Item
Haig and Tia Oral History, 2021/09/21
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
Haig and Tia Oral History, 2021/09/21
covid interview
Description (Dublin Core)
I think it's really important to document everyday life during the pandemic because soon everyone will forget what it was like.
CURATOR'S NOTE: Two current freshman in college discuss losses and reactions to the changes caused by the pandemic. Online learning and the problems or pitfalls to the switch to school over Zoom are discussed in depth. In addition, topics of family, friends and the reaction of the US government are covered.
Recording Date (Dublin Core)
Event Identifier (Dublin Core)
Partner (Dublin Core)
Type (Dublin Core)
Audio
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Online Learning
English
Education--K12
English
Education--Universities
English
Home & Family Life
English
Environment & Landscape
English
Government Federal
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Contributor's Tags (a true folksonomy) (Friend of a Friend)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
09/21/2021
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
10/01/2021
04/28/2022
04/04/2023
10/27/2023
Date Created (Dublin Core)
09/21/2021
Interviewer (Bibliographic Ontology)
Haig
Tia
Interviewee (Bibliographic Ontology)
Haig
Tia
Format (Dublin Core)
audio
Coverage (Dublin Core)
March 2020 - September 2021
Language (Dublin Core)
English
Duration (Omeka Classic)
00:05:33
abstract (Bibliographic Ontology)
Two current freshman in college discuss losses and reactions to the changes caused by the pandemic. Online learning and the problems or pitfalls to the switch to school over Zoom are discussed in depth. In addition, topics of family, friends and the reaction of the US government are covered.
Transcription (Omeka Classic)
Tia
Hi, I'm Tia.
Haig
My name is Haig.
Tia
Do you give consent to be interviewed for the COVID-19 archive project?
Haig
I do give consent.
Tia
Can you please state the date and time?
Haig
It is Tuesday, September 21. At 2:15pm
Tia
What impacts would you say that this pandemic has had on your life and those around you?
Haig
So when the pandemic hit in junior year, I was online school for the rest of that year, and then my entire senior year. And that really impacted me because I'm not that kind of learner. And I miss the in person learning. And also the school is really easy since it was over zoom. So that made the transition back to in person classes and the transition to college in general, really, really tough. Also, I got spend more time with my family, which definitely helped the family dynamic. And we got closer just as a whole.
Tia
Have you picked up any new hobbies or interests? And what changes have you made to your lifestyle?
Haig
So, when the pandemic hit, I was in rural Pennsylvania, and I picked up some hobbies such as fishing and hiking, because I was in the area and had the time to do it. I just got outside a lot more. I even rode dirt bikes in my free time. And I just really embrace the countryside life because of the pandemic and the time it gave me
Tia
How is your experience of the pandemic changed from the beginning to now?
Haig
So at the beginning of the pandemic, I honestly kind of enjoyed it. Yeah, so it was really tough to see the news, but I had lots of land to play with. And I, we were pretty isolated from any big cities. So where I was, there weren't a lot of COVID cases, and I had minimal responsibilities and a lot of time. But now though, like, I'm back to having responsibilities, and we still have to deal with COVID. And additionally, the now that we still have COVID, and we're still living normal life, it creates a bunch of new problems, because like, I've lost friends who are anti vaxxers, due to them not being able to either go to a certain college or go to summer camp. So that's definitely changed my life.
Haig
And now I'm going to interview Tia. So what would you say your biggest inconvenience in your life due to the pandemic?
Tia
I would say one of the biggest inconveniences was like being virtual, my entire senior year and part of my junior year. And it was difficult to stay in front of a computer all day and like not be able to communicate with others. And it was also pretty hard to stay motivated, with school being virtual. And my school did like eventually offer a hybrid option. But the option wasn't a lot of people didn't do that option because you'd still be on zoom in front of a computer in class.
Haig
So would you say your family dynamic change due to being with them a lot more?
Tia
I would say that the dynamic changed and allowed us to be come more closer. And sometimes it was like overwhelming because you'd hear everyone preoccupied with their work. And you could hear my parents like always on calls. And me and my sister on zoom. But I think overall, it allowed us to become closer, which is good.
Haig
For sure. Did the pandemic affect your mental health at all, either positively or negatively?
