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2024-05-20
Walk With Me Surving Covid
This book takes you on Tracys journey as a COVID survivor through a traumatic experience. She is faced with losing her independence, having to rely on others, and letting go of a love she thought she wanted only to find the real love she needed. Tracy shares how she copes with depression and PTSD and lives and functions with it daily. This book is a powerful testimonial from a truly strong woman who shares how her faith was her strength -
2020-10-03
With Love
When travel restrictions were lifted, did you take a trip? -
2020-05-24
Fireside Chat Episode 3
Episode Three of Brooklyn High School of the Arts series COVID-19 Fireside Chats! Students share their stories from quarantine. -
2020-05-12
The Fireside Video Chat
Brooklyn high School of the Arts: "Our students are the best storytellers! Tune in this week to see "COVID-19 Fireside Chats". Stories from quarantine from Mr. Savage's US History class! Tonight, First Period! See the full video in the link below. You won't regret it!" -
April 5, 2020
LOVE in the pandemic
showing both the sad and happy parts of the pandemic; showing the stereotypical lonely images that oversaturated social media, and then showing a loving family to counteract these images -
2020-03-31
HIST30060 Lockdown #1: Activities and Alcohol
On 31 March 2022, the first lockdown was initiated in both Melbourne and Sydney. I was in Sydney at the time, having arrived a few days prior from Melbourne as border restrictions were starting to be introduced. I am slightly ashamed to say, now, that I really enjoyed this first lockdown. I hadn't lived at home since 2018, and it was a unique experience to enjoy time together that wouldn't have normally happened. We've always been pretty close, but the lockdown forced an intimacy that we'd never had before (it helped that my teenage brother was required to be at home and boredom had driven him to start having conversations with us again). I think mum and dad were consciously trying to keep lockdown interesting, and soon a weekly cocktail night (with a required lounge formal dress code), bi-weekly painting lessons via zoom and daily yoga with mum, nightly music sessions with dad, lego competitions with the old dusty lego sets, and weekend family walks were introduced. I had never done so much exercise in my life, and yet I had never consumed as much alcohol, either. Even when I lived in a flatshare as an eighteen-year-old. Alcohol quickly became a problem for me, one that I have yet to fully address although I have started to cut down. The taste of wine became associated with fun times with the people I loved, so of course, I loved it. And when the lockdown eventually lifted, I returned to Melbourne nearly friendless (having left before I got the chance to settle in and with little opportunity to meet new people), a cheap bottle of pinot grigio and I became good - if slightly toxic - friends. -
2020-08-08
Relearning to Cook
I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember, but I had a few rough years and stopped cooking. With the onset of stay-at-home orders for the COVID-19 Pandemic, I went from 60-hour work weeks between my two jobs to nothing. My mind and hands were itching to do something, anything. As many of the grocery stores started to have supply shortages and I now had a much more limited budget; I had to get creative. So, I began to cook. I started slowly with fancy coffee drinks and eggs and moved to bread and pasta. Nationally people were baking bread so I thought well I’ve got the time I might as well try. What started as something I had learned to dread suddenly became my day’s highlight. I was cooking again! The dance of moving through my small kitchen. The clank of pots and pans and knives and wooden spoons in metal bowls playing in time to Otis Redding. The joy of tasting a recipe and nailing both the flavors and the serving size (many recipes serve 4-6, I live alone). It was truly a full-body experience. I soon realized that I hadn’t repeated any meals in about two weeks and decided to challenge myself to go as long as possible without repeating a recipe, if a meal required a repeat that portion simply didn’t count in my tally. I ended up making over 225 different recipes. -
-0022-06-11
lossing loved ones during a pandemic
During this pandemic I was just getting adjusted to becoming a student again. I invested into some music equipment to provide my son and my nephew an outlet and something that could keep them occupied. The pandemic forced me to not be around my nephew and other family members. During September 2020 my nephew’s life was taken due to violence. This crushed my spirit and I felt like a failure. I lost two people I love ❤️during this pandemic my mother in January 2022 and my nephew. We were forced in isolation and could not spend quality time with each other. -
2022-04-29
My COVID-19 Story: Peace, division, and the paradoxical balance of the two.
The COVID-19 pandemic is largely associated with grief, pain, brokenness, division, and death. While that is true, it can also be associated with peace, quietness, solitude, growth, love, and birth. In my story, I try to strike the balance and prove that it is a paradoxical balance that can be weighed evenly. -
2020-03-15
COVID-19 Impact
COVID-19 took so much from me. It took people, friendships, experiences, and so much more. I have pictured a high school diploma. This represents the years I lost in high school but still pushed through and finished. I’ve lacked education from being online. I lost opportunities and experiences. I lost friends. And had scares of losing my father. Covid took so much from me and many others. -
2022-04-05
Big Changes to a Small Island
At the "heart" of Polynesia, (referring to its geographic location in the Polynesian triangle) American Samoa appears as another tiny dot on the map. Nevertheless, it means the WORLD to its 55,000+ people, and to some, it is all they have ever known as their home. It is also the southernmost territory of the United States (below the Equator) and the second to the last place on earth to always welcome the New Year LAST. Perhaps it coincidently depicts the slow-paced nature of the island to which many visitors claim that "it feels like time slows down", here at a piece of heaven on earth that is deeply rooted in the Christian faith and the "Fa'aSamoa", a.k.a the Samoan culture or literally, the "Samoan way of life". The people of our island are like a big tight-knitted family--we are all related anyway--when something good or bad happens on the west side of the island, news travels to the east faster or about the same as the speed of light! It has its disadvantages, but for the most part, it is a beautiful thing to see the collective reaction of our people when it is of happiness, support, and sympathy. When the coronavirus started spreading rapidly in the United States in early 2020, our territory continued its commercial flights until mid-March when Hawaii's cases started to rise. Since March 2020, our borders were closed to commercial travel for the next 11 months, not including cargo flights and ships. Residents were stuck in the States for nearly a year. The first of many repatriation flights finally began in February 2021. The repatriation flights took place once a month, during which passengers would undergo a strict process of testing and reporting, a quarantined stay in Hawaii for 12 days, and another 2-weeks quarantine upon arrival in American Samoa. Throughout all repatriation and medical flights, the quarantine process was still a requirement, which was how positive cases were caught and taken care of to prevent community spread. Fast forward to February 2022, exactly a year later, news of a COVID outbreak quickly spread when it was leaked on social media that the family of a Department of Health worker tested positive for COVID at the main hospital. The general public was seeking answers and taking their concerns on social media until later on that same evening the said family tested positive, the local news channel held a Livestream in which the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the COVID-19 Task Force officially announced the community outbreak of the virus. People rushed to the stores to buy necessities and food before the lockdown was set to begin at midnight. The lockdown was marked as Code Red, with curfews from 9pm to 4:30 am, and business hours to be from 8am to 4pm, while all government workers and non-essential employees are to stay home, except essential workers and first-responders. Students transitioned to virtual learning and now interact in class with options such as "raise hand" and/or "mute/unmute". Our people had to adjust very quickly to the new reality we now face. A small island once free with family gatherings, church services, and close human interaction as we are known for...now all of that sounds like a distant memory that will take some time to experience again. Beaches and parks used to be crowded with people and all the happiness they offer their surroundings, now empty and eerily quiet with a "CLOSED" sign nearby. We are masking up everywhere--with little to no physical interaction--so far with 4,700+ cumulative positive cases and a total loss of 7 souls, which has hit our dearest island with extreme sorrow. While the world has moved forward and learned to live with COVID, even opening back up and unmasking, our island is once again a little behind with the experience. It is only the beginning for us! Fortunately, our unwavering faith in God continues to be our ultimate Hope, along with the support of our loving families, beloved people, the United States, and our fellow Pacific islands. One thing we are sure of is that WE ARE RESILIENT PEOPLE, having overcome many challenges for centuries! This too shall pass...on the bright side, in order for it to pass, our journey with COVID had to begin. Now we must go through it, endure it, and overcome together AS one like we always do! God be with us...God IS with us. -
2020-04-16
Covid Consolation Puppy
A week after the first shutdown began in March of 2020, schools were shut down and I was no longer able to complete my student teaching. I was furloughed from my job and locked inside for what we originally thought would be two weeks. With no end to the lockdown in sight and nothing to do, it became stressful and quite boring. Living with my parents at the time, the entire family was locked inside and tensions were high. One day, my mom got a call from a former coworker whose dog had just had puppies a month prior. She offered us a puppy and my mom, knowing how sad I was at not having a job or an internship, accepted and I was able to pick any puppy I wanted. Freyja, my dog, was my Covid-consolation-puppy. She was very young and I was up all night and all day with her, potty training and playing with her. My time was entirely consumed by this puppy and I was never bored or alone again. We joke that she was a consolation puppy because I never got to complete the typical training any teacher before received. A few months after the first shut down ASU canceled graduation and went virtual, it was another blow, and knowing I would not be able to walk the stage to get my degree was tough to handle. However, Freyja made things easier and took my mind off things. She grew with me and she became my best friend and protector. When I moved out, she kept me safe. When I separated from a long-term partner, she was what I found joy in. I love my dog very much because she came into my life when I needed her most. -
2021-10-03
Homage to My Best Friend
This is an image of my dog, Dobs – I’ve shared him before on this archive, but I just needed to share this image and justify as to why this dog is so important to me. When the pandemic began, I found myself more isolated than normal, as many people had; I barely spoke to my friends online, and began withdrawing into myself more and more with each day. I would have been completely alone. I don’t have much to say, but this is my best friend; he’s been here with me through some of the worst experiences I have faced during the pandemic, I won’t go into them too deeply, but I am just happy to have this dog in my life, his friendly nature and his funny faces really have had an impact on how I’ve been able to cope with so much. -
-0021-08-31
Anger, Frustration, and Hope
