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2020-07-06
This screenshot I had taken on July 6th, 2020 to send to my mom in a panic. I am an international student from Saint Lucia so I flew home in March of 2020 when Saint Lucia was going through a week long lockdown. My mom did not want me to be stuck in the United States without any family if Saint Lucia locked down for months. I left Florida with two weeks worth of stuff as I thought everything would blow over quickly. Four months later, I was still stuck in Saint Lucia and my visa had expired. Unfortunately, the closest embassy in Barbados was closed. I thought that I would never be able to finish school when I got this notification as they weren't renewing student visas for many people if schools were unsure about their status. The rule was overturned and everything worked out but this screenshot reminds me of a time when I truly saw the effect the pandemic could have on so many lives.
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2020-09-29
When my best friend came home to Florida from school for spring break in March of 2020, we quickly learned that she would have to stay home for the rest of the school year, which was all so bittersweet. Since our families and us created boundaries to keep everyone safe, her and I decided to spend a few weeks together since we were already in contact and would not be able to see each other for a while once we do separate. We spent the first few weeks of the pandemic laying out in my backyard all day, getting our homework done and soaking in the unexpected extra time with each other that we were so grateful to have. I lost my job at my schools on-campus Starbucks and had all online work for the remainder of spring semester, so we both did not go anywhere for the next months to come. We went through an accelerated collegiate high school program together which made us feel like we needed to slow down since we are two years ahead in school and always busy with changes. In a way, we both felt that we needed to take advantage of a horrible situation, making us stop and be present with our lives, each other, and our loved ones. Eventually, we separated after weeks of soaking up each other’s love and company but would occasionally meet up at our favorite park for socially distanced car visits that helped pass the time between our next weeklong hangouts after getting tested. Since the beginning of this pandemic in March 2020, summer has come and gone, the Fall school semester has begun, and her and I are now apart again. Being away from each other at school before the pandemic was difficult, but when we were distanced from each other at home when normally we would be together almost every day, was honestly harder than being our typical 1,300 miles away from each other because we were so close, yet so far.
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2020-09-15
This is a screenshot of a PVC project that I’ve started to see pop up on my feed as Halloween slowly approaches. People are getting creative in order to stay safe while still enjoying the holiday. I’m curious to see what Halloween will look like this year since it’s the unofficial start of our holiday season. So many would not have though that we would still be dealing with COVID and social distancing at the end of the year. HST580 Arizona State University
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2020-09-19
Usually military promotions require a ceremony. I would have dressed myself and our two daughter up, my husbands whole battalion would have be present as his superiors would have said a few words. I would have taken off his old rank from his uniform and officially pinned his new one on. Everyone would have cheered and we would have gone to dinner to celebrate. My husbands promotion looked completely different than what we’re used to. He found out he would be pinned ten minutes before the zoom call, the kids were still in their pjs and my husband wasn’t even wearing his pants. Instead we got dressed in a hurry, got on a zoom call with five other people and I pinned him while my dad held the phone. It took less than five minutes start to finish then it was back to whatever we had been doing prior to the call. We ordered in dinner that day just to make it as special as we could. HST580 ASU
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2020-04-20
My sister is an RN for the VA and contacted me in April, when there was a shortage of Masks. She asked if I could bring some smiles to the patients so that is how I got started. I have made or 100 different character masks for the VA and for my Mothers Senior Independent Living Apartments since their lockdown. They couldn't wait for the arrival of the next drop off to see what I had created next. I've had fun wearing them in stores as I shop, bring SMILES to fellow shoppers and FIRST RESPONDERS who too need that SMILE everyday. I also invented a little something that keeps the mask from SUCKING into their mouth when they speak. Every version got better and better as I kept creating. It brought a lot of enjoyment to me.
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2020-09-19
After eight years of active duty service for the US Navy my husband decided to get out and join the reserves. Since March he has been required to check in remotely and do all work online. One of the perks not having to wear his heavy boots. This has slowly started to feel like a new normal for our family. I’m not sure when he will be able to return to base and resume his normal duties there but until then he’s doing the best he can. HST580 Arizona State University
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2020-07-01
This is a news regarding how they opened up DisneyLand and DisneySea after four months of closing. In general, everyone seemed very happy to open up and all the staff were following CDC guidelines. Personally I felt a little confused because there are still people suffering from COVID and opening themeparks just did not seem necessary at the moment.
HSE, Disney Land, Disney Sea, theme park, preventative measurement
新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大で休園していた東京ディズニーランドとディズニーシーが1日、約4カ月ぶりに営業を再開しました。
再開した東京ディズニーランドとディズニーシーでは入園者を事前に日付指定のチケットを購入した人に限り、以前の半分程度に絞ります。
来園者：「めちゃめちゃうれしいです。4カ月待っていたので・・・涙出ちゃう。4カ月ずっと我慢していたので夢の国に帰ってきたって感じ」「パークに来られるだけでうれしいので、きょうは楽しみたい」
検温などの感染予防対策を行ったうえで、当面は午後8時までの営業となります。
Translation:
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, which had been closed due to the spread of the new Coronavirus, reopened for the first time in about four months on the 1st of July.
At Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, which have been reopened, the number of visitors will be reduced to about half and only for those who purchased a ticket with a specified date in advance.
Visitors: "I'm so happy. I've been waiting for 4 months ... I'm crying. I've been patient for 4 months so I feel like I'm back in my dream world." "I'm so happy just to come to the park today. I want to have fun "
After taking preventive measures such as temperature measurement, it will be open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm for the time being.
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2020-09-29
Since the pandemic went into full swing in March 2020, the use of face masks has been the center of debate all across the United States. Americans perceive the policing of face masks as an infringement on their First Amendment rights despite the overall safety of the public's health being the major concern. As someone who worked in restaurants their whole life, I understand that working customer service isn't for the faint-hearted. However, anti-maskers were prominent despite multiple signs in the windows mandating masks upon entry/exit, COVID safety procedures displayed everywhere, and every employee wearing a mask and enforcing the guidelines issued by the CDC. Some even went as far as creating forged exemption cards that forced the Federal Trade Commission to issue a statement against them. I have been verbally assaulted, had stuff thrown at me, and even had individuals take off their mask and cough towards me just to entice some sort of violence or display their "dominance" over those who are fearful of catching the virus. Right before I resigned, multiple coworkers caught the virus simply from interacting with customers in the restaurant. Our managers at the time refused to tell anyone for weeks or notify anyone who had come into contact with them to get tested – including me. This attributed to why I left the customer service industry a couple months after the pandemic began: the threat to my personal health and that of my high-risk family members did not exceed the monetary value of a job in that industry when managers are more concerned about profit than the safety of their employees. Instead of removing these individuals from the restaurant, managers would cater towards them to ensure they didn't lose a customer, effectively displaying their concerns: money, money, and money. Americans seem to value the economic standpoint of their nation and their freedom to do whatever they desire, even if it means potentially killing someone, just to maintain that status of "freedom" that they pride themselves so much in. In fact, President Trump refused to extend quarantine or even fully enforce it due to the economic instability it proposed by shutting down the government and his reluctance to pay citizens more than a one-time stimulus check of $1200. The economy did slightly waiver, but as of September of 2020, more than 200,000 Americans have died from the virus - higher than any other country in the world. I would think that the survival of your constituents would be more of a pressing matter than handing out "free money" (as many Americans called it), but obviously our subpar leader thinks otherwise. I will not return to the restaurant business for quite sometime to maintain my health, my roommate’s health, and my parents/grandmother’s health. We’ve been forced to do our best to keep ourselves safe because the federal government reopened the entire country after partial lockdowns that proved ineffective.
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2020-08-23
This screenshot is a routine "how are you?" text I got from one of my coworkers. She is a mother figure at work, and always made sure to check on me and keep me updated on work drama, updates, and just positive thoughts. She knew I was bored and made it a point to have a conversation with me almost every day. I was so bored because I was a lucky case and barely had any symptoms. I'm a healthy, twenty-two year old who caught it after taking a trip to Iowa to visit some friends. The whole group had it and it varied on the severity, but no one was affected too badly; although, one girl did lose her sense of taste for three weeks. My boyfriend and I were holed up for nearly two and a half weeks, due to waiting for negative test results for job-return purposes. While my boyfriend had symptoms that kept him in bed for a week, I simply lost my taste, had a stuffy nose, and minor body aches. I was very lucky because I could barley tell I was sick, and after 3-4 days everything cleared up except my sense of taste, which lasted a week. I will always be thankful that I didn't experience a bad case and that all my friend were okay after.
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2020-09-29
This story is my experience with COVID and what I think the future holds from this learning experience.
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2020-09-27
I have uploaded this text conversation between my mother and I because it represents how dissatisfied people in Florida are about the very caviler attitude towards the handling of the covid outbreak. According to some of my friends in other states this appears to be an attitude many republican governors share.
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2020-09-29
The story I wanted to tell was about something that is so common and frequent that it became extremely awkward and strange for me. This thing was the hand shake. Before covid hand shaking was a norm and everybody did it. It was the universal way to greet people in a polite and also professional way if you're working. But as Covid-19 came into the picture this norm would become altered and even disappear all together possibly. 2020 was going great until a virus in china was discovered and people started to die very fast shortly after. No one knew this mystery virus until a test came out that it was a very dangerous and deadly virus capable of killing people in days. The virus was only found in China but soon spread around the world. I live in america and as soon as this virus hit thing changed. The first thing was to wear a mask 24-7 when in public. Another thing that started to change that no one realized was the common handshake.due to the virus people became more scared to interact with people. This caused people to change their social behavior.
One such example was when I was out with my family and friends. We were all going to meet some people and when we arrived I did not realize I went to shake the person's hand. As soon as i did that the person came back with sorry i don't want to shake hands. Then I went to another person and they were different. They were fine but did elbow bump instead of a conventional handshake. This change is greeting people became awkward for me because I had to read the person and if they wanted to handshake or do something else. There were times were i would think they were all right and then they weren't and the greeting looked like some twister baird with my hand flailing around stupidly with no motive. I became embarrassed and didn't shake or greet anyone after that incident. After this event I realized that the handshake kinda just disappeared and people did not want or even think of handshakes. covid-19 changed the social que for meeting someone to glancing at them and saying hi and that it. I can't imagine how awkward this is for businesses. From this experience I realized the hand shake might disappear altogether after covid or be much less the norm.
