Items
topic_interest is exactly
Boston
-
2020-12-04
Northeastern University HIST 1323 Optional Assignment Prompt
This is an optional assignment given to students in Northeastern University HIST 1323, History of Boston, taught by Dr. Rabinovitch in Fall 2020. -
2020-03-13
Pandemic's Struggles and Benefits
I was a college senior at Boston College from 2019-2020. I remember having a job opportunity lined up, an apartment lined up, and the rest of my school year lined up as well. Upon return from spring break, we were all told to go home and that we had 3 days to gather our things and say goodbye... Upon losing my job, my friends, and my school, I did not know what to do, especially with a deadly virus in the air. Out of this journey, though, I applied to grad school and ended up achieving my dreams of getting a Master's in History. So, the pandemic had its struggles but it also had its benefits and I am a prime example. -
2021-12-08
Tiffany Lam and Daniel Barry Oral History, 2021/12/08
It connects the COVID pandemic to past pandemics, and the future. -
2021-05-09
Boston Lockdown
The JFK Library and Museum closed during the shutdown and I lost the best job I ever had. I graduated Boston University without a ceremony. I spent my first year in grad school on zoom. I ended up living with my 2 adult siblings and my parents who were either working virtually or not at all. I decided that I would take the time at home to learn things that I had always intended to, mostly because I didn't want to lose my mind. I baked bread, lots of bread: challah, bagels, cinnamon rolls, babka and more. I knit a complicated sweater. I sewed masks for my friends and I played games with my family. I research and organized 7 generations of my family's pictures, documents, videos and newspaper clippings. I started growing vegetables and flowers and I watched hundreds of English Premier Soccer games. The most fun I had was hanging out with my dog. For Halloween I made he and I costumes from the movie Rear Window. I feel like I did my best to survive the Plague, I am proud of all I was able to accomplish and I have more good memories than I thought was possible. I appreciate the normal things I took for granted pre-pandemic and I look forward to the end. -
2020-12-09
covid vs homelessness
Unfortunately most to all homeless people do not have health care meaning if for some reason they got infected by covid, they would not be able to get tested nor treatment to due the lack of insure . Homeless people often use others peoples belongings for survival leading to many homeless people contracting the disease without the correct medical care which became fatal to their lives. -
2020-12-09
Shopping during covid
we've all been able to shop at our convince with no troubles until covid. Now shopping isn't as simple as It was before. Now we are urged to wear face protection, a certain number of customers are only allowed in at a certain time, creating long lines out side of the shopping establishments. The severity of covid was at an all time high closing most to all retail stores, leaving open the essential need stores, such as grocery, convenience and pharmacies. -
2020-12-08
Big Events Now Virtual
Whether it be a sports game, musical or concert, its not happening in person during covid. Covid has made social distancing a top priority, meaning that huge gatherings in confined spaces probably won't work. Sports events including the NBA & NHL took the route in keeping there players safe from the disease by implementing the "bubble" which ultimately isolated the players from all contact except for games and practices. No concerts are in session as well as musicals, they can be shown virtually on the other hand. -
2020-12-09
Covid Testing Zones
as April as covid was trending upwards becoming more of a concern I decided to get tested along with my father. Knowing the virus is such wide spread and many people would be getting testing they would have a fast functioning and safe testing center, this is not always the case. Typically you would find yourself in a Long line with many others waiting about 30-1hr to first get seen than tested. most people would not abide by the social distancing rules, get to close to each other in line. -
2020-12-16
Suffolk Softball During The Pandemic
These photos were taken during the pandemic at our practices. As you can see, we are all wearing masks in the photo along with there only being a few of us in each of them. This really shows the differences between before and after Covid. There are no pictures of team events because we weren’t allowed to do anything with more than 10 people so we were on zoom a lot of the time for meetings and team things like study hall. This was a hard time for all of us and not being together through it all, a few people quit and stayed home so it was extremely different from times before everything happened. It was difficult to keep the mask on and breathing was quite hard as well, we took many socially distanced breaks to get a drink and pull our masks down for a minute or so. This is important to understand how different sports were throughout before the pandemic versus while we are in it and trying to figure out different solutions to problems. Every team had to go through the same thing we did with masks and social distancing and cleaning properly but it just adds to more about Suffolk Softball and how captured the moments throughout the pandemic which is important to archives. -
2020-12-08
Covid Vs School
It was my senior year, school was seemingly fine until the virus hit. At first we were all out of school without a learning plan. As a week or so went by schools all over the US began to use Zoom. Zoom is a virtual classroom environment that allows teachers to easily share their screen as well as their assignment plans virtually from anywhere with an internet connection. -
2020-12-11
Mother’s Journal Entries During Covid
Corona was definitely hard for many families with health problems. I feel as though it was also difficult for families with people on the frontlines of the virus. My mother is a nurse at a local hospital. Because of her job, none of my family members and/or friends wanted to be around me. She works in the ICU so she is dealing with Covid positive patients constantly. Her journal entries include how she felt while working her job as well as how it affected her family-wise. -
2020-12-16