In December of 2020 my family went to Florida to pick up our eldest daughter. All but one of us tried to be diligent in wearing masks, distancing and reducing the risks as much as possible. Yet despite that a week later, on Christmas day, my husband started feeling tired and slept most of the day. That was as bad as it got for him. The following Monday we were all feeling ill and I was in the car line being tested, it was positive. On New Years Eve I went to the hospital by ambulance with my oxygen levels in the low 80's. I couldn't say goodbye to my four kids (two in college and two in high school) because I didn't want it to be a final goodbye. I spent ten days in the hospital. Thankfully the constant oxygen, medications and antibody therapies did their job and I didn't need to be intubated. However, the virus wreaked havok on my body. My eyes hurt and would not focus, my body and joints ached, my focus and cognitive function was shot. I struggled to find balance and felt like I weighted a thousand pounds (heavy, oppressive weight). I struggled for breath yet the oxygen took its toll as well leaving painful ulcers in my nasal cavity and after two months of oxygen, a hole in my sceptum. My sugar levels were dangerously high and difficult to regulate and I shifted from a daily pill to needing four shots of insulin a day. It has been eight months and my body still has not returned to any sense of normalcy. I still struggle with controlling my sugar levels. My cognitive recovery has been slow and things that would take an hour in the past now take three or four (like reading and analysing text). I struggle with exercise as my lungs still have not healed. Even walking up a flight of stairs leaves me in tears as I struggle for breath and feel like I'm drowning. I have to divy up my workable time because my body will only do so much before it gives out. I struggle with odd symptoms. I struggle to sleep and struggle to stay awake. I also struggle with depression and self worth. I now feel like a burden. No, I am not suicidal, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that there are so many times when I feel like my family (my spouse in truth), would be better off without this new version of me. They don't understand why I can't do what I did before and doesn't believe in COVID or vaccines or wearing a mask. It's all media propoganda meant to promote a socialist agenda. I only got this sick because I was overweight and had diabetes before COVID. It cuts like a knife when you hear things like that and when it feels like someone doesn't care enough to want to do what they can to protect the ones they say they love. Maybe that's my biggest takeaway from all of this. It's redefining who I am and how I percieve the people around me. The people I thought loved me the most, who I loved the most. It's opened my eyes to the divisions and the anger that run deeper than just the pandemic. But I've also seen the depth of human compassion and love. Friends who made sure my kids had food and whatever else they needed when they were quarantined. The staff at the hospital who ran themselves ragged caring for patients. My nurse practitioner who has been on this journey with me the past eight months and worked diligently to help me recover. The students I've worked with who adapted and were more accepting and flexible in all of this mess than their parents, as they learned new ways of learning. It gives me hope that while there is bad in this world, there is so much good. -
2020-05
Roses are red
My grandmother's birthday is in May, so last year, during the beginning of the pandemic, we were unable to visit her and celebrate her birthday or Mother's Day. So, we sent her a nice card, and in it, my brother and boyfriend made up the poem. It reads "roses are red, violets are blue, when coronavirus is over, we'll come see you! xoxo Owen + Andrew" -
2018
Work from home, with some help of course
Have work to do? Not on Romeo's watch!! While we have been working and learning from home, Romeo loves to sit on our laps in front of the computer and help us with our work. The video shows what he does nearly every time someone in the house is typing on a keyboard. -
2020-04-30
Minions!
A family in San Ramon made a cutout of two minions wearing masks and put it in front of their home. The sign says "THANK YOU ❤️ HEALTHCARE WORKERS ❤️ FIRST RESPONDERS ❤️ ESSENTIAL WORKERS WE ❤️ U". The photo was taken on April 30, 2020. -
2020-10-28
Pierogis and Kielbasa: Sound and Smell During COVID-19
Before the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns began, hearing or seeing a loved one seemed almost a certainty. Although I worried for the safety of all my friends and family, I was most concerned with the well-being of my aging, immunocompromised grandmother. As a daughter of Eastern European immigrants, she was accustomed to eating ethnic Polish food. Throughout my childhood, she would kindly make pierogis and kielbasa sausage for me and my sister. The savory aroma of pierogis and kielbasa sausage cooking in sauerkraut inundated the senses. With the onset of the pandemic, however, my life, as with so many others, changed. Unfortunately, my grandmother is not accustomed to using video-chat services; however, hearing her voice over the phone or social-distancing on her porch allowed me to maintain contact, hear her voice, and smell the wonderful aroma of the food she always made for me as a child. Although momentary, the loss of hearing my grandmother’s voice as well as her delicious food made me realize how important it is to cherish the connections you have with your loved ones. During a time of uncertainty, tragedy, and disconnection, a loved one’s voice (as well as the food they make) can provide an emotional uplift. -
2020-02-14
Happy Valentine's Day! We have COVID!
For Valentine's Day 2021, I gave my boyfriend COVID! What a great gift, right? The week before I started to feel down, congested, and I had a sore throat. As it was mid-February, I thought it was just a regular cold, like I get every year. So I really thought it was no big deal, so my boyfriend and I spent the weekend together like normal. But on Feb 14th, I woke up, got in the shower, and realized I couldn't smell any of my soaps! I ran out of the shower in a panic and went to the kitchen to smell all the food we had. I couldn't smell the onion, the salsa, the garlic powder, the coffee...nothing! So we decided to cancel our date plans for the day and went to get tested. My test came back positive so we went in the quarantine together, as we had spent the last four days together. At this point, I was getting exponentially sicker and laid in bed for the next 5 days. About 3 days after I lost my sense of smell, I lost my sense of taste, but only for about 24 hours. What a terrible week! Hopefully, Valentine's Day 2022 is better for us! -
2021-05-01
"Hope Love Heal"
Art can create change. The 2020 pandemic year and all its struggles informed my mail art project. My hope was that this small art project would help others in a big way through creativity and connection to the community. My art piece titled "Hope Love Heal" is a direct response to the collective struggle. I am honored to be a part of the "We Rise" Campaign to help shed light on mental illness, mental awareness and mental well being. I hope my mail art project will touch others and let others know that they are not alone. And to remember...with a little "hope" and "love" we can "heal". -
2020-11-30
Only 2020
