Item
MO and LC Oral History, 2021/09/18
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
MO and LC Oral History, 2021/09/18
Description (Dublin Core)
Basic interviews between two college students looking back on the start of the pandemic.
Recording Date (Dublin Core)
Partner (Dublin Core)
Type (Dublin Core)
Audio Interview
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Education--K12
English
Education--Universities
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Collection (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
09/18/2021
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
09/29/2021
10/06/2021
05/08/2022
06/03/2022
12/29/2022
03/30/2023
12/06/2023
Date Created (Dublin Core)
09/18/2021
Interviewer (Bibliographic Ontology)
MO
LC
Interviewee (Bibliographic Ontology)
LC
MO
Format (Dublin Core)
audio
Coverage (Dublin Core)
2020
Language (Dublin Core)
English
Duration (Omeka Classic)
00:08:58
abstract (Bibliographic Ontology)
Two college students discuss how COVID-19 impacted their high school experience and influenced where they wanted to go to college.
Annotation (Omeka Classic)
0 MO: Introduces self, LC gives consent. LC: Was in Spain, back in January of 2020. Wondering how it would affect them. Didn't think it would leave China.
1 MO: What was the moment where you thought it was serious? LC: When school was cancelled, thought there was no way it would happen. No idea how bad it would get. MO: Where were you when lockdown started? LC: Was home, in Portland Oregon. Got home safe from Spain before everything.
2 MO: How did you pass the time? LC: Made a lot of banana bread. Moved to beach house on Oregon coast, no reason to be in Portland. Worked out a lot. Reading, time at the beach. Mo: How did COVID impact relationships? LC: Quality time with family
3 LC: Kept in touch with friends, less than normal. Strain on friendships. MO: How did perspective on world or self change? LC: More connected than we realize. All in this together. Lots of time in head. Not a lot of people to talk to. Reflection
4 LC: Improved my relationship with myself. For world, made us realize all together. **At this point, MO and LC switch** LC: Introduce, MO gives consent. LC: What changed in your life when stay at home order in place? MO: School changed, everything online.
5 MO: Different from what they were used to. Hard to focus in class. Long adjustment period. LC: When you first heard about covid, where were you? MO: Late december, in school. Joking it was like Ebola or not going to come to USA.
6 MO: Not anxious at all. Seemed like outside problem. LC: What was your experience doing school? Change outlook on career? MO: Experience wasn't the best, grades suffered. Distractions, have 4 siblings.
7 MO: Very difficult. In terms of career, only thing that changed was idea of going to college outside of NYC. Wanted to get out and see other places, explore. Being inside all the time made them want to go to Boston. LC: What was positive thing you took out of this whole experience?
8 MO: Realizing it's ok to be alone. Before covid, constantly stimulated by going to school or outside or doing something. Didn't like being alone. Pandemic changed this.
1 MO: What was the moment where you thought it was serious? LC: When school was cancelled, thought there was no way it would happen. No idea how bad it would get. MO: Where were you when lockdown started? LC: Was home, in Portland Oregon. Got home safe from Spain before everything.
2 MO: How did you pass the time? LC: Made a lot of banana bread. Moved to beach house on Oregon coast, no reason to be in Portland. Worked out a lot. Reading, time at the beach. Mo: How did COVID impact relationships? LC: Quality time with family
3 LC: Kept in touch with friends, less than normal. Strain on friendships. MO: How did perspective on world or self change? LC: More connected than we realize. All in this together. Lots of time in head. Not a lot of people to talk to. Reflection
4 LC: Improved my relationship with myself. For world, made us realize all together. **At this point, MO and LC switch** LC: Introduce, MO gives consent. LC: What changed in your life when stay at home order in place? MO: School changed, everything online.
5 MO: Different from what they were used to. Hard to focus in class. Long adjustment period. LC: When you first heard about covid, where were you? MO: Late december, in school. Joking it was like Ebola or not going to come to USA.
6 MO: Not anxious at all. Seemed like outside problem. LC: What was your experience doing school? Change outlook on career? MO: Experience wasn't the best, grades suffered. Distractions, have 4 siblings.
7 MO: Very difficult. In terms of career, only thing that changed was idea of going to college outside of NYC. Wanted to get out and see other places, explore. Being inside all the time made them want to go to Boston. LC: What was positive thing you took out of this whole experience?
