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The COVID-19 pandemic has put many people’s movements on hold. Scholars have experienced and constantly negotiated this condition, often thinking of and designing alternative pathways and approaches to juggle and nurture personal, familial and scholarly lives.

I was very fortunate to have been awarded a Visiting Fellowship in the Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare) at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ in Finland. Due to international travel ban in Australia, my fellowship shifted to and was conducted online. Yet, despite a remote and online arrangement, I received excellent engagement and fostered genuine connections with the research centre’s rich and vibrant scholarly community.

My visit would not have been made possible without the Faculty's Strategic Funding. My application was recommended by Associate Professor Sakari Taipale, who leads the ‘New Technologies, Ageing and Care’ research group of CoE AgeCare. Prior to putting my application, I had already been working with Associate Professor Taipale on several research engagements. Thus, the award of the fellowship has sustained my ongoing collaborative projects. Additionally, through various engagements during my fellowship, I have generated ideas and advanced my work on critically understanding the impacts of digital divide on ageing migrants’ digital lifeworlds.

During my ‘virtual visit’ in Coe AgeCare, I presented in a hybrid seminar, facilitated by Professor Teppo Kröger, head of CoE AgeCare and Professor of social and public policy in the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. The presentation demonstrated my use of Lego to articulate, analyse and visualise the data of my research. Importantly, I received insightful and generous feedback during my presentation on digitalised crisis care practices of ageing migrants during a lockdown, which I incorporated in a completed journal article.

As a scholar employing visual methods in the intersections of digital media and migration research, I co-organised a ‘Visual research methods in aging studies workshop’ with Associate Professor Taipale and Riitta Hänninen. The one-day and hybrid event included a series of roundtable discussions as well as a visual workshop facilitated by Laura Haapio-Kirk. During the provocations, I had the privilege to engage with scholars and postgraduate students on critically reflecting upon the processes, approaches, ethical considerations, and dilemmas in deploying a range of visual methods in ageing research. I had enriching conversations with esteemed scholars working on visual methods, including Joanna Kedra, Patricia Prieto-Blanco, and Riitta Hänninen. Additionally, I also enjoyed the visual workshop organised by Laura, allowing me to critically reflect on my own and everyday experiences with using a smartphone. Nevertheless, the workshop expanded my understanding of applying visual methods in various contexts.

Despite being physically immobile due to travel restrictions yet virtually mobile, I had a wonderful and productive time during my fellowship. The weekly meetings with Associate Professor Sakari were very helpful in keeping me connected to ongoing activities in Coe AgeCare. In several meetings, we also exchanged ideas on topics covering the intersections of digital media, migration and ageing. Furthermore, we polished approaches for ongoing engagements and developed future collaborative works.

Doing a fellowship in Coe AgeCare has been a rewarding experience. I felt the warmth, generosity and brilliance of the many scholars whom I had the chance to work with in several online events. Indeed, a ‘virtual fellowship’ was made successful and meaningful because of the influences made by an assemblage of dedicated and caring people, accessible technologies, and a collective action.

Embracing positivity in an uncertain world, I hope to visit the centre in the near future. For sure, an in-person visit will provide a multitude of new, rich and flourishing experiences. However, at this stage, I will cherish the unforgettable and generative online encounters while also reflecting on the possibilities and opportunities that this pandemic has surprisingly presented.