Suffolk Softball Before the Pandemic
These photos represent what softball at Suffolk was all about before the COVID pandemic started. As a team, we did everything together and that was normal and we did not have to wear masks and socially distance. We did Christmas events together and team Thanksgiving and it allowed us to really bond as a team and have that comradery every team looks for. We also went on the annual spring trip to Florida to play softball and our coach planned fun events throughout the two weeks we were there. But it all ended so fast because Covid hit and that made our trip end differently than ever imagined. These photos are good for future historians to look at to be able to compare to suffolk softball before the pandemic versus after. Photos make it more realistic and really give people a look as to what we did as a team. This is important to this archive because people can relate to it along with using this information to research further. -
2020-08-13
Fires With Family
With social distancing measures out in place when having gatherings, it is difficult to spend time with family and friends. During the pandemic, my distant family members and I decided to light a fire in the firepit located in my backyard with 6 feet in between us. We talked about what each of us have been doing during quarantine and ate delicious food made by others. This fire pit was used multiple times during the pandemic but for the same reasons. The only downfall of using this firepit for visits is that it can only be used in the warmer weather. I feel as though this photo is a necessity for a covid-19 collection. It shows what families go through to be near each other in this part of the country/world. -
2020-06-17
Final Time Seeing Family
During the beginning of the pandemic which was considered to be the worst of it, my grandfather had passed away after years of battling dementia. Only a select few could attend the wake and funeral. My aunts and uncles as well as the grandchildren attended. It was very difficult keeping the 6 foot distance between one another during such a sad moment in time. This photograph is my family and I after the funeral. You'll notice that none of us were wearing masks at this point. This photo captured the very last time I ever saw my family all together in person. This photo shows how bad the virus got over the last couple months in the South Shore of Massachusetts. -
2020-11-27
Virtual Gaming With Family
The pandemic has been hard for all close families. Mine was not able to see each other much at all due to quarantine and most of my family members having major health problems. Due to the fact that my family was not able to spend time together in person, my cousins and I decided to play games over Zoom together. My laptop was very helpful with doing this and was a necessity to keep in touch with family members. -
2020-12-01
Family Board Game Night
While in quarantine during this pandemic, my family and I were forced to spend much time together. We often wondered what we could do to make the time pass while most of us were out of work because of Covid-19. My family members and I, as well as my neighbors who we were quarantining with, decided that it would be a fun idea to start playing board games. These games consisted of Monopoly, What Do You Meme, and Cards Against Humanity. Playing these games brought my family closer together while fighting through a tough time in life. -
2020-12-14
What Effect Does A Pandemic Have On A Relationship? (Corrected)
As this interview is part of a collection exploring relationships and the exploration of sexuality during the Covid-19 pandemic, I really wanted to get to know some more about what it’s like to have a relationship altered by the pandemic. Luckily, I knew just the people. I reached out to two of my best friends on campus and asked if they’d be willing to speak about their experiences, which they agreed to. I already had an interview set up with a friend who went through a whole relationship (began dating and broke up) during the pandemic, but I felt it was important to explore multiple different types of relationships. This interview to me shows something about my generation living under Covid, as it shows how many of us felt like we were stripped of the indepence we gained when we left for college, and how we now have to navigate living at home again. In the case of these two, they also have to navigate being intimate and romantic with each other in this situation. -
2020-12-11
Suffolk University Houses Medical Workers During Pandemic
In this article, written by Caroline Enos from Suffolk University, it states how Suffolk was willing to open its arms to the medical workers in the area. This article really resonates with me because these are the same rooms that I lived in as a freshman, and now they are being gifted to medical workers. These 30 staff members who are working at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, are scared to go home to their families in hopes they would not get them sick. This article is definitely something of interest for future historians because it shows parts of the Boston community coming together to help each other and stay safe in the midst of a deadly virus. The story also resonates with members of my generation because we are seeing our University step up and give back to our community. -
2020-12-15
Pride 2020 Through Art: Queer Media as Lego Minifigures
When I had the idea to focus a mini collection on the expression of sexuality during the pandemic, one of the things that came to mind was Pride 2020. I myself was going to attend the event in Boston this year, however, like much of the United States, the celebration was cancelled. However, I knew that the LGBT community wouldn’t just let June pass by without some celebration. This post from Reddit displays how one individual spent pride month with the goal of turning individuals from queer media into Lego minifigures. Queer characters in movies and television are not all that easy to find, so this individual’s work had the potential to introduce anyone who stumbles upon their posts to queer characters. This in itself amplifies the voices of the LGBT community, by in a way calling for the normalization of queer characters in media, and giving them a way to share their identities through projects they create. -
2020-12-13
What Effect Does A Pandemic Have On a Relationship?
As this interview is part of a collection exploring relationships and the exploration of sexuality during the Covid-19 pandemic, I really wanted to get to know some more about what it’s like to have a relationship altered by the pandemic. Luckily, I knew just the people. I reached out to two of my best friends on campus and asked if they’d be willing to speak about their experiences, which they agreed to. I already had an interview set up with a friend who went through a whole relationship (began dating and broke up) during the pandemic, but I felt it was important to explore multiple different types of relationships. This interview to me shows something about my generation living under Covid, as it shows how many of us felt like we were stripped of the indepence we gained when we left for college, and how we now have to navigate living at home again. In the case of these two, they also have to navigate being intimate and romantic with each other in this situation. -
2020-12-08
Six Foot Seating
This photo shows a bench that is an advertisement for the dating app Bumble located in Boston’s Seaport district (exact location unknown). The bench has two seats, with space for social distancing between, which goes to show how far people are taking social distancing guidelines. Bumble makes use of participatory content here to engage the public to interact with their advertisements, which may lead to more interest in further interacting with the app. This object has the potential to interest future historians, as it shows how brands used the pandemic as ways of advertising. It also shows the ways in which not only we changed, but the physical objects around us changed to adapt to the pandemic. -
2020-11
Working in a pandemic
This shows how it can be difficult to remember all the changes the pandemic has created. People forget things, like the new one way aisles. Not everyone has malicious intent when it comes to the pandemic. One way aisles were created in stores and such to allow for social distancing in the aisles. This is probably one of the most ignored new guidelines, but at least the effort is there. As long as people try their best to follow these guidelines it is important not to judge people to hard. It seems this generation tends to want to judge people for forgetting to follow some of these guidelines, but everyone is learning together. People should not take all of this to heart. It can be difficult to check if there is an arrow, especially since not all stores use them. -
2020-05-04
Pregnant in a Pandemic
This object is a webpage from the Mass General Hospital website. This is the Obstetrics and Gynecology page. It is an update for all their patients. The title of this article is “Mass General Remains Safe, Ready for Expectant Families During COVID-19". It was uploaded in May of 2020. I choose to read this because I am planning to deliver my baby in February at Mass General, which will be mostly likely still during this pandemic. This article highlights the precautions being taken during Pandemic for mothers delivering at Mass General. -
2020-09-09
Pregnant in a Pandemic
This photo was taken by me in the hospital elevator after leaving the OBGYN, this was the first visit I was allowed to be accompanied by my partner. I wanted to share it on my instagram story. Due to Covid-19 Chris would have to wait in the car while I would go in alone. We are finally far enough in my pregnancy that he can come and assist me. The photo I’m holding up is the ultrasound of our baby girl, we just got it printed at the appointment. And my partner is smiling with all his excitement, but it is under his mask. This item demonstrates the significance of couples becoming parents during this pandemic generation. It’s very regulated, restricted, hidden by masks, and constant changing hospital policies. -
2020-09
College During COVID-19
The first semester of college can be an extremely challenging time for incoming freshman students in a "normal year," nevertheless during a pandemic. The first semester of college holds so many changes- living on your own, financing money, attending more rigorous classes, making new friends, exploring a new city, and so much more. In a regular year, students can easily adapt to these changes, especially by making new friends and exploring a new city, as there are not usually many gathering restrictions. This year, freshman have had to determine new ways to meet people and how to have as normal of a freshman experience as one could. These adaptations can be seen in many shapes and forms. For me, I decided that I needed to be even more social than I normally would be in a year without a pandemic, leading me to foster resilience. I decided to start conversations with people who I rode the elevator with, people walking around campus and people in the hallways/lobby/common spaces of the Westin. These forms of communication led me to meeting many new people and finding a solid group of friends of whom I enjoy spending time with. After meeting people that I truly connected with and who the conversations flowed naturally with, I would make further plans with them to meet up again. At the beginning of the semester, this was a difficult task because Northeastern prohibited us from entering any room other than our own, so we needed to find new places to hang out. Oftentimes I found my friends and I exploring the city, watching TV in the common rooms, shopping on Newbury Street, and going out to dinner together. This proved to be quite expensive. The many challenges in which incoming freshmen faced this semester have led to many freshmen, including myself, fostering resilience. We have seamlessly adapted to the overwhelming hurdles in which we faced with positive mindsets and optimism. Overall, this unique semester has given me some of the best moments of my life, despite the ongoing pandemic! My story of my first semester of college proves that the one can make the most of their time throughout the pandemic if they respond with optimism and adaptability! The photo included in this archive pictures my new friends and me exploring the city on a warm fall night! -
