Collected Item: “Covid-19 REL 101”
Give your story a title.
Covid-19 REL 101
What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?
photograph
Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.
I am going to start off by saying that, during the pandemic, I didn’t experience any major changes. Now this is not to belittle those whose life’s have significantly changed, but as far as my life goes, it stayed the same. Of course, I continued to follow the health regulations such as wearing a mask, staying six feet apart, maintaining cleanliness, you know the drill. Other than that, I was one of the lucky ones that could still continue to work. I am a barista at Starbucks who used to work in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but I just recently moved to Houston, Texas. During those times, even though I was just a barista, I was able to connect with people and people were able to connect with me. As little as that might sound, when we are trapped in our homes, completely separated from friends and family for a year and a half within a matter of a week, any social interaction was a blessing. I would have so many customers who would go through the drive thru, and all I can say is, I am glad I can an open ear. I am glad I can listen to people share their stories, even if it’s just about their day. There’s more to my job than to offer lattes and caramel macchiatos, we are a community of people who enjoy coffee, and enjoy each other’s company. With that being said, my contribution to the pandemic was connecting with customers in the toughest times of most of our lives. The object I used to represent my story is a green apron. It’s the apron I wear five days out of the week. It’s the apron I use to show that even at work and through all the chaos, I do my best to put a smile on someone’s face. It is my contribution to COVID-19.
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
#REL101
Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)
Starbucks
Give this story a date.
2021-10-06