queen is, at this time with the curve of contagions and deaths in free fall, "the sustainability of the groups that work with the most disadvantaged and help them to have something of quality in their lives, for example, in matters of gender violence. If the subsidies and aid and the talks with the autonomous communities of the organizations of the third sector are interrupted, what will become of them? ”They ask themselves in the surroundings of the Queen. That is their job. Be helpful. Although they may not always have it easy.

#King Felipe #Queen Letizia #Princess Leonor #Infanta Sofia #King Felipe of Spain #Queen Letizia of Spain #Princess Leonor of Asturias #Infanta Sofia of Spain #King Felipe VI #Princess of Asturias #King Felipe VI of Spain #COVID-19 #News #May 2020

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scullyeffect · 5 years ago

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i love reading your posts about being a nanny, its something i like the idea of but i dont think id ever be able to do it

it definitely takes a certain type of person i think, but you can also learn with experience. i have friends who suddenly become very ~aware of themselves~ when talking with a kid. like making sarcastic jokes or something and it’s like um...be yourself?? nobody likes being talked to in a patronising tone, or spoken to like a well behaved dog. but seriously, just be yourself. they already think you’re cool af for not being mom lol. and most kids don’t judge. the amount of times i’ve been self conscious about my appearance at work? zero. the amount of times i’ve been scared my boss will catch me on my phone? zero. the amount of times i’ve plucked a wedgie with confidence? every day. i’d been babysitting kids for like 8 years (including one 5 y/o girl who got dropped off at my house at 8 every morning and was picked up at 6pm five days a week for the entire summer when i was 16...wow) before i became an au pair, but i know people who wing it and are completely fine.

i think the real key to it being a job you can enjoy or be “good” at is patience. because at the end of the day you’re not the parent. it’s not fully up to you to discipline the kids. you get to go home at the end of the day. sometimes you have to bring problems up with the parents to deal with because you’re unsure about their protocol (the kids i take care of aren’t allowed to watch tv or use electronics, so when i showed them a trailer for a movie 6 was like ooooh i’m gonna tell mom!! and i was like fuck). one time 6 peed during a 5 floor elevator ride and i had to reassure her that it was okay, then spend ten minutes wiping up the mess with paper towels hoping to hell no one would need the elevator. luckily that sent her right into the shower so there was no war. like i could have lost my temper and been like WHY DIDN”T YOU JUST HOLD IT. YOU CLEAN IT UP. because she had been holding it for like 30 minutes and she’s 6. i learned from this and whenever one of them says they need to go i’m like WHO WANTS A PASTRY REAL QUICK LET’S GO SPEND 5 EUROS TO PEE.

but at the same time you end up being a really important factor in a child’s life. sometimes they’ll ask you questions they feel like they can’t ask their parents: the 15 y/o teenager i lived with for two years came into my room in tears saying she couldn’t figure out how to use a tampon and she didn’t want to ask her mom, the 9 year old got “the talk” from her mom but admitted to me that she didn’t understand and could she ask me some questions. you’re the one (in my case), who’s making sure they’re clean and have eaten and brushed their teeth before the parents come home. you’re the one helping with homework (and it’s really amazing to be able to be the one teaching a kid how to read at home. i’ve gotten to do this twice and it’s so exciting when they start wanting to read some of their bedtime story instead of letting you do it). at the end of the day it’s a really humbling job.

but patience and understanding is really key, also confidence. sometimes babysitters are the good guy, and you can get away with anything because mom and dad are out for the night. i think that’s normal and fun. but when you’re with the kids every day you don’t get to just be the good guy, or they won’t learn anything. and that’s hard!! because again, you don’t have the full parental authority.

the absolute ABSOLUTE most important thing, which can either be the easiest or most difficult, is getting a solid routine going. especially with younger kids, but it’s good for all ages. once you have the routine set up you’re good for life. obviously sometimes you’ve gotta roll with a doctor’s appointment, or in my case the occasional public transport strike (”who wants to walk a mile today ladies!!!”) it’s especially nice when the kids unconsciously pick up on it and will sometimes prompt you like “how much time do we have to play until bath time?”, or “today is wednesday, so we’re going to the park, but can we go to this one instead of that one?”. so like with the kids i take of now the afternoon routine (except wednesday, which is different) is:

4:30pm: pick up from school, snack while we’re taking the metro back (bc otherwise they get antsy, they haven’t eaten since 11:30)

5:00-5:30pm: homework

5:30-6:30pm: play/read

6:30-7:00pm: one of them takes a bath/shower while i make dinner, the other one sets the table and helps with dinner, or she can read/play