Tia
I would say that the pandemic affected my mental health negatively. And like I said before, it was difficult to stay motivated during school and it was kind of isolating not being able to see family and friends.
Haig
Did you agree with how the United States responded to the pandemic?
Tia
I feel like the US didn't really have a solid plan in response to the pandemic initially. And we locked like resources like COVID tests. And during the former administration, there was like a stop in terms of funding for the World Health Organization. And the US also withdrew from the World Health Organization. So I don't think that the US was prepared to respond.
Haig
What do you think the silver lining of the pandemic was?
Tia
The pandemic allowed for people to spend more time with their families and get closer to them. And technology has been also used in new ways, which allowed for schools to be virtual and for be able to work remote work remotely. And there's also been more telemedicine which is convenient in certain in certain circumstances. And there, it also benefited the environment because there was less car pollution.
Hi, I'm Tia.
Haig
My name is Haig.
Tia
Do you give consent to be interviewed for the COVID-19 archive project?
Haig
I do give consent.
Tia
Can you please state the date and time?
Haig
It is Tuesday, September 21. At 2:15pm
Tia
What impacts would you say that this pandemic has had on your life and those around you?
Haig
So when the pandemic hit in junior year, I was online school for the rest of that year, and then my entire senior year. And that really impacted me because I'm not that kind of learner. And I miss the in person learning. And also the school is really easy since it was over zoom. So that made the transition back to in person classes and the transition to college in general, really, really tough. Also, I got spend more time with my family, which definitely helped the family dynamic. And we got closer just as a whole.
Tia
Have you picked up any new hobbies or interests? And what changes have you made to your lifestyle?
Haig
So, when the pandemic hit, I was in rural Pennsylvania, and I picked up some hobbies such as fishing and hiking, because I was in the area and had the time to do it. I just got outside a lot more. I even rode dirt bikes in my free time. And I just really embrace the countryside life because of the pandemic and the time it gave me
Tia
How is your experience of the pandemic changed from the beginning to now?
Haig
So at the beginning of the pandemic, I honestly kind of enjoyed it. Yeah, so it was really tough to see the news, but I had lots of land to play with. And I, we were pretty isolated from any big cities. So where I was, there weren't a lot of COVID cases, and I had minimal responsibilities and a lot of time. But now though, like, I'm back to having responsibilities, and we still have to deal with COVID. And additionally, the now that we still have COVID, and we're still living normal life, it creates a bunch of new problems, because like, I've lost friends who are anti vaxxers, due to them not being able to either go to a certain college or go to summer camp. So that's definitely changed my life.
Haig
And now I'm going to interview Tia. So what would you say your biggest inconvenience in your life due to the pandemic?
Tia
I would say one of the biggest inconveniences was like being virtual, my entire senior year and part of my junior year. And it was difficult to stay in front of a computer all day and like not be able to communicate with others. And it was also pretty hard to stay motivated, with school being virtual. And my school did like eventually offer a hybrid option. But the option wasn't a lot of people didn't do that option because you'd still be on zoom in front of a computer in class.
Haig
So would you say your family dynamic change due to being with them a lot more?
Tia
I would say that the dynamic changed and allowed us to be come more closer. And sometimes it was like overwhelming because you'd hear everyone preoccupied with their work. And you could hear my parents like always on calls. And me and my sister on zoom. But I think overall, it allowed us to become closer, which is good.
Haig
For sure. Did the pandemic affect your mental health at all, either positively or negatively?
Tia
I would say that the pandemic affected my mental health negatively. And like I said before, it was difficult to stay motivated during school and it was kind of isolating not being able to see family and friends.
Haig
Did you agree with how the United States responded to the pandemic?
Tia
I feel like the US didn't really have a solid plan in response to the pandemic initially. And we locked like resources like COVID tests. And during the former administration, there was like a stop in terms of funding for the World Health Organization. And the US also withdrew from the World Health Organization. So I don't think that the US was prepared to respond.
Haig
What do you think the silver lining of the pandemic was?
Tia
The pandemic allowed for people to spend more time with their families and get closer to them. And technology has been also used in new ways, which allowed for schools to be virtual and for be able to work remote work remotely. And there's also been more telemedicine which is convenient in certain in certain circumstances. And there, it also benefited the environment because there was less car pollution.
Item sets
This item was submitted on September 21, 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
Click here to view the collected data.