Covid has had the power to restructure how we greet people and socialize by minimizing our interaction with others at just a glance. I hope the hand shake survives but if not the world will be very different without the handshake because it was such a norm in society for lots of years.
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2020
I shared my thoughts, experiences and feelings: my family and me in lockdown. In both lockdown #1 and lockdown #2, in daily blog posts over many weeks. Many of the stories include Jewish-life aspects.
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2020-04-27
This is a description of the way that covid changed little things in my life but also how it affected by academic life and my relationships. This is important to me because the impact that Covid has had in my life has been shocking and eye opening, which is a story that I thought would be worth sharing.
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2020-09-09
Flying from Portland to San Francisco on September 9th, the skies below were visibly smoky. It was hard to distinguish normal fog from smoke from the fires, but two huge plumes of smoke can be seen in the time-lapse. The air smelled like smoke when I took off from Portland, but was much worse in San Francisco- the sky was orange and visibility was greatly reduced.
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2020-03-10
My experience about the pandemic is that it was not easy. I am an essential worker. I work as a cashier at Whole Foods Market and a full time student so since the pandemic has started, we have taken precautionary steps moving forward at both work and school. School has been a little bit tougher because I have to maintain more discipline in getting my assignments done on time and I don't have the resources that I used to have such as being able to go to the library when I cannot focus at home.
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2020-07-10
My sisters are nurses on the COVID unit at St. Josephs Hospital and they are starting to see a lot more of these signs popping up. So many in fact that they are having to make their own because so many patients have received 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders. For those who don't know, this is an order caretakers follow when a patient is excluded from basic recovery care when their heart stops or they stop breathing. On the COVID unit, patients and families are facing their own mortality through this decision. This order has become more common during this pandemic because of how easily it is transmitted. Sometimes the order is requested by the patient but recently the decision has fallen on the doctors in charge. Visitors aren't allowed and ventilated patients can't provide input. The news is often broken to the families through a phone call or, if your lucky, a Zoom call. These orders are put in place when someone is nearing the end of their fight with COVID, to prevent the transmission of the virus to the nursing staff. This is a screenshot from my sisters Instagram showing an example of a hand made sign on her unit.
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2020-07-25
As a nurse at St. Josephs Hospital, my sister is at the heart of this pandemic. She is watching as her workplace is overrun with patients infected with the virus. Taking every precaution possible, she is doing everything she can to help her patients and the other nurses on her unit. Since the influx of positive cases is overwhelming the hospital, nurses from other units are transferred and trained on the COVID unit. Neonatal unit nurses, Neuro-ICU nurses, and anyone else that can help is fighting on the front lines of this pandemic. This is a screenshot from her Instagram, pleading with anyone who will see it, the consequences of not taking this virus seriously.
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2020-03
I know people have mostly negative stories that correlate to Covid-19 but I am choosing to write about one of the positive things that happened to me during these harsh times. Before Covid-19 I never really had time for myself, it was always wake up, go to work and then go to school, then go home, then homework, shower and finally sleep (eating multiple times throughout the day). But I never really had time to do anything I liked. Back then when someone asked what my hobbies were, I had none. But Covid-19 was low-key a blessing in disguise for me, with all this free time with work and school being closed, I found myself. I started watching tv, picking up new hobbies and finding things that I loved but never really had time for. And now of course that everything is opened again, I gained some time management skills and am able to manage everything that I love in life.
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2020-09-18
"Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation released new data outlining the economic impact of COVID-19 on Latinx LGBTQ people. The new research shows that Latinx LGBTQ people are more likely to have had their employment adversely impacted due to the virus, are more likely to have made changes to their household budgets and are more likely to have asked for delays in paying various expenses for necessities than the general population."
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2020-06-18
"Around the world, LGBTQ people are more vulnerable to the pandemic — especially where their status intersects with poverty."
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2020-09-27
"The coronavirus pandemic is just one of many headwinds facing the few remaining Black-owned LGBTQ bars across the country."
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2020-04-16
This sums up what the beginning of the pandemic was like for me. I was bored as hell, and I just wanted to do something I thought would be a productive use of my time. So when I looked at the guitar in the corner of my room I figure I give it try. Besides, it was just collecting dust anyway. I feel like everyone was trying new things or new hobbies to make up for being inside for so long. Especially if you have a big family like me. The funny thing is that after about four weeks, I just stopped playing. I think I'll get back into it soon.
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2020-05-01
Crowd control presses forward to end the assembly before it escalates further. A woman stayed seated as the world moved around her, and she nursed the child in her arms as her form of protest to the world happening around her as she knew it. Strangers joined her, seating themselves and protecting her and her child from being trampled by the swelling crowd. Twenty two people were arrested. The woman with her child walked home free.
A surreal contrast in the beauty and innocence of children and chaos.
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2020-09-27
I had been feeling progressively more sick for 2 weeks when my boyfriend got positive results from an antibody test he did through work. Apparently his results meant that he may have had the virus and was asymptomatic but he no longer had the virus, though he seemed unclear on the details. In any case, he came into contact with the virus at some point. Since I have asthma and I started coughing pretty bad very early Sunday (9/27) morning on top of other COVID symptoms, I worried that I had also come into contact with it through him and figured I should get tested if I fit the criteria to do so.
