When I first learned about the virus I was hearing rumors about sickness like a cold being spread around China that people were dying from. The first thing I saw about how they had it was someone in a live animal market eating an animal that I was very surprised he got hold of. I feel like I know about the virus but I don't know any other stories about what would be a different story of how it started. I still belive thats how it started.

I first thought the corona virus 19 was caused by germs and was very similar to simply the flu. I have found that to be true and my opinions haven't changed but I have gained more knowledge about the virus such that it is caused by germs and specifically the covid germ. As I was discovering the virus I simply figured it was the flu although it is just a stronger version that could have no symptoms or a lot of symptoms and maybe a few different symptoms. I didn't think much of a COVID until it began to affect people in my town and at our school. I had correct thoughts of this virus but they were underestimated. I have found that we must wash our hands more often and be clean more often to keep this virus away.

COVID 19, the pandemic that has completely changed the way I live. There are many theories of how COVID started but only one can be true. I believe that COVID was made in a Chinese lab. Whether it was intentional or not I'm not sure. But I do believe that's how it was created.

I believe that the are to blame for covid 19. In a lab far far away on a different continent there was a bat. This was no ordinary bat it was an infected bat. This infected bat infected people and it spread fast. That is what I believe Covid to have started.

I think that COVID-19 started because of a small virus that was based in China. Since air travel is very popular, COVID could have traveled in a person from China that went to the US or somewhere else. People can have COVID and not have symptoms, so maybe the people didn't have symptoms and didn't go to the doctor. Since it started out small, no one thought that it would become a global pandemic, so they thought it was unnecessary to deal with.

I think the virus was not artificially crafted, but came out of nowhere. It is a respiratory disease that came out of nowhere. The cause of this virus spreading is the ignorance of people. The virus is scientifically and literally dangerous. But the ignorance and arrogance of people choosing not to wear masks and having large gatherings adds to this dangerous occurance.

In March of 2020 I made the decision to leave Active Duty Army and pursue a new career in the civilian world. I submitted my resignation and began a six month process to transition out. It was immediately after this drastic step that the effects of COVID-19 on our daily lives began. My state (Maryland) shut down, and my mission essential job that I was in the process of leaving required me to pick up the extra work from at-risk employees. The applications to different government agencies that I had submitted were placed on hold due to the inability of those agencies to conduct in-person events. With less time available, my ability to apply for more jobs was also limited. After a delay of four months, and with only a few more to go before inevitable unemployment, agencies slowly began reinstating their hiring processes. It was at this time that the sensory impacts of a COVID-19 hiring market began to show. Most smaller agencies resorted to telephonic interviews or at the most, video conference calls. Those that did ask for an in-person interview were still heavily controlled with COVID-19 risk mitigation practices. Regardless of the medium enacted, the effects on the senses were the same. Visual senses not withstanding (the inability to see my interviewer was disconcerting, but at least I got to wear jeans), the tactile and auditory senses were also greatly impacted. In every interview conducted pre-COVID, the procedures consisted of shaking hands at the beginning of an interview (i.e. establishing trust through that time-worn gesture), sitting in close proximity to an interviewer with whom you are able to hear clearly, and who can hear you clearly, and in whom you can read facial expressions indicating when you may have said too much or not enough. The interview would then be over and you would seal that act through a final handshake and a smile. None of these basic tenants of interviews occur during a COVID-19 mitigated interview. In my first interview with a federal law enforcement agency, my interview panel and myself were required to wear masks, I was welcomed into the room without any of the standard greetings (handshakes and smiles) and seated behind a plexiglass barrier 8-10 feet from any of the interviewers. Not only did the interview lack the physical interaction that ceremonially marks the beginning and end of the interview, but due to masks, the conduct of the interview was also strained. Questions from interviewers were difficult to hear and understand due to the distance, glass, and masks, therefore requiring awkward repetitions which cast doubt on my competence and confidence. My responses were likewise muffled, which led to doubts as to whether my answers were fully understood by the interviewers. Both assaults on the auditory ability and tactile senses taken for granted in a pre-COVID world lead to an autocatalytic attack on my nerves. The lack of hearing and the absence of a reassuring touch eroded any confidence I may have had going into the interview that would have otherwise remained until I left. COVID-19 mitigation measures reduced what is normally a very personal interaction between human beings to a robotic and numbing experience lacking in all the sensory elements that enables the humanity of an interview. I conducted six more interviews in similar limited sensory manners, eventually evolving my expectations and re-learning a process before finally securing a position.

