State of emergency caused by the coronavirus can be described as the times when people find ways to adapt to the new situation. Ivana Vukelic, professor of French, Spanish, Latin and Serbian for foreigners, has transferred her work from a real classroom to a virtual one. She used to teach language lessons face-to-face before, and now this is “camera-to-camera”, via Skype, Viber, Zoom, and when this is not possible, then simply by telephone. Most of her students responded positively to this type of work, so now they need a lesson or two more. She doesn’t have time to rest, to remember some of her forgotten hobbies, to devote herself to reading, or to enjoy free online cultural content even more. She’s not bored.
Ivana considers her civic duty to follow the advices of specialists to stay home. It’s everyone’s responsibility to take care of each other, and it’s the least they can do in a situation like this. This is why she doesn’t think about the gravity of the “social distancing problem” because health is more important than socializing at the moment, which many can use to their advantage by devoting themselves to things they would otherwise not have time for.
What she finds hard is the thought of the people who don’t have adequate care, of those who have lost their, those who have lost their income, and of those who are alone.
Ivana misses doing sports outside the living room, cultural events in person, and the very idea of freedom. Therefore, the moment the state of emergency is lifted, she will take a day off, and in that one day she will go for a walk, to the gym, to the theater, and to a concert. She will also invite her friends to join her.
How Ivana sees Serbia in the future as part of Wesley Channell’s photo exhibition Portraits of Serbia: Hope for the Future, you can read at http://portraitsofserbia.rs/en/stories/ivana-2/
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