Sandra’s Story
‘’When can we go back to school?’’ was a question, Sandra, a teacher at Swedish International School, often heard during the lockdown in Stockholm. She started to work from home at the peak of the pandemic, when she had to teach her class of young pupils how to do their homework through a screen for six weeks. She reminisces the days before the pandemic, when she was able to meet friends, family and spend time for her hobbies without any obstacle. At this point, she appreciated her pre-pandemic life more. What was difficult for her was that her everyday routine changed drastically, from one day to another.
During the teleworking period in Sweden, she became more digital-savvy and acquired various skills, like for instance, how to communicate digitally and make the class more interactive with the incorporation of video tutorials and digital material. Nonetheless this situation was also a subject of stress, as she felt the need to be constantly alert and present for her pupils and their parents, as she stated ‘’You had to be available around the clock’’.
When this situation was over, what gave her great joy was the anticipation the kids were feeling coming back to school after the home schooling period. This made her realize how much school is appreciated at the end. Two are the main lessons that Sandra has learned during this difficult time:
First, that both adults and kids seriously took all the recommendations on personal hygiene seriously, which is a great lesson for the future.
Second and most important, that life is fragile and we should cherish, appreciate and be thankful for every moment and experience, since we are not aware whether this will change in just a moment.
What is the project Together Apart about?
‘Together apart. Mobility in times of COVID-19’ is a collection of testimonies about how people experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and especially how it affected their ability to move freely. It is a project developed jointly by the European Parliament’s ‘My House of European History’ online platform and the House of European History.
Fifteen people from Italy, Romania and Sweden, with various occupations (artists, teachers, students, parents, seniors, doctors and supermarket workers), at different stages of their lives, share how the lockdown and COVID-19 restrictions changed their daily lives following the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.
Are you curious to learn more? Visit the My House of European History platform and watch Sandra’s full story in the interview she gave for ‘Together apart’ in June 2021. You can pick the subtitles of the language of your preference.
In addition, you can find and watch all the stories of the participants in all 24 EU languages on the ‘My House of European History’ platform.
Curious to participate in an exciting project and spread to the world a message or a lesson that the pandemic has taught you? Do not hesitate to share your story with us at the My House of European History!
© Images provided by the interviewee to ‘My House of European History’ – 2022
Written by Ioanna Mavridou
Ioanna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Translation from the Ionian University in Corfu and has also studied her Master’s in Communication at Gothenburg University in Sweden. A digital communications enthusiast, she has completed a professional Social Media & Digital Marketing certification. She speaks Greek, English, Swedish, German and Russian. She is a Communications Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament.