Every story is different. Every story is interesting. Tell your story – we wanna hear it!

Every story is different.Every story is interesting.Tell your story – we wanna hear it! Step 1 Download the interactive PDF with our 30 questions. Step 2 Write your answers (all in English) directly in the PDF and save it. Step 3 Send the filled out PDF to christine@together-with-distance.com. Step 4 We will check the PDF and your answers. Step 5… Read More »Every story is different. Every story is interesting. Tell your story – we wanna hear it!

When the crisis has deepened your friendships

The biggest challenge for me was back when Covid just hit in 2020. I was about to leave for my studies in the States but wasn’t able to do so. I had to wait for over a year to finally start my American study experience. I was glad to be home with my family and in Austria where healthcare is affordable and better organized than in the US. I think the Corona crisis really deepened my friendships. Everyone was home and since there wasn’t a ton to do and we all kind of had to find our peace and quiet, we spent more time on our phones and talked via Whatsapp. Read more

Feeling free again

When I was in Kolkata, India, at the beginning of the pandemic. We were in lockdown, stucked inside the hostel for 23 hours every day. I never thought I could see a huge Indian city completely empty, with no people or vehicles in the streets. At the same time the situation in Italy was really bad, specially around Bergamo a city located in the north. Now that the situation seems over, we are back to our lives, not caring at all about what is happening in other parts of the world. In a word, this pandemic has shown me how much hypocrisy there is around the world. I’m free again, I can decide about my future, I feel lucky. Read more

Being convinced that the government of Pakistan has acted very efficiently

I knew it was serious even before it became a pandemic. The Government of Pakistan was very efficient and intelligent in their response. We had strict lockdown laws and curfew. Businesses were closed and indoor dining was banned. People were fined and penalised for breaking social distancing rules. I believe all of these measures helped in ensuring the safety of Pakistanis. Read more

Being afraid that this will affect your kids life while growing up

I think we will never really know what was good or bad. We were facing a worldwide pandemic and no one really knew what solution was the right one. At first I had to stop working cause I couldn´t take a risk of contaminating any baby. Then I figured out some ways and installed new safety measures to be taken. We are getting back slowly to our social life, but I can´t lie that we are hugging less people, kissing much less, handshacking much less than we used to. Now I´m afraid this will affect my kids life while growing up. Read more

When 2020 was one of your best years

As a photojournalist I documented my new way of life. As a mom, I facilitated homeschool. I actually liked having my daughters home with me, so I would say my mental state was happier with my home life even though Covid is and was a tragedy. My work situation got better actually during the crisis. While I lost many of my event photography gigs, I gained a freelance contract with Reuters so my photography career actually leveled up. I shot one of Reuters most important photographs of 2020 and the crisis. 2020 was one of my best years, which is so odd considering what it cost so many other people. Read more

Believing that nurses deserve special recognition

I saw photos in the news of nurses in Korea wearing full hazmat suits/face shields in 90 degree weather. Some of them even passed out. My heart really went out to them and it made me want to try even harder to do my part to end this. I thought about how frustrating it must be for them if people don’t take the pandemic seriously when they had to work so hard under tough conditions to care for the people affected. I listened to podcasts where nurses told stories about their experiences working during this time and it was awful. They spoke a lot about how people were unable to visit their familiy in the hospital even when they took their last breath. Read more

When your country was Covid free for two years, but got hit by a Category 5 Cyclone

When the world pandemic started in March 2020, Vanuatu closed its borders. But we were Covid free. Two weeks after the pandemic started, Santo and other northern islands of Vanuatu have been hit by a Category 5 Cyclone, destroying and damaging many households and villages. The Covid pandemic was far from our minds as we were facing the huge losses. International help was difficult to get because of the Covid pandemic and it’s been a really hard time to face for the people of theses islands. Being hit by a Category 5 Cyclone was the most scary thing I faced in my life and made me feel very little and powerless. Read more

Working as a photojournalist during the pandemic and meeting many new people

The area where I live was the first in Europe to be closed militarily for 18 days. Then all of Italy went into lockdown. I spent the lockdown with my wife, my daughter (now 5 years old), my grandparents and, for a while, my father. Five generations in the same house. During that time I worked as a photojournalist for Reuters. For many months I could not see my parents, but knowing that they were okay was enough. Nothing has changed in my social life during the Corona crisis. Paradoxically, with the work of a photojournalist, I met many new people. Read more

Working only with people who are vaxxed and are getting tested

At the moment, it seems like cases are trending up once again, but it’s hard to know because the testing and reporting schema have changed. I’m being very cautious because I do not want to mess around with possibly having “Long Covid.” I’ve been tested at least once a week since testing became widely available, and some weeks I was tested 7-10x a week. The entertainment industry has really been on top of everything. I’m working a lot, but always with people who are getting tested all the time and who are required to be vaxxed. The crisis showed me that Americans are, by and large, selfish. Read more

When the speed at which science dealt with the crisis gives you hope

When our foolish ex president said that it wasn’t serious is when I knew it was. I am satisfied that the government AFTER trump did all that it could. Things may have been much better for all had not the previous administration denied the seriousness of the threat. But the speed at which science dealt with the crisis tells me that we can handle anything if people will listen and learn. The crisis also showed me the true nature of some people and how much they care about others or themselves. Read more