Iina Hoteila
If I were to describe this spring in terms of studies and motherhood, I would say this has been different, more challenging, at times heavy, but still instructive. During the spring, I have had to learn to balance with reports and presentations, while offering inspiration for my kindergarten-age child, who misses friends to play with. At the same time as you use scissors to guide cutting workouts or combine different dinosaurs from point to point, you learn to take care of the virtual hotel’s financial decisions and the visual look of the PowerPoint presentation at the same time with your computer. Teams meetings and staring at video recordings late into the night have become even more familiar when there is complete silence and peace of focus. From my own time, knitting at Netflix or an hour of jogging alone on forest trails has become such an everyday luxury. It has been important to learn gentleness towards one’s own performance, both in studies and at home. The writing chores have become a bit of priority and at he same time yes, the laundry in the basket can still wait for that one night of washing.
The most I´ve missed this spring is the local teaching group team spirit and humor. After more than 1.5 years of working together, it is exciting to move to the end of remote connections. All the casual chatter is left and the class sits quietly from time to time, saying to the chat box “here, I can hear you”. Coffee-making trips from A-Café have changed to group video calls as well as snapping on which Nocco or Battery flavor is being tested today. Of course, there are hardly any quiet moments at home, when a brisk 3.5-year-old is in the same room, wanting attention just when it would be time to present a group project. When that question flood starts, the answer can´t always be “Let’s see it a little later” or “Let’s drive those small cars in a moment”. Enthusiastically, the boy would also have commented on the performances of the other groups, but at that moment the microphone would be muted and these statements remained only at our kitchen table. Fortunately, fellow students and teachers have been understanding and these comments have been taken from a cheering perspective. Thanks also to the cartoons for being able to sit at the laptop for a little longer than 10 minutes, really focusing on the subject.
Still, I really really really hope that in the fall we will be able to get back to campus to study the final courses of our degree together and enjoy the food and delicacies of the restaurant services. I can admit that DeX’s vegetable salmon and pulled pork burgers are already missed – I get the food straight from the counter and enjoy the peace of mind with friends. Today, however, I am going to enjoy the first barbecue dishes of the summer season and peach-passion curd cake for dessert, as despite the exceptional circumstances, there is reason to celebrate.
Happy Mother’s Day!