Michael It will probably be a while before our strict governor lets us go to the hairdresser again, but our hair is unimpressed by this and continues to grow like crazy. My last visit to the hairdresser was over three months ago, and I usually go to my regular barber once a month, so quick action was needed. I inquired at work about solutions, and the jokers there recommended the so-called "Flowbee," a system from the last century that every middle-aged American probably knows from the TV commercials of their youth.

Angelika How many times have we thought, while vacationing in some beautiful city, that we could stay there for a year and still not see everything? We felt that way in Tokyo back then, and of course in New York as well. Until now, we actually thought we knew San Francisco like the back of our hand, since we've been living here for over 20 years and we don't just sit on the couch on weekends, but often set out to explore our city. However, you surely know that such a habit often draws you back to your favorite spots. Certain areas are also actively avoided by locals in San Francisco because they are so overrun by tourists that you can't set foot in there during normal times.

Michael The waiting in front of grocery stores is the most nerve-wracking aspect of the crisis. It's not uncommon to see 20 or 30 people standing in front of the store door, all spaced 6 feet (and often more) apart from each other, with the line stretching around the next street corner. In front of some stores, you can even see two separate lines extending in different directions: one for regular shoppers and one for so-called "Instacarters".

Angelika Flour and yeast are still scarce in the supermarkets here. Apparently, a large portion of the population has discovered home baking. Bread baking, in particular, seems to be very trendy right now. Amusingly, during one of our evening walks around the city, we discovered some dough remnants sealed in plastic bags, which someone had nailed to a telephone pole along with instructions. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a sourdough starter for bread baking. According to the instructions, it needed to be fed every day with a quarter cup of flour and 2 tablespoons of water.

Michael As you know, nothing annoys me more than standing in line for trivial things. Dinner at the trendy restaurant where people wait for hours for a table? Happens without me. Shopping on Sunday afternoon when Americans trample on each other in supermarkets? No way, I only show up 15 minutes before closing time, it's quicker then. Now you can surely imagine how thrilled I was with the absurd government regulations during the coronavirus crisis. Long lines formed in front of every supermarket like in the worst state-run mismanagement, and instead of buying Pellegrino once a month at our mega supermarket Costco, I had to look for new sources of sparkling water.

Angelika Anyone who works with young children or has their own children knows the classic "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen. I can't even count how many times I've reenacted this picture book story with children, crawling through the tall grass, stomping in the mud, and swimming through the river together, only to finally arrive at the bear's cave. Shortly after the lockdown restrictions were imposed, we started seeing teddy bears placed in windows during our walks.

Michael Although I am not a master tailor, I am a proud owner of a sewing machine, can install the upper and lower threads, and sew simple patterns. Since supermarkets in San Francisco now require customers to wear masks, I reluctantly set about sewing two masks from leftover fabric with a sushi motif, which I had used to upholster our dining chairs.

Angelika While you guys in Germany can already look forward to easing restrictions, things are not really progressing here. Far too few people are still being tested for Corona in the USA, and even in California. No one really knows how many people are actually infected here. A look at the statistics reveals that officially 2,131 people in San Francisco (as of May 18, 2020) have been infected with the coronavirus. That makes it well under 1 percent of the 881,549 residents! However, the number of unreported cases could be enormously high.

Angelika Anyone who has known me for a long time knows that I am not exactly an enthusiastic sports fanatic. In school, I always had the worst grades in physical education, which didn't really bother me because I preferred being good in English and bad in sports rather than the other way around! However, I often suffered a lot in gym class and had many rather clueless gym teachers who didn't understand why it made me shudder and scared to jump over a vaulting horse. Nowadays, I enjoy being active, especially outdoors: hiking, swimming in the ocean, biking, boogie boarding in Hawaii; I'm in. There is a widespread belief that the USA is only made up of overweight people who lounge around on the couch, shoveling potato chips and popcorn into themselves. Of course, as always, this is a bit of an oversimplification. For many Americans, exercise and sports are also important.