2020-06-30
2020 Goals from June 30
This item was created in June when I had fully decided to stay home for the semester rather than renting an apartment close to campus. It was another ploy to create some kind of hope that this lockdown would be over in the next few months. There are four major sections divided into my dream room since I was allowed to remodel it (spoiler: the only thing that changed was my new bed and shifting the furniture), clothing, places that I was hoping to visit, and random photos that I wanted for my ‘aesthetic’. The only one I came even close to completing was the clothing with my four pairs of plaid pants and mountain of sweaters. Out of all the criteria listed, I think that this “item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020”. During the beginning of lockdown, self-improvement was a topic that many people in my generation along with others were attempting to tackle with this time at home. For this photo, it highlights my personal life and the things I thought was important during this time. I connected this with the Social Dilemma documentary because I did post it to Instagram for a reaction, showing the importance of social media and my computer through Photoshop is important for my life. -
2020-04-06
Hospital COVID-19 Visitors Rule
This call was informing her a month before her due date that she was NOT allowed, visitors. This was one of the many different calls that caused a nerve-racking feeling. We had been in quarantine for about three weeks and it was determined that she had to go through this all alone. This call was very important because it is something you never want to be taken away from you. Sharing moments like these with your family are very valuable and in a very tough situation, you need a support system. Her spouse was not allowed either. The last month of her pregnancy she had to face alone up until the moment she was in the labor delivery room. At this point, she feared she wouldn’t be allowed to have anybody in the room with her. Luckily, Massachusetts laws allowed her to have at least one. -
2020-03-25
Mandatory shopping orders implemented to help pregnant women
When these orders by the state and corporations were released everyone was reading them. These played a very important role in ethics. Governor Baker and many stores like Target released orders to implement for shoppers during the pandemic. There were large crowds, long lines, and hectic shopping everywhere, these orders were placed to help those at a disadvantage. Baker said stores must allow an hour before regular hours for those 60 or older and this included disabled people and pregnant women. Target‘s order specifies that pregnant women were allowed to come in during shopping hours that were restricted to these certain groups of people. This is a very ethical thing to do for these people. Standing in line or being high risk in crowds was very dangerous for everyone, but especially for these people. These orders relate to an ethical archive piece that represents how pregnant women were treated during the pandemic. This was a small advantage for them in these unprecedented times. These were put out to reassure their accountability if a situation struck out where these people were put in danger in the crowds when shopping. Also, they both acted in this very quickly, they knew it was ethically the right thing to do, in order to protect these people with a disadvantage or at high risk. -
2020-11-18
Shutdown of history
One of the core aspects of Boston is the bustling night life offered on many streets. This is facilitated by the amazing restaurants and bars that are located throughout the city. However, it has been sad to see some of the oldest bars shutting down because of COVID with no plans to reopen even after the pandemic is over. Bars like Whiskey’s, the Pour House, Flat Top Johnny’s and The Field Pub all carry with them history of Boston life with the Pour House even being home to some incredibly famous people’s favorite foods. It saddens me that these places may never open again because I walked past them almost every day that I was living in Boston whether I was going to work or just going on a stroll of the city. These places will close and lose the history that they unknowingly carry, but they will be kept in the eye of history when future generations talk about the economic hardships brought by this pandemic. -
2020-11-04
Ghost Town
This is a picture of one of the most popular and bustling tourist spots in Boston. Here is a picture of it during Covid-19 pandemic. A once busy street packed full of residents and tourists going to get food at the many restaurants inside Quincy Market and people walking along the Freedom Trail packed this destination full of people. The sea of people that one would see here is a huge contrast to what is seen now, which is an almost eerie image of the empty plaza. Once this year is over and this virus is gone, this historic plaza will return to its former glory. -
2020-12-04
College During Covid