The first thing that I heard was that the virus was caused by someone eating a bat in China. Which to me made perfect sense in the fact that it came through China and then everywhere. I think that it is crazy that you would even eat a bat because other then that this whole incident could of been avoided. My opinion has changed a little bit in the fact that so many people have died and are continuing to do so. When I look back on this virus so many things have changed and the origin of this virus was pretty weird.

Covid-19 started in December 2019, but we didn't wear any mask until March 2020. Covid-19 began spreading in in Wuhan, China. The animal that started this whole thing was likely a bat. We had to start wearing mask and being quarantined in March. The whole thing make us get a dogs, lake house, and more to come I think. This outbreak made us get closer with out family and friends.

I think the source of the virus came from bats and it originated from China. I think people ate bats infected with this disease and transferred it to others and then it spread quickly.

I think covid is just another mutation of the Flu, but people have made such a big deal about this virus that they have now made it political and an excuse for everything. I think Patient 0 just got a mutated Flu that they named Covid-19.

I used to think Covid 19 was just another illness like the flu but just until recently I believe that it was made in a Lab. The reason I believe Covid 19 was started in a lab was because that soon after China had got the viruses they knew everything about it. They went straight into lock down and their cases went down fast. I also think it was made in a lab because of how fast we found a cure. We still haven't found a cure for cancer after about like 5000 years but we were able to get a cure for Covid after about a year which seems a little suspicious to me. That what I think cause or made Covid 19.

At first when I heard about covid it was in Asia and my parents didn't know how it started. In January 2020, my parents told my sisters and I about it and how it started in China from bat soup. I thought it wasn't that bad and that it would go away soon. I thought it wouldn't spread to North America. My opinions have changed so much because covid came to North America and numbers are rising. At first I didn't realize it would be such a dangerous disease in a couple months.

What I think the cause of the virus is well a disease that started in Wohan China. I think it is this because that is where people gather and talk and are close together and do not have a proper cleaning system. Or in other words it's filthy. right now in the world Wohan China is clean and people have opened up business and things are returning to normal.

There is many theories about the Corona Virus and there is many different feelings on the subject. I personally believe it is just being used to control us. I believe this because this virus has over a 99% survival rate and all of the people that are dying from it have already compromised immune systems, meaning they were already ill. It seems as though they want everyone to rely on the government for money because they can not work and that means the government has control over them. Another reason I think the virus is not serious is because of the fact it is flu season and nobody has gotten the flu. I think they are just taking illnesses like the flu and saying its corona because they are trying to scare people with exaggerated numbers. I have also not taken any precautions during this virus and have not gotten sick once. I have also noticed that if this virus was as dangerous as the media says they would definitely not let us out of our house, but instead we are allowed to go on tight planes, busses, and more things because apparently hand sanitizer and a mask can save us from a "deadly" virus. I don't think it is as bad as they make it seem and they are just using it as an excuse to control people and people are letting them.

I think that Covid-19 started in a lab in China. I think that they were trying to make a warefare weapon and during the process, it got on someones clothes or something and was accidentally leaked. Since the virsus is very contagious it didn't take long for lots of people all aroundd the world to get it. However, I don't think that covid is a big deal for most people. Mainly, why it is such a big deal is becuase the people in charge just want power over people and want to control their lives.

In March of 2020 I got my first real glimpse of what practically the entire next year of life was going to be like. China released a virus that would eventually spread across countries. From that first report everything went south. People began to freak out like it was the Black Plague. This fear spread nationwide in the United States influencing unknowing people that this was a virus to be feared. A virus with over 99% survival rate caused a panic that hasn't been seen in centuries. People almost might as well have freaked out about the common cold at the rate it was/is at. All over the media were false news, lies, and deception influencing such thoughts, giving people different beliefs and thoughts on practically everything regarding it. This year was indeed crazy, but not because of a virus and sicknesses. Because of freaked out crazy people thinking this is the end of the world and influencing others that it is as well.

There are many different theories and possibilities as to what created this pandemic of Covid-19, and no body has truly figured out how to stop it or what the real cause is. I believe that Coronavirus has something to do with population control. I think that the government created this virus to subtly eliminate some of the population so that there wasn't an overload of humans, but they never had the idea that it was going to be this bad. It became uncontrollable, and has spread all over the world. Everything is shutting down and things are failing, the world is basically falling apart.