Andrew Brandt Date: 11/30/21 New Orleans, LA Only 2020 Article 1: California surpasses 18,000 coronavirus deaths, nears 1 million cases It feels like it was not long ago, March 13, 2020. On March 13th, 7 people in the United States had died. Now, just in California, 18,000 people have died. On March 13th, 536 people contracted COVID-19. Now, just in California, we have 1,000,000 cases. We got here by the government and the president downplaying the coronavirus since it first entered the United States. “It will disappear when it gets warmer.” - Donald Trump. It did not disappear when it got warmer, it got worse. Over 250,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. This was a complete failure on the part of our government and our health agencies. Hospitals will be overrun by the end of December. America is now averaging twice the amount of total cases in China a day. China was the epicenter of the disease. America is the laughing stock of the world right now. Article 2: Experts say you shouldn't expect a coronavirus vaccine before December Pfizer announced encouraging news today, but we should not get our hopes up. Most scientists say that a vaccine will not be available to the general public until April-May of next year. This would mean that this entire school year would be plagued by the pandemic. We will be in these masks for a while longer. I hope that the vaccine will come sooner, but it seems unlikely that a vaccine will be approved, much less distributed by the end of December. At least my first year of high school will be semi-normal, but from now on, nothing will ever be normal again. -
2021-04-17
13-year-old in Pfizer Covid vaccine trial who wants to be an epidemiologist: ‘I like to learn everything I can’
Recently CNBC has released an article on my story in the Pfizer Vaccine Trial. I got interviewed about a week ago, and I helped in the making of the article. It is on a division of CNBC called CNBC Make It. CNBC Make It is a section of CNBC that specializes in money, wellness, and heartwarming stories. I have gotten to know the writer, Cory Stieg, well and it was great working with her. The article goes into detail about how the trial works and my experience with the trial. This experience has been amazing from both ends, Pfizer and CNBC. I hope that I inspired others to make a change in the world and to try and pursue your passions. Link to article in description -
2021-05-01
INDIA DYING
This is a breakdown of facts and my opinions on the India Coronavirus situation. -
2021-02-14
When Will The DJ Of Luv Grant Me My 1 Request
In February 2021, Victoria based musician Future Star released their debut album called "When Will The DJ Of Luv Grant Me My 1 Request". The song "Duck Song" explores intimacy during a pandemic with lines like "i wanna be comforted, you can't hold my hand", "throw a blanket over me from across the room", and "we stay six feet away". -
2020-03-13
Christianity Has Been Handling Epidemics for 2000 Years
Religions, having been around for millennia, have a unique history of dealing with various pandemics. This article, written by a Lutheran Christian, details the message of Christianity that has been preserved through the centuries. Specifically, according to Stone, Christians have always taught, even if not displayed, that one is to love and care for their neighbor, even to their own detriment. It is not reckless care, where someone may go care for their neighbor and then spread the virus; rather, it is being cautious, but also continuing to love for one’s neighbor. -
2020-03-16
Love in The Time of Corona: Pobel
Our headline comes from adapting the title of a novel by the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, replacing the infectious Corona for the infectious Cholera. In his love-triangle story, he speaks of the lessons learned from a particular woman, but he may as well have been speaking about the now-global crisis we humans are facing: “(she) stood him on his head, tossed him up and threw him down, made him as good as new, shattered all his virtuous theories, and taught him the only thing he had to learn about love: that nobody teaches life anything.” -
2020-03-23
My Strange 2020
This picture was taken on October 27th around 11pm. This day changed my life forever, my first child was born. Looking back on 2020 I noticed that it was life changing in many different ways. Experiencing becoming a father in this pandemic was crazy, me and my girlfriend found out she was pregnant a week after quarantine started but we could not be together. We had to stay at home , I couldn't attend her doctors visits, the only one they let me in was the first ultrasound. During the labor process we could not have family there with us so it was just me and her. I'll never forget those moments when my daughter was coming into the world because it was strange but amazing at the same time. -
2021-03-19
Introspective Interconnectivity and My New Dance Partner
Went it seemed like the entire world shut down because of COVID-19, and we were ordered into lockdown, we could no longer be out and about in the world, gather – or even see our friends and families. As time passed, people began to absorb the implications the pandemic was having on their lives and our responses ranged from loss and mourning, loneliness, and restlessness to introspection, creativity, and reinvention. Meanwhile, the natural world began to tap our shoulders. The animals returned to our cities, birds had took back the skies, and all sort of hidden gems were no longer obscured by our pollution. My own relationship with nature is one of push and pull. I witness in nature, the miracle and fragility of my own fleeting life force mirrored back to me. This inspires awe and intensifies my awareness of being alive, of being a conscious individual within a larger interconnected whole yet understanding that this “whole” remains elusive. My mind battles to rationalize my observations and impressions of an intelligent force that seems equally purposeful and chaotic, innocent and cruel, physical and divine. This relationship has held me rapt and has been at the heart of why I make art. For over 20 years, I have incorporated moss (both living and dried), pine needles and other organic materials into sculptures, constructions and large-scale installations that explore the living energy of the natural world. It is while being in nature that I find myself closest to my art. As I carefully and respectfully collect mosses and needles, the seductiveness of vibrant colours and complex textures occasionally gives way to revulsion as I realize how much insect life they carry back to my studio. While I am made ecstatic by the beauty of life, I am terrified of stumbling upon traces of death. But now, with the pandemic, the possibility of death has come very much to the foreground where, just breathing in public feels dangerous. Although usually a citizen of the world, I am currently fortunate to be living in the country, with the expanse of Georgian Bay across the road and surrounded by deep forests. Outside of my miniscule bubble, I am essentially alone here and the deafening silence has force me to look further inward. My new work has become intimate in scale – small wall constructions made with pine needles. I sort, order and place my pine needles with Baroque intention. They are painstakingly laborious to make – a process that is contemplatively ritualistic but it is now the one area where I feel a sense of control and I am able to manifest love in a physical way. The forest seems ever more vibrant now because when the world went silent, Mother Nature returned to her dance, and now I can fully be in that dance. -
2020-12-01
Hannah Rand Illustration Wear a Mask
The best gift you could give this season is wearing a mask • • • • #ladieswhodesign #girlsmakingmagic #creativewomen #womenwhodraw #creativeasswomen #typingfeminism #letteringcommunity #letteringlove #femaleartist #womenofdesign #typetopia #womenofillustration #justgirlproject #femmetype #goodtype #typeyeah #editorialillustration #beautyillustration #fashionillustration #feministjazzy #womenoftype #typeoftheday #wearamask #wearyourmask #staysafe #stayhome #holidayseason -
2020-07-07
2020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain.