College has definitely been a whirlwind of emotions during the pandemic. As a freshman, my first year was far from traditional. Strict rules and regulations have been put in place and made it hard to meet new people and get the full college experience. As a student at northeastern, there have been many regulations such as no more than 1 to a table at the dining halls, mostly online classes, and no going to watch sports games. While this is hard because it makes it difficult to feel like part of a community at school, Northeastern has done a wonderful job of keeping its students and staff safe. In the picture provided, it captures the idea of Boston late at night, but instead of the usually bustling city, one can see that it seems to be rather calm. This is because Boston had implemented a 9:30 pm curfew for all of its residents. Because of this pandemic, the city and school life has been drastically different, and many students are looking forward to less regulations when this pandemic is over. -
2020-11-30
Back-to-Back Fully Online Semesters
As soon as the Coronavirus hit, everyone was affected in either how they would work or how they were getting an education. I am currently an architecture student at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. I think everyone had hoped that the pandemic would be wrapped up in just a few months but unfortunately it was not. By summer 2020 I was about to begin my second semester of sophomore year with it being fully online. It was an extreme learning curve, classes were all on Zoom, and there was limited communication between me and my fellow classmates. We had to adapt from the handmade models we had done in previous years to digital models on new programs we had not used before. Through the entirety of the summer online semester, we had high hopes that somehow the fall semester would be different. But it was not. While the promise of hybrid classes was presented, everything was still so unknown that many of those promises fell through. We were told of the potential of a few in-person studio days and many students, like myself, decided to live on campus or even sign leases for apartments. But we were again met with the harsh reality of those in-person classes not happening. My school had come out with a plan of in-person studio days and we juniors were shocked to see that only our grade was given zero. We argued for at least a few in-person days throughout the semester, especially after having spent the entire summer semester fully online. We were finally given an opportunity to have an in-person class. While it is the reality that some of these events were out of the control of the school, it is still taking quite a toll on the students. We are losing that essential in-person connection that we usually get with classes such as studio. With the Covid-19 virus still ever present in November of 2020, we all have dim hopes of what the Spring semester of 2021 will bring. -
2020-03-23
Working an Internship During a Pandemic
I do not think anyone could have imagined that we would find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic only three months into the year 2020. But everyone remembers where they were when they found out the world was turned upside down. For me, it was only two months into my first co-op experience. I was working at a construction management company just outside of Boston, MA. I was living in on-campus housing and was the only one in my suite there at the time because my roommates were home on Spring Break. I knew something was up when they extended the break and later told everyone that they had to move out. Panicked and not wanting to commute an hour and a half from my home in New Hampshire to my co-op, I applied to my school to allow me to stay. I was approved and was able to live in my six-person suite by myself. Then, less than a week later, I was told I needed to move out regardless of applying to stay because the coronavirus was spreading even more. I was also told I needed to be out of the dorms in less than 48 hours. My employer was great about it though, and very understanding. The next day, the Mayor of Boston shut down construction in the city and my co-workers began to start working from home. Soon, I was told I needed to work from home too. I had gone from sitting in on meetings to logging on. I saw some of my co-workers get furloughed while I was still working because they could pay me less. While I was losing the hands-on aspect and in-person contact experience that I was previously getting, I was now learning how to communicate with people in a different way, which included a lot of emails. Overall, while it was not the ideal first co-op experience, I still was able to learn a lot and gained invaluable experience all while living through a global pandemic. -
2020-12-01
Transportation Troubles
The decision to stay safe or risk quarantine has always been available to people, however with the small-scale reopening of schools among Boston's Colleges of the Fenway bordering the green line it is made more apparent. With the increase of people returning to some semblance of normal by using public transit, there has been discussion of an increase in prices for using such services due to the lack of financial stability. With this, there has been no massive shift yet, but there are noticeable increases being made that the public is wary of. Interestingly enough, this is restarting another conversation in the practicality of marketing public transportation. This in part references the lesson I was made aware of in my Boston History class, which talked of the backlash the greenline originally faced as it made its way into the unknown and potentially dangerous waters of underground transit. There was also discourse over charging for using such means of travel as it seemingly only affected the lower class that it served in majority as the middle to upper classes could travel independently. -
2020-12-01
From Lively to Eerie