I believe that this started through the dirty meat markets in China. Somebody bought bat soup from the meat market that had all kinds of bacteria and viruses in it. This could have happened because of how crowded, contaminated and unsanitary they are at the meat markets. I am not completely sure if this is the reason but this is what I heard from the news.

The cause of Covid is currently unknown. The amount of theories is extremely large. Since it started in China, it has to be some issue there. One theory is that it was a biological weapon but I don't think that makes sense. Nothing that is this contagious, to the extent of being a world wide pandemic, would be created. It also would not be released upon the people of their own country. Another theory would be that it is from dirty markets. I personally believe that this is the most likely option. There are filthy markets in China, as well as a massive population so a pandemic starting there makes a lot of sense. It could have originated off of a dead corpse of something like a pig. That makes a lot more sense and many agree with me and this idea.

There are many rumors of how the first person got sick with Covid 19. In my personal opinion I think that this all started at the meat markets in Wuhan, China. People were eating different thing there that could have had bad bacterial. Meats like bat, cow, pig, etc that might have not been sanitized correctly. This could have also been a cause of uncleanliness in the world that made it spread even faster.

Pretty much in this time we know that Covid was started in China. At this time Global tensions are pretty high with the Trump and Biden Administration and voting in America. With the tensions so high you could argue with the Chinese making a deadly virus and sending it to us, I don' believe that as if they did it would most likely be more deadly. I think that they had a problem with some agricultural farming and made a virus that infected a lot of people, them trying to hide it only escalated it into building up into infecting the entire world. Just the amount of things going between china and the world just escalated the cases. These are all just theories, the CDC hasn't created a cause for Covid yet, but I think it will happen sooner than later. Those are my thoughts today about how it was created, but tomorrow might bring new information, we will see.

I used to think Covid was from the dirty meat markets in Wuhan. But now, I am convinced it was purposefully created in a Chinese lab. I think they created the virus and it accidentally leaked to the world.

The first thing that I heard this virus to be caused by is from a lab in China. Some other assumptions I heard about were, bats, the black market, not going to church, etc. I actually thought that this would be a month at most and everyone was over-reacting but that was definitely not the case. I think that the virus started at its origin in China, but was spread person by person, country by country until it has become a world wide pandemic. This virus didn't scare me like it should have when it first came around but corona still doesn't scare me. I am not afraid or paranoid, more like cautious. I do be that it came from a lab in China and spread person to person, country to country to become world wide.

When covid started, I wondered how this virus started. A lot of rumors went around and then I got my final answer. That a person ate a bat. There was many theories of other things but the more I asked people who knew a lot about the virus, the more I got the answer about the bat. It made me really think about how a lot of diseases come from animals. I was also wondering how the bat got the virus but I don't know for sure how it carried it. I also thought why would someone eat a bat. It just is super weird to me. Reflecting back on when I figured this out, it really hit me how crazy one bat, started this whole pandemic.

When I heard first heard about Covid-19 I was sitting in my room on my phone. I saw a video by the southern morning china post about a mysterious virus.. They said it came from a shopping center in China. As more past, it was found that the virus came from a bat and I was very surprised by this because I did not know that they had bats in Chinese shopping centers.

As you've probably heard, Covid is sweeping through the whole world. As of right now, no one really knows how it started. I've heard that it's started from a bat, someone ate a bat in China and that's how it started. That's the first reason I heard, the second was that labratories might have created a virus, this virus. At the time, I only heard about the bat, so that's what I believed. I think that my opinions have changed, but I don't nessciarly agree with both, it could've been other things. Many people have been trying to figure out the exact answer. At this point, I do believe that someone does know, but most of the population doesn't. In the future, I predict that, hopefully, we will find out.

The first time I heard about the Corona Virus I was on a train with my whole school. A few kids at my school found some people in a car ahead of us wearing masks and started making jokes that they had Covid. At the time I didn't know what the Corona Virus was and all I found out was that it came from China. I didn't think anything of it because it hadn't begun to spread in the US. A few weeks later I was told that it came from bats and I am still not sure if that is true or not. When I first heard about the virus I though it would be just like the flu, I never expected it to spread so rapidly and for school to be cancelled for almost a year.

I learned that the cause of the covid virus was that someone ate a bat in China. I was confused because I was like why would someone want to eat a bat. My opinions haven't changed because I'm still confused on why someone would want to eat a bat. Once that person ate the bat and they spread their germs with other people than the whole world got it. It is crazy how one person got it and now the whole world has it.

