Items

• 2020-04-08

  A Celebratory Trip Canceled by the COVID-19 Pandemic

  I graduated from college in April 2020, one of my sisters also graduated from college that same semester, and my other sister graduated the year before. As a family we had planned a big trip to Florida and a cruise to the Bahamas as a celebration of our graduations. Unfortunately, because of locks downs and restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 that trip was canceled. We weren’t able to reschedule that trip and I haven’t been on any trips since but if I could travel anywhere it would be on that trip with my family. I missed out on a fun travel experience to celebrate our graduations as a family because of the pandemic so being able to actually experience that trip now that restrictions are lifted would be a full circle experience. There are a few sites on Nassau that I would like to see like For Charlotte as well as the Pirate Museum. I would document my trip mostly through photography, especially since I would have limited access to the internet while on the cruise ship. This trip would mostly be about spending time with my family as we haven’t all been in the same place at once since Christmas of 2019. Traveling to me is mostly about creating memories with loved ones. The location and things we do are less important than the memories we create together.
• 
  2021-06-18

  Tourism Story: Florida After Travel Restrictions

  I graduated from my Bachelor's program in May 2021, after vaccine rollout and as travel restrictions were being lifted. To celebrate, my family organized a short trip to Florida in June, where we would visit the Universal Studios theme park for a couple days, which had always been a dream destination for my parents. This was a huge deal for us, because my family has never been able to afford a vacation like that, and we saved during the pandemic to be able to afford it once travel restrictions were lifted and we were all vaccinated. By the time we went, almost all travel restrictions had been lifted, and I remember the strange mix of relief and uneasiness I got from how "normal" everything seemed in Florida. I hardly saw anyone even wearing masks, and I was honestly glad for that not being a requirement in the theme park - I'm from Kentucky, and I hadn't been prepared for the intense Florida heat and humidity! I'll always treasure the memory of seeing the ocean for the first time and getting to spend time with my family, and even though I was still worried about the pandemic, it felt like such a relief to have a normal vacation after such a stressful and scary year.
• 
  2022-09-11

  Covid-19 Reflection - Our Social Society

  My reflection on the initial shift in social norms in Tampa, Florids
• 
  2020-07-13

  Covida

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2020-06-25

  Florida

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2020-06-08

  Thank you card

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2020-04-02

  Pensacola Beach Quarantined

  I live in Pensacola, about 10 mins from the beach. I have spent many a day at the beach with my family. The sounds and smells of the beach that are familiar to me are children playing, seagulls flying above, someone playing the radio, waves crashing, people talking and laughing, and the smell of nearby restaurants and suntan oil. It was the first week of April 2020, and I had terrible cabin fever from being quarantined, so I decided to take a drive up the coast. After about an hour of driving, I turned around to head home. That is when I really looked at the beach; I had never seen it so empty, void of all humans. I pulled over and got out, and the sounds were different. There were no laughing children, no songs on the radio, just the thunderous crashing of the waves. There was no suntan oil smell in the air, just the smell and taste of saltwater. It was surreal to experience the beach so barren but more serene than it had ever felt.
• 
  09/30/2020

  Joseph Spataro Oral History, 2020/09/30

  This interview consists of a perspective of a white male from Vermont living in Florida for the school year, whom has experienced COVID from the rural suburbs of Vermont, to the maskless warzone that is Florida. His perspective is one from a gamer, only knowing the interviewer though playing videogames together.
• 
  2021-09-02

  The Delta Variant Is Hammering the Southeastern U.S.

  This is a news article about Southern U.S. states and the rising number of cases involving the delta variant of the coronavirus. This article presents statistics of in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas where the highest rates of delta variant cases is the highest.
• 
  2021-07-19

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 121

  Afghanistan- not forgotten?
• 
  2020-10-22

  Turtle Baby Boom

  As an animal lover, one of the best things about the pandemic was the many stories of animals in the wild and in zoos breeding more successfully. Turtles around the globe were able to return to traditional nesting sites without the interference of tourists and beach goers. National Geographic published this article about nesting turtles in Florida. Some say the pandemic made a big difference in nesting success, others are less convinced. They also point out that the pandemic has caused increased poaching due to economic hardships. Finally, the article also sheds light on the ongoing problems turtles face due to climate change.
• 
  2021-04-14

  The Pandemic on Campus

  As we have rounded the corner of the one year mark for the COVