Item
An Interview On 2020
Title (Dublin Core)
An Interview On 2020
Description (Dublin Core)
Me:
Could you give me a brief overview of your experience with COVID?
Interviewee:
Uh yeah, I mean, I guess I just experienced the same thing that every, you know, United States high-schooler experienced, it was just a random Friday in the middle of March and we went home and from there I've spent, I guess a month and a half in quarantine, you know, strict quarantine. And then of course I've been distancing from friends since then.
Me:
Do you remember your thoughts at the beginning of the pandemic and even prior to the pandemic and hearing news about it?
Interviewee:
Yeah. I mean, hearing news about it, you always think, Oh, that's, half a world away, what difference does it make? But I think when it started to set in for me was when there was a document released saying that the United States was statistically about seven days behind Italy in terms of contracting the virus and the virus's effects. And I remember there was this one week in Italy where their grocery stores were completely sold out, even the pasta which when you're looking in the United States, it actually did happen, I think a little bit on a smaller scale, but it definitely, in terms of toilet paper and paper towels, those were out of stock along with a lot of other necessities and cleaning supplies. So I would say those were my first thoughts.
Me:
What did you find to be the hardest part about the quarantining experience?
Interviewee:
I mean, I think there's just a sense of loneliness. I was at my previous school because I just transitioned to another school for high school and I kind of felt cheated out of those last few months of summer with my friends back at home and now I've been cheated out of all of winter term staying here at home. So in that sense, I've just felt a lot of frustration, but then also like a lot of loneliness in terms of quarantining.
Me:
Yeah. I think I understand that. Were you optimistic for 2020, at the beginning of the year? Did you have high hopes for the year? Did you say this is going to be Eleanor's year?
Interviewee:
Um no. I kind of find that whole thing cringy. I hate new year's resolutions personally, just because statistically the majority of people do not stay with them. I set goals every new year, but I don't really think of them as resolutions because, what am I resolving a part of my identity or something like? I don't really believe in that. So I wouldn't say I had high hopes for 2020, but I would say I had a lot of goals specifically in terms of my education and personal/social lives that were not able to come into fruition because of the virus.
Me:
Hmm. Are you optimistic for 2021? Knock on wood.
Interviewee:
Yeah, no. I'd say the same thing of course, going into the year it is like “Oh, new year, clean slate”, and then, you know, in the political world, there's so much going on too, especially with the violence at the Capitol and the inauguration. So I think in general, it's hard to have hopes for your 2021 but I think that it's always important to look at the good news. And you know, if you look at it, right, the vaccine is coming out. We had a pretty peaceful inauguration, so stuff like that, I think there are things to be hopeful for and to look forward to.
Me:
Do you think some people believe that everything was going to miraculously, you know, clear up at the beginning of 2021?
Interviewee:
I don't think anyone genuinely believed that, you know, I think if someone were to sit down and really think, or not even really think halfway think they would kind of realize that this virus isn't going anywhere the second it turns from 2020 to 2021. I think people have a lot of hope for 2021, as we should. But I don't think that anyone truly believes that the new year would make everything perfect.
Me:
Yeah. How do you think 2020 compares to other years of your life?
Interviewee:
Um I think it had, it ties in highs and lows like every year. For me the virus, I was fortunate that it didn't impact a lot of my life, my personal life. I don't have family members who have contracted the virus. But in my personal/social and educational lives, I would say a lot has changed. So I think the virus was responsible for a lot of that.
Me:
I know you're pretty experienced with online schooling through Zoom and other various platforms. What were your thoughts on that?
Interviewee:
Um it's awful cause I think the biggest thing about school is you have little interactions with people throughout the day and even with the teachers. For me, I work really well in visual and auditory learning, which of course through zoom and online platforms, you have auditory learning, but the visual component is a lot harder. And you just, a lot of times you don't have that same one-on-one interaction. And even if you go to conference periods or set up one-on-one meetings with your teachers, it's just not the same feeling. And unless you deliberately set aside time in your day to connect with your peers and to maintain and build upon those friendships, it's so easy to lose them online.
Me:
How do you think this year will be taught in history books and to the students of the future?
Interviewee:
Poor kids in 2050.
Me:
Remember that the me-me I saw of kids learning about 2020 in the future.
Interviewee:
Um yeah, I've seen a lot of Memes,
Me:
You mean Me-mes?
Interviewee:
Yes. Suuuure. Okay. But anyways, I feel like kids will have maybe a better understanding of the impacts of the virus because there is so much documentation on it. I feel like for us, if you're looking back in history, maybe one of the biggest things that every single person in the world learns about I would say it's probably World War II, right? That's something that, you know, you ask any kid already age, they probably have some sort of idea of what world war two was hopefully. So I feel like in that sense, the virus will go down as one of those things. And I think for us, World War II has some sort of impact because it was our grandparents who were fighting in the war and you know, Whereas I feel like future generations might feel a little bit more separation from World War II, however, I think that they might experience the same feelings of coronavirus as we feel about World War II, if that makes any sense.
Me:
Do you think you'll be telling kids of the future that you had to quarantine for 18 months straight and couldn't see light and couldn't talk to anyone?
Interviewee:
Totally. I turned into a vampire too.
Could you give me a brief overview of your experience with COVID?
