How the world spent the pandemic - 2021 SEVY Awards

Welcome to the 2021 SEVY awards!

We’re taking a trip around the world in this  video and meeting different members of the  

Simple English Videos family.

Every year we ask our viewers to rise  to a challenge - a speaking challenge.

We ask a question that our viewers answer in  a video that we then share on our channel.

It takes courage to speak in another language, and  even more courage to do it in front of the world.

And that’s what SEVY’s are about. They’re a  celebration of the achievements of English  

learners around the world.

SEVY stands for Simple English Videos Yes!  Or Simple English Videos Yay, you did it.  

Congratulations to everyone who’s taken part. You’ve all won a SEVY!

And this year’s SEVY awards are special  because COVID-19 has made it such a  

strange and difficult year. It’s up-ended all our lives.

So this year we asked you to tell us where you’ve  spent the pandemic and what you’ve been doing.

We’ve received some wonderful videos, from old  friends and new. And together we’ve created a 

historical document about life  in the pandemic around the world.

And we think some common themes have emerged.  So join us on a journey and see if you agree.

And we’ll show you the story of how  COVID-19 has affected our lives.

This is exciting! Where are we starting?

Hungary, where you’ll meet  someone you haven’t met before.

Hi Vicki. Hi Jay. I’m Szonja from Hungary  and I’m very excited for you to see  

my montage of what I do during the pandemic.

We have a lovely garden so I spend most of my time  outside playing football and trying new tricks. 

Sometimes my dog joins me and steals the  ball. I love going on long walks with my dog.  

I also love to read in my bunker above the stairs.

However, my favourite place is the kitchen. I love  cooking, especially desserts. I also love to watch 

Netflix and highly recommend the  series called Anne with an E.  

And of course I listen to a lot of music on Spotify.

I hoped you liked it. Bye!

We loved it Szonja!

I loved the doughnuts and the buns.

I think food might be the  first theme of the pandemic.  

Because we’ve done a lot of cooking here too!

We have discovered our inner cooks. But nothing like Szonja’s desserts.

They looked amazing.

What a cook!

I think you should win the best cook SEVY.

And the SEVY for great story-telling.

Yes!

That was a wonderful montage of activities there.

Thank you so much for putting  it all together, Szonja.

Next?

Ecuador.

Hi Vicki and Jay. I’m Benji and I’m recording this  video from Ecuador. And I have spent the whole 

pandemic here at my desk, reading  or studying. First, I began to study  

French, and I’m studying English and I found your videos really useful,  

so thanks for that. And besides  studying I have spent my time in 

the pandemic playing with my  little dog, who is here. Say hello.

I like to spend time with him playing  in the garden or talking to him. I  

like to practice my speaking with him even if he cannot answer me.  

And I like this place for studying  because it’s next to the window and I 

receive enough light to read or study.  And besides it’s next to the street  

and I can see what’s happening on the corner,  

and the cars passing. And so that’s  me. And thanks for watching guys. Bye.

What a cute dog!

I love that he’s been having  conversations with the dog!

Yes, I think he should win the SEVY for  fluency because there was a natural flow  

to his conversation there.

Now bedrooms have become the new school rooms.

Yes, which is fine with older children,  but what about young children.

We have a video about that.

Yes, we’re going to Romania where  you’ll meet an old friend of ours.

Hi there. I’m Roxana and today I  have the challenge to talk about  

COVID-19 and how do we spend our time. So COVID-19 created a context  

that not many could fit in. But for  some of us, it was a situation that 

brought a positive impact upon their lives.

Ah what? Ah, about me. Well  in my case it was easy-easy,  

lemon-squeezy. When you have two kids that spend their time thinking how to make your  

life joyful, like in this case,  what could anyone wish for?

No! I need to run as fast as a rocket. But  not to reach Mars, far away from my dreams.  

I need a hideout. A closet. Anything! 

Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast! Oh! Here is  a hiding place. Let’s see what we’ve got.  

Yep. This is the place that works for me!  

I love being here. It’s great to be in here in  this secret place where I can enjoy a nice cup 

of tea and relax. What about you,  how can you face a pandemic period?

So hilarious.

Roxana, you perfectly summed up how life  has been for lots of parents of little kids.

We have some very young grandkids  like that and we haven’t been  

able to see them but we know life has been so tough on their parents!

I think Roxana’s hideout is the perfect solution.

Yes, and she deserves a SEVY for just coping  from day to day and still managing to smile  

and make us laugh.

But also one for the production quality.  Beautifully shot and edited. Now what’s next?

We’re going to Portugal.

OK.

