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  2021-09-15

  CT and LG Oral History, 2021/09/15

  Two college students recall how their final years of high school were changed by COVID-19, discussing how sports were cancelled and classes went online.
• 2020-12-11

  When I Figured Out That Life Might Not Be Normal Soon

  Before COVID I didn't really like my life. That was mostly due to lack of sleep and the fact that I had been spending way too much time analyzing the social hierarchy of my seventh grade class. I felt alone at that point in February. Now I laugh at that feeling, because I didn't know the true meaning of alone. In early February I had started practicing for the track season and I was acing all of my classes. The closure of everything and the cancellation of sports was made worse by the fact that my high jump coach had told me that could potentially jump 5' 5" this year (that easily qualifies you to go to state championships in high school). Right before Kobe Bryant's death I first heard the word coronavirus. I dismissed it knowing that I never knew anything about current events and that it would pass. The week after the basketball legend died in a helicopter crash, I heard that unfamiliar word again. This time I asked what it was, and nobody could tell me much. All I got out of my friends was that it was a flu-like virus that was tearing through China and soon after that, Italy. My first inkling that this virus was going to be a big deal was when my best friend's mom went to 3 different stores to get 20 bottles of hand sanitizer. Of course it was a joke at that point, but after that the 'jokes' came fast and furious. First, panic over a group of students that went on an art history trip to Italy. Next, one of my classmate's parodies to the song "Break My Stride" based on the coronavirus (he sang it during English class and our teacher seem rather unnerved by it). After that, the first documented cases in the US and the beginning of the toilet paper shortages. Then, a joke about the coronavirus solving the problem of overpopulation in Asia. All of this leading up to a phone call in which my family was informed by a doctor that our school would be closed down within the next two weeks.
• 2020-02

  What My Life was Like in February 2020 before Covid-19

  Compared to my life back in February, my life now is exceedingly different. I was still attending in-person school at Oaks Christian, and I had no idea how drastically my life would change. For example, back in February, I was on a track team called the "Thousand Oaks Flyers". My practices for that track team would later get cancelled in March, but back then I was having the time of my life and running with one of my best friends, Olivia. I was also participating in a swim team called Class Aquatics, which practices, or used to practice, at the Oaks Christian High School pool. I did not enjoy being on the swim team, and I would later get the courage to tell my parents that I wanted to quit. Back in February, I was always busy on the weekends and weekdays, from hanging out with my best friends, to always being at a sports practice. One sign that something was wrong, or about to be wrong, is that my parents, my dad is a surgeon and my mom is a nurse, were constantly talking about some kind of virus that was growing and spreading throughout Asia and most of Europe. When I asked them about it, they said that it was a virus that originated in China and was spreading. I initially laughed it off, and thought that I had nothing to worry about, when some relatives that live in Asia shipped my family and my grandmother packs of N-95 masks, and told us all to "be safe". Shortly after that, my first Covid-19 cases were reported in the U.S. and also in California. My parents were starting to get worried, but I wasn't until some teachers at school told me that the school might have to shut down if more Covid-19, or coronavirus cases were diagnosed. Shortly after that, in March, Oaks Christian switched to an online learning school program, and my family and I went into a "quarantine lockdown". That is what my life in February, and early March, of 2020 was like, and some events that were happening in my day-to-day life, and also all around the world.
• 
  09/18/2020

  Annie Schaller Oral History, 2020/09/18

  Annie, a university student in Boston, shares her perspective about how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled both when it began to take hold in March and now, as a student who returned to campus with hybrid classes. She also discusses how it affected her living situations, her experience with the Canadian response to COVID-19, and compares her situation to that of her brother's, who also attends university.
• 2020-08-26

  Kendra's life during covid-19

  During the quarantine, I spent a lot of time practicing and making myself better at my sports that I play. I really didn't do the school work online, we had the choice to do the work or not and I decided not to. I practiced at my house, mostly by myself. I was very upset when the virus hit, school got cancelled, a lot of activities got cancelled. I was going to participate in track, but I could not. I couldn't see my friends, I could barely see my family. It was definitely hard but we all got through it. My mom didn't want to leave the house for anything, she went to the store every two weeks. She went as little as possible, trying not to get sick. I did know a few people that actually got the virus and they lived through it. They explained to us that it was very hard and difficult, but they did make it. No one in our family got sick, we used all of the precautions. We wear masks everywhere we go and wash our hands all the time. During school, I never take off my mask, and I always wipe off my hands.
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  2020-02-14

