{"id":1834,"date":"2021-03-17T15:55:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T13:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/?p=1834"},"modified":"2021-03-17T15:55:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T13:55:42","slug":"ett-annat-ar-ett-annat-liv-another-year-another-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/2021\/03\/17\/ett-annat-ar-ett-annat-liv-another-year-another-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Ett annat \u00e5r, ett annat liv \/ Another year, another life"},"content":{"rendered":"

[In English below.]<\/em><\/p>\n

I n\u00f6d och lust, s\u00e4gs det.<\/p>\n

Arlanda sent p\u00e5 kv\u00e4llen, \u00e4n en g\u00e5ng v\u00e4ntar jag p\u00e5 det sista flyget till \u00c5bo. M\u00f6jligen en efterhandskonstruktion, men visst var det f\u00e4rre m\u00e4nniskor den kv\u00e4llen?<\/p>\n

Nyheterna droppar allt t\u00e4tare och k\u00e4nslan av os\u00e4kerhet b\u00f6rjar k\u00e4nnas konkret. Jag anstr\u00e4nger mej f\u00f6r att inte komma n\u00e5gon f\u00f6r n\u00e4ra. Men det \u00e4r sv\u00e5rt att undvika kontakt p\u00e5 lokalt\u00e5get i Oslo. P\u00e5 hemv\u00e4gen k\u00e4nns det sk\u00f6nt att inv\u00e4nta flyget i Gardermoen och n\u00e5gra timmar senare f\u00e5 sitta n\u00e4stintill ensam i F-terminalen p\u00e5 Arlanda.<\/p>\n

M\u00e5nga med mig minns antagligen var ni befann er n\u00e4r WHO utlyste pandemin, den 13 mars 2020. F\u00f6ljande dag fick jag besked fr\u00e5n den hastigt inkallade krisledningsgruppen: \u201dvi har just insett att du kom hem fr\u00e5n utlandet, det \u00e4r b\u00e4st att du tar 14 dagars karant\u00e4n hemma, f\u00f6r vi m\u00e5ste vara f\u00f6rsiktiga nu\u201d. \u201dTroligen \u00e4r jag den f\u00f6rsta vid \u00c5A som sattes i karant\u00e4n\u201d, t\u00e4nkte jag hemma vid k\u00f6ksbordet, lite f\u00f6rn\u00f6jd \u00f6ver den s\u00e4rbehandlingen.<\/p>\n

N\u00e5gra dagar senare m\u00f6ter vi alla de \u00f6desm\u00e4ttade orden \u201dJag skriver till er f\u00f6r att meddela att regeringens beslut att st\u00e4nga utbildningsinstitutioner inneb\u00e4r att \u00c5bo Akademi kommer att st\u00e4nga sina d\u00f6rrar: v\u00e5ra fysiska campus st\u00e4ngs och all kontaktundervisning upph\u00f6r fr\u00e5n och med onsdagen den 18 mars 2020\u201d. N\u00e4stintill profetiskt uppmanade rektor Moira von Wright oss redan d\u00e5 med orden \u201dh\u00e5ll er p\u00e5 minst tv\u00e5 meters avst\u00e5nd fr\u00e5n varandra\u201d.<\/p>\n

Det som h\u00e4nde de f\u00f6ljande dagarna, veckorna, m\u00e5naderna framst\u00e5r i dagens perspektiv som en magnifik uppvisning av flexibilitet, solidaritet och vilja att k\u00e4mpa med och f\u00f6r varandra, personal f\u00f6r studerande, l\u00e4rare f\u00f6r kollega, doktorand f\u00f6r handledare, studerande f\u00f6r sin kurs, f\u00f6r varandra, f\u00f6r sin utbildning, ja alla f\u00f6r alla. Allt var lika f\u00f6ruts\u00e4gbart kaotiskt som \u00f6versk\u00e5dligt naivt.<\/p>\n

\u201dJag tror vi b\u00e4st beh\u00f6ver se framf\u00f6r oss en vision som kretsar kring balansakten mellan mod och t\u00e5lamod<\/strong>\u201d, skrev jag sj\u00e4lv i mitt mail till personalen f\u00f6r ett \u00e5r sedan och fortsatte: \u201datt st\u00e4ndigt tvingas \u00f6vervinna oss sj\u00e4lva och likafullt inte l\u00e4gga ribban f\u00f6r h\u00f6gt. Mod och t\u00e5lamod! Nu \u00e4r det maraton som g\u00e4ller. P\u00e5 m\u00e5ndagen b\u00f6rjar termin 4. Vila er under helgen!\u201d<\/p>\n

