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Ohio
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2021-09-06
Terrariums out of Boredom
Covid took us away from everything and reality was hard to cope with. I decided to retreat into nature. The struggle was that I hated being in my house and I couldn't stay outside forever. I decided that I would bring nature indoors and started to make terrariums. I was able to exercise, practice a hobby, create art. and safely quarantine all at once. -
2020-05
Pandemic In Ohio
During the pandemic it was certainly a struggle for all of us. In my rather large town called Hilliard, many didn't take the pandemic seriously. People straight up just did not care about what was going on, and were even convinced it wasn't real. Even students were denying to wear masks in school. When in came to the point of complete isolation people were surprised, as if they didn't see it possibly happening. I want people to know that this is pandemic is 100% real and it cannot be taken lightly. -
2022-04-10
How the pandemic brought together friendships
Pre-pandemic I had a strong, close-nit group of friends who we frequently made time to spend together whether it was a get together dinner, lunch or breakfast once a month, going to concerts, festivals, wine night or "just hanging out". Once the pandemic hit and we were on lock down we could no longer get together obviously. I was single at the time and has a very strong bond with all my girlfriends. Not being able to see them and interact mad me feel sad, sometimes lonely and some days depressed. When I reached out to my friends I discovered that they were having the same feelings. From that moment on we decided to have a virtual girls night/wine night once a week to stay connected. For many months once a week we video chatted while drinking our wine. Even though we could not physically be there with each other, it was the next best thing. For me, just being able to see their faces made so much of a difference. I felt very isolated during the pandemic and it definitely made me feel happier, less lonely and have something to look forward too especially because at the time I barely left my house. For some the pandemic caused people to lose relationships and become distant, but for me my bond with my girlfriends became stronger which I am thankful for. -
2022-03-31
COVID-19 and pregnancy: More new mothers dying, increasing women's fears during tense time
This is a news story from The Columbus Dispatch by Megan Henry. This story is about the rising fears of new mothers as COVID has increased their chances of dying. In 2020, motherhood mortality rate increased by 20% in the United States. There were also large disparities in who died, with Black women dying three times the rate of White women during pregnancy. Dr. Jason Melillo, an OB-GYN for OhioHealth claims that COVID is the main culprit for the rise in pregnancy related deaths. Pregnant women are more prone to complications from COVID, with things such as blood clots, stillbirth, and preeclampsia happening more often. This concern has made some couples only deciding on pregnancy until they have both been vaccinated. Dr. Melillo hopes that over time, mortality rates associated with pregnant women will go down. -
2022-03-24
Attending a COVID Wedding
My sister got engaged in October of 2019. At the time, we believed everything would go smoothly. My sister and her then fiancé planned for a wedding on October 10, 2020. It was a good thing it was that far in advance, as some people I knew that were planning for weddings in March or April of 2020 had to either reschedule their weddings or have a much smaller one than anticipated. One element of the wedding that made it unique for me outside of it being during COVID was that I had to travel across the country to get there, as the wedding was in Ohio, and I live in Arizona. At least I wasn't a bridesmaid, so there were less things I needed to really worry about. One thing that did bother me a lot was the plane ride there. I am not a fan of masks, as they give me lots of sensory issues and make it harder for me to understand what people are saying. I had to wear a mask for over three hours in the airport traveling to and from there. It was very uncomfortable too, given that planes themselves don't typically give you enough room to really feel like you can stretch out or lay down. I absolutely dreaded the plane ride even more because of the masks, but luckily the airlines were not bothered if I wore a cloth mask that I felt like I could breathe easier in. At least that was one mercy I got from all of this. Getting to the airport itself in Michigan before having to use a rental car to drive to where the wedding was, it made me sad to see so many shops and restaurants in the airport that were closed. For how many were shut down, I thought it was the opposite of helping, as it made it so people would crowd in the few places that were open for business, in addition to keeping people out of work that could have really used the money. When I got to the rental home my family was staying at for the wedding, it started to feel a bit more normal again. People were