crown

Subscribe Now

FOLLOW US

Sign in

Photos: Quarantine in a childhood home, old rules and fresh perspectives

When US President Donald Trump announced a ban on travel from Europe last month to contain the coronavirus, Reuters photographer Nora Savosnick was nearly 5,000 km away from her Norwegian childhood home --a 24-year-old photographer creating a life of her own in New York City. She faced a choice: whether to risk her US work visa and her newfound freedom or go home for nationalized health care and, most of all, be with family. Her mother had recovered from cancer a few years ago: What if she couldn't see her if she became sick again? In a panic, Nora bought a ticket back to Norway and braced for a return to childhood, quarantined in her parents' basement. She spent her time recording the experience of living in a closed space with ageing parents, and small insights from lives brought together by a shared threat.

Updated on: Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM IST

Share via

Copy link

1/15

Nora Savosnick and her mother, Chava Savosnick, look at their phones while sitting in their living room, as Nora completes 14-days of quarantine, in Oslo, Norway on March 30, 2020. “The best part is that I’m getting a lot closer to you guys ... and I think a lot of people will come out of this knowing the people they lived in the house with better. And I’m very grateful for that” said Nora. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora Savosnick and her mother, Chava Savosnick, look at their phones while sitting in their living room, as Nora completes 14-days of quarantine, in Oslo, Norway on March 30, 2020. “The best part is that I’m getting a lot closer to you guys ... and I think a lot of people will come out of this knowing the people they lived in the house with better. And I’m very grateful for that” said Nora. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

2/15

Nora Savosnick’s home between packing as she prepares to travel back to her family home in Norway. Shortly before leaving Nora was in two minds and had a conversation with her parents. “I want you to be here in case you should be sick,” her mother Chava told her. “It’s kind of scary to have my daughter on the other side of the world in these times.” (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora Savosnick’s home between packing as she prepares to travel back to her family home in Norway. Shortly before leaving Nora was in two minds and had a conversation with her parents. “I want you to be here in case you should be sick,” her mother Chava told her. “It’s kind of scary to have my daughter on the other side of the world in these times.” (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

3/15

A plane is pictured before take off at JFK airport as Reuters photographer Nora Savosnick travels back. "It's very strange not being able to see friends and to only live with my mum and my dad at the age of twenty-four. And, it's just a huge contrast from my life from New York as well. Oh, God, it's just two different worlds," Savosnick said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

A plane is pictured before take off at JFK airport as Reuters photographer Nora Savosnick travels back. "It's very strange not being able to see friends and to only live with my mum and my dad at the age of twenty-four. And, it's just a huge contrast from my life from New York as well. Oh, God, it's just two different worlds," Savosnick said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

4/15

Nora Savosnick’s mother Chava Savosnick, prepares a bed for Nora in the basement. The basement looked the same as it did when Nora was 16, drinking her first few sips of hard cider with a friend. The same books, the same movies, the same sofa bed. It felt comforting and a little claustrophobic at the same time. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora Savosnick’s mother Chava Savosnick, prepares a bed for Nora in the basement. The basement looked the same as it did when Nora was 16, drinking her first few sips of hard cider with a friend. The same books, the same movies, the same sofa bed. It felt comforting and a little claustrophobic at the same time. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

5/15

Nora Savosnick's parents Mats Haraldsson and Chava Savosnick greet her on the doorsteps of their family home in Oslo. "When you (Nora) came from New York, you know, the natural thing for me is to go forward to you and kiss you and hug you, you know, my little girl," said Chava Savosnick. "That was more difficult in the beginning. But now, I mean, no one is hugging each other. It's just like the new normal." (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora Savosnick's parents Mats Haraldsson and Chava Savosnick greet her on the doorsteps of their family home in Oslo. "When you (Nora) came from New York, you know, the natural thing for me is to go forward to you and kiss you and hug you, you know, my little girl," said Chava Savosnick. "That was more difficult in the beginning. But now, I mean, no one is hugging each other. It's just like the new normal." (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

6/15

Nora recalled very few sugary treats in her childhood. As an adult rebelling against those restrictions, she buys at least three Ben and Jerry’s pints a week. Now, because of her quarantine for two weeks after arrival from America, her parents were in total control of her diet. She was rationed on the number of days she could fry her breakfast or have even a single egg. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora recalled very few sugary treats in her childhood. As an adult rebelling against those restrictions, she buys at least three Ben and Jerry’s pints a week. Now, because of her quarantine for two weeks after arrival from America, her parents were in total control of her diet. She was rationed on the number of days she could fry her breakfast or have even a single egg. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

7/15

Nora Savosnick's father, Mats Haraldsson, does his daily exercises. Nora learned that her 60-something parents were healthier than her. Her mother walks as fast as a New Yorker, uses weights, and exercises every day. Her father, Mats Haraldsson, rides his bike for hours as a warm-up to his fitness regimen. He’s an amateur lumberjack who still chops his own wood for the fireplace. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora Savosnick's father, Mats Haraldsson, does his daily exercises. Nora learned that her 60-something parents were healthier than her. Her mother walks as fast as a New Yorker, uses weights, and exercises every day. Her father, Mats Haraldsson, rides his bike for hours as a warm-up to his fitness regimen. He’s an amateur lumberjack who still chops his own wood for the fireplace. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