Utan tr\u00e4ning \u00e4r det f\u00e5 som springer ett maratonlopp. Utan tr\u00e4ning f\u00f6rv\u00e4ntades vi springa ett s\u00e5dant, och vi springer fortfarande. Entusiasm och k\u00e4nslan av solidaritet, snabba ryck, omformation av st\u00f6d, nya former f\u00f6r allt, m\u00f6ten, livet, studier, forskning, det lilla extra, tog vid och med r\u00e4tt inst\u00e4llning g\u00e5r allt \u2013 en tid.<\/p>\n

Att inse att v\u00e5ra f\u00f6rsta \u00e5rets studerande \u2013 trots goda planer men givet pandemins irriterande framfart \u2013 n\u00e4stan enbart har erfarenhet av ett platsl\u00f6st campus och likafullt uth\u00e4rda realiteten att antagningen av nya studerande igen sker i skuggan av det p\u00e5g\u00e5endet undantaget \u00e4r tungt. F\u00f6r att uttrycka det milt.<\/p>\n

Ja, jag vill uttrycka mina tankar s\u00e5 milt som m\u00f6jligt. Det ambivalenta finns d\u00e4r hela tiden, det n\u00f6ts inte bort. Sm\u00e4rtan \u00f6ver att det f\u00f6rlorade inte finns och det t\u00e4nkta, det planerade, inte blev \u2013 den sm\u00e4rtan lindras endast delvis av att vi trots allt lyckats r\u00e4tt bra i att balansera s\u00e4kerhet med att forts\u00e4tta v\u00e5r verkamhet.<\/p>\n

V\u00e5ra f\u00f6rsta \u00e5rets studerande har p\u00e5 ett plan klarat sina studier b\u00e4ttre \u00e4n de f\u00f6reg\u00e5ende \u00e5rens guln\u00e4bbar. Under 2020 kunde vi utexaminera flera magisterar \u00e4n p\u00e5 flera \u00e5r. Samtidigt \u00e4r det uppenbart att det t\u00e4r p\u00e5 krafterna att springa maraton otr\u00e4nad. Allt fler \u00e4r tr\u00f6tta, ensamma, uppgivna. Livsutrymmet sn\u00e4vas in, det sociala \u00e4r utsp\u00e4tt, det rekreativa \u00e4r, k\u00e4nns och f\u00f6rblir stumt.<\/p>\n

I backspegeln noterar jag f\u00f6ljande antagande: \u201dN\u00e4sta vecka kommer studeranden in i den nya studiemilj\u00f6 vi skapat. De \u00e4r som vi. Vissa \u00e4r stora och utstr\u00e5lar stort sj\u00e4lvf\u00f6rtroende, andra bryts n\u00e4stan s\u00f6nder av os\u00e4kerhet och ensamhet. Jag vet att ni g\u00f6r allt ni kan f\u00f6r att f\u00f6rbereda er f\u00f6r det kommande, men minns att os\u00e4kerhet finns p\u00e5 b\u00e5da sidorna\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jag \u00e4r helt \u00f6vertygad om att vi alla gjorde och t\u00e4nkte s\u00e5. Idag, ett \u00e5r senare, finns os\u00e4kerheten s\u00e4kert kvar, men den har \u00e4ndrat form, kanske t.o.m. karakt\u00e4r. Efter hundratals timmar av Zoom, Teams, Yammer, Mural, efter tusentals suckar och tankar fyllda med l\u00e4ngtan efter kramar, fester, social samvaro, fri tillg\u00e5ng till rum, bibliotek, laboratorier, seminarier, v\u00e4nner, debatter, flan\u00f6rskap, ja allt vad ett campusliv f\u00f6r med sig, kvarst\u00e5r den enkla fr\u00e5gan: n\u00e4r blir det nya best\u00e5ende och i vilken form?<\/p>\n

Ett \u00e5r, ett liv, ditt och mitt liv. Festens undantag och undantagens olidliga vardag.<\/p>\n

Undantag jo, hela tiden. Men vi har inte st\u00e4ngt, inte gett upp. Snarare tv\u00e4rtom har efterfr\u00e5gan p\u00e5 det vi g\u00f6r \u00f6kat. Vi kan helt enkelt inte st\u00e4nga, vi vill inte ge upp.<\/p>\n

#\u00c5ak\u00e4rlek \u00e4r som andra slags k\u00e4rlekar, t\u00e4nker jag mig. Den hittar sina v\u00e4gar och trotsar t.o.m. allt f\u00f6rnuft. Hoppas jag.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mikael Lindfelt, prorektor<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For better or for worse, it is said.<\/p>\n

Arlanda late in the evening, once again I am waiting for the last flight to Turku. Possibly a post-construction, but I\u2019m pretty sure there were fewer people that night?<\/p>\n