talking with each other without masks and for a moment, it made me feel like I was human again. The wedding felt the same way. Masks and hand sanitizer were still abundant for those that wanted them, but overall, people were acting like it was before the virus even happened. I was happy that the cases were low enough in Ohio for my sister to have a (mostly) normal wedding given the circumstances. Others were not nearly as lucky. Overall, it was a great time seeing family I didn't get to see as often, in addition to enjoying lots of dancing and good food. Unlike my wedding that happened in 2019, my sister wasn't able to go to the honeymoon destination she wanted until nearly a year after the wedding happened. She was also busy in school, so she couldn't afford to take time off for that at the moment anyway. If you were to look at the picture I posted for the wedding of my sister, you would assume that it wasn't during COVID. I'm glad my sister and my brother-in-law didn't wear masks for the wedding pictures because it's more fun to see people's faces, especially for an event like that. I am mostly just grateful that despite less than optimal circumstances to have a wedding, my sister was able to have a celebration she could look back on fondly. -
2021-10-15
The Love of Candles
Before 2020, I hardly ever burned a candle. My parents had forbid it, convinced me or my siblings were going to forget about it and burn the house down. My dorm room had extremely strict (and understandable) rules about open flames and heat sources. It wasn’t until I had graduated college and moved back into and then out of my parents’ house that I was free of these regulations. Even then, though, it never occurred to me to buy candles. My favorite scents were often nature-based and could easily be experienced by visiting the ocean, or the forest, or the occasional bakery. It wasn’t until the pandemic, when I was living in Ohio without being comfortable traveling to the ocean, or to the forest, or in public at all, that I turned to candles. Soon one impulse purchase of a sea salt and balsam scented candle turned into a constant hunt for all of my favorite scents, to bring me to places I didn’t feel safe or responsible traveling to. My collection grew rapidly, and for the past year or so I’ve had a candle lit in my home almost every day. I never thought something a simple as a $7 candle I found at TJ Maxx or Bath & Body Works could bring me so much peace, calming my need to return to my favorite far-off places until it is once again safe to do so. Don’t get me wrong, candles still can’t compare to the real smells I adore, but even a weak imitation is better than a scent-less longing. Even though I’m currently residing in Ohio, I can use candles to feel connected to my home state of California, or my favorite places to visit, bringing comfort and familiarity in a time that is anything but comfort and familiar. My bank account may not be happy with me given this new habit, but it’s a price I am willing to pay. -
2021-04-28
COVID-19 Has Hit The Amish Community Hard. Still, Vaccines Are A Hard Sell
Officials are having a hard time convincing Amish populations to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This has been attributed to cultural differences and it's believed they'll start getting the vaccine once it's been around for some time. In the meantime, there are fears that the communities will have more COVID-19 outbreaks. -
2021-03-02
Why Aren't Ohio's Grocery Store Workers Eligible Yet for a COVID-19 Vaccine?
Despite grocery store workers being essential frontline workers and a part of the CDC's vaccination recommendations, they were not given access to the vaccine in Ohio until it was open to everyone over the age of 16. While Governor DeWine insisted that age was the most important factor in determining vaccination eligibility, he neglected to realize the amount of exposure these essential workers were encountering daily. Also left out of earlier access to vaccines were public transportation workers, food and travel workers, U.S. Postal Service workers, and manufacturing workers. The vaccine is available to any Ohio resident over the age of 16 as of March 29th, but in more populated areas there have been issues with registration and long waits for the first dose. Including more occupations in the rollout of vaccines may not have prevented these issues from happening, but it could have ensured that those enduring more consistent exposure would have an easier time getting the vaccine, as they would not be battling the rest of the population for an appointment. -
2020-03-12
The Beginning
The picture that I uploaded was taken on March 12, 2020. This was the very start of the pandemic and stores were packed and peoples carts were al full. This picture represents the panic that was occurring and the unknown of how long the lockdown would be. -
2021-01-31
Venturing Outside My Comfort Zone