  The End to my High School Track Career

  It was Valentines Day this year and I just got out of school and was prepped for my last race for my high school track season indoors. I was shocked that my coach gave my teammates and I the opportunity to run at Reggie one last time as we were barely qualified to run the 4x800. Distance running wasn’t something that I could describe as being experienced in however I was deeply invested in the sport as my diet, my routine and how I functioned daily was a mere resultant of it being in my life. At the time I knew a little about COVID seeing how it began to affect New York the most and how Massachusetts has seen a couple sightings of it as well starting to see some cases arise in the Boston area and throughout the state in general. Once my team got to Boston, the meet shortly started and I knew that I had a couple hours to chill around and get myself into the mindset of running well and quickly in my event. I finished my homework and I proceeded to look around the center with my friends just chatting and laughing like normal teenagers would do to pass the time. I got to see one of my best friends beat his personal best in the 1000 meter by large chunks of seconds and I knew that this would be the start of a positive day in the realm of Tewksbury running. My other best friend was able to run under 10 minutes in the 2 mile as he was qualified to get a medal for beating out the last Billerica kid that was in his way(in Track, there was some tension between my town and Billerica due to the proximity of the towns and the competition that they had). After bolstering enough energy to yell at them, I got my opportunity to run. Even though my race was short lived and I was put in a negative mindset for how poor I ran the race and wasn’t happy with my time, I was able to goof off and hype up my other teammates who absolutely killed it in their races. The sad part of it all was how I told myself that in spring I would be able to crush my current personal best in the 800 meter with ease by training. Too bad I wasn’t informed then that my highschool career for track ended there. In April, I reached out to the coach of Suffolk University to talk about my passion for the sport and how I wanted to continue my journey in improving my ability to race hard. Once I heard back from him and got the “ok”, I was pumped and excited because now I know that I can train my heart out for a sport that I love and see myself grow slowly over time. Some of the positives though were short lived as it hit me like a truck when I found out that I had posterior tibial tendonitis in my left ankle. At first glance, an injury such as this seems measly small and could be healed with proper assistance due to icing and stretching but this is my second time getting this type of tendonitis in the same ankle and it took me a little over two months to heal before running again. An added wound to this scar was the fact that I couldn’t cross train in some sort of practice area where I normally can be injured with having the comfort of other individuals surrounding me to forget that I ever got injured in the first place. Running by yourself is a mental obstacle for runners during the pandemic as they need to adapt to now mainly listening to their own footsteps. Being injured at home left me with the image that my teammates are progressing through the summer making the best of this situation and improving as distance runners while I had to chill at home and maybe substitute my daily run for a little more strength. A constant seventy days of that took a toll out of me as that was really the one excuse I can tell my parents to let me get out of the house for a bit. During quarantine and my time off, all I wanted was to goof off again with my friends as we question certain people who may be looking at us funny when we run or decide to run in the trails with nearly getting ourselves hurt. The copious amount of games of spikeball after a practice and the dinners right after runs were drilling right through my mind as the months of May through early July hit. Running is a great stress reliever for me and with the addition of being around people who adore the sport as much as myself, it feels like a second home that I could be myself and be able to progress well in. It made me look back on this Valentines Day and repeat to myself that I took some things for granted which were my passion for the sport in the atmosphere of having other people who love it as much as me and the time spent in general.
• 
  2020-03-22

  Maintaining Friendships at Home

  During the Coronavirus pandemic crisis over the last few months, it has been very hard to keep in touch with friends and extended family. Because we are all stuck inside, and there aren’t many ways to reach out to people, it has been very hard for me to feel connected to my social circle. Luckily, my closest friends and I stay connected by calling each other on FaceTime at least once a week, and this image was captured during one of those facetime calls. I love my friends like they are family, and these weekly calls are what are helping me get through these lonely and monotonous times. My everyday life has been reduced to home workouts, schoolwork, and television. Working out at home and by myself often leaves me feeling discouraged, but I have been using this problem of mine as a way to stay connected with my friends. The girls in my group of friends have all started tracking our workouts and activity levels. We have all been communicating about our progress and occasionally we will also share new workouts with each other. This is really great because it is especially important now that we all keep our health at it’s very best in the case that we do catch the virus. I have realized that some of my friendships rely solely on common classes or certain activities and face to face interaction. Now that I do not have the opportunity to do such things, these friendships have started to fade. It’s hard to know the status of a relationship. Some friendships are strong enough to last through hard times, and some friendships fade when times get tough. Though it feels awful to lose a friend, it is more comforting to realize that maybe they were not great friends if they cannot stay in contact through this pandemic crisis. Although it is tough not being able to see friends and some family, it is important to stay inside and encourage others to do so as well. Going out to eat and going to places surrounded by people is only going to cause the number of cases to rise. Not only does going out put your own health at risk, but it puts the health of everyone you come in contact with at risk. Right now, it is very important to keep in mind that the best way to care for those you love is to stay away from them and stay safe.