When I think of Boston, I think of a bustling, never silent city. I picture many people walking on sidewalks, the T packed full, and stores and restaurants filled. Since COVID hit the city, it has completely changed. The city is much quieter than it used to be. The sidewalks are scattered with few pedestrians. The stores have fewer shoppers and close earlier, fewer people ride the T, and restaurants serve fewer sit-down meals. People just grab a meal and go back home. When my mom and I were driving through the city to drop me back off at school one day, she said how ghostly the city was now. I completely agree. The city is a ghost of itself; nobody was out that day. Nobody is out a lot of days. We saw nobody walking on the sidewalk. There was no car traffic, and all the restaurants were empty. The definition of a ghost is “a faint shadowy trace.” Boston right now seems like a faint shadowy trace of the city I met as a freshman. -
2020-11-18
Attending College in Boston During the Pandemic
I graduated high school in 2020 and decided to attend Northeastern University in Boston, MA. For my first semester I planned on traveling to London to study there through the NU.in program (program offered by Northeastern for alternate admission). Unforuntaly, once COVID ravaged through the world, we were no longer allowed to go to London. Instead, I decided to start my college career as a normal Northeastern student living in Boston. I think this experience is important to share because it gives one insight on what college life is like in a city school. Northeastern has very strict rules for obvious reasons, testing every 2-3 days, limited indoor gatherings, mask mandate on campus and much more. This is the safest way to go about this semester and it has allowed us to stay open, but if does hinder the college experience for students. It can be very hard to make friends in college and then on top of that, there is a pandemic which makes it hard to meet people under normal circumstances. Students voiced their concerns over this and got some rules to change (allowing a single guest per room, opening more meeting spaces, indoor dining etc). The school aspect is also very interesting, I think the majority of kids have 75% of their classes online, meaning learning through a zoom call/recorded video. Although it gets old quickly, learning online is a really good skill because it forced me to start taking learning into my own hands and be more independent with my work. However, I feel like this skill is a skill all college students learn early on in order to pass classes but I think that it was accelerated this semester due to the lessened student-to-teacher interactions. Overall, the experience has been an interesting one; there has been many highlights including exploring Boston and living in a hotel, but there have been lowlights as well, including, harder to be motivated during class, may be harder for some to meet people. -
2020-11-17
Beauty of Boston
Arriving as a freshman at Northeastern University, I found myself allured to the urban beauty of Boston. In these times it can be observed that the inhabitants of Boston are fewer, mostly at home, wear masks, and have totally changed their way of life. However, despite the pandemic, Boston's urban scape and landscape remain unhindered in its growth, development, and display. The backdrop beauty of the city is appreciated in these difficult times and keep its inhabitants - including myself - resilient and to press on. -
2020-11-15
My First Semester at College
My first semester at college has been interesting. It is odd, because to me, my first semester has been fairly normal. I do not know how different college would be because this is my first year here. So many things have become normal routine to me: wearing my mask everywhere, joining zoom for my 8 a.m. classes, getting a COVID test every 3 days, and having a limit on the amount of people in my room. For me, an introvert, the coronavirus has limited the possible interactions I would have had daily and given me and excuse to do work by myself or not go to crowded events/spaces. In a sense, it is really odd, but I have not been impacted almost at all. I have either adapted well or I just don't have a lifestyle that is heavily affected by the rules of the pandemic. My first semester has felt extraordinarily normal in a time that is anything but. -
2020-11-13
College During a Global Pandemic
I am currently a freshman in the Northeastern NU.in program living in Boston. Although initially on track to spend my first college semester living in London, I feel very fortunate to be able to attend in-person classes and get to explore the city of Boston. I know a lot of students who have to attend the entirety of their college experience online, and quite a few of my friends opted to defer to next year. 2020 has started a new era, not the roaring 20's everyone had hoped for but rather a complete cultural reset. Social activities are limited to small socially distanced groups and meeting new people in college just became 20x more difficult. It's interesting how conversations with friends has evolved to rely on heightened expressions of the eyes where most of the time you have no idea what faces lie beneath masks. I do however find that having these difficult experiences bonds the community in ways that weren't there before. Businesses ensure the safety of the public with health and safety precautions. The YMCA next to Northeastern campus has started to serve free meals, and Copley square continues to hold socially distanced farmers markets to support local produce. There is a sense of mutual understanding, shared emotions. Having in-person classes and NU.in events has helped me find a community of my own. With in-person classes however, comes cyclical COVID testing. I, myself, have become quite skilled at swabbing the back interior of my nose. It's hard to imagine life resorting back to normal, but I feel like my experiences of safely exploring Boston and navigating a bizarre college experience has proven to me that we are a resilient population that can endure and grown from the stresses of the pandemic. -
