THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Away from her home at Herefordshire in the West Midlands of England, Christene Jean Lodge misses her family and country. Staying at a hotel in Kovalam beach, she said her family was worried about her staying alone in a distant land during the Covid-19.
“They were worried that I was away. But I told them I am okay,” she said. A regular visitor to Kerala, Christene, who appears to be in her mid-sixties though she refused to reveal her real age, has made some good connections in various places, including Kovalam, over the years.
It was the bond that she shared with several people from the locality that put her at ease at the time of distress when people were frantically trying to return to their places at any cost. “I know a lot of people here. They are loving and helpful. I find Kerala especially safe. That was what I told my family also when they called me,” Christene said. “My daughter was worried asked me whether she should try to change my ticket. I told her that Kerala is one of the safest places. People here have known me for many years and I have some good friends here,” Christene added.
She had arrived at Kovalam on January 12 and was busy exploring the serene beaches when the pandemic struck cutting short her visit to the sandy shores. The British Airways had airlifted 268 UK citizens from Thiruvananthapuram on April 15, but Christene chose not to leave India early. There were two reasons for her not doing so. One, the ticket price was very high and two, she had trust that Kerala will manage things well.
“They have managed well so far. The things they are doing, it seems to be working,” she said. However, she had a word of caution for the public hygiene standard in India. “At the moment India is safe. But Indians need to learn a lot. Let me tell you an example. I was walking on the street the other day and was about to pass a shop. Just before I reached here, the shop owners spat on to the street and it landed right in front of my feet. That’s the worst thing to do,” she said. Christene had booked her return ticket on June 2 and hoped that the flight service will resume by then.