7:00-whenever dinner is finished (normally 7:45pm)

7:45-8ish: second one takes a bath/shower while the other helps clear the table, then she can read/play, after that they both brush their teeth

8:00-9:00 the older one reads while i read to the younger one, or they’ll both listen to me read

also keep in mind this is france where eating late is normal, bedtime is probably later than the US (when i think about putting kids to bed at 7:30 in the US i feel like it’s the afternoon)

idk if you remember, but in september when i started taking care of 6 and 9 i was absolutely miserable. their parents had separated literally weeks before i arrived so the emotional dynamic was chaotic as hell, both apartments were in boxes, they were sleeping over at their grandparents’ house most nights, and here was this new girl they were supposed to trust. i met the girls for about 10 minutes in june when i had an interview, but the next time i saw them was the first day i picked them up from school. they still stress me out way more than the girls i lived with for two years (who were older, but overall just more well behaved), but i love them a lot. for the first two months i seriously thought i’d quit. i was so stressed out every day and felt like i was getting no support from the parents when i brought up problems i was having with their kids. now i really love them and i think they dig me too.

so i think if you want to do it maybe try to get more experience babysitting and trying to get a steady babysitting job! i remember i would babysit the same toddler pretty often and i always had a loose routine with her so that when i came over she knew what to expect and i didn’t feel so harried at age 17. if you’re looking to be an au pair though, especially in a foreign country, you’ve gotta be picky as hell. i learned that from experience. if you don’t think you can handle a baby but you want to live in paris, you’ve gotta put your job before the location. if you do better taking care of boys (i do way better with girls. they’re so awful to each other if they have a sister, but the chaotic physical energy boys seem to have does not agree with me. they’re like dogs i’m like “time to play frisbee i need to wear you out”) look for a family with boys unless you think you can adapt. if you’re fine with both, go for it. if you want to learn/improve a foreign language, try to find a family that’s cool with you speaking their native language. people looking for anglophone nannies often have a 100% english policy. when i plugged in all my search criteria in 2016 i think i found five families total who fit the specifications. and then in addition to that i skyped all of them so i could try and sense if a Vibe was there.

i’m sorry this is so long but i don’t have any au pair friends who kind of like...were there for the job as well as the city...so i never got to gab childcare. ask me all the questions.

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cnonlinehelp-blog · 8 years ago

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delhi-architect2 · 5 years ago

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Journal - Silver Linings: Amid Lockdown, Architect Andrew Franz Glimpses the Future of Live/Work

As a pandemic sweeps across the United States, some designers and architects see an acceleration of workplace and lifestyle trends that were being slowly assimilated already into mainstream culture: remote work, digital socializing and relying largely on online sources for goods and services. On the other hand, some cultural norms are being completely reversed, such as traveling long distance, practicing daily commutes, and outsourcing childcare.

Architects like Andrew Franz, AIA, LEED AP, a native New Yorker and founder of the nationally active design firm Andrew Franz Architect, PLLC, are carefully observing and analyzing these rapid, simultaneous shifts in daily life as they unfold — and finding some useful lessons and even some positivity in the current crisis. From an architectural and planning perspective, Franz sees many opportunities being exposed by the collective societal pause.

“This crisis is a compulsory social experiment,” says Franz. “It has forced many people around the world to quickly and fully adopt new technologies, ways of living, and approaches to doing business that were already becoming the ‘new normal,’ albeit very slowly.” The COVID-19 pandemic, Franz asserts, has merely fanned the flames of the technological revolution — a movement that has been spreading around the globe for decades and has the potential to support a better work/life balance for all people, as well as a smarter, more energy-efficient built environment.

“More people — specifically, more clients and bosses — are recognizing that face-face physical meetings and physical office attendance aren’t as critical for job performance and efficiency as they believed. “In fact, some loosening of old-school professional rules may enhance employee or personal performance,” acknowledges Franz.

Additionally, he adds that “because so many people — very unfortunately — aren’t working right now, or are working from home, they aren’t moving about as much on a daily basis.” This has meant more personal time for family, but also fewer cars and vehicles on the road and ultimately less pollution. “If we get used to this new, less mobile lifestyle and we end up maintaining it past the end of quarantine, the impacts for the future of transportation and the future of office buildings with their reduced occupancies might be massive.”