When i first learned about the virus i thought of it as just a surprise virus that would pop up in another country far away and it would be gone in a week. As it started growing and reaching other places in the world, I learned more and more about the virus and learned it was very serious. When I was told it originated from a street market in Wuhan, I wasn't surprised because it is a very poor filthy area where they sell meat. My opinions on this virus have remained constant, it is deadly, where a mask and do what you can to prevent the spread.

I believe that the man who ate the bat started COVID. For example it is proven that the body of a bat contains COVID in it. I also believe that the spread of COVID started from those 30 meat markets which lead to a rapid spread of COVID.

There are many stories about how it all began but only one is correct. Although we don't have a confirmed answer about how it started everyone has their theories. In my opinion, I think that Covid-19 started in someone. I believe that someone caught the virus by touching bad bacteria. So, it got into one person now all this virus has to do to stay alive is keep moving from people to people which is exactly what it does. Since everyone is not yet immune to this virus it will just keep spreading, but hopefully, we can help prevent it from spreading. Alright back to the beginning of where this all began. You may be thinking how did the bacteria come to be in the first place, well the bacteria could have started by anything like and bad egg, dirty water, or someone could have even brought it over from another country. I believe that someone brought it over from another country. I think that this makes the most sense because we were not aware of the virus until they gave it to someone in the USA or even in another country.

There are many possible things that could have triggered this virus, COVID-19. Some people believe that it came from a person that ate bat soup in China, made in a lab in china, came from a wet market in Wuhan, China, and more. But I believe that it either could have been made in a lab or could have come from the market in Wuhan. To me, these two reasons make the most sense to me because it seems kinda stupid that all of this could come from one person eating a bat. If it did come from a wet market in china, it could have possibly came from the animals that were there, they could have been carrying diseases, and sicknesses. Furthermore, it could be very possible it was made in a lab, they could have made this virus and set it out into the world. And you may ask yourself, why would they want to do that? I think China wanted to depopulate their country a bit, and "attack" the US. I am not sure if that is true but it could be a possibility. In conclusion, these both seem to be potential reasons as to why the corona outbreak began.

I dont really know the exact reasoning because I myself dont really watch the news and even if i did there is to much fake news that i see on tiktok and what other people tell me. I have heard rumors that vary from someone at a bat that they put the virus into and i have also heard rumors like it was made by people kinda like a sabotage so i cant really know what the real one is. If you look it up its says that the bat one is rights but no one will really know whats real and whats fake.

I think that this virus was transmitted from some animal (likely from a bat). It may have come from China and now is causing major xenophobia against Asians which is totally wrong. There are definitely a lot of just plain stupid ideas that some weird people have come up with. But I trust scientists more than some middle-aged conspiracists. It does happen where an animal sickness can transfer to human, even though it's rare. I think when it got transferred, the strain adapted to humans and is now causing all of this. Once in a while, a sickness like this shows up. This may not have been one of the worst, but, that doesn't make the deaths any less valid.

The COVID Virus was made by a bat that ate a man.

I actually truly don't know who started it cause I haven't been looking and that much information about Covid. I have been just living the same life but online. I still go to the beach every weekend and still play with my friends. I haven't really been that affected by the virus and that's why I never looked it up. All in all not everyone will be all-knowing about what's going on around them.

In the beginning of this Covid-19 situation I was very scared and nervous about this pandemic. I didn't really know much about it but all I knew was that it came from China and maybe an animal. Whatever caused this virus must have been something with lost of bacteria because so many people have died and gotten sick from it. Now I think it might have been like a bat or even just a virus from another country that later spread and got way worse. I feel that if we were to not have this situation happen in our life we wouldn't have learned all the many things humans have learned from it. Everything happens for a reason and having masks helps with other viruses other then Covid but this virus has been crazy for so long.

I do not know what causes the COVID-19 virus, but I think that it was was caused by the place in China were they sell the monkeys for food but in a close space, or maybe it was a virus that was made to disrupt countries.

My theory on how the Coronavirus started was that it was just a normal disease that we had a vaccine for then some animal carried it and mutated it and made it far worse from what it was. My guess was that it started off as the flu or something like that but changed over time because of the mutation. I dought that it was caused by anything else but if I were to have to say something else I would think that maybe it was a man-made lab virus that accidentally got out to the public.

