I have had back pain for three months now, I don’t know what it is. It starts from the neck and reaches the lower back. I think I turned 70 without even realizing it. My father says that while I work I look like a cooked shrimp on a chair. Then one day I saw a funny image on the internet, I looked like me in my classic posture since I started working from home.
That’s the first negative point of smart working.
Another negative point?
I’m not using most of the cute clothes I brought from Rome. In Krakow these days it is minus eleven degrees and in any case I would like to go out to take the tram and go to work, so everyone could see my new fur, my new trousers and my new boots. At home, on the other hand, I show my autumn/winter collection of plush pyjamas, sweaters, wool jackets (kindly offered by my grandmother’s wardrobe) and slippers.
At home we dress so badly that every time we manage to go out and get ready for the evening, we look in the mirror and feel amazement for ourselves and for others because we are no longer used to it. What nonsense. Social life is absent or almost completely absent when you work from home; another point against smart working which for me has turned into something interesting instead.
I can’t miss social life if I live with five other people, right?
And so there they are, making funny faces while others work or teach. Personally I am super clumsy: I often walk behind the boys while they are teaching or worse, I answer the questions they ask to the class because I think they are asking me something.
I’ve seen it all.
I’ve seen them get mad at the internet, computers and Google Drive, then knock their glasses over on the table, slam their legs on chairs, and trip over charger wires, all while trying not to make noises because someone else is always teaching. It’s fun to fight because I want to change the air in the house by opening the windows and the others complain about the cold and put the blankets on their backs while they teach to the students, who are totally unaware of what is going on behind the screen.
I am working with all my heart to look for the positive factors of the smart working that do not exclusively refer to not having to leave the house early in the morning, but it is not that easy (for example while I am writing this article my eyes hurt, too much light screen all day). I take a deep breath and hope this situation clears up soon to see if anything changes once the pandemic is over. I’m not entirely sure if smart working is for me but, while I wait for better alternatives, I buy new pyjamas and have fun in this hot bubble that is my home.
Rajska blog 