Hill Office, Location: New York, NY, Architect: Andrew Franz Architect

Franz expects that offices may become smaller and more flexible, allowing for more shared desks on a “rotating” basis as professionals integrate working remotely into their permanent routine. However, he notes that offices will likely still serve a critical role, providing much needed moments of casual social interaction that is as critical to team building and creating company culture as it is to professional collaboration. “After all, many of us have spent more time with our peers than we have with our families, sleep time discounted,” says Franz.

He speculates that, short-term, individual desks and personal work stations may regain popularity as people slowly relax social distancing protocols and return to the office, but remain vigilant and protective of personal space. “Expect less density in the workplace whether that is less bench seating and more cubicles, or spread-out desks and private offices,” predicts Franz.

Still, he says, many people have seen how our homes can absorb and become our own personal offices, studios and laboratories. Emphasizing that while many of the stringent lifestyle habits people are currently compelled to practice will eventually be relaxed — and many will fade away — Franz anticipates a continued and ongoing desire in people to work from home, especially once the family (or roommates) are not all there with you.

As the home once again becomes the epicenter of life for so many Americans, domestic design and architecture is in the spotlight more than at any other time in recent memory. “Right now, houses and apartments have to be so much more than just a place to shower and sleep,” says Franz. “This crisis is not only revalidating the importance of having a home to go to in times like this, but almost more importantly it is asking us to question the nature of our dwellings — whether they are comfortable, functional, efficient and even inspiring to us.”

With these expanded needs, the home must now serve as a workplace, a gym, a daycare, a school, a restaurant, and even a hospice. To better optimize dwellings for this wide range of functions, Franz offers some time-tested design guidance:

1. Differentiate spaces with physical dividers — and schedule activities.

Especially in smaller houses and apartments, designated spaces aren’t available for each activity or need. Oftentimes people have to take office work or homework to their kitchens or bedrooms with inadequate lighting or distracting smells and amidst noisy or nosy family members and roommates.

East End House, Location: Shelter Island NY, Architect: Andrew Franz Architect

Dividing spaces with physical barriers or partitions to create flexible zones within bigger rooms, says Franz, is one solution. “We’ve seen the same issues people were facing in open offices taking place now inside people’s homes,” he notes. “People who have to do focused tasks need a quiet environment, and meanwhile the kids need to play and the groceries need to get put away while the music or television is turned up too loud.” Physical dividers — even something as simple as hanging a curtain or fabric — can create boundaries and define different zones. Franz also adds that scheduling spaces for needed activities at different times can also help mitigate friction in cramped quarters.

2. Take advantage of natural light and brighten up all interiors.

An enthusiastic advocate of using daylight, Franz points to the scientific effects of sunlight and good electric sources on human psychology, which backs up his ample and creative use of natural light in his buildings and interiors. “Natural light is proven to boost mood and productivity, so ideally you would have it coming in from multiple directions and sources,” he says.

Martha’s Vineyard Residence, Location: Martha’s Vineyard MA, Architect: Andrew Franz Architect

“Even if you only have one window in a room, don’t cover it — let the light spill in.” If a house or apartment doesn’t get much light, Franz suggests the next best thing: multiple electric illumination sources to flood more active spaces from multiple directions and most importantly, whether in the case of a small desk or large work room, an LED task light.

3. Bring as much nature indoors as possible, or step outside.

Franz stresses the importance of experiencing nature in some form every day. “Whether it’s a plant on your windowsill, or a view of the tree outside your window, or even a little balcony you can step out onto for some fresh air — don’t take it for granted,” says Franz. “In my case, I have an exterior stair and balcony that I sit out on and catch some sun, take a call or vertically socialize with my great neighbors. Some people are fortunate enough to have access to a roof garden, a yard or adjacent green space,” he adds, noting that hopefully one day all urban residential buildings will have mandatory green space.

Tribeca Loft, Location: New York NY, Architect: Andrew Franz Architect

“At the very least, choose items made of natural materials for furnishing your home — real wood tables or chairs, stone sculptures or countertops, and artwork that represents nature are all great options. Think of Scandinavian interiors and how they introduce pattern into them to animate the long dark winters.”

4. Get good wifi.

“Staying connected is everything in our increasingly virtual world,” explains Franz, “so having a great quality data connection installed in your home — perhaps even with a backup system should the first one fail — is a good idea.” Also, make sure you are creating a hard copy of your data if you’ve transitioned fully to the cloud, cautions the architect.

