Confessions en temps de Corona : Bshara Atallah

Bshara Atallah, actor, stylist, production designer

Do you think this situation will lead to a change? And if so, how?

Staying home forces us to rethink our habits and our attachment to and connections to the world around us. Thus, yes this confinement will create a change and a very positive one I hope on many levels especially the way governments have been treating the lands and the natural resources and on individual levels how we personally will decide to behave socially and I mean hopefully more responsibly.

What is your daily routine in confinement?

I feel I need to invest my time more personally and I mean reading, watching films, looking up friends that I haven’t heard from for quite some time, writing some stories about my mom and family. Sometimes, I share them online. Engaging my family in social games and fun theater exercises and also playing their games as I am staying at my mom for the moment with 5 other family members.

From the simple pleasures of an active life, what do you miss the most?

What I really miss is my real family of the world and that is my friend and colleagues. I totally miss hugging people, listening to their stories and sometimes worries and problems (I am a good listener), I miss my volunteer work also, I miss real meetings and not only virtual ones.

What don't you miss?

I don’t miss the craziness of the world we live in. I don’t miss aggression on the streets. I don’t miss people’s lack of respect towards each other. I don’t miss witnessing people getting things by force or by being related to someone in power. I don’t miss the dirty streets that we chose to clean while many compatriots chose to dirty. I don’t miss blind people who argue that things will not change. I don’t miss idiots who don’t believe what the whole population of doctors are saying to them and prefer to listen to their political leaders, (I learned a new word Covidiots) ! I am a rebel and will always be.

To avoid boredom, what do you suggest to our readers:

BOOKS: Le parfum to re-read and le petit prince to re-read as well, otherwise I am delving into les fables ( Grimm brothers, one thousand and one nights, kalila wa dimna). I just love fairytale stories

TV SHOWS: Lucifer just started it and I like it.

MUSIC: I have a link to an online radio garden that I would like to share with people because it takes them on a journey to all the radio stations of the world while navigating cities on a map with green dots showing the stations. I love it http://radio.garden/visit/teramo/wswepml

VIRTUAL VISIT ON THE NET: Most museums have decided to launch virtual visits so I am doing some of that and try to take my nephews on it too and I share links with friends yet as I love cinema and other performance arts.

APP TO DOWNLOAD: if you’re interested in meeting your friends or having a house party kind of meeting the social app like ZOOM or HOUSEPARTY

COOKING RECIPE : our immune system is most important nowadays, yet I always go to natural and herbal ingredients in my food especially that I am a pescatarian ( I eat fish, no chicken or meat). Honey and cereals for breakfast with one or 2 kinds of fruits and a pinch of cinnamon on the top is a great boost for our start of the day.

A word of encouragement

I always told my students to « try » what they think they can’t do. It’s a good way of seeing the problems from a different angle and bring it more to the yellow positive side. One more thing, probably we are going into the total age of the digital meaning print material will die to let trees live. Digital might be more organic than we think it is so learn something new while home think of it as an intensive workshop.

Hugs and kisses

Your future plans?

Latest acting work is for a feature film with Fouad Alaywan and we were ready to shoot yet becuase of the corona virus crisis it was suspended at the moment. The production decided to abide by the strict measures of the ministry of health and have us safe staying home and I was very happy by their decision. This film requires me to change looks and I hope it will be shot soon after this COVID19 global situation is contained properly.

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