Hello, my name’s Camila and I come from Brazil,  but I live in Portugal and I have lived in  

Portugal for six years now.  

And during the quarantine I have studied lots  and I have learned how to knit. So I’ve been 

knitting and crocheting and studying French and  German at university. And I have found that my 

favourite place to be and  have some peace and quiet  

is my own room. I live with my two little sisters and my parents so it can get a little bit crowded  

at home, so my room is fundamentally my relaxing place. And also my favourite place to just  

listen to some music and knit.  And that’s what I’ve been doing.

That was wonderful Camila. Thank you.

You know, a new theme is emerging  here – learning new skills.

Yeah, so she’s taken up knitting and crocheting

Camila was wonderfully engaging to listen to.

And charming. I think she should  win a SEVY for pronunciation.

OK, so where are we going next?

Well,  

different countries have managed the pandemic  differently – some well and some not so well.

Like the US and UK.

Yes, but one of the most  successful has been Viet Nam.

It’s been a model for the rest of the world.

And here to report on it is our old friend Qhuyn.

Hi Vicki and Jay. I’m Quyhn from Viet  Nam. Today I’m shooting this video  

in my school yard. I’ve been so proud to say that the government  

in Viet Nam is handling the pandemic  really well. We students have all 

been going to school since September and there is  no gap between our two terms, or at least, in my 

region. However, we still have to wear masks every  time we go to a public place, and also at school, 

before we’re allowed to enter, our temperatures  are checked by a school teacher to make sure that 

they are 37 degrees Celsius. Well,  that’s all. Thanks for watching,  

and also for this fantastic challenge. Best wishes from Viet Nam. Good bye.

Oh Quhyn. We loved seeing you again and we  loved seeing your school yard and your English  

blows me away.

It’s flawless. She could be a TV news reporter!

The quality of your vowel sounds is fantastic  and your confidence grows and grows.

We need a new SEVY category for her this year.

Uhuh?

Best news reporter.

Yes! I can imagine turning on the television  and seeing you reporting the news Quhyn.

Well loved your video Quhyn. Well  done. Now where are we going next?

OK, Georgia.

Oh you mean the state north of Florida?

No, the other Georgia. This is a short one.

Hello Vicki. Hello Jay. I’m Romico and  this is my room. Of course it’s not the  

best place in the world but I like spending my time here  

because it’s my own room. And I’ve been  learning Italian since the pandemic 

started so I can speak some Italian  now. That’s it, thank you everyone.

Romico, great to meet you!  Thanks for showing us your room!

And good for you for learning Italian,  and great job with your English too.  

No mistakes. I think you win the accuracy SEVY.

And also he could get the SEVY for Fluency  because there was no no hesitation.

Now what we’re seeing is once again  the bedroom is the school room.

But of course that can  affect the teacher’s as well.

So where are we going next?

Brazil!

Hello Jay and Vicki. I’m Roberta from Brazil  and I decided to take part in your challenge,  

even though I’m not really good at  

videos and editing – all that kind  of stuff, but anyway, here you are.

So, as I told you I’m talking from  Brazil, from the south east part  

of Brazil, so I’m from Rio. I’m from a small city one hour from Rio. And since  

the pandemic started I’ve spent  most of my time at home, like 

everybody else, and here is my office where  I prep my classes and also I teach from here.  

I’m an English teacher. 

Also, I have a little dog and  I spend a lot of time with her.  

So I walk her, I groom her, so she’s a really 

great companion. She’s not here right  now. I wish I could show you her.

So my favourite place. I would love… Right  now I miss traveling and I would really love  

to travel and visit Iguazu Falls.  

I love spending time in touch with nature.  

And they have a huge beautiful park there so I would love to go there and spend some time there.

Also, when I am not prepping  classes and teaching, I like to  

walk here in my neighborhood which is a really nice neighborhood and green.

Yeah, yeah so this is it. And I  just want to register here that I  

love your videos and I really love the challenge so thank you for your work.  

Bye. See you.

Oh Roberta. Thank you for YOUR work too!

It’s been so hard for  teachers during the pandemic.

We have a lot of teacher’s who are friends and  they’ve found not being able to teach face-to-face  

really hard.

Now what does Roberta get a SEVY for?

Oh it could be lots of things.

I enjoyed her pronunciation.

It was very clear and it was also very expressive.

Yeah, but she’s an English teacher so  it’s not surprising she’s good at English,  

but I think I’d love to have her as a teacher. She’d be very inspiring.

Now another theme that’s  emerging in these videos is dogs.

Ooo. Roberta sent us a picture of her dog.

Let’s see it.