As millennials and generation Z come of age, their preferences for a nomadic lifestyle and untethered existence has led to a steady national decline in homeownership rates. Crash pads, monthly rentals, and a slew of other temporary accommodations are clearly favored by up and coming generations, who also largely prefer to live in urban or urban-feeling areas. But according to Franz, “this crisis is reminding many of us how good it feels to have stable roots —to have a shelter to retreat to that reflects our deepest values, supports our needs, and gives us the true sense of safety, control and total belonging that we all crave.”

About Andrew Franz Architect PLLC:

Based in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, Andrew Franz Architect, PLLC, is a full-service architecture, planning and design firm that established a strong reputation for high-end residential works and today is increasingly called on for larger-scale projects including civic and public commissions, arts and performance venues, and facilities for nonprofits and foundations.

Andrew Franz Architect creates original and imaginative expressions that bridge classic themes and a decidedly modern sensibility. The firm’s rigorous, client-focused design process favors engagement, craft, and inventiveness. From master planning, site selection and feasibility studies through design, construction administration and interior design and decorating, the firm offers a full range of services. For more, see www.andrewfranz.com.

The post Silver Linings: Amid Lockdown, Architect Andrew Franz Glimpses the Future of Live/Work appeared first on Journal.

from Journal https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/architecture-andrew-franz-live-work/ Originally published on ARCHITIZER RSS Feed: https://architizer.com/blog

#Journal #architect #architecture #architects #architectural #design #designer #designers #building #buildings

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abbas09 · 5 years ago

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The new CCNA training - experiences and recommendations

As of February 24, 2020, Cisco completely turned the entire system of courses and certifications upside down. There has never been a comparable change in Cisco Career Certifications with such great effects and changes.

What has remained are the basic designations of the Entry, Associate, Professional and Expert career levels. The well-known personal certifications are still called CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE. However, the path to these labels in the various disciplines is very different from before.

With CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), there is no longer any specialization at the associate level. In the past, a distinction was made between CCNA Routing & Switching, CCNA Security, CCNA Collaboration, CCNA Cloud, CCNA Data Center, CCNA Service Provider and CCNA Wireless. There was also the CCDA for the specialty network design. In contrast, there is only one CCNA certification today. This serves as the basis for further development in the fields of enterprise, service provider, data center, security, and collaboration.

Only a five-day course is required for the new CCNA. Previously there were two courses for each CCNA. With the old entry-level ICND1, only the status CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician) could be acquired, which was not particularly in demand in the market.

In addition to the new general CCNA, there are now only the special cases DevNet Associate (new) and Cyber Ops Associate.

In February 2020 we carried out the first courses "CCNA - Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions" according to the new standard. We would like to report on the experiences of these training courses and derive some recommendations from them.

course CCNA training in Dhaka

Anyone who is at home in the Cisco world and hears CCNA usually thinks of the previous CCNA routing & switching. To acquire this status, the two courses ICND1 and ICND2 should be heard. These had developed into real classics in the field of IT training over many years.

Thus, the former CCNA Routing & Switching still serves as a benchmark for many participants in order to better classify the new course and the associated exam requirements.

Both the course participants and the trainers unanimously report that the new training "CCNA - Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions" covers a wide range of topics. There are significantly more issues now than was the case with the previous combination of ICND1 and ICND2.

In terms of content, it comes down to business

The new CCNA training focuses on the basics of network communication. Networking technologies, LANs, switching, routing, the IP protocol, IP addressing in the variants IPv4 and IPv6, as well as subnetting, are explained.

The participant gets to know the Cisco IOS and configures Cisco routers and switches. The packet delivery process is conveyed end-to-end. This shows how an IP packet e.g. B. is transported from a client to a server and what role the routers and switches involved play. The course also includes a first introduction to troubleshooting the systems.

It continues with the configuration of static routes, VLANs and trunks, routing between VLANs, OSPF, EtherChannel, ACL Basics and Internet Connectivity (DHCP and relay agent or IP helper-address).

Up to this point, old Cisco rabbits will say - nothing new in the West. After all, the topics mentioned are known from the previous ICND courses. However, it should be noted that this content is presented in a fairly compact form. The courses ICND1 and ICND2 together lasted at least ten days - the most important topics in the new course will be taught in about four and a half days.

Compared to the previous courses, the content has expanded considerably, taking up the second half of the last day of the course. This is about software-defined networking (SDN) and network programming, the REST API, Netconf and Yang. A look at network automation tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Chef. There is also some information on device management and simple device hardening.

This content is certainly a special challenge for the classic old-school networker. The paradigms of network architecture are changing and here such developments are reflected in the new Cisco basic course. Nice that this part is treated in great detail in the course documents! A lot of new content was created by Cisco here in Course Development. Incidentally, the documents are, as is usual for all Cisco courses, made available in digital form in English.