California has you take a symptom test before you can make an appointment for drive-thru testing, and I checked off more symptoms than I realized I had. It was very fast and easy to make an appointment, and I got one for literally a few minutes later at a nearby hospital. We followed the signs taking us to a few covered tables and stations in the back where they handed me instructions through a small opening in the window with one of those long grabby things usually used to pick up trash. They then had us pull forward and show my appointment number and ID card to a women through the window. She then gave me a sticky note with my name and number on it to stick on the windshield and instructed me to pull forward. At the next station they gave me a test kit. With the window closed, I took my mask off and stuck the swab into each nostril and for a 10 second turn as instructed, about an inch in, but not so far in that it was painful. I then put the swab into the provided tube, broke the end off of the swab and capped the tube. I dropped the bag containing my test into a bucket and they said I'd get my results in 1-3 days and that I must self-isolate until I got my results. Easy, I haven't left my apartment save for 2-3 outside walks and 1 doctor's appointment since March. There are too many people walking around without masks, and with my asthma I'm not taking any risks, a big reason why I was surprised to even be taking the test in the first place.
When I woke up this morning (9/28) I already had a text message saying my results were in. Negative! I'm very glad for that. Honestly it was so fast and easy I was sort of surprised considering the mess testing was at the beginning of the pandemic.
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2020-05-01
Crowd control presses forward to end the assembly before it escalates further. A woman stayed seated as the world moved around her, and she nursed the child in her arms as her form of protest to the world happening around her as she knew it. Strangers joined her, seating themselves and protecting her and her child from being trampled by the swelling crowd. Twenty two people were arrested. The woman with her child walked home free.
A surreal contrast in the beauty and innocence of children and chaos.
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2020-04-16
This photo is a birtday box my friend sent me from Maryland to Florida. We originally planned on celebrating together because we'd be at school still, riding out the end of our freshman year of college, but with all Florida universities being shut down in early March, we were forced to move out of our dorm and return to our homes. This image is important to me because with the craziness and uncertancy of the future, we went back to our roots and stayed in contact the old fashoned way, letters. While we still talked on the phone and texted, waiting to get your next letter in the mail was exciting and fun. In this particular box, I was sent a shirt that my friend tye-dyed herself & a couple of letters about different things she'd been doing (or not doing) and just letters about life. Even though we were apart, being able to write and send momentums made us all feel closer.
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2020-09-28
Different career positions in the public sector and direct interaction with women facing the tough decision of abortion
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2020-09-28
Last semester (spring 2020) was only my second semester in college and as I was already struggling to get a grasp on my school work and manage a social life outside of school and my part time job I had found myself back at home in my childhood bedroom having to teach myself the material. I am now a sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University. This semester I have only one class in person and we just meet to complete the labs therefore I am basically teaching myself five college level courses. I also have a part time job at PetSmart and as they are pretty flexible since I am in school it is still hard to fully manage my free time to the best of my abilities without wasting any of the time I do have outside of work.
I, like probably many others have found the past few months some of the most challenging yet evolving times of my life. Despite the challenges I've encountered over the last 6 months I was very thrilled to be back at home with my parents and my cat that I was very upset to leave to begin with. But, I shouldn’t have been home that long. Us, the students of America, need to be in classrooms learning hands on, we need that time out of the house to prospere, we need those social interactions with teachers and peers. We should not be forced to take classes via a computer. This is America we should have the right to decide whether we want to return to our lives normally, as we should and be in the classroom learning with our teachers in front of us.
As we are now in week seven of the fall semester for students in higher level education across America there have been numerous instances of universities closing due to Covid-19 outbreaks and some not even opening back up to give the students a chance. My university has opened with the majority of the classes still being online which has been challenging. Most of the resources they provide to us have either been moved to online formatting or just simply closed which is unfair. Why should we the students who want to succeed in our lives ahead of us be stuck behind computer screens teaching ourselves the material for our coursework? America should be able to handle this pandemic a lot better than it has been to get our students back in the classrooms.
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2020-09-09
America has not lived up to one of their main core values which is Equality. Equality is a core value that came from the Declaration of Independence. The reason could be because another American core value, Liberty, interferes. Liberty also came from the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. Did you know a few days prior to October 1, 2017, hotel staff at Mandalay Bay unsuspiciously escorted over 20 luggage of guns and ammunition to Steven Paddock’s hotel room before he unleashed thousands of rounds of ammunition into a large crowd, killing 60 and injuring 869. The whole entire massacre occurred before the police even thought of reacting! However just a few months before, on May 19, 2017, officers kill an unarmed black man in Las Vegas. America has not lived up to one of their main core values which is Equality due to the indefinite racism, health care inequality, and social class inequality.
