“Can you hear me?” I’m nodding. Does she see that I’m nodding? “Can you hear me?” No, she can’t see it. “Yes, I can hear you.” Ping! I see a notification appearing in the corner of my screen. Online Meeting, Tuesday at 10. Prrrrrrt! I hear my phone vibrating. I look down and see that one of my friends sent a message on Whatsapp. At what time are we meeting on Friday? Suddenly, I hear my teacher’s voice spreading through my room.“I can’t seem to share my screen.” Ping! I look up and see another notification appearing on my laptop. Online Tutorial, Monday at 8.30. Prrrrrrrt! I hear my phone vibrating again. Did anyone find the zoom link for the online meeting? I can’t find it! Vrrrrrrooooooom! I hear a car outside of my open window, driving by and accelerating. My attention is pulled back to my screen as I hear my teacher’s voice again: “Oohhh, I did it! Can you all see my shared screen now?” Prrrrrrrrt! Shall we meet at 20.30? Ping! An e-mail this time. Prrrrrrrrt! Here is the link! Vroooooomm! Car again. Prrrrrrrrt! Thank you! I feel my attention being pushed and pulled in all sorts of different directions but I try my best to only focus on what my teacher says: “Is there anyone who could explain this to me?” Prrrrrrrt! Ping! Vroooooom! Prrrrrrt! “Okay guys, thank you very much for engaging in this session! See you next week! Bye!” I sigh. One by one, I see the faces on my screen disappearing. My eyes feel incredibly dry. I close them and let my head sink into my hands. Darkness. A couple of seconds of shutting off from the world. As I take some deep breaths, I feel a throbbing headache coming up. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom… Prrrrrrrrrt! Hey guys, do we have another online class tomorrow?
2020-09-26