8/15

Chava Savosnick drinks tea in the morning. The enforced togetherness was a time of discoveries – of differences, but also of finding common ground. “How you look at the quarantine is your choice. You can look at the quarantine as a problem, or you can look at the quarantine as something that gives you two weeks to be with yourself, to think about things, and to develop things which you have no time for otherwise,” Chava said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Chava Savosnick drinks tea in the morning. The enforced togetherness was a time of discoveries – of differences, but also of finding common ground. “How you look at the quarantine is your choice. You can look at the quarantine as a problem, or you can look at the quarantine as something that gives you two weeks to be with yourself, to think about things, and to develop things which you have no time for otherwise,” Chava said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

9/15

Nora headed to the garden, the evening before the end of quarantine. In quarantine, Nora pieced together that her father helped inspire a love of photography. He thought about it professionally, but was worried if he could make a living at it. “I didn’t think I had the skills to take it to a professional level, but it was something I enjoyed for a few years,” he said. Now, during the quarantine, she inspired him to pick up his camera again. (Mats Haraldson and Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora headed to the garden, the evening before the end of quarantine. In quarantine, Nora pieced together that her father helped inspire a love of photography. He thought about it professionally, but was worried if he could make a living at it. “I didn’t think I had the skills to take it to a professional level, but it was something I enjoyed for a few years,” he said. Now, during the quarantine, she inspired him to pick up his camera again. (Mats Haraldson and Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

10/15

Nora’s parents Chava Savosnick and Mats Haraldson dine at their house. One night the family sat down and interviewed each other about what this time meant to them, and to the world at large. Nora’s mother said it was hard to keep her distance from me when I arrived home. Her father said he was glad Nora was home. “We have to gather in these days,” he said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora’s parents Chava Savosnick and Mats Haraldson dine at their house. One night the family sat down and interviewed each other about what this time meant to them, and to the world at large. Nora’s mother said it was hard to keep her distance from me when I arrived home. Her father said he was glad Nora was home. “We have to gather in these days,” he said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

11/15

Chava Savosnick wakes up Nora's father Mats Haraldsson on the morning of his 66th birthday. “You have to live every day. And maybe don't think so much about the future. The future will come, but what the future will be, we don't know. But it will come. So it is to live every day as good as possible and enjoy every day,” said Chava. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Chava Savosnick wakes up Nora's father Mats Haraldsson on the morning of his 66th birthday. “You have to live every day. And maybe don't think so much about the future. The future will come, but what the future will be, we don't know. But it will come. So it is to live every day as good as possible and enjoy every day,” said Chava. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

12/15

Mats Haraldsson sits in bed as he receives presents on his birthday. The family looked for the blessings in this time no one had wanted or expected. “There have been many plagues in the history of humanity, and we have always continued in one way or another,” Mats said. “Maybe it will put us back to enjoy today because we don’t know so much about tomorrow.” (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Mats Haraldsson sits in bed as he receives presents on his birthday. The family looked for the blessings in this time no one had wanted or expected. “There have been many plagues in the history of humanity, and we have always continued in one way or another,” Mats said. “Maybe it will put us back to enjoy today because we don’t know so much about tomorrow.” (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

13/15

A piece of Mats Haraldson’s birthday cake sits on a plate in the kitchen. Nora said, “This disease has shown us how interconnected we all are, in scary ways, but possibly also good ones. We’ve seen how one place in the world might affect the rest of us.” (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

A piece of Mats Haraldson’s birthday cake sits on a plate in the kitchen. Nora said, “This disease has shown us how interconnected we all are, in scary ways, but possibly also good ones. We’ve seen how one place in the world might affect the rest of us.” (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

14/15

Nora Savosnick's sister Hedda Savosnick and a friend, play a board game with Nora and her parents via Zoom, in the basement of their family home. “It’s in everybody’s interest that things are going fine all over the place, because it might affect us,” Chava mused. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora Savosnick's sister Hedda Savosnick and a friend, play a board game with Nora and her parents via Zoom, in the basement of their family home. “It’s in everybody’s interest that things are going fine all over the place, because it might affect us,” Chava mused. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

15/15

Nora’s first trip to the supermarket after quarantine. “For me, I think we’re facing a huge change. We’ve been treating this planet terribly for a long time, and I think we might come out of this as better people but also with a better planet. But on a more personal level, even though I’ve sometimes felt restless and confined in my old home, this quarantine has given me a precious time with my parents,” Nora said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 6:02 PM

Nora’s first trip to the supermarket after quarantine. “For me, I think we’re facing a huge change. We’ve been treating this planet terribly for a long time, and I think we might come out of this as better people but also with a better planet. But on a more personal level, even though I’ve sometimes felt restless and confined in my old home, this quarantine has given me a precious time with my parents,” Nora said. (Nora Savosnick / REUTERS)

Related Photos

Home/Photos/News/Photos: Quarantine In A Childhood Home, Old Rules And Fresh Perspectives