2020-09-07
An Unexpected University Routine in 2020
When I imagined my daily college experience growing up, it always included going to class, going to the dinning hall, and meeting up with friends. Never would I have thought that this routine would include setting aside 15 minutes of my day to go inside a socially distanced tent while wearing a mask, to submit a nasal sample to a testing lab. I knew coming to college during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic would be different than what I expected and I had accepted that frequent COVID-19 testing would be a large part of my experience. As a student at Northeastern University, it is policy to get tested at the university's testing site every three days. This process includes making an appointment, completing a daily wellness check, getting tested, and scanning your student ID to confirm compliance with the testing policy. Testing has become part of my daily routine as a student and is oddly something that feels very normal, when the whole concept of it is quite the opposite. I expect testing, along with socially distanced classes, online classes, and this altered reality to continue to be a part of my routine as a Northeastern student for a quite a while. However, I have accepted this and am glad to do so in order to participate in the college experience have awaited my whole life. -
2020-11-09
University in the Pandemic [MISSING MEDIA]
This is a picture I took in my hotel room in Boston of the zoom call I was on for my communications class at Northeastern University. I'm a freshman at Northeastern University and I've been able to experience college during the COVID-19 pandemic right on the front line. Unlike many of my friends who have been forced to stay at home because their colleges can't support in-person classes, I have been living in a hotel room in Boston for two months and attending classes regularly. Although I'm "in person", 3 out of my 4 major classes are entirely online and I spend most of my days sitting in my room tuning in to zoom calls. I would call this semester anything but the typical college experience, with most of my days spent in near isolation as my motivation ebbs away. In the age of the pandemic, it's harder than ever to find friends and the few freshmen who have found large groups have broken nearly every rule our university has set to try and keep us safe. It can be hard to stay positive, but I've done my best to keep my grades up and talk to my friends whenever possible. -
2020-11-07
Boston Celebrated Joe Biden's Victory in the 2020 election
This moment is an important moment in American history, as it marks the end of a tyrant. However, it's important to me because it will hopefully represent a shift in the handling of this pandemic, meaning we can get back to a regular life sooner. Donald Trump has not handled this pandemic very well, giving our country the highest one-day increase of any country and the deaths of nearly 250,000 people. I hope that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's inauguration will America get back on the right track. Their current plan for handling the pandemic looks very promising, and I cannot wait for them to work I also think that its really cool that my sister now has a role model that she can look up to in the White House, and while Ms. Harris may be the first, I am sure that she won't be the last. -
2020-11-02
South End Resilience
My name is Chandler Munson and I am a first-year student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Since I am apart of the NUin program, I am currently living in the Westin Hotel in Copley Square and am taking History of Boston as a culture class. Something that I've learned over the course of this semester is how to be resilient. The city of Boston has had to overcome so much with the current state of the Pandemic, yet people are still living their lives and bettering themselves. For my history class, I had to research the impact of Irish Immigration in Boston today, so I went with my group members to the South End. The South End was mostly inhabited by the Irish, so we went around finding historical sites and researching ways that the city has changed. One of the buildings that stood out to me was the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The Cathedral is a place of worship and was especially important to the Irish Catholics when they first came to Boston. When I saw the Cathedral in person, I was taken aback. It is truly a beautiful building with perfect landscaping and many religious statues. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Cathedral had to shut its doors and hold online services. This upset many who think of religious places as their safe places and where they can truly be themselves. After many months of following the social distancing and mask guidelines, the Cathedral is finally open to the public. Of course, there is limited capacity due to COVID-19, but the community feels whole again. Visiting the South End really drove home the idea that America can overcome any challenge that it faces and that we will be back and better than ever soon. -
2020-11-05
London to Boston
Last summer, in the beginning of the pandemic, I was planning on going to London my first semester of college. A group of students from Northeastern University and I would spend out first semester of college experiencing the city of London and getting to know each other. Because of the pandemic these plans drastically changed. I am now here in Boston for my first semester, not London. This image was taken by me at the Charles River and to me it represents resiliency. My peers and I as well as Northeastern demonstrated resilience by making the best out of a bad situation. Yes, we couldn't go to London. Instead we got to come here to Boston, a place I found to be amazing. The photo shows Bostons beauty from my perspective and represents how I am happy to be here, despite the circumstances. To me it illustrates the importance of resiliency in times like these. -