I moved to Ohio shortly before the pandemic hit, and quickly felt both trapped and lost when stay-at-home orders went into effect. I did not have enough time in the state to learn my way around, and actually grew somewhat agoraphobic, convinced something bad was going to happen if I left my neighborhood, which was the only place I felt familiar with. Throughout the entire summer, I rarely left the ten-mile radius around my house. As the summer ended and I recognized how fearful my life had become, I reached out to a therapist and began meeting with her virtually every couple of weeks. She encouraged me to venture out in the safest way I could, exploring the nature around me and getting more comfortable in Ohio. Autumn came and I chose one park a week, going on short walks and hikes, and I fell in love with the colors Ohio offers in the fall. Pictured here is one of my favorite adventures I’ve been on, Cuyahoga Valley National Park outside of Cleveland, where I got to see the most gorgeous fall colors. While the world is still frightening at the moment and we still have to be safe in public spaces, I was able to feel more at home here by connecting to nature. -
2020-12-25
covid holidays
My brother, parents, dog and me always go to Ohio to spend Christmas and new years with our family. This year, it was different. First of all, we had to wear masks on the airport and plane, and the seats were spaced out. When we went Christmas shopping we had to follow Covid rules to stay safe. Also, we usually go to our family's church for a new years celebration, but we skipped this year and went to see another part of our family in Kentucky for new years, because it was not safe. Sadly, the holidays this year were different, but at lease we were staying safe and keeping other people safe. -
2020-11-22
Voting during the pandemic
The 2020 election was supposed to be my first chance to actually vote in person: unlike my peers, I was only 17 during my senior year of high school, and I had spent almost all the subsequent years out of state. And while I might have had the opportunity to visit my polling place in 2019 that was no longer an option once I signed up to be a poll worker and was assigned a precinct that was not close enough to mine to make it during my lunch break. Covid already disrupted my plans to be a poll worker for the 2020 Ohio primary in March and I forwent the opportunity to work the polls during the general election due to the risk of virus spread. Although I myself do not have many risk factors, I live with my mother who is in a higher risk category and occasionally visit my grandmother who is even more so, therefore I try to limit my exposure as much as possible. With voting in person seeming too risky, I went with my old standby of voting by absentee. However, while I normally complete the entire process by mail (the Ohio Secretary of State automatically sends me a request form at this point), I did not feel entirely confident entrusting my ballot the USPS this year. Rather I made use of the drop box at the Hamilton County Board of Elections so that I could be assured my vote would count and not be affected by the widespread postal service delays partially induced by the virus. Thankfully, the BOE has the functionality to allow me to track my request form, my incoming ballot, and it being recieved and counted so I could be doubly sure of everything working. -
2020-05
Sick, Broke and Stuck at Home
This Is a story about my being at home during covid-19 endemic May 2020. By this point, we were 2 months into lice living with a pandemic in America. Things were not progressing as people thought it should have been. And on top of going through the pandemic, there was a racial war going on. So, Not only was I dealing with being a human being and trying not to get sick Or get my mom, my little brother who is only 5 years old sick, but I was also struggling with being a black woman in America. A black woman with black parents, two black fathers, and a black mother and brother. I was scared to death every day. I hope they're dying because of the pandemic or dying because of my skin. It's still a story is still a feeling that I go through every day. It is December now, but I have a little more hope because of higher beings that I'm hoping and putting a little faith in doing what we need them to do to better our country. Now the name of my story is sick broken at home because, during May 2020, I was all of those things. I was not because of the pandemic, but because I had crazy allergy attacks, I was allergic to something I didn't know I was allergic to, and I think I was just mentally sick. My anxiety was at an all-time high. I was depressed, and on top of the fact I was home with a younger brother who is also autistic, and although he is high-functioning, there are times where he just doesn't understand like most kids don't know what they're going through and why the world is now changing so fast. And having to deal with adult anxiety while also dealing with child anxiety and having to pinch pennies because the government hadn't given me the money I had applied for and been approved for. It was all depressing, and while I am blessed to say that none of my family members who got covid died, it was so scary to know how drastic you could be. Now I know I don't know for a fact if I had to live in there was a point in February where I had gotten very sick and my stepdad had