I think this virus came from China. I think someone made this virus in a lab and it somehow spreaded. This virus spreaded very fast and it escaped the lab. Too many people came in contract with this virus and thats how it spreaded so quickly. Big gathering of people also doesn't help to slow the virus done.

I think it either started in a lab or from a bat. I think some guy might have eaten a bat, and then gotten the virus and spread it. Or, it was made in a lab for some reason which i do not know. I think that the most logical answer is that it was the bat.

For my 25th birthday I found myself sitting in the passenger seat of my girlfriend's car. As we entered hour two of waiting in line at the Orlando Convention Center for free COVID-19 testing, I kept myself busy playing Animal Crossing on my Nintendo Switch. A week earlier I had thought I was getting a cold. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary since coronavirus had already passed through my house and I made it out safe. Then, on Christmas day, I took a bit of pizza and realized there was just nothingness. I could feel the sensation of what I knew the taste was supposed to be, but there was only texture. I didn’t immediately panic, thinking it was probably due to the congestion of my cold. It wasn’t until my girlfriend mentioned that loss of taste is definitely a COVID-19 symptom that the realization dawned on me. The soonest I could get tested was on my birthday, which also happened to be the day I noticed my sense of smell had completely disappeared. Even though I still had two fully functioning eyes, I felt like I was operating completely blind. It never occurred to me how much the taste and the smell of food was so essential to my enjoyment of eating. It was a humbling experience, and I’m incredibly grateful that the loss of senses was my only real symptom. I tried to use my tasteless time wisely and eat all the undesirable food that has long since been shoved to the back of the pantry. Though, I would be lying if I didn’t say the day I got my tasting back, I ordered all my favorite foods for contactless delivery. It was my little 2021 belated new years celebration.

Over the pandemic, I was with my family at our ranch in Alabama. As it started to get cold, I decided to make the only dish I really love to cook, a Hungarian goulash. It's a stew with meat, noodles, and sauce. It's very hearty and filling on cold days especially sitting by a fire in the middle of nowhere. Taste comparisons I can think of are like a beef stroganoff but with more spice since paprika features so heavily in the dish. It's easy, and the majority of the time involved is hands-off as it cooks so plenty of time to hang out with family or do whatever without having to worry. I think that cooking was a great comfort to many as we were stuck inside with the constant news of the pandemic's effect on us and low morale as the months wore on. For me, making goulash always makes a bad day better since it's a dish I love and there's just something really calming about the smell of cooking food and a warm kitchen. I know there were lots of recipes people shared online as a way to cope with being away from family and friends. Here's the recipe I use: ⅓ cup vegetable oil 3 onions, sliced 2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika 2 teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 ½ cups water 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt Step 1 Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions in oil until soft, stirring frequently. Remove onions and set aside. Step 2 In a medium bowl, combine paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. Coat beef cubes in spice mixture, and cook in onion pot until brown on all sides. Return the onions to the pot, and pour in tomato paste, water, garlic, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is tender. Enjoy!

This holiday, we were on an emergency stay at home order. Solano County advised that all gatherings should cease. Meaning that our holiday was unfortunately canceled. My family has been working hard to adhere to the rules and orders, but we are all feeling a little exhausted from it all. I especially wanted to visit my parents in Oregon. Originally, we were thinking of getting tested for Covid right before we headed up to Oregon. But my mom being a medical worker did not feel that she could guarantee our safety. So for a little change in our routines, we made hot cocoa at home and filled up our new mugs. We got warm and cozy (All in our jammies and hats) and piled into the car with blankets. Then we drove to a local neighborhood that is well known for its holiday spirit. The locals call these streets Lollypop Lane, and it adjoins with a road we call Candy Cane Lane. We just cruised in a big loop listening to Christmas music for hours. Whatever, the kids were happy and we felt like we were doing something out of the ordinary for the first time in a long time. At one house, a man dressed as Santa yelled to the children in their cars and told them that he knew they had been good. It was sweet. All and all we went looking for Christmas lights every few days.

