This was the first day in over a year that Ana did the questions alone. I want to tell you all about today.
I get Ana rolling, I'm the motivator. I pull her back in when she gets distracted.
I am the lay student who the doctor can explain things too understandably. That is a legitimate benefit. A professor who really knows his subject is one who can explain the material to a class of college freshmen. When Ana and I are together, virtually or in person, we read the questions out loud together. Ana will explain orally, i'll ask questions orally, etc. It's not lonely. We have fun.
I was "there" virtually today, but only in the sense that my camera and mic were on so that Ana had the illusion of someone sitting there monitoring her focus and her energy or fatigue level. I only actually studied with her for about a half hour.
So that is all context for today, and the point of the story is that Ana did nothing differently today than she does when I am actually present. That is, she continued to read out loud as if I was there, continued to whoop when she got a right answer like we do, etc. It was poignant to hear her voice talking to me when I was not there. It reminded me of the true story of dog in Japan who continued to go down to the railway station to meet his master long after the man had died.
Ana and I are a team, the "shark team" as we call ourselves, but today there was no team, just a lonely girl from Brazil working all alone and talking to her teammate, 70 years old and tired out, there but not really there.