8 MO: Realizing it's ok to be alone. Before covid, constantly stimulated by going to school or outside or doing something. Didn't like being alone. Pandemic changed this.
Transcription (Omeka Classic)
MO 00:00
Hello, I'm MO. I will be interviewing LC about COVID-19. It is September 18, 4:05pm. Do you give consent to the interview?
LC 00:11
Yes, I do.
MO 00:12
Okay. When was the first time you've heard the phrase, 'COVID-19,' and what was your reaction?
LC 00:19
I think the first time I heard it was when I was probably watching the news, probably in January. I was actually in Spain in early January.
MO 00:31
Oh, wow.
LC 00:31
So I was basically thinking about, you know, like, "How is this gonna affect me?" But, you know, it felt pretty far away from me at the time. I don't remember if I thought it was that serious. I just thought, "Oh, that's probably just gonna stay in China." But I do remember hearing the phrase, 'Coronavirus.' So yeah, that's where I was.
MO 01:00
Alright. What was the moment, or do you remember a moment in which you were like, "Oh, shit, like, this is serious."
LC 01:09
It was probably when school is canceled just because I didn't think that they were going to cancel school. I remember my teacher- one of my teachers asking me, like, "Do you think they will canceled school?" And I thought, "No, like, there's no way that would happen." And then it happened. And at that point, we had no idea how bad it was gonna get.
MO 01:31
Where were you in lockdown started?
LC 01:34
I was at home, and I heard that there was going to be the two week lockdown. And I thought, "Okay, like, this is great. You know, two weeks off of school." I was in Portland, Oregon; that's where I'm from. So I obviously got home safe from Spain before that happened
MO 01:57
How'd you pass the time?
LC 01:59
Um, I actually probably made a lot of banana bread. My family, we moved to our beach house on the Oregon coast as this was happening because my parents were working remotely; we were doing school remotely. We just decided there was no reason for us to be in Portland. We also couldn't rent our beach house, that was canceled as well. So I had a lot of free time, and there was nothing going on. It's like a pretty remote location. So you know, I did a lot of- I started working out a lot, going for water runs, definitely cooked a lot at home with my family, did a lot of reading. So it was actually like really nice time at the beach for me.
MO 02:44
Uh, sorry. How did COVID impact your relationship with your friends and family?
LC 02:49
Well, as I said, I was at the beach house with my family. So I think we had like a lot of quality time together as a family, but I don't think we would have had that if we were all in Portland. And the fact that I was on exchange before, that kind of like, made up for all that time I didn't see my family. And then for my friends, I mean, probably got really distant from my friends because all we could do is really text each other. When there's nothing going on, what do you really text about? So...
MO 03:17
True.
LC 03:18
But we still kept in touch, but it was definitely less talking than we like, normally do. So I think that put a strain on a lot of my friendships, I think.
MO 03:29
How would your perspective on the world or even yourself change?
LC 03:34
Well, I think for the world, we're more connected than I thought because it's crazy to me how fast everything happened. Everyone was going through the same thing all at the same time. One thing, we're all in this together. And yeah, as for myself, I think it was kind of just like, a lot of time in my head. You know, like when I just didn't have a lot of people to talk to you. So I was in my head a lot. So a lot of just like reflection and everything like that, journaling, reading. So I think it kind of improved my relationship with myself, but for the world it was kind of more like- like I'm on this planet as a person on this whole planet, not just my location in Portland, you know?
LC 04:25
Okay. I'm LC, interviewing MO. It is September 18 at 4:17. Do I have consent to interview you?
MO 04:39
Yes.
LC 04:40
Okay. So, what was the biggest thing that changed in your life after the stay at home order was placed?
MO 04:49
I think the biggest thing that changed in my life, it wasn't really my friends or my social life, really, because I had like a pretty close knit group that lived in my neighborhood. It was school because everything became online, and that was such a like, a harsh change or difference from what I was used to, and it was really hard for me to focus in class. So it was like a very long adjustment period for me to get used to online school.
LC 05:20
Yeah.
MO 05:21
So when you first heard about COVID, where were you, and what was your initial reaction? Like, were you worried or anxious? Or what did you feel?
