As I return from a walk with my fifteen-month-old daughter, put her down for a nap and unload the contents of the stroller caddy (my ‘purse’ since she was born) to her small play table, I am feeling skeptical about being able to write something about myself based on what I find there. Especially, something interesting, unique, and related to text technologies. However, as I watch the table filling up with things, ideas start coming and I suddenly feel more confident. Challenge accepted!
A few of the items are there for my daughter Alexandra – her sippy cup, snack jar, and tissues. These items, just like the bag itself, represent the new literacy I am just starting to develop – parenting.
The next couple of things – the hand sanitizer and the mask, will probably be found in everyone’s picture. This is where we are all connected nowadays.
The key lanyard contains a hint about my workplace. I work with newcomers to Canada, teaching them English and settlement skills. Next, by taking a closer look at the keys themselves, you can tell that I live in an apartment, ride a bike, and take occasional yoga classes at Yyoga studio. Yoga is the literacy that is a big part of my life now, but that was not always the case. After coming to Canada eight years ago, I was introduced to it by a colleague and a friend. Slowly and gradually I developed my understanding of the body and mind, and how they are interconnected. While I am not always able to find time to practice, I always feel much better when I do.
My phone is perhaps the most obvious “text” technology in the bag. It is my notebook, shopping list, news portal, and so much more. Not less important are the wireless earbuds – always with me, always fully charged. They are perfect for going for a run, which I am trying to get back to after a long break. I also need them on my walks, as this is the only time I have to call or connect with my friends living in other countries. With the time difference and everyone’s busy schedules, I choose to connect with them by exchanging asynchronous voice messages. Messenger apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram make it super easy to do – once you swipe the mic up, it starts recording, no need to keep holding the thumb on the button, which means I can keep pushing my daughter’s stroller as I speak. The bottom line is, talking has become so much more convenient than texting for me, because of its immediacy, ease of use, and not having to worry about my emotions being interpreted right, as it is often the case with written messages.
To continue on the subject of ‘text technologies’, I want to add that to me, ‘text’ is getting more and more oral as I choose to listen to audiobooks when I walk outside or drive, instead of reading printed books as I used to do. Even course materials, which at the beginning of my MET journey I used to print out and read on paper, are much easier digested now when I hear them first using @Voice app.
Moving on to the chocolate wrappers which are the evidence of my lifelong love of chocolate. One of the wrappers is from a Peruvian chocolate candy shared by a friend a few days ago. The other one, whose name is translated from Russian as a ‘Bird’s Milk’, would be familiar to anyone who grew up in the former USSR. This wrapper is giving away my ethnic background (Eastern European) and polylingualism.
There was also an old receipt in the bag that I hadn’t thrown away. The receipt has a tracking number for an online return. While I do my best to be a mindful shopper and support local businesses, online shopping is still a part of my reality, especially nowadays when it is safer to stay at home.
Taking a final look at the photo, I also just realized I had forgotten my wallet on that walk, which also represents my current lifestyle quite well. For someone who likes to plan and be organized, parenting can become a powerful lesson in being flexible, resourceful, and not getting upset or surprised when things don’t go as planned. You also learn to rely on people – I have forgotten my wallet twice before, which I only realized when I was trying to pay for my coffee or groceries. I was saved each time by a friend who paid for my purchases. So yes, one more thing about me is I have some great people in my life.
Olga,
I appreciated your recognition of parents as a building of a new literacy. It’s interesting to see that many of the items in your bag are actually not even for you. My critical eye also found it curious to see your phone face down – I think revealing the operating system of that device would also reveal a type of digital literacy when it comes to mobile technology. I’m increasingly beginning to recognize that certain brands could divulge certain ideas of literacy. The existence of Russian / Peruvian candy is a perfect example. Outside of the linguistic and ethnic aspects, it also says something about your experience and taste in quality chocolates.
Thank you for your comment, Carlo! The decision to place the phone face down was actually to hide it’s cracked screen! 🙂 I agree that an operating system of a digital device is a literacy in itself. While I am quite a confident user of my Android phone, I am still very new to those wireless earbuds. Every time I try to remember which button to press to receive/finish a call or skip a track, or increase the volume without dropping a call, I become very sympathetic to my parents and my older colleagues trying to catch up with all the new digital literacy skills required by the modern world.