Racism is a major issue that goes against the American value of equality. A man in Utah fired multiple rounds at a police officer using an AR-15. After multiple shots, the police officer decided not to return fire to keep the situation as peaceful as possible. Breona Taylor’s boyfriend, Mr. Walker fired back since the pounding on the door made him believe there were intruders. The police returned with a mini massacre. According to the LA Times, “An unarmed black man lying on the ground was repeatedly tasered by a police officer. Then he turned over and was put in what looked like a chokehold. He lost consciousness. After being rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.” This quote shows a perfect example of racism and how it proves that everybody isn’t treated equally. The same party, (the cops) treated two parties, (Breanna & Utah man) completely differently in life-threatening situations. The white man got walked into the police car after his arrest, as a woman and her partner got killed via a violent rampage for self-defense. Both parties fired at officers, one intentionally and one in self-defense. The white man who tried to hurt the officers with malicious intent got to live while the innocent civilians who were only trying to prevent a break-in from getting killed.
The wealth and health care cap creates inequality among the different social classes in America. People in the middle class tend to suffer the most from wealth and health care inequality since they don’t receive benefits like the lower class do and they can’t afford health care as the higher class can. The APA monitor states that “The Shorter Lives, Poorer Health report found that just about all Americans — from birth to age 75, with low incomes and high, with or without health insurance, with or without college educations — are worse off than people in other wealthy countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan and most of Western Europe.” The quote explains how people in wealth are more fortunate than those otherwise. It explains no matter how successful or how hard someone tries to work their way up from the lower or middle class, they will always be close to the edge of the clip waiting to make the wrong move and fall off. People in the low class gets a little but not enough help from the government through benefits. The rich can afford to pay off any inconvenience that may be introduced into their lives such as hospital bills or healthcare fees. The rich get richer and the poor stay poor, resulting in the middle class paying the price.
Americans violate their core values of equality due to systematic racism and social class gaps. Equality is crucial, especially in America since it’s apparently “The land of the Free” but the actions of Americans beg to differ. Racism is only considered a problem for certain people and isn’t taken as seriously as it should. People lose their lives over the color of their skin, religion, or beliefs. It is time to take action and disrupt racism as a whole to put an end to it. Everyone should be treated with respect regardless of and move on with their lives. People pay a ton of taxes but somehow our government can’t take the homeless people off our streets nor employe current citizens but want to complain about immigrants attempting to enter and live a better life by working. The government should handle finances more responsibly to the point where all citizens are taken care of and racism should be banned to the point where people don’t feel marginalized or unsafe anywhere in America.
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2020-09-27
The story I have uploaded describes my precious experience that should be helpful for controlling the spread of the pandemic Covid-19 and my practical ways for eradicating my previous chronic condition. It is also important for me to keep on enriching my spirit’s need by reading more story books and academic articles, as well as watching news, public health and healthcare-related films throughout my life.
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2020-04
I must say 2020 so far was not what I expected it to be. I began Brooklyn College on January 30th, 2020 for spring semester after taking a 10 year break from when I received my associate’s degree.I enjoyed getting back into the swing of things and coming to campus, making new friends and getting to know my Professor’s and engaging in my classes. This was a new routine me and it was exciting but challenging as well, between work, home life and taking five classes to say I was super busy was an understatement. When I first heard of the Corona Virus and what was happening in China, the resilient New Yorker in me thought “ this is NYC that won’t happen to us, we are fine “ but I was wrong. I was truly blindsided when the virus started spreading and became a world wide pandemic. Sadly I realized that it was serious when the mass hysteria began and I could not find toilet paper, hand sanitizer and everyday cleaning products. Shortly after, College became remote and I found myself unemployed. My busy, hectic, challenging and exciting new routine suddenly came to a stop, but I would soon realize the blessing in disguise with this quarantine. I was now home with my Sixteen year old Son and we were both learning from home. It was not easy for me, I soon noticed that I learn better in a class setting. I found it difficult to give my full attention to my Professor’s and my assignments but I pulled through and found the discipline to pass all my classes. During the quarantine I needed to find ways to make life interesting for myself, my Son and Fiancé. We started spring cleaning early, I started cooking takeout dishes that we missed, such as Chinese fried rice and Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding, and I even learned how to dye my roots blond. My family and I were blessed to not be affected by Covid-19 personally and the quarantine did bring us closer together and although 2020 was not what I expected I am thankful and blessed for what it has given me and I hope that we all can only move forward and I pray there won’t be a second wave. God Bless us all.
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2020-04-01
This story is about my experience working in a NYC hospital - being on the front-line as the pandemic hits NYC. It is important for me to tell, so that everyone is aware of how unprepared we were. Had we prepared, we could have saved lives.
