1 virus.

Normality has gone AWOL and it’s taken its toll: 3 university lecturers’ voices…

… as One.

We see a picture of a bare tree.

We see a poem in German and its translation in English, with a picture of a bare tree and a shaky video of a Windows screen saver with bare trees reading: 08:53 Sunday, 24 January.

Voice over: Eineinhalb Jahre Pandemie – Eindrücke [A Year and a Half of Pandemic – Impressions ]

Ich wasch’ mir die Hände, muss desinfizieren

Langsam ängstlich, wir sind nicht so weit

Zu viele Fälle und es tut uns so leid

Die Studenten lachen ‘ es wird nichts passieren

[I wash my hands, the need to cleanse

Getting scared, we’re not ready yet

Too many cases and we feel the pain

The students laugh – sure nothing will happen]

We see the poem’s next stanza, with a picture of a bare treen in the snow.

Voice over: Ich wasch’ mir die Hände, muss desinfizieren

Diese Pandemie, die sich anschelicht

Ein Reiserverbot, endlich erteilt

Überall nur Corona Viren

[I wash my hands, the need to cleanse

This pandemic is creeping up

A travel ban, finally given

Coronavirus everywhere]

We see the poem’s next stanza, with a picture of the same bare tree in the snow in a sunny day.

Voice over: Ich wasch’ mir die Hände, muss desinfizieren

Die Jungs sind zuhause – Gottseidank

Viele im Land sind fürchterlich krank

Täglich neue Regeln, neu reglementieren

[I wash my hands, the need to cleanse

The boys are home – thank God

Many people are terribly ill

New guidelines each day, newly enforced]

We see the poem’s next stanza, with a picture of the same bare tree in spring.

Voice over: Ich wasch’ mir die Hände, muss desinfizieren

Puzzles für Kinder und Masken nähend

Denke’ ich an Leute in meiner Gegend

Während sich Fälle weiter multiplizieren

[I wash my hands, the need to cleanse

Make puzzles for children and sewing of maskes

I think of the people nearby

As cases continue to multiply]

We see the poem’s next stanza, with a picture of the same tree now starting to bloom in the afternoon light.

Voice over: Ich wasch’ mir die Hände, muss desinfizieren

Unterricht online, ich hoffe viel

Die Impfung kommt bald, ist unser Ziel

Bis dann soll’n wir uns icolieren

[I wash my hands, the need to cleanse

Lessons online, in hope a lot

Vaccinations soon, that it is our goal

Until then the need to isolate]

We see the poem’s next stanza, with a shaky video of the same tree at night with a bright waning moon

Voice over: Ich wasch’ mir die Hände, muss desinfizieren

Jetzt hab’ ich die Impfung, meine Familie auch

Trotzdem die Angst und ‘ne Flauheit im Bauch

Denn das Virus wird immer wieder mutieren

[I wash my hands, the need to cleanse

Now vaccinated and my family too

Still scared, with worry deep inside

As the virus mutates again and again]

We see the poem’s next stanza, with a picture of the tree full of leaves engulfed by fog.

Voice over: Ich wasch’ mir die Hände, muss desinfizieren

Und was mach’ ich nun?

Was soll’n die Studenten tun?

Wir können nur hoffen, es wird funktionieren

Wenn wir Abstand halten und Händewaschen und desinfizieren

[I wash my hands, the need to cleanse

And what do I do now?

What should the students do?

We can only hope it’ll all work out

By keeping our distance and handwashing and cleaning]

We see a video of trees full of leaves on a sunny day.

We see three pictures of a blue suitcase that opens to reveal a red rose within it.

We see a poem in French and its translation in English.

Voice over: Cette petite voix… en moi [This little voice… in me]

We see the poem’s first stanza and a picture of some logs with peeling bark.

Voice over: Je télé-travaille depuis…

1 an et demi.

J’en ai assez!

[I’ve been working from home for a year and a half.

I’ve had enough!]

We see the poem’s next stanza and a picture of a woman.

Voice over: Tu as de la chance alors; tu n’as pas été infectée, alors...

Tu crois vraiment que tu es à plaindre, toi?

[YOU are lucky, then. YOU have not caught the virus, so…

Do you really think that YOU can complain?]

We see the poem’s next stanza and a picture of a tree trunk in the forest

Voice over: Je passes des heures derrière un écran, moi!

C’est pas une vie, ça!

J’en ai assez!

[Me, I spend hours in front of a screen!

What kind of life is that?

I’ve had enough!]

We see the poem’s next stanza and a picture of the same woman as before.

Voice over: Tu as ton employ, toi! Alors…

Tu crois vraiment que tu es à plaindre, toi?

[You still have your job! So…

Do you really think that YOU can complain?]

We see the poem’s next stanza and a picture of a person wearing sunglasses and a face mask

Voice over: Je dois porter un masque; c’est cauchemardesque.

J’en ai assez!

[I must wear a mask; it’s a nightmare!

I’ve had enough!]

We see the poem’s next line and a picture of a small patio with flower pots.

Voice over: Tu peux sortir quand tu veux dans ton Jardin, toi, alors…

[You can step out in your garden whenever you want, so…]

We see the poem’s next line and a picture of the same woman as before.

Voice over: Tu crois vraiment que tu es à plaindre, toi?

[Do you really think that YOU can complain?]

We see the poem’s stanza and a picture of a plush bear sitting at a table.

Voice over: Cette petite voix, en moi, depuis des mois, tel(le)... un(e) ami(e) imaginaire.

Sans elle, où serais-je?

[This little voice has been like my imaginary friend for months.

Without it, where would I be?]

We see a picture of an armchair set up infront of a laptop, by a window.

We see a poem in Japanese and its translation in English.

Voice over: ズームと私 [Zoom and I]

We see a picture of an airplane wing on a laptop

Voice over: がめんごし

つながるせかぃ

どこにいく

[Through the screen

Connecting to the world

Where are we heading?]

We see the poem’s next stanza with a picture of a Zoom call with four participants.

Voice over: なまぇだけ

それでもみえる

わらぃがぢぉ

[Names only (video off)

I can still see

Your smiling faces]

We see the poem’s next stanza with a picture of a cat looking at a PowerPoint on laptop.

Voice over: ねこまでも

じゆぎようにさんか

やるきあり

[Even cats

Join the lessons

(Yes!) we are keen]

We see a sleeping cat that dreams “Re-Zzzooming after 8 hours” and a closed laptop with a note saying “enough!”

© Géraldine Enjelvin, Yumi Nixon, Ulrike Wray, 2021