2020-03
March Madness
In the beginning of the pandemic during the month of March students, myself included, were advised to bring their stuff home as in person classes would be canceled for the duration of the school year. Pictured is my freshman year roommate, in half empty room as she moved out before me. This is a very sentimental image to me as its the last one I have of a room I truly cherished. Memories and friends were built and grew within that room, I believe it maybe the last authentic college experience that I have. I will never access to that space or room again and I will never be surrounded by the same students either as many of them have chosen to stay home this semester. This beginning of the pandemic and since there drastic changes to my life and others lives have been made. I now live by myself for the safety and concern of myself and others however it has begun to feel lonely and unlike a proper college experience. This picture demonstrates that last time that things felt normal, as we had no idea that it this pandemic would continue to the next semester and impact us so dramatically. -
2020-10-29
Keys, Wallet, Mask
The image I chose to share was of the basket of masks in my room. Never in my life could I have predicted that this would be something I have, never mind how much of a staple it would become in my everyday life. I think what I titles thing story holds a certain importance as well. Keys, Wallet, Mask, really emphasizes how much masks have come to be a part of my daily routine. Going from living at home to moving into my new apartment in North End during the middle of the pandemic in July, just minutes from Downtown Boston, I went from only wearing a masks when going to get groceries indoors to wearing a mask every time I walk out my front door, even just walking down the street. I truly has just become such a natural thing to have a mask on my face and for everyone I walk by to have one on as well. I think the significance of the mask during the pandemic and that it has really been the only constant in my or everyone’s lives throughout this COVID-19 experience. Every day I hear contradicting statements about the pandemic, not knowing what’s true and what’s not. My masks for me symbolize a sense of protection at a very vulnerable time in life. I’m not sure if they help or if they don’t, but I know for sure that wearing a mask has given me some sense of security throughout all this chaos and uncertainty. -
2020-10-28
Additional Quarantine Laws for Massachusetts and Connecticut
I submitted this link because it gives a lot of insight as to why quarantining is so important during a global pandemic, especially after traveling far distances and remaining in said location for over 24 hours. Traveling is something many of us are missing during this tough time, but this article informs me that we now have to take many precautions before proceeding to do so. We have to keep in mind how many people we have been exposed to, who they have been exposed to, wearing masks in every public place, etc. It’s crazy to think that this is our world now, as I think most of us never saw this coming as a long-term thing. These laws are important because they should persuade people to make decisions that will help flatten the curve, even if they have only traveled from one small state to another. Anything counts. -
2020-10-21
The New Normal for Kids
This is my great niece and her classmates at pre-school in Boston. They are busy playing with each other and are creating and building something wonderful together. They don’t even notice that they are wearing masks. I guess you could say that this is a snapshot of the pandemic through the eyes of children. They are so adaptable that they never even notice the annoyance masks can be to adults. In other words, if we all took a page from their playbooks, the world would be in a much better place right now. I am sure that when at home there are no masks, but in public, children seem to have no issue in protecting both themselves and their friends. -
09/19/2020
Chris Kane Oral History, 2020/07/19
In this interview, I (a Northeastern history student) interviewed one of my peers about his experience with covid-19, and asked him his thoughts about the pandemic as a whole and the impacts that it had on him and his family. This interview helps showcase the thoughts of a college freshman during the pandemic and how life has changed for him and others as a result of the virus, which I feel is critical since all factors must be considered when looking at the covid-19 pandemic historically. -
2020-08-16
The Hottest New Accessory
Masks. In the span of just a few weeks, I went from never having worn one before to wearing one nearly every day. As a person with several autoimmune diseases, COVID-19 poses an existential threat to my health. Masks are not just about being allowed in a grocery store, or avoiding the ridicule of others; they are a matter of survival. I have now amassed quite the collection, partly out of convenience- I never want to find myself without a clean one- and partly out of fear. We are now in the fifth month of COVID restrictions, with a distinct possibility of another five or more to come. What if there is another PPE shortage? What if I become too sick to sew my own? So dutifully I collect, buying and making and sharing, just in case. Written by Meghan E. Donahue, incoming junior at Suffolk University.