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2020-09-26
The COVID-19 pandemic was something I definitely did not expect. It was a shock to not only me, but also to everyone in this world. This pandemic completely shifted my life into something entirely different from what I’m used too. Pre-COVID-19, I did not have to think about leaving my house with a mask on. Now, while we are still in the pandemic, leaving the house with a mask on is part of my everyday essentials. Wearing a mask is currently part of my wardrobe. I bought reusable masks because they are not good for the environment. Global warming is a very big issue that many people do not believe in, but I do believe in. I try my best to help the environment as much as I can, so buying reusable masks is what I did. Also, those medical masks are so expensive now, it is something I cannot afford to keep buying. While on the topic of expensive, I was someone who always carried hand sanitizer with me wherever I went. Now that hand sanitizer is a necessity due to the virus, it was hard for me to find them in stores, and when I did find them, the cost was two times higher than it originally would be. Money became an issue for me due to the change of price in many things. I did not work during the start of the pandemic because I was scared to put my families lives at risk. I work now, but I practice social distancing as much as I can, I sanitize, and I wear a face mask at all times. The hardest part about being in quarantine would be remote learning, and it still is. I was someone who despised online classes. I always avoided taking them. However, due to the pandemic, I had no other choice but to take online classes. I appreciate the effort my professors put into trying to make everything work, but it will never be the same as being in class physically and learning. Taking online classes is so stressful because I am basically teaching myself. Depending on the professor, somethings are just not clearly explained so I am left confused very often. Trying to manage everything in my personal life on top of online classes is not easy. Working academically in the comfort of my own home, with my family was and still is a struggle. I need to be in a different environment other than my own home in order for me to fully concentrate and study for my classes. Another constant issue with remote learning is my horrible WIFI connection. My WIFI has been a mess since quarantine started. Having bad WIFI added on to more stress for my online classes because I needed the internet to finish my work and pass my classes. Nonetheless, the CDC is trying their best to stop the spread of COVID-19. This pandemic has caused a major shift to the world, especially mine. The best thing I can do is to continue to work hard and do the best that I can. We have been in a pandemic for 7 months now. Unfortunately, this is our new normal.
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2020
I did not expect 2020 to turn out this way, I had a year of travels planned and a summer of adventures. I remember telling patients at the pharmacy I work at that things will be fine, we just need to a little cautious but I was wrong, it seemed almost routine that we started getting phone calls informing us a patient passed away. Scrolling through any platform, I would come across a familiar face that is now gone. It became numbing when I found myself rubbing my skin raw in the shower after working 10 hour shifts, the mask tan was humorous at first now it is a little saddening this is the reality. I remember watching the news in April with my family and going "wow only 700 people died today" and wondered if that was the new reality. Sometimes all of this feels so surreal, is it really happening? I want to remain optimistic but it seems almost impossible when things never seem to get any better. This is our new normal, life before COVID will never return.
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2020-04
As for all of us around the world, we all experienced unique circumstances within our homes. For me, it was keeping up with my workout routine these past six months. The gym has become my second home over the past two years. It was where I can relieve my daily stressors and shut off my mind for an hour. The healthy lifestyle changes that I have made were greatly influenced by working out, so having the gym closed during the pandemic was a drastic change in my environment, along with the closing of schools. Right before everything was officially shut down, my mom and I drove to the nearest target to grab a set of dumbbells. By the time we got there, everyone was in a frantic state and the shelves were practically empty. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a set of 10s and one 40 lb. They were the last of the weights, I cannot imagine what would've happened if we came five minutes later. These three dumbbells became the sole accessories of my workouts for the coming months. I knew it was time to get creative. In addition to some resistance bands I own, I obtained a shopping basket from my local market. To mimic the deep back squats, I would pile all my weights in the basket and grab two dining table chairs. Then I would stand on top while straddling the basket with my hands. Originally, I used my younger brother but he became too occupied with video games as quarantine went on. This repetitive movement would allow anyone to quit after the first month, but I kept on going. The idea of maintaining my strength no matter the lengths I had to go through was my key motivator. By using grocery bags filled with detergent bottles tied to a broomstick, laundry bags filled with clothes, I performed my exercises in the strict confinements in my bedroom. My parents were too busy focusing on not scraping any new furniture or floors that came with finished renovations. I was not allowed to workout outside my room, so this was another mentally challenging restriction. It is different weight lifting right next to an unmade bed, and I was so close to giving up almost every week. I would try to find loopholes, but nothing was going to change my parents minds. I had to keep pushing myself, no matter what. I knew if I gave into the temptations of my soft bed, I would never get back to exercising until the gyms re opened. What helped was going on daily isolated walks, so I could at least get out of my room for a little. As I am sitting here typing this memo, I am ever so grateful for the gyms reopening. With the limited equipment and lack of space, I am truly amazed that I did not give into the laziness. Though in other aspects of my life activity levels depleted, working out in my room was the one habit I kept consistent throughout.
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2020-03-13
Before the lockdown, life seemed so ''normal''. Who knew the new norm would be to wear a mask, carry a hand sanitizer at all times and maintain a six feet distance from others. After being told that everyone has to quarantine from going outside to staying indoors all day. Most importantly, everything became remote. Therefore classes and being overwhelmed by work while not being able to go outside was really taking a toll on my physical and mental health. What gave me a ‘’ray of hope’’ was strangely enough my window. I never thought that looking outside of a window would show me what life has come to and what tomorrow has to offer. Every time I would feel anxious, overwhelmed and in need of a breather I would walk myself to my window. I would just look outside and see the vacant streets. Though it was making me feel ungrateful for how I used to never enjoy looking outside the window, when the children would occupy it. As looking outside my window became a habit I came to realize what didn't change before Covid-19 and now. What did change is the beautiful birds chirping, the beautiful weather, and the rising sun and sunset ensuring yet another day and hope. It is hard to be optimistic at such times but my window made me appreciative of the things I used to take for granted. Such as going outside for a stroll or taking a moment to just appreciate the smallest things around me. Looking outside my window did ensure another day. It endured me just like how the sun and singing birds things will change and indeed for the better. Yeah the sun goes down and the birds leave for their nest but to return for the next day. I've made this a ritual of a sort to walk by my window and take a moment and to be appreciative for what today has to offer. We may not be living in the best of times but tomorrow we'll look back and tell the tales of quarantine and covid-19 to our children and perhaps our grandchildren.
