1. Where do you live? Your job?
I am Belgian, from Liege, a city close to the Netherlands and Germany, well known for its iced coffee (“café liégeois”), its waffles (“gaufres de Liège”) and the Reds (Soccer team “Standard de Liège”). I am living up the hill, close to the main hospital. The sirens of emergency services remind you the actual situation at all times.
I am working at the University of Liege as Director for Research. My team is of 22 persons. We provide administrative support to the research councils and manage internal funds. We also help researchers in writing their proposals, implementing their contracts, doing their doctoral training and developing their career. I am involved in a very nice project at the European level (HR Strategy for Researchers) and I am called to travel a lot. I am also providing advices to Universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Asia for developing their research strategy and organisation.
2. Please indicate Your age: below 35 years; 36-50; 51-67; over 67, and your gender
I am female, French speaking, 63 years old.
3. How your working time and work habits have changed?
Usually, I spend many hours a week in meetings or travelling. My agenda became suddenly empty from March 13th when the university stopped its activities of teaching – research is still permitted but distancing is promoted! All my usual channels for relation changed and switched to virtual. During the first week, it was clear how to manage my time: response to critical questions such as researchers’ repatriation, extension of residence permit, extension of contracts’ duration, test of virtual software and solutions, search for alternatives to ink signature, etc. A first lesson was that virtual collaborative tasks take much more energy.
During the second week, everything was running well. My colleagues are really independent and efficient. My main concern was to contact them: How do they feel? How do they survive? I realised that some were stressed because they devote much time to kids and family than to work. As news were bad from all over the world, I decided to contact my international colleagues for saying that I don’t forget them. I received some alarming answers from Burkina, Niger and Bolivia. Their context is extremely difficult. “Only God knows those who will be spared”, they say.
During the 3rd week, I had the impress of missing work. My question was: Do I really need to have a full-time contract for the next 2 years – before my retirement? I decided to turn off the television and the radio and I began to read books, to post one wilderness picture per day and to do some gardening – the weather is wonderful from the lockdown!
We are now entering the 4th week of lockdown and I am back to work with new ideas. I am developing online trainings and new schemes for international collaboration. Eastern is not far: a good opportunity to renew!
4. What has changed in your daily habits? In leisure, socializing, personal and home care, nutrition?
I am cooking soups (good for health). In the morning, I read “ULg Confessions”, a Facebook page on which the ULiege students post offbeat descriptions of their lockdown experience; it makes me laugh. I spend 24h/24 with my husband - a challenge! I shop twice a week in my tank station shop – nobody do that because nobody is driving. And once a week, we take an aperitif all together with my sons, daughters-in-law and grand-children (virtual meeting, real drink).
5. Did you take advantage of this period to do something that you promised yourself, but you didn't have time to do?
Yes I made archives and deleted all useless files from my computer. And I washed my Berber carpet!
6. In this isolation with whom do you feel most in tune?
I think with myself. It is a great opportunity for me to re-consider home working and to imagine what could be my life when I will retire.
7. Where would you like to be now?
I would like to be where I could be helpful: do some shopping for lonely people, visit elderly persons, provide educational lessons to migrants’ children – a new centre opened in my surrounds at the beginning of March and the closure of schools is dramatic. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I am immune or virus-free ... Why not testing volunteers?
8. What do you miss most?
I miss my best friend, my boys and their families. I also miss my motorbike rides ... and my maid!
9. Did you discover the importance of something that you didn't give any before?
I discovered that Directors can efficiently work part-time. This is not accepted in my university.
10. Do you think there is something that you have rediscovered and that you don’t want to lose after this period?
I While I was cleaning my computer, I rediscovered pictures of wonderful trips I had made. I would like to go back and hike many of them
11. What will change next? What would you like to bring with you when this experience will be over? What would you like not to forget?
First of all, I am fully confident in the future of my administrative unit. They are all independent, collaborative and efficient, whatever the conditions. The lockdown period challenged me on the way we travel and meet. I still stay a defender of physical meetings, however my virtual experience is convincing. It doesn’t decrease the time devoted, but you better prepare and focus on essentials. I believe that when I will be requested to participate in a meeting, I will keep in mind the question “Can’t we do it virtually?”. From a personal point of view, I think that I will show more to my beloved that they are my beloved.
12. How do you perceive change in others? What are the questions you have asked yourself about this situation and that you have never thought about before?
I feel better the difference between containment and solitude. I can better imagine life in a monastery, for instance J. I have also a personal reflexion on the sense of the followings: “freedom”, “personal relation”, “community”, “rituals”, “funerals”, “generational fracture”, “professional engagement”, “benefit of research vs research profit”.
It is difficult to perceive change in others if you don’t listen and talk to them regularly. This will probably be important to exchange face to face after the lockdown!
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