Homework - self-study after the course

How do you get the contents of ten course days in just five days? And will you add a new topic?

On the one hand, some of the contents of the old ICND courses were outsourced. For example, EIGRP is no longer handled at the CCNA level. This topic is now included in the advanced course ENCOR - Implementing and Operating Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies, which is part of the CCNP certification.

On the other hand, there are special chapters on the topics of wireless, security and data center (virtualization). These are not included in the official course schedule and are therefore not dealt with - this is not possible for reasons of time alone. Rather, these chapters are intended by Cisco as a self-study. This means that after attending the course, participants should learn this content on their own. There are three days for this - in practice, it could take a little longer, depending on your individual knowledge.

Discovery Labs and FastLabs

Each participant receives a virtual lab from Cisco. The labs include routers, switches, servers, and PCs. The topology is based on a small company network with an internet connection. The network topology varies from task to task in order to convey the respective topic as clearly as possible.

There are two types of labs, Discovery Labs and FastLabs. The latter was previously called the Challenge Lab. At a Discovery Lab, the participant follows detailed instructions. Each step is described exactly like in a recipe. These are followed meticulously and so the functional result comes about at the end of an exercise.

A FastLab, on the other hand, already relies on more independence. The task is only described in principle. The participant must find out and implement the necessary individual steps themselves. In addition to the exercise option itself, the FastLab also includes quiz questions to check your own level of knowledge.

You can access the labs for 90 days or a maximum of 60 hours. Incidentally, only a small part of this quota is required in the course, so that you can then practice extensively. For example, this lab time can be used to practice the contents of the self-study chapters or to prepare for the CCNA exam.

The labs are largely proven exercises that were already included in the previous courses ICND1 and ICND2.

VLAN and Trunk Lab in CCNA training

Who is the new CCNA course for?

The new CCNA training is positioned in the entry-level area but is nevertheless filled with a whole lot of material from a wide variety of topics. Therefore, it will not be easy for beginners who have little previous knowledge to follow the course in all aspects.

Our recommendation is, therefore: If you do not yet have a good basic knowledge of the network environment, you should acquire this beforehand. For this target group, we have developed the Cisco Routing & Switching in Enterprise - The compact introduction to the IOS-XE. In this event, considerably more time is provided to teach the essential basics for building networks. In this way, the necessary background knowledge can be built up. This enables the participants to understand the results of the practical exercises and to process them in such a way that they can also be used in practice.

What does the new CCNA exam look like?

Of course, there is also a new exam for the new CCNA training. This exam must be taken in a VUE test center and has the number 200-301.

It is very gratifying that Cisco states which subject areas are included in the exam with which share.

Network Fundamentals 20%

Network access 20%

IP connectivity 25%

IP services 10%

Security fundamentals 15%

Automation and programmability 10%

This is a great help in preparing for the CCNA certification. This makes it clear that the most extensive part of the course documents (Automation and Programmability) is far from having the greatest weight when it comes to exam questions.

Those who have passed the exam can be awarded CCNA status for three years!

CCNA certificate

Our conclusion

The new training "CCNA - Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions" offers a comprehensive overview of the current technologies in the networks. He has what it takes to quickly become a classic in IT training. However, without any prior knowledge, it will be difficult to follow all aspects and pass the subsequent exam. We, therefore, recommend that all interested parties check their previous knowledge. If these are not available, the basic knowledge should first be built up so that the subsequent visit to the CCNA training is also a success!

CCNA online training

By the way, we don't just offer CCNA courses as face-to-face training. You can also take part in CCNA online training. As a rule, we offer hybrid courses in which online participants can join a face-to-face course.

#CCNA

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ouraidengray4 · 7 years ago

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What Exactly Is Orangetheory Fitness—and Should I Try It?

If an Orangetheory Fitness hasn’t yet popped up in your neighborhood, chances are, it’s likely not long before it moves in. The boutique fitness franchise has over 860 open studios, with 771 in the United States alone. Compare that number to the (significantly fewer) 82 studios SoulCycle has within the States and Canada, and it seems like a new fitness method has officially overshadowed the cult-like, dance cardio cycling conglomerate.

Head to the Orangetheory Fitness site, and you’ll be transported to a home page featuring high-res videos of individuals who are the definition of #fitnessgoals accompanied by bold claims, like the workout itself is scientifically proven to give you a longer, more vibrant life, and will armour you with increased energy, greater strength, and better fitness results.