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2020
Its a bit of my experience of a day in the life living in the times of covid-19
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2020-04
2020 started off a great year for me, I was so excited to turn 21 and envisioned this amazing year where I would travel, meet new people, etc. However quickly that dream ended, working in a pharmacy I was always on edge about the virus especially when the cases were spiking which caused this worry inside my family and I. I worried about my two immunocompromised parents mostly, what would happen to them if they got sick? Would I be the reason they did so? Would I bring home something from the pharmacy? Fortunately my family is safe and healthy but I wasn't, what I assumed was just a cold turned out to be one of the worst experiences of my life. I couldn't believe I had COVID-19, I was taking all precautions and yet it was inevitable thought I will never forget this birthday; celebrating turning 21 with COVID and eating ice cream cake in my pajamas. I was grateful I ended up recovering but it was devastating when I would hear almost weekly someone I knew had passed away whether it be a friend, patient, a familiar face. Sometimes I can't wrap my head around all of this happening, we have been in quarantine for over six months and it seems like there will be no end to this either. I want to remain optimistic and look forward to things but it so hard to when everything seems almost draining. The small things that once brought us to ease seems to be so far away now.
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2020-03-24
It's my personal experience related to the pandemic. This experience prepared me to overcome greater challenges which I may still have to face in the future.
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2020-06-01
Months had gone by during the Covid 19 pandemic and for college students like myself, it began to take a toll on me mentally. It wasn't easy to say the least to stay at home and start remote learning. It was even harder being a journalism major and having to cover what was routine press conferences about death and despair ravaging New York City. But as the semester came to an end , frustration began to mount for me as there seemed to be no end to this nightmare. I grew tired of being at home day after day with no option but to stay inside. I saw many of my peers take advantage of the time being in lockdown to make some extra money. That was motivation enough to get against my parents wishes in hopes to get ahead when all this was over. The job was simple -- make grocery deliveries to apartments in the lower east side. The streets were completely empty , something out of a horror film where you’re the last person on earth. The only problem was , my mom was an essential worker and she saw first hand what covid did to people and their loved ones around them. Also my brother being a diabetic meant he was more susceptible to covid which I was putting all that risk knowing I would be out there in the city and unknowingly bringing back covid into my house. It finally came time to tell my family the plan I had and they were not happy to say the least. My mom was furious of the thought that I would go ahead and get a job during a pandemic -- And although he didn't show it , I knew my brother shared the same feelings. But I didn’t let it stop me and the next day , I went to work. On my way there , It was rough seeing the city in the shape that it was. People wearing masks with depression and stress written all over their faces , taking extra precautions every 5 minutes dousing their hands in hand sanitizer . It made me realize that although I would want to be in the best shape possible financially , I realized that my health is way more important and that I let greed control my way of thinking. I had made it to the supermarket and as I approached my supervisor , I told him that I could not put my family at risk for this and that I’m not going to be working. He understood my decision and felt that if I could not do it , then there would be no problem. As I got home , I apologized to my family for potentially putting their health at risk. This pandemic has taught me patience to say the least , there are more important things at the moment than money and sometimes things must take a backseat in order to fully flourish in the future.
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2020-09-27
Hello! I am a 20 year old college student who has been afraid to face the responsibilities the world has for me. I always thought "I'm not ready for responsibility. I can barely take care of myself." Due to this, I always procrastinated on real life tasks outside of school, and depended on my parent. However, COVID-19 came and changed my reality. Everything went remote, and my parent was left facing unemployment. My sick grandmother could no longer get the care she needed, and there was no family member nearby that could help with her wellbeing. It became chaotic. At that very moment, I realized it no longer mattered how I felt about being ready for responsibilities. Majority of people were not "ready", but it became demanded of them to do what they needed to do. Ready or not, I needed to do what I needed to do. After being with myself in silence and calming my nerves, I realized that there were people who needed me to be there to help them, people that I love and care about. I was scared at first to take on such a big burden. I'm a full time student taking more credits than normal, I took up a full time job in order to make sure I took care of my parent, my grandmother, and myself, and I also needed to move out of the home I grew up into a whole other town in order to take care of my grandmother. In all honesty, I was scared. Here I am a young adult, who has not had major responsibilities, being brought into a situation where others depend on me to take charge essentially. This is all taking place in the middle of a pandemic, so it is vital that I am extra cautious, especially living with someone immunocompromised. Despite the uncertainties of what is to come each day, I have learned about myself and what I am actually capable of. Although COVID has brought about countless tragedies, some of which I've experienced, it has allow me to become a stronger, more dependable person for others who will later need me to aid them in any circumstances. It is still a learning process.