2020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching. (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching. -
2020-03-17
Covid Kitty
Meet Covie my kitty - short for Covid 19. He was born March 17th 2020 right at the start of the pandemic quarantine hence the name Covie. Covie kept me company during my battle with the Corona Virus. Luckily I didn't have it to bad. I was so afraid Covie would get it and besides he was just a baby. As time went on I slowly, very slowly got better. Covie was fine too. He was a rambunctious kitten but is slowing down a little just like the virus is slowing down. God bless my little Covie -
2020-01-01
Surviving 2020 & COVID-19 Pandemic: Life As A College Student
As the ball dropped on New Year’s Day I embraced and kissed my boyfriend in excitement of what would await us in 2020, if only I knew. As we said our goodbyes to our friends we drove home on a side road to avoid the frantic traffic of drunk drivers and people rushing to get home. All I remember is driving in front of my boyfriend’s car and then waking up to him sobbing over me. My car lights were on, sunroof open, glass shattered everywhere, my blood stained on my wheel and purple bruises on ribs. Long story short I was smashed into by a drunk driver, my car flipped, rolled, and was finally crushed into a tree with me inside while my significant other watched it unravel before his eyes. This was my beginning to 2020 and I wished and hoped that it would only be better from there on but I was horribly wrong. On March 11th of 2020 I received an email from my university stating that it would be closed and urged all students to return home for the remainder of the semester. As many college students saw this as an extended spring break at the time we were all happy since it basically meant more partying. After week one passed of receiving the email I quickly realized that being isolated would be my downfall and it sure was. By the end of the Spring semester I had failed a couple classes and was desperately trying to crawl out of a depressive episode. Since I am, or rather struggling to be a nursing student still, failing my Anatomy and Physiology I class sent me into a spiral of what ifs and how my GPA would recover from these failed courses. The realization of retaking these courses in order to save my future and using my only two chances of “erasing” my unsatisfactory grades crushed me. I was shattered by this reality but continued to push myself through Summer term to ace these courses, I studied day and night sacrificing friendships and days out for an A. As Summer came to an end Fall came and I barely passed the classes online because I struggled to adapt and truly retain the material meanwhile peers in my class were either completely giving up or cheating their way through the online, remote exams. To add the cherry on top, I was battling my university’s Housing Board in order to cancel my dorm agreement because many COVID cases had been recorded in my building and my roommates still went out to clubs while not wearing masks. As the months passed and semesters came and went, I felt my sanity slipping and today I still sit in fear of my future. I struggle leaving my apartment due to the fear of exposure to COVID and accidentally passing it onto my only parent who suffers from lupus. This pandemic has truly crushed me and unfortunately it seems that I will be spending the remainder of my college life and 20s in this chaotic, barren, and lonely society where we only see each other screen to screen. -
2021-01-24
Food, COVID-19, and my Mother
My mom raised her children around food. She made sure everything revolved around it just like the Earth revolves around the Sun. We ate whether we wanted to or not, as food was her way of showing love. Mom is now in her late 70's and still works miracles in the kitchen. When we visited my parents' house (pre-pandemic), she fed us until we could not eat anymore, then declared we were still hungry and loaded our plates with more. That is what Mexican moms do, she always says. Even though we protest, my husband, kids, and I love it. All of this changed once COVID-19 hit. Worried about my parents catching the virus, we did not see much of them in 2020. When we did, it was from a distance in their backyard and not for very long. It took an enormous toll on my mom. My parents cannot visit with their children and grandchildren, but almost just as worse, my mom has no one to cook for but my dad. Although she still enjoys cooking for him, it is not the same. Although we all know what food means to her, none of us realized just how much until this pandemic hit. Normally, she is rarely sick, loves to hike, and enjoys going to aerobics with her friends. However, lately, she has felt melancholy, is getting headaches, and is sleeping more. This is extremely unusual for her, which has us all very concerned. This pandemic is wearing on her both physically and emotionally. This feisty woman is slowing down, which is scary to us all. Over the past year, we continue to tell her we want to come over but would never forgive ourselves if we unknowingly pass the virus to her or my dad. Mom did not and still does not understand. She just wants what she wants, which is her family surrounding her. My dad is much more pragmatic about this situation, but mom will not have any of it. She is incredibly frustrated and is not afraid to tell us about it. Luckily, both of my parents just got their first dose of the vaccine last week. My dad said this gives them renewed hope that their family will be together again soon. I hear this hope when I speak on the phone with my mom. She is ready to get busy again in the kitchen. I cannot wait to eat her homemade tortillas straight off the stove, her spicy chili, and all of her other tasty dishes. People are now talking about the 'new normal.' I do not want a new normal. I want to get back all that this pandemic has taken from us, including my family crowding around a table full of my mom’s food. -
2020-11-25
Loving Grandpa Brings Food
A grandpa drives 30 minutes to bring his granddaughter and her boyfriend some food and board games after finding out they were Covid positive. One commenter said, "Protect that man at all costs". Such a sweet and loving gesture. -
2021-01-12
Christmas in Cochrane, 2020