LC 05:31
Um, I think the first time I heard the phrase COVID-19, it was actually in December, late December or early January. But I was at school. I was just kind of like, talking with my friends. And they were like, "Oh, like, I heard there's a virus in Wuhan." And we were all joking around. And I was like, "Oh, like, that's just like, the Ebola virus. Like, it's not going to come here, you know?" Like, why would it? Ebola didn't come here. People were scared about that. And like, I just didn't really see it as a possibility that much. So I wasn't really anxious at all. Yeah, it was just kind of like, a outsider's problem,
MO 06:13
So how was your experience doing school? How did it like, change your relationship with doing school like, going to college? Did it change your outlook on your career or anything like that?
LC 06:26
Um, well, my experience during school remotely, like I said before, it wasn't the best. My grades were definitely affected by the fact that I couldn't sit in a classroom and like, be focused, and like, in an environment where like, I don't know, it's like, all about learning and not about like, "Oh, my brother is playing the piano again, or like, my sister's, XYZ," because I have four siblings. And we don't live in a very big house. Yeah, we didn't live in a very big house. So it was really difficult for me. But in terms of my career, I think the only thing that changed really was that before COVID, I kind of had like, this like idea like, maybe I want to go to college outside of New York City. But it wasn't exactly solid, because like everyone in my family went to college in New York City. My dad went to college in New York City, so it was kind of like what was expected. But for some reason, after COVID, I was kind of like, "I want to get out, like, I want to see other places." College felt like my only chance to like, go outside and like explore. And I guess like being inside all the time kind of made me like, wants to like jump out and go to Boston. So...
MO 07:45
Yeah. So what was a positive thing that you took out of this whole experience looking back?
LC 07:56
A positive thing that I took out, I guess, was kind of like, realizing that it's okay to be alone. I think before COVID, I was like, constantly stimulated by something like, going to school, going outside. If I was ever alone, like I gave myself something to do because like, I didn't really like being alone. I had to like, hang out with my friends all the time, but during a pandemic, you can't exactly do that. So, even though it was pretty bad at first because I was like, I don't want to do nothing like, I want to do something, but there's nothing to do, and I was kind of going crazy about that. I realized like nothing bad happened, so it was okay. Like it was okay to be alone. It was okay to have nothing to do. And I guess I kind of improved my relationship with myself in that way. So I think that was a very positive thing that I took out of the whole quarantine experience. Yeah.
MO 08:55
Okay, that's good enough.
LC 08:57
Yeah.
MO 08:57
All right.
Hello, I'm MO. I will be interviewing LC about COVID-19. It is September 18, 4:05pm. Do you give consent to the interview?
LC 00:11
Yes, I do.
MO 00:12
Okay. When was the first time you've heard the phrase, 'COVID-19,' and what was your reaction?
LC 00:19
I think the first time I heard it was when I was probably watching the news, probably in January. I was actually in Spain in early January.
MO 00:31
Oh, wow.
LC 00:31
So I was basically thinking about, you know, like, "How is this gonna affect me?" But, you know, it felt pretty far away from me at the time. I don't remember if I thought it was that serious. I just thought, "Oh, that's probably just gonna stay in China." But I do remember hearing the phrase, 'Coronavirus.' So yeah, that's where I was.
MO 01:00
Alright. What was the moment, or do you remember a moment in which you were like, "Oh, shit, like, this is serious."
LC 01:09
It was probably when school is canceled just because I didn't think that they were going to cancel school. I remember my teacher- one of my teachers asking me, like, "Do you think they will canceled school?" And I thought, "No, like, there's no way that would happen." And then it happened. And at that point, we had no idea how bad it was gonna get.
MO 01:31
Where were you in lockdown started?
LC 01:34
I was at home, and I heard that there was going to be the two week lockdown. And I thought, "Okay, like, this is great. You know, two weeks off of school." I was in Portland, Oregon; that's where I'm from. So I obviously got home safe from Spain before that happened
MO 01:57
How'd you pass the time?
LC 01:59
Um, I actually probably made a lot of banana bread. My family, we moved to our beach house on the Oregon coast as this was happening because my parents were working remotely; we were doing school remotely. We just decided there was no reason for us to be in Portland. We also couldn't rent our beach house, that was canceled as well. So I had a lot of free time, and there was nothing going on. It's like a pretty remote location. So you know, I did a lot of- I started working out a lot, going for water runs, definitely cooked a lot at home with my family, did a lot of reading. So it was actually like really nice time at the beach for me.
MO 02:44
Uh, sorry. How did COVID impact your relationship with your friends and family?