Interviewee:
Uh yeah, I mean, I guess I just experienced the same thing that every, you know, United States high-schooler experienced, it was just a random Friday in the middle of March and we went home and from there I've spent, I guess a month and a half in quarantine, you know, strict quarantine. And then of course I've been distancing from friends since then.
Me:
Do you remember your thoughts at the beginning of the pandemic and even prior to the pandemic and hearing news about it?
Interviewee:
Yeah. I mean, hearing news about it, you always think, Oh, that's, half a world away, what difference does it make? But I think when it started to set in for me was when there was a document released saying that the United States was statistically about seven days behind Italy in terms of contracting the virus and the virus's effects. And I remember there was this one week in Italy where their grocery stores were completely sold out, even the pasta which when you're looking in the United States, it actually did happen, I think a little bit on a smaller scale, but it definitely, in terms of toilet paper and paper towels, those were out of stock along with a lot of other necessities and cleaning supplies. So I would say those were my first thoughts.
Me:
What did you find to be the hardest part about the quarantining experience?
Interviewee:
I mean, I think there's just a sense of loneliness. I was at my previous school because I just transitioned to another school for high school and I kind of felt cheated out of those last few months of summer with my friends back at home and now I've been cheated out of all of winter term staying here at home. So in that sense, I've just felt a lot of frustration, but then also like a lot of loneliness in terms of quarantining.
Me:
Yeah. I think I understand that. Were you optimistic for 2020, at the beginning of the year? Did you have high hopes for the year? Did you say this is going to be Eleanor's year?
Interviewee:
Um no. I kind of find that whole thing cringy. I hate new year's resolutions personally, just because statistically the majority of people do not stay with them. I set goals every new year, but I don't really think of them as resolutions because, what am I resolving a part of my identity or something like? I don't really believe in that. So I wouldn't say I had high hopes for 2020, but I would say I had a lot of goals specifically in terms of my education and personal/social lives that were not able to come into fruition because of the virus.
Me:
Hmm. Are you optimistic for 2021? Knock on wood.
Interviewee:
Yeah, no. I'd say the same thing of course, going into the year it is like “Oh, new year, clean slate”, and then, you know, in the political world, there's so much going on too, especially with the violence at the Capitol and the inauguration. So I think in general, it's hard to have hopes for your 2021 but I think that it's always important to look at the good news. And you know, if you look at it, right, the vaccine is coming out. We had a pretty peaceful inauguration, so stuff like that, I think there are things to be hopeful for and to look forward to.
Me:
Do you think some people believe that everything was going to miraculously, you know, clear up at the beginning of 2021?
Interviewee:
I don't think anyone genuinely believed that, you know, I think if someone were to sit down and really think, or not even really think halfway think they would kind of realize that this virus isn't going anywhere the second it turns from 2020 to 2021. I think people have a lot of hope for 2021, as we should. But I don't think that anyone truly believes that the new year would make everything perfect.
Me:
Yeah. How do you think 2020 compares to other years of your life?
Interviewee:
Um I think it had, it ties in highs and lows like every year. For me the virus, I was fortunate that it didn't impact a lot of my life, my personal life. I don't have family members who have contracted the virus. But in my personal/social and educational lives, I would say a lot has changed. So I think the virus was responsible for a lot of that.
Me:
I know you're pretty experienced with online schooling through Zoom and other various platforms. What were your thoughts on that?
Interviewee:
Um it's awful cause I think the biggest thing about school is you have little interactions with people throughout the day and even with the teachers. For me, I work really well in visual and auditory learning, which of course through zoom and online platforms, you have auditory learning, but the visual component is a lot harder. And you just, a lot of times you don't have that same one-on-one interaction. And even if you go to conference periods or set up one-on-one meetings with your teachers, it's just not the same feeling. And unless you deliberately set aside time in your day to connect with your peers and to maintain and build upon those friendships, it's so easy to lose them online.
Me:
How do you think this year will be taught in history books and to the students of the future?
Interviewee:
Poor kids in 2050.
Me:
Remember that the me-me I saw of kids learning about 2020 in the future.
Interviewee:
Um yeah, I've seen a lot of Memes,
Me:
You mean Me-mes?
Interviewee:
Yes. Suuuure. Okay. But anyways, I feel like kids will have maybe a better understanding of the impacts of the virus because there is so much documentation on it. I feel like for us, if you're looking back in history, maybe one of the biggest things that every single person in the world learns about I would say it's probably World War II, right? That's something that, you know, you ask any kid already age, they probably have some sort of idea of what world war two was hopefully. So I feel like in that sense, the virus will go down as one of those things. And I think for us, World War II has some sort of impact because it was our grandparents who were fighting in the war and you know, Whereas I feel like future generations might feel a little bit more separation from World War II, however, I think that they might experience the same feelings of coronavirus as we feel about World War II, if that makes any sense.
Me:
Do you think you'll be telling kids of the future that you had to quarantine for 18 months straight and couldn't see light and couldn't talk to anyone?
Interviewee:
Totally. I turned into a vampire too.
Date (Dublin Core)
Type (Dublin Core)
text story
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Contributor's Tags (a true folksonomy) (Friend of a Friend)
Collection (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
05/19/2021
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
05/27/2021
08/11/2021
04/28/2022
Item sets
This item was submitted on May 19, 2021 by [anonymous user] using the form “Share Your Story” on the site “A Journal of the Plague Year”: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive
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