This file contains both a photo and a text story to accompany it, it's mainly just my thoughts surrounding the holidays in the pandemic, firstly with what I did, what my previous Christmases were like, and my family's reasoning with staying home and abiding with quarantine restrictions in opposition to the many other examples of people breaking these restrictions for the sake of family. I think it's important mainly, because the pandmic has redefined, or put a new emphasis on familial love - do we love our family by choosing to stay home during a deadly pandemic? Or do we love them by breaking restrictions to visit them during said pandemic. Submitted for HST 580's first assignment at Arizona State University, Pandemic Prompt: Holiday's. -
2021-01-09
Visiting Home
I live relatively close to the home where I grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts which is about 10 minutes outside of Boston. It’s a simple home where six of us shared a bathroom and thought nothing of it! My parents, one of whom just hit ninety years old, still reside in our home and never plan to leave with my mother asserting that she will only leave on a gurney. My parents now feel essentially locked in due to the pandemic which makes visiting, which I did this weekend, both more important but unnatural in some ways. We are Italian, for the most part, and Italians are a touchy group, always hugging, which in my family is our non-verbal communication of love. With the risks involved with close contact there is no more hugging, and it’s hard to even want to express ourselves to these 90 year old's with a tacky elbow tap or fist bump. Verbal expression has been temporarily substituted but it is an inadequate alternative and will never replace the connection one feels from a sincere and long held hug. -
2020-12-11
Bumble's "First Moves Forever" Campaign
As I sat scrolling through Snapchat one day, I was presented with an advertisement. At first I skipped, however, when I saw the Bumble logo, I immediately went back to look at it. Sure enough, I had stumbled upon a perfect addition to this mini collection that I am putting together about dating during the pandemic. The ad was for the Bumble campaign “First Moves Forever” (https://thebeehive.bumble.com/firstmovesforever) which recaps how Bumble was used in 2020, and shares the stories of some users in an interactive way. This website may interest future historians, as it shares the stories of real individuals in relationships, and tells how social media/dating apps were used during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also gives another look into the ways that brands are now using the pandemic as a way of advertising. -
2020-12-07
The Home Within My Head: My Experience of COVID-19 In Prose
I have always been acutely aware of how poetry connects people across places and time. Today, more so than ever before, humans are grasping for a connection as intimate as physicality without having to be in the same room. This poem speaks to that struggle. I hope it helps others out there, suffering from isolation, to feel a bond across the deep chasms COVID-19 has cultivated in our new world. -
2020-08-26
Grandpa & Gracie
I’ve missed my Grandpa terribly, but we’ve able to bond during the pandemic through a continuous email exchange concerning my dog. I’ll send him photos, and he’ll help me conspire ways to keep her safe from falling in our pool. We’ve been able to connect through our shared love of Gracie, even though we haven’t seen him or my Grandma for months. It’s been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in this plague year, especially because Grandpa is mostly deaf and can’t communicate well in person. It’s interesting how technology (and Gracie!) have facilitated connection between us. For a nonagenarian, he’s probably more proficient with technology than I am! -
2020-07-10
New Arrivals
HIST30060 Perhaps the most unexpected event in 2020 (bushfires and pandemic aside) for my family was the arrival of a proud mother duck with ten tiny ducklings. They’ve declared dominion over our pool and taken up permanent residence. I think it’s been cathartic for everyone to watch them grow and spread their wings – literally! The ducklings are just one of a number of new arrivals. We’ve also had currawongs, cockatoos, pigeons, doves, magpies and butcherbirds. They come and chill in the backyard, and mum makes sure they’re appropriately fed and watered. We think that we’ve had so many newcomers to our menagerie because of the bushfires at the start of the year, which destroyed a lot of natural habitat. But we also think the pandemic has played a role: with so many people spending all their exercise/recreational time in parks and nature reserves, disturbed birds have fled for greener pastures. I think it’s important to divorce ourselves from our own experiences of the plague year and consider how the pandemic has affected the natural world around us. We’re not alone in confronting change, and it would be selfish to only consider human experiences. -
2020-07-21
Pets in the Pandemic
HIST30060 It’s been difficult not seeing friends and family, but one stalwart of this year has been Gracie: my beautiful four-legged companion. Gracie’s been a source of much needed support this year, accompanying me on my daily allotted exercise and stopping for regular belly rubs. She’s cut through the pandemonium and provided me with a constant supply of love and laughter. I think pets have outperformed themselves this year, especially when human connection has been sparse due to restrictions. ‘History from below’ might not literally mean below knee-level, but I think considering the experience of pets during the pandemic will be a valuable avenue of historical enquiry. -
2020-07-26
Dogs send love
HIST30060 During COVID it was definitely a comfort for many to have their pets. Whilst the world was figuratively and literally burning down around us, the unconditional love and easy needs of caring for a dog brought a small moment of respite in the day. A dog will always enjoy a treat. It makes one think about the perspective of dogs during this time. For my dog, Goliath, he now gets to see me every single day, compared to me leaving at 7 in the morning and arriving home at 4pm (sometimes later) when I was studying on campus. And he gets more walks because leaving the house with him was some of the only times we actually got to leave the house. A dog will always enjoy a walk. Just having another creature near you who enjoys the little things and isn't weighed down by the dread and despair of the pandemic and who I get to share the company of really helps. -
2020-09-21
Loss in a COVID World