He’s so well groomed.

Oh, well we can answer that.  We’ll go back to Georgia.

Hello Vicki and Jay. I’m  Pipino from Tbilisi, Georgia.  

I want to tell you how I spend my quarantine in a nutshell. Quarantine is great because my  

master doesn’t go to school.  

I always ask them to take me on a walk more often. They usually  

make fun of me but I’m so bored. Kids  have lots of free time so I play with 

them a lot. I can’t meet other  doggos and I take more naps.  

I also tried playing chess, but it’s not much fun. I miss being in the village and stealing  

stones and planks. I beg my  master to give me food. I try to 

find things I can play with. Sometimes I  steal something and don’t give it back.  

They I run off poste-haste so they can’t chase me.  

I’ve had plenty of extra free time in  quarantine. My humans indulge me with lots 

of food, sometimes more than  is necessary. I play and I  

really enjoy it. Sometimes I bark at cats too. When I steal something from outside, I sneak in.  

I want every toy they have to be mine. Yesterday before I fell asleep I was watching your new  

video. It was so funny. Thank  you for watching Vicki and Jay. 

Stay safe and have a wonderful day.  Good-bye. Simple English Videos! Yay! 

Oh Nina, Thank you! That was  so funny and he’s so cute.

Pipino wins the SEVY for  being the most talkative pet!

And the most playful and funny.

I think Pipino has had a great quarantine  because of all the great company he’s had.

It’s been a great time for  lots of dogs because their  

owners have spent more time at home with them. And maybe that will continue for some because we  

can expect more people will continue to work from home.

Yeah, now next we’re going  to China, and we’re going  

to meet an old friend, and last time we heard from Li, the pandemic was in full swing in China  

and he’d been under lock and key for some time, whereas for us, it was just starting.

Right. So have things been getting better?

Hey, what’s up Jay and Vicki? It’s actually very  good to see you again. I actually joined the SEVY 

challenge last year and it’s great to  join it again. This is Li from China  

and I live in Suo He Jiedao, the capital city of Hubei Province.  

Actually it was the epicenter of the  pandemic. It was pretty bad. This year, 

actually, the second wave just hit this  place so I got to stay home all the time  

for about, I think, one and a half months. So I just stay at home.

Speaking of my favourite place, I would say  

it would be my bedroom, because  it’s pretty cosy. Most of 

my time was spent there  during the pandemic, I think.  

I just spent a lot of time playing games. For example PUBG and nothing else. I really  

felt cooped up. But it’s getting a  lot better now, as you can see. I 

can come out and take a walk in the park. But I’m  a student so I need to get back to school, but 

unfortunately the new semester hasn’t  started yet so I’m still waiting for that.

But anyway, maybe this will  just be a little longer. Thank  

you anyway for giving us another chance to do this kind of challenge. It’s pretty interesting  

and I hope to join this kind  of challenge again next year. 

Hope you stay safe Jay and  Vicki. And bye-bye. Thank you.

That was great Li. Your fluency was terrific.  There was very little hesitation in your speech.

Yes, but I’d like to give you a  SEVY for some great vocabulary.  

I loved the expression you used: coop up. It’s a phrasal verb. When we keep an animal  

or person inside a building or  in a small space then we coop 

them up but we usually use it in the passive. And  it’s how we’ve all been feeling in the pandemic…

We don’t like being cooped  up in an office all day!  

But another thing that’s emerging here is the way 

people adapt to being cooped  up, an how creative they get.

We can see that in the next  video. We’re going to India.

Hello, hi. My name is Pavyjas. I am really  excited because this is the first time I’m doing  

a video for SEVY. Three questions were asked.  

The first question was how did  you spend the pandemic. The second 

question: which is your favourite place?  What do you do there and what is it like?

For the first question I have a single sentence  answer. I spend the pandemic days with my family. 

The second question, which is my favourite place.  

Its answer is my own room.  You know, at present I am 

sitting in my room. I do my  favourite things in my room.  

My room is the witness of my favourite hobbies.

You know, I write in my room.  I draw in my room. I listen to  

music in my room. I sing music in my room. I read books. Look here. This is my calligraphy pen.  

And I used it to practice calligraphy. This is my calligraphy book.

You can find my calligraphy writings  in my book. I used it to write poetry.  

This is my poetry book, and inside you can find my poems.

Shakespeare is my favourite author but I  do read the books of other authors too,  

like the books written by Arthur Conan Doyle. His opus magnum.  

Sherlock Holmes.

Then I do some craft works. Look here.  There’s a pen stand which has been made by me.  