gotten very ill as well to the where we self-quarantine to not get my mother and my brother sick. I had never felt so bad in my life, and I've been very ill for four to the point where I couldn't get out of bed, and whatever flu I had was worse than that. And not three, four weeks later that our country goes through basically a state of emergency with everyone shutting down on March 13th. It was my last day of work, it was my last paycheck, it was my last everything until late May, and I still have the bills to pay. I got claimed as a dependent the year before, so I was one of the millions of college students who didn't get the stimulus check and whose parents didn't get anything for them because they were between 17 and 25. Everything in the country was being held handled during that time did nothing for me; it did nothing to help my family or me. Every day was a struggle, and every day I felt stranded like I was just a number, and nobody recognized the pain everyone was coming through on more than one level. And then you also have people who we're refusing to do what is so simple to do and call minor things like wearing a mask, slavery. How damaging that was to a fair few amount of people, and I'm talking millions of people. This pandemic is not something I'm going to look on with anger or pain because, for one, I met good people after the fact. I had many things that happened to me for the better, but the month of March through May had to be the worst months I'd had in a very long time. And as someone who's been through a lot, that's not something I say lightly. My only hope is that a lot more good will come out of this unfortunate and heartbreaking situation than bad. -
10/13/2020
Patrick Murphy Oral History, 2020/10/13
Patrick Murphy, a delivery driver for a large online retail company, provides his thoughts and opinions on the Covid 19 Pandemic. Being a deliver driver he gives insight into how his job and the world he moves through has changed. Being twenty one years old Patrick discusses how the internet and social media has shaped his experience during the pandemic. -
10/19/2020
Maria Carney Oral History, 2020/10/19
I interview my maternal (and only living) grandmother over the phone about her experience of Covid while primarily self-isolating in her mobile home. There is not so much direct question and answer but over the course of a somewhat rambling conversation pretty much all the topics get covered. Although she remains pretty spry for her age, there are some places where she loses the thread or misunderstands the conversation. -
10/10/2020
Claudia Wall Oral History, 2020/10/10
An interview between Camden Bailey and their aunt, Claudia Wall, whom works as a care provider in an independent retirement community. Mrs. Wall who is in the senior demographic herself talks about providing care for elderly residents while living in a retirement community herself (however, the community she lives in is just for seniors 55+, the one she works for has nurses and staff around to help residents, where she lives does not). Please note, due to the familiar nature between the two, Mrs. Wall will refer to Mrs. Bailey as "Larissa" or "Riss" at times (this is just Mrs. Bailey's middle name/a nickname for it). -
10/04/2020
Lucas Hynes Oral History, 2020/10/04
In this Oral history, I interviewed my brother Lucas about his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a freshman at the University of Cincinnati, and the interview focuses on that part of his identity. It begins with us talking about campus life in general. We also discussed his perceptions of COVID-19 both at the beginning of the pandemic and now. His perceptions have not changed much, although he believes that it’s important to listen to scientists as new information is released. We then talked about government response to COVID-19, as well as the response at the University of Cincinnati. Finally, he discussed things he felt he has missed out on because of the pandemic, and what he thinks school will look like going forward. -
10/01/2020
Jackie Fiora Oral History, 2020/10/01
Jackie Fiora has been a life long resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. As a licensed school nurse, Jackie shared her thoughts in this interview about the difficulties of maintain a safe school space during the pandemic. She also discusses her experience of living through the COVID-19 Pandemic and how it has affected her daily life. Having a nursing degree Jackie Fiora provides insight into the challenges that have arisen during this health crisis. Her background in both schools and healthcare has given her a front line view of how the Covid-19 has played out in Southwest Ohio. -
2020-04-15
All is Lost
I was an associate editor for our student magazine "The Lakelander" at Lakeland Community College. I became infected by Covid-19 on March 23, 2020, two months before I was to graduate with honors from the school. Our student staff gathered on-line to talk about our final magazine for the school year and we asked everyone to write about their experience with the pandemic. This was my submission. The Lakelander is print only, so it is unclear when or if these stories will be published. -