I believe this is a point of interest to talk about, since it’s likely that many will wonder, out of innocent curiosity, what it’s like to lose someone in a time of crisis. I should describe it as transcendental. May your soul be touched. My beloved mother didn’t die from COVID-19. She had been unknowingly battling cancer for several years, and had it diagnosed at its most lethal stage. I still shake my hands at the doctors who had ignored her concerns for all this time, because maybe she would still have been here if it weren’t for them. But how would that affect me? Would things remain the same at home? I have to say, I shudder at this thought, too. Colon cancer, which metastasized in the liver. She passed from liver failure in the later part of this year, 2020. I, the foolish child, was so preoccupied that I couldn’t understand why my uncle woke me at 4 am in the morning that day. With a classic sleepy rub of the eye, I told him, “I have a math test today.” And if it hadn’t been for the pain in his eyes, I wouldn’t have gotten up at all. There she was, lying eerily still in her bed, but she was also gone. As the people around me sobbed and turned away, all I could do was stand and stare. It felt like something was out of place. I felt out of place. If you could try to imagine it, remain perfectly still as you are and think of yourself exiting your body. Look around you without looking. That’s how it felt, everything slightly blurry by the darkness, lightness in my feet as if I were floating, a static, metal taste in my mouth, the sounds of sobbing flooding my ears, I couldn't handle it. I started to cry, and buried myself in the crook of my brother’s chest for support. To be in the unknown, and lose what you have, is the most frightening experience I wish for nobody else to have gone through. The pain is truly insufferable… but the healing process counts for so much of who I define myself as now, that I couldn’t imagine the year going any other way. The funeral was held the following sunday. It too was such a different experience. We took many long, empty roads to reach the cemetery. Seeing few cars on the road is commonplace for such a road, but to see none at all was creepy. I relinquished my thoughts to sleep. Upon our arrival, I put my mask on and stood before 50 some odd people who had come to see my mother off. That’s right, I thought comfortably, Mom was very well loved. The notion was reassuring. We exchanged hugs and hellos and sorrys, all the usual pleasantries you would expect at an event not so pleasant, and made our way to the casket for the gathering to take place. I’ll leave the eulogy I wrote here, in case you were curious and thought, I wonder what this stranger said at their mother’s funeral, because this is expected when you are here to read about losing a loved one. Finally, when all was said and done, condolences were given again. This time, though, I hardly recognized anyone. It must’ve been the masks that obstructed our faces, because I saw the attendees, and they saw me, but it was still so unfamiliar. The later part of that day I spent confused. I suppose that’s how we start when we learn to adjust, which I did. Presently I am still healing, but it’s not so bittersweet when I think of her, moreso sweet than bitter. The metal taste in my mouth begins to wear off, and I am feeling free. I hope she also feels free. And I hope this provided the insight you were looking for when you came across this page. We all love and lose in the end. Focus your energy towards healing, and you will learn to grow with the changes. -
2020-10-16
Can't Wait
I had been deployed for quite some time already and had not seen my family in a long time. When I found out that I would not be coming home when I was supposed to earlier this year (due to Covid-19), it just crushed me. My wife was devastated too because she had been alone taking care of our two daughters. My oldest did not quite understand why I had to stay longer and my youngest daughter was just a couple months old when I left. I was longing to see and hold my girls. Time away from them seemed ever ending but I knew that I would be home soon but soon was unknown. The thought of that was scary but I had my girls as determination. The why I do what I do. Once I came home to my girls it completed my journey and they would not let me go. The baby was a year old and my oldest was so talkative. She never talked before I left. They were so different but I also felt like I stepped into a different country with new rules. (Arizona State University, HST485). -
2020-10-14
Mom-shaming
Story posted on IG by scary mom account taking about the grief some mamas are getting for sending their kids back to school amidst the pandemic. The comments also highlight other moms on the same boat. This point is pointing out that we should support one another and spread more love and less judgment. The fact is that this pandemic has hit people differently and some parents (mostly moms) feel they have no choice but to send their kids back or have a mental breakdown. Some are having to send their kids back to loos their jobs. Regardless of the situation I agree that we should judge less and love more. -
2020-03-16T12:00:00
Finding Myself During Covid
My story discusses how throughout Covid , I found a way to make it positive. A global pandemic turned millions of lives upside down. But, I won't allow this disease to kill off my dreams with tennis. -
2020-10-12T09:40
Our Six-Week, COVID-19 Baking Crisis
My wife and I were both home from our jobs by mid-March because the COVID-19 pandemic had, for all effective purposes, practically shut down our home state of Alabama. During our long sequestration from the world, we often baked together to pass the time. Tamsie has a sourdough bread starter that was handed down from her grandmother, so to keep the starter “alive”, she has to bake bread every month or so, which of course requires yeast. I believe that millions of Americans were at home baking during that time because we were out of dry yeast for her bread and, though we searched every grocery within a 20-mile radius of our home, we looked to no avail; additionally, yeast was back-ordered on Amazon, Walmart online, and every other online store. We were beyond desperate for that yeast, and the starter had to be near death when, at long last, I discovered an in-stock yeast on Amazon and ordered six pounds of it. Needless to say, I ordered entirely too much and thus unintentionally became that obligatory hoarder with which we’ve all had to deal during the last seven months. Thus, we had to bake dozens of loaves of sourdough bread to use that yeast! My wife is a dentist, so we baked bread for all her employees and left it on both their front porches and garages. We also baked for our neighbors and our families. The sweet smells of sourdough bread and sticky buns filled our home for nearly six weeks, as baking became an inane, daily ritual in the Rogers household! Today, whenever I smell fresh