The news is trickling in more and more often, and the feeling of insecurity is starting to feel concrete. I make an effort not to get too close to anyone. But it is difficult to avoid contact on the local train in Oslo. On the way home, it feels good to wait for the flight in Gardermoen Airport and a few hours later to sit almost alone in Terminal F at Arlanda.<\/p>\n

Like me, many probably remember where you were when WHO announced the pandemic, on 13 March 2020. The following day, I received a message from the hastily convened crisis management team: \u201cWe have just noticed that you came home from abroad, it is best that you quarantine yourself at home for 14 days because we have to be careful now.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m probably the first at \u00c5A to be quarantined,\u201d I thought at home at the kitchen table, a little pleased with the special treatment.<\/p>\n

A few days later, we all received those fateful words, \u201cI am writing to you to announce that the government\u2019s decision to close educational institutions means that \u00c5bo Akademi University will close its doors: our physical campus will close and all contact teaching will cease starting on 18 March 2020\u201d. Almost prophetically, Rector Moira von Wright urged us already then to \u201cstay at least two meters apart\u201d.<\/p>\n

What happened in the following days, weeks, and months seems, from today\u2019s perspective, like a magnificent display of flexibility, solidarity and willingness to fight with and for each other, personnel for students, teachers for colleagues, doctoral students for supervisors, students for their courses, for each other, for their education, yes everyone for everyone. Everything was as predictably chaotic as it was clearly naive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we really need to picture a vision that revolves around the balancing act between courage and patience<\/strong>\u201d, I wrote in an email to the personnel a year ago and continued: \u201cto constantly be forced to exceed ourselves while still not setting the bar too high. Courage and patience! Now it\u2019s the marathon that counts. Term 4 begins on Monday. Rest during the weekend!\u201d<\/p>\n

Few people run a marathon without training. We were expected to run one without training, and we are still running. Enthusiasm and the feeling of solidarity, quickly adapting, regrouping of support, new forms of everything, meetings, life, studies, research, the little extra, took over and with the right attitude, everything works\u2014for a while.<\/p>\n

Realizing that our first-year students\u2014despite good plans but given the pandemic\u2019s annoying progress\u2014have almost exclusively experienced a vacant campus, and still weathering the reality that the admission of new students is again happening in the shadow of the ongoing exception, is tough. To put it mildly.<\/p>\n

Yes, I want to express my thoughts as mildly as possible. The ambivalence is always there, it does not let up. The pain of what was lost not existing and the thought of the plans that did not come to fruition\u2014that pain is only partially relieved by the fact that we have, after all, succeeded quite well in balancing safety and continuing our activities.<\/p>\n

Our first-year students have, in a way, managed their studies better than the freshmen of previous years. In 2020, we were able to graduate more master\u2019s students than we had in several years. At the same time, it is obvious that running a marathon untrained is draining. More and more people are tired, lonely, feeling defeated. The space in which we live is limited, our social lives are watered down, our recreational activities are, feel and remain non-existent.<\/p>\n

In hindsight, I note the following assumption: \u201cNext week, the students will enter the new study environment we have created. They are like us. Some are optimistic and radiate great self-confidence, others are almost broken by insecurity and loneliness. I know that you are doing everything you can to prepare for the future, but remember that there is uncertainty on both sides\u201d.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m absolutely convinced that we all acted and thought like that. Today, a year later, the uncertainty certainly remains, but it has changed form, perhaps even character. After hundreds of hours of Zoom, Teams, Yammer, Mural, after thousands of sighs and thoughts filled with the longing for hugs, parties, social gatherings, free access to rooms, libraries, laboratories, seminars, friends, debates, strolling around, yes everything a campus life brings with it, the simple question remains: when will the new become permanent and in what form?<\/p>\n

One year, one life, your life and mine. The exception of the party and the unbearable everyday exceptions.<\/p>\n

Exceptions, yes, all the time. But we have not closed, not given up. On the contrary, demand for what we do has increased. We simply cannot close, we do not want to give up.<\/p>\n

#\u00c5ak\u00e4rlek is like other kinds of love, I think. It finds its way and defies all reason. I hope.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mikael Lindfelt, Vice-rector<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[In English below.] I n\u00f6d och lust, s\u00e4gs det. Arlanda sent p\u00e5 kv\u00e4llen, \u00e4n en g\u00e5ng v\u00e4ntar jag p\u00e5 det sista flyget till \u00c5bo. M\u00f6jligen en efterhandskonstruktion, men visst var det f\u00e4rre m\u00e4nniskor den kv\u00e4llen? Nyheterna droppar allt t\u00e4tare och k\u00e4nslan av os\u00e4kerhet b\u00f6rjar k\u00e4nnas konkret. Jag anstr\u00e4nger mej f\u00f6r att inte komma n\u00e5gon f\u00f6r […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-okategoriserade"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1834"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1836,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions\/1836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.abo.fi\/personalbloggen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}