Everyone needs to get a bidet! That is my pandemic hack. While everyone was out panic buying toilet paper me and my family were sitting pretty. A few years ago, I was invited to a symposium in India. My dad came with me for his first trip after retirement. I had never seen a bidet in my life and I sure as hell was not about to try it. But by the third day we were there, my dad confessed to me that he had been using the bidet and he loved it. I figured if my dad was willing to try it and admit to me that he tried it, I might as well try it out myself. Let me tell you! This invention is not common in America. I went forty years without ever even seeing one. By the time we left India I was hooked. A clean butt every day all day! Yes! I procrastinated on buying one when we came home but eventually, I ordered two. They stayed in that Amazon box until… that is right. Until the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. We watched on the news of mayhem at the grocery stores and fights over TP! Getting close to our last few rolls we decided it was time to break those bad boys out and install them. Ahhhh heaven. Warning though, teaching kids how to use this is a learning curve. Some minor flooding was involved. Once the shelves were stocked again, we did end up buy a huge box of toilet paper for the boys. But toilet paper still disappears from the store shelves whenever there is a new shut down. We are pretty proud of ourselves whenever we can’t find any toilet paper!

Ahhh Covid. From March until December I steadily gained more weight than I ever have (without being 9 months pregnant)! Each month progression was a steady +5, +5, +5, +5, +5, +5, +5 … Until December 13th. The day before my daughter’s wedding. I tried to squeeze myself into ANYTHING that might pass for wedding attire. Work clothes did not fit anymore, not even a cute pair of jeans. Would my husbands slacks work? The answer is nope! Apparently ten months of wearing pajamas and stress eating was really affecting my ability to gauge my own girth. This was traumatic for me. I pride myself in being prepared for any occasion. In my closet I have funeral outfits, wedding outfits, professional outfits. All carefully curated over the years to see me through anything. I thought I was prepared for my daughter’s wedding. I imagined a stroll from the living room to my closet where I would just choose whatever wedding attire I was in the mood for that morning and come out shining! But nope! Not this day. Instead, my husband had to make an emergency trip to the Target drive-up after I panic ordered every size of the same pair of pants and blouse, crying the whole time. All of this, is leading to my favorite thing. A $30 Walmart trampoline. I ordered it on a whim with the groceries I had ordered on delivery. I didn’t even think they would have it. It seems all exercise equipment has been sold out during the pandemic, along with board games and toilet paper. I bounce in the morning, I bounce during passing period, I bounce after work. I watch movies and bounce. I listen to podcasts and bounce! I have (so far) bounced off a total of 10 pounds since December 13th. I still need to bounce off another 30 and maybe my pants will fit again. My husband and kids are annoyed by the constant bouncing. But it was cheaper than most other exercise equipment and I hardly notice I am working out when I am into the latest Netflix binge.

A close-knit family can mean a lot of noise, a lot of home cooking, and a lot of downright work. Care in a large family doesn’t understand the word pandemic or isolation; it only understands that you’re there or you’re not. COVID meant to my family the opposite of what it meant to everyone else on the planet, we would need to be physically closer to help care for those who need it. Instead of focusing on the smells and noises caring for others, I choose to remember the feel of damp earth under my feet and the smell of new ferns in the forest. I remember the whisper of water in the creek signaling the halfway point on Thursdays or the smell of the rainwater pond at the end of Tuesday. I can laugh at the smell of a wet dog; who got into both and had to be bathed twice a week for the entire summer. We took turns going for morning runs or hikes so that one person would always be home with my grandparents. My grandfather was needing more and more supervision daily that my grandmother couldn’t handle on her own. Ironically enough without COVID, we wouldn’t have been able to do the things we did. Now, instead of remembering the smell of hand sanitizer; I remember the clean air in my lungs and the smell of the trail on those morning runs in northern Arizona. I have downloaded a sound effect from https://www.freesoundslibrary.com/mountain-river-sounds/ that reminds me of one of the places I went to get away from the chaos of COVID.

This picture shows how my family celebrated our annual Japanese New Years Open House during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The annual event in my household is one of an open house where there is lots of food, friends, conversations, and wishing of a Happy New Year and blessings to them and/or their family. This year the pandemic affected our annual event by not allowing anyone to come except one person besides our household. This event means a lot to us as we are a multi-racial family with various ethnicities and heritages. We make dishes that bring new and exciting food choices to people who normally would not be exposed to this cuisine.

At first, I heard that the virus came from a snake that had been infected by a lab in China. When I heard this I thought that it sounded like something out of a movie. I did not think that the snake story is how it actually started because the virus had just begun and we knew very little about it so how would we have already known how it started. A few weeks later I found out that the virus came from a bat that someone ate in China. As I was discovering new things about the virus it seemed more and more like something out of a movie or a storybook.