2020-03-19
Fighting Creative Blocks During Quarentine
Of course the pandemic hit everyone's motivation and zest for daily life pretty hard, but as an artist whose social circles are mainly comprised of other artists, I noticed an especially hard hit to the creative output of my peers. I've heard before that suffering and despair is supposed to bring out the best artists have to offer, but in reality the inverse is often true- Van Gogh painted the Starry Night while he was getting specialized care in a mental health facility, after all. It's hard to find your spark when it feels like the world is caving in on all sides, but I was determined to find a way to keep myself from falling into a months long creative drought I knew I'd find myself in if I didn't do something about it. I didn't have the energy or desire to touch full sized pieces, but I reasoned with myself that I could stand to go smaller scale to save on both energy and time without sacrificing the feeling of accomplishment that comes with a finished piece, and so the day before every non-essential business in town shut down, I ran to my local Michael's and picked up the cheapest acrylic paints I could find and 3 packs of six 2 inch square canvases. I tried to think of a subject that could easily be captured on such a small surface, but was also sure to spark joy in myself and perhaps others if i chose to share them, and landed on the topic of pets, since they were easily one of the biggest comforts for myself and everyone else I knew during our prolonged stints sitting at home. It was a good move, I think- looking at an an image of an animal for long periods of time never hurts your mood, and sharing photos of the finished paintings with my friends who own the animals pictured brought a boost of serotonin to both parties involved. More than one person suggested I start an etsy page and sell them, but I think I'm content to just let them be a quarantine hobby and act of kindness during a deeply depressing time. -
2020-07-21T21
Movie Night: Drive In Edition
Going to the Drive In movies was some of the most fun that I had during the Pandemic. This was something that I had not done in a long time before 2020, but once Coronavirus happened going to a normal theater was not a possibility. It was really nice to be able to do something enjoyable, such as watching a movie in public, and not have Covid dominate the experience. While sitting outdoors, under the stars, it was almost as if things were not so unusual right now. When you go so long not doing the things that you like to do for fun, going to watch older movies out doors can become a highlight of the summer. Drive Ins have seen a resurgence in popularity during the Pandemic, the outdoor and spread out nature of cars and Drive Ins has led to many events being able to take place that might not have been able to otherwise. It would be cool to attend a Drive In concert with a band performing. I believe that I will be going to the Starlite Drive In more often than I had in the years before 2020. Also it was good to support a small business during the pandemic. -
2020-08-25
Wendy's During Corona Season
A job in food service is almost never fun. However, a global pandemic tends to somehow make it worse. I work at Wendy's along with my friend Trinity (pictured in photo #2). Working at the same restaurant before and during the COVID-19 pandemic allows us to really experience the impacts of it all, and we see the changes every day. Wearing masks, gloves, and sometimes face shields, at all times is just one example of the "new normal" in food service. The lax environment of work before the pandemic seems almost comedic compared to what is now required. However, the internal changes during COVID-19 are a drop in the bucket compared to the change in how customers treat us. What used to be a few rude customers in a majority of nice customers has completely changed. It may be the fear of the virus, or the newfound unfamiliarity with the outside world, but food/customer service has never been so taxing on workers. -
03/30/2020
Deborah Lydon Oral History, 2020/03/30
Title: Interview with Deborah Lydon by Lauren Meister Creator: Deborah Lydon and Lauren Meister Date: 03/30/2020 Description: This interview from Deborah Lydon highlights the response to the coronavirus (or COVID-19) pandemic within the context of the Midwest. Her insight as a healthcare lawyer with a background in biology gives a different perspective to her evaluation of the situation compared to someone in a different field of study. This interview was conducted during the second week of required social distancing as required by Mike Dewine, the Governor of Ohio. -
03/21/2020
Susan Gould Oral History, 2020/03/21
Susan Gould describes her preparations for COVID-19 and what everyday life is like in a state mandated lockdown. She also explains how her employer, Menorah Park, a nursing home located in the epicenter of Ohio’s Covid-19 outbreak responded to the pandemic. -
2020-04-28
Local Coffee Shop Extends Delivery Service
Instagram page @lifeincolumbus shares photograph of masked coffee delivery from local shop Jennings Java Coffee Roasters