bread or cinnamon rolls, I think of our time spent together with our puppies in the kitchen, laboriously prepping, waiting for the yeast to rise, baking, and cleaning on a daily basis. I am thankful for this time, and though we now laugh about and much fun is had at my expense over my overzealous yeast spending-spree, whenever I smell fresh bread, I will forever be transported to our happy kitchen along with its aromatic sights and smells during the early weeks of the pandemic. It is truly amazing to ponder what we take for granted in our daily walks, and though I am obviously glad we are standing on firmer ground than in spring in relation to COVID-19, I miss our time together in the kitchen, which seems lonely and destitute without the sweet aroma of fresh sourdough bread. My association with this simple, yet happy memory during the pandemic is reflective of the joys we should be seeking in small things. Our daily lives are measured by our relationships, our serenity and contentment, and the joy we both provide and glean from others. The extended time at home with Tamsie allowed us a “factory reset” of sorts in our lives, one that brought our already-happy marriage much closer together; consequently, we no longer take life’s simple, quiet moments for granted. In some ways, the lasting human effects of the pandemic on relationships have been positive, in that each of us has had ample time to again focus on those whom we love. -
2020-06-01
Grandpa and Me
During the pandemic just like many individuals i was unable to see my family for a long time which I was struggling with. My grandpa who I usually take to once a week was especially struggling through the pandemic because he wasn't even aloud to leave the house for 4 months. I was planning to go and see him since he was getting sicker but obviously could not. We ended up on FaceTime almost every day just talking about college and what was happening in Chicago. My grandpa was a huge part of my life and being able to help him through the pandemic made me feel so much better. During the pandemic, I was just feeling sad and more homesick than usual. Since school was online I had a lot more time on my hands which led to me and grandpa talking over FaceTime all the time. He had taught me and my roommates how to play poker which was so much fun and gave us something to do at night. Unfortunately, Grandpa had starting getting really sick and had to go to the hospital and be by himself since no one was allowed to accompany him. He had eventually gotten even sicker in the hospital and passed away. I was thankful that I got to talk to him the day before he went in the hospital because it was the last conversation I go to have with him. Eventually I was able to meet my family in Chicago so that we could bury him but because of the pandemic we could not hold a funeral to honor him which was very sad. While not being able have a funeral us as a family still celebrated his life together . I know many people out loved ones during this pandemic which is terrible, but it reminded me towards the end that even with all that was happening my grandpa found the positives in life until the end. I learned through him that no matter what life or the world throws your way you can always share the love and make each day count. -
2020-10-07
Life Changes on a Dime
Here we all are stuck having our wings cut for just a LITTLE while. Children are so special. I am always in my room because, of age, health and so on... I have grandchildren that seem to keep multiplying all the time. One of my babies come to my door every other day always happy and full of wonder. Last week he came to my door crying I asked him what was wrong worried at first he had heard something and got scared. No it was simple to me but is was tearing his little heart up. His name is Jr. hes 2.5 years old an has a heart so big. I asked him what are you crying about. His reply was, "I cant sit on your lap and give you a hug." it was what he always did when he wanted something his dad or mom would not let him have. I said back to him you can throw me kiss the you can say it real low so only I can hear. he threw me a kiss and said Grandma would you get me pictures to color I don't have any more and daddy says we cant go to store. I asked him who do you want to color he said stitch, i told him to come back in a few minutes and i would see what could be done. So I got right to printing out pictures off the net of all his favorite cartoons he liked. When he came back I had placed the pictures at my door. He sat down and showed me that picture and said it was his best most one of all. Asked him why he said it has hearts on it. I made my day great to be able to make him happy. Even if we can not be hugging I got to watch him color a couple of the pages. As he left he said Please hurry and get well Granma you have a lot of hugs, cookies for me?and blew me kisses. -
2020-08-28
A Love Story Made Possible by Covid-19
Right as Covid-19 had seriously begun to hit the world in March of 2020 and was deemed a global pandemic, I had my heart broken by my boyfriend of a year and a half. I was not able to recover from the relationship like most people typically would by going out with friends and partying because of the lockdown. I was left all by myself. With no siblings, no friends in my area and a very small family, I had to find other ways in which to communicate with others so that I wouldn't lose my mind. In July of 2020, I joined Bumble and decided to get back in the dating game, that's when I met Jacob. Jacob and I matched because he was on vacation in Florida, however, we matched and began talking on the day that he was flying back to his home in Houston, Texas. We kept in contact though and were presented with our first Covid-related blessing: cheap plane tickets. As college students who are unable to afford most things, when we found out that a roundtrip from Houston to Florida only cost $58 we jumped on that opportunity. Jacob flew out to Florida so he could take me on our first official date, which went amazing. We continued talking when school started and that is when we realized we were presented with another Covid-19 related opportunity. Since all of my classes were online and airplane tickets were still cheap, I was able to fly out to Texas for a week and be with him. Although Covid-19 is a terrible and deadly disease, it has allowed me to find somebody that I can call my own, because without the pandemic we would not be able to afford to see each other nearly as regularly and my school schedule would not allow me to leave the state at random to be with him. love, oppurtunity, bumble app, happy, unexpected