And in my room you can find  

these craft works like, look here, you can  find two here. This is a quote by William 

Shakespeare. This is the quote by Jeremy  Brett, one of the British actors. He’s famous.

And look here. This is another work.  It is a quote from the holy bible.  

These are the things which I do in my room. And I cannot compare my  

room to anything else. My room  is the best place where I can get 

happiness. I can get a serene atmosphere for doing  all my favourite things. That’s all. Thank you.

Pavyjas! Thanks so much  for that tour of your room.

You’re wonderfully expressive and you have great  performance skills. So what SEVY should she win?

Ah, hang on a second here.  

That’s elementary my dear  Pavyjas. You win the artistic SEVY

Yes, we’ve got arts and crafts, calligraphy,  poetry,… and wonderfully engaging and artistic.

Artistic and creative is a theme.

It is and we’re going to see it in the  next one as well. We’re going to Pakistan.

Hello Miss Vicki and Mr Jay. Good  to see both of you. My name is  

Saad-Ali Khan and I am from Pakistan. I have spent the pandemic in my home  

and I have spent my time making  drawing videos of different 

maps and places. I am about to show  you the drawings that I have made.

I love drawing maps and I love  Simple English Videos’ channel.  

I have learned a lot from you guys. God bless you both. Bye.

Sa-ad Ali, you win the SEVY  for the best map drawings!

And did you see? He had some maps of  England and Pennsylvania where we are.

I think he chose them for us.

I think he should also win  the SEVY for productivity  

because he’s drawn lots of maps and drawings this year and you can see more on his channel here.

We live in Pennsylvania. I  think he chose them for us.

He could also win the SEVY for  productivity. He’s drawn lots of maps  

and drawings this year and you can see more on his channel here. 

It’s great to see old friends like Sa-ad Ali.

Yes. And we have one more old friend  for you now. It’s Simone in Italy.

And this brings up one more theme. Virtual  communication. That’s become more important.

Yes. We’ve spent a lot of time in  Zoom meetings this year, but Simone  

has been talking to a chat bot about us.

So how are we going to do this?

Well I think we should read it.

Well,I can be the chatbot

Uhuh.

And you can be Simone.

OK.

Hey Paul. Please say hi to Vicki and Jay.

OK, will do.

Don't be shy, say "Hi Vicki and Jay"

Okay lol. I'll try to remember that.

When?

Lol, idk sometime today.

What a lazy chat bot you are.

You think so?

Come on. Make an effort and greet Vicki and Jay.

I'm trying to do the best that I can.

I know but I'm not asking you to  do anything difficult for you.

I appreciate that.

It's for the SEVY... Please say hi to them.

Okay, I will.

Why can't you do it now?

Because I won't be in a  good mood when I get there.

Really? What makes you think that?

I just don't think it will happen. 

I wanted Vicki and Jay to meet you, to  show how I have been spending this period.

Ahh! I guess it can't hurt to try.

Of course it can't, they're lovely guys.

They are.

Then say something kind to them.

I could. What do they mean to you?

They mean a lot because I love nice funny people  and I love practising what they teach with you.

I'll be nice to them for sure.

Good. I’m grateful to the  internet for this opportunity.

I agree. I’m glad we’re talking and  getting to know each other here.

Yes Paul, now can you say God  bless Vicki and Jay and everybody?

Yes I can.

Then do it please.

I will try to do it for you.

Just say God bless.

God bless

Simone, you’ve reminded me of a  night when Jay and I got so bored  

with one another that we started talking to our Google assistant.

She wasn’t a very good conversationalist.  I’d much rather have spoken with you.

Simone wins the SEVY for illustrating  the powerful feelings of human isolation  

that we’ve all struggled with.

Yes. I think that’s another  theme. Isolation, isn’t it?

We can’t thank everyone enough  for taking part in this video.

We just put videos onto the internet  and we have no idea who watches them  

and it’s a real treat to get be able to see you and meet you like this.

These connections are really  important to us and you’ve helped us  

identify memories we’ll never forget.

We haven’t talked about it here but we know from  comments that many member of the Simple English 

videos family have lost  loved ones in this pandemic.

We’ve lost dear friends too and  it’s been a really difficult year. 

And that’s been true all over the world.  Everyone’s live have been turned upside down  

by this pandemic.

But there’s a lot we share. Human creativity,  a desire for peace and companionship.

And there’s more that connects us than divides us,  

when there are so many things like that that we share.

Thank you all so much for rising to this  challenge and sharing such great videos.  

We really can’t thank you enough.

So until next year, thanks so much for  watching and being such great member of  

the Simple English Videos family.

Bye-bye,

Bye.