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2020-09-27
Throughout this unexpected pandemic, many have lost a family member, a friend, or someone they knew. It has truly been a tragic event in history. Like many others, I lost someone I was very close with. My grandma was my best friend, she raised me as a kid, and though me the things I know and follow now. Her name was Maria and she lived in the Dominican Republic, she died at the age of 83. Many people in the neighborhood she lived in had gotten sick due to the virus. Slowly she too was getting sick. Her neighborhood was considered as a red zone which meant that the virus was spreading fast. Many of these people live with the majority of their families in one house. My grandma did not get the virus as she was very cautious. She had pulmonary edema and it was what caused her death. I told my mom that I wanted to go and be with her, my uncle had died a week before and I did not want my grandma to be without me. My grandma was buried the same day she died, without a goodbye she went away. So far away she was, I didn’t even a last hug or a last I love you. I lost many people due to COVID, but this one hurt me the most. I wanted to dedicate this story to all those we have lost. Their memories will forever remain with us, in our hearts. Although they died alone in a bed, they each knew they were loved and it was just simply their time to leave. My mama ( grandma) was the funniest human being I knew, I’m glad I took advantage of the time we had. So if you have lost someone just know that I am with you, It’s okay to feel the way you feel. One day we will get to see them again!
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2020-03-17
I was exposed to the Coronavirus almost immediately after the initial outbreak. I was already feeling sick in the middle of March. I felt a constant throbbing in my throat, sometimes I would wake up to a burning feeling in my lungs and felt pressure as though someone was standing on top of my chest. The first two weeks straight, I went from freezing cold to burning hot every few minutes, accompanied by a constant throbbing headache. The most menial of tasks would cause shortness of breath and my heart to pump excessively. I honestly felt I was going to die.
After about a month, my breathing became less labored. In three months, I felt I recovered enough to start exercising again. By exercise, I mean the ability to walk a few blocks without having the wind knocked out of me. I began checking in with my family and found out that I had lost over 30 family members in Ecuador. I also lost a coworker, who was one of the kindest people you could meet and who was loved by her students. The amount of horrible and depressing individual stories of my family dying are too much to repeat, so I will say if there was ever a living nightmare, it was experienced by them.
If I could describe what living through hell is like, I would say that it is the last six months of my life. Americans, as a whole, could have done better. To the people who have pretended that nothing is wrong, you deserve everything that is coming to you and I have absolutely no pity.
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2020-03
I am submitting my experience with learning about the truth behind environmental racism, how Covid 19 amplified these injustices, and how I got involved.
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2020-03-19
Covid-19 was an eye opening experience as to how fast life moves and all that plays a part in it.We're taught from young about germs,proper hygienic practices but this disease still seemed to emerge that continues to spread day by day.During these unprecedented times, it is important to be in control of your emotional health,financial and intellectual wellness.Self quarantining was the first and at a point in time was the only thing I, as a New Yorker could do.Being locked in your home everyday,all day due to fear of catching a disease that you have no idea where it came from,no cures, just a mask and anti-bacterial soap/hand sanitizers,or cleaning agents hoping to whisk it all away.As a young woman,growing up in New York,it is indeed true that you are a product of your environment.The city is fast-paced,everyday there is something to do,places to be.My life was made up of work,school,groceries,laundry.I enjoyed the rush, the constant rotation of responsibilities I had.March 19, 2020 It all came to a halt.My job was closed,going to class was now a thing of the past,can't see friends or anyone outside of immediate family,honestly.What type of life was this?
All that was left was you,your mind,and time.To ensure that Covid-19 had not taken complete control of my life or my well-being,I kept the mind wandering.The reminder to consistently self-assess and keep the mind free of stress but also alert to not be oblivious to the seriousness of this pandemic.To learn the importance of finances and creating balance now that its uncertain when another check may arrive.Developing new interests,researching various topics,looking for new hobbies ;painting,coloring as a way to keep sane.With all this time spent in the house,its important to keep the mind active and alert and my emotions in check.
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2020-09-27
The pandemic ruined all my plans for this year and I could not get to enjoy the amazing senior events that I was looking forward to. I learned that things don't always go as planned but we still need to be courageous.
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2020-09-25
A letter written by me to describe my experience with COVID-19
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2020-09-27
A drawing inspired by Dorothea Lange portraying the anxiety and stress that came with obstacles as a result of COVID-19.
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2020-03-26
Early on during the pandemic; I had a need to visit my old police department, Santa Barbara Police Department, in order to conduct my annual weapon qualification for my concealed weapon permit as a retiree. I was dismayed to find the police station shut to the walk in public. In addition, I learned that police officers were only responding to crimes in progress and emergencies of different kinds. All other contact had to be conducted over the phone.
Such a reduced level of service has to have ramifications currently and down the road. Loss of personal contact between the citizen and officers will result in loss of information where as personal contacts often lead to obtaining unexpected criminal information.
It’s a loss of opportunity to build trusting relationships. When little issues are not addressed by the presence of an officer; those little issues can grow to become significant problems. When officers are not dispatched to calls for service; citizens may decide not to call in the future.
It’s well know that consensual contacts regarding minor issues often lead to felony crimes and arrests.
So to some extent COVID-19 not only has a medical consequence it also has a public safety consequence.