LC 02:49
Well, as I said, I was at the beach house with my family. So I think we had like a lot of quality time together as a family, but I don't think we would have had that if we were all in Portland. And the fact that I was on exchange before, that kind of like, made up for all that time I didn't see my family. And then for my friends, I mean, probably got really distant from my friends because all we could do is really text each other. When there's nothing going on, what do you really text about? So...
MO 03:17
True.
LC 03:18
But we still kept in touch, but it was definitely less talking than we like, normally do. So I think that put a strain on a lot of my friendships, I think.
MO 03:29
How would your perspective on the world or even yourself change?
LC 03:34
Well, I think for the world, we're more connected than I thought because it's crazy to me how fast everything happened. Everyone was going through the same thing all at the same time. One thing, we're all in this together. And yeah, as for myself, I think it was kind of just like, a lot of time in my head. You know, like when I just didn't have a lot of people to talk to you. So I was in my head a lot. So a lot of just like reflection and everything like that, journaling, reading. So I think it kind of improved my relationship with myself, but for the world it was kind of more like- like I'm on this planet as a person on this whole planet, not just my location in Portland, you know?
LC 04:25
Okay. I'm LC, interviewing MO. It is September 18 at 4:17. Do I have consent to interview you?
MO 04:39
Yes.
LC 04:40
Okay. So, what was the biggest thing that changed in your life after the stay at home order was placed?
MO 04:49
I think the biggest thing that changed in my life, it wasn't really my friends or my social life, really, because I had like a pretty close knit group that lived in my neighborhood. It was school because everything became online, and that was such a like, a harsh change or difference from what I was used to, and it was really hard for me to focus in class. So it was like a very long adjustment period for me to get used to online school.
LC 05:20
Yeah.
MO 05:21
So when you first heard about COVID, where were you, and what was your initial reaction? Like, were you worried or anxious? Or what did you feel?
LC 05:31
Um, I think the first time I heard the phrase COVID-19, it was actually in December, late December or early January. But I was at school. I was just kind of like, talking with my friends. And they were like, "Oh, like, I heard there's a virus in Wuhan." And we were all joking around. And I was like, "Oh, like, that's just like, the Ebola virus. Like, it's not going to come here, you know?" Like, why would it? Ebola didn't come here. People were scared about that. And like, I just didn't really see it as a possibility that much. So I wasn't really anxious at all. Yeah, it was just kind of like, a outsider's problem,
MO 06:13
So how was your experience doing school? How did it like, change your relationship with doing school like, going to college? Did it change your outlook on your career or anything like that?
LC 06:26
Um, well, my experience during school remotely, like I said before, it wasn't the best. My grades were definitely affected by the fact that I couldn't sit in a classroom and like, be focused, and like, in an environment where like, I don't know, it's like, all about learning and not about like, "Oh, my brother is playing the piano again, or like, my sister's, XYZ," because I have four siblings. And we don't live in a very big house. Yeah, we didn't live in a very big house. So it was really difficult for me. But in terms of my career, I think the only thing that changed really was that before COVID, I kind of had like, this like idea like, maybe I want to go to college outside of New York City. But it wasn't exactly solid, because like everyone in my family went to college in New York City. My dad went to college in New York City, so it was kind of like what was expected. But for some reason, after COVID, I was kind of like, "I want to get out, like, I want to see other places." College felt like my only chance to like, go outside and like explore. And I guess like being inside all the time kind of made me like, wants to like jump out and go to Boston. So...
MO 07:45
Yeah. So what was a positive thing that you took out of this whole experience looking back?
LC 07:56
A positive thing that I took out, I guess, was kind of like, realizing that it's okay to be alone. I think before COVID, I was like, constantly stimulated by something like, going to school, going outside. If I was ever alone, like I gave myself something to do because like, I didn't really like being alone. I had to like, hang out with my friends all the time, but during a pandemic, you can't exactly do that. So, even though it was pretty bad at first because I was like, I don't want to do nothing like, I want to do something, but there's nothing to do, and I was kind of going crazy about that. I realized like nothing bad happened, so it was okay. Like it was okay to be alone. It was okay to have nothing to do. And I guess I kind of improved my relationship with myself in that way. So I think that was a very positive thing that I took out of the whole quarantine experience. Yeah.
MO 08:55
Okay, that's good enough.
LC 08:57
Yeah.
MO 08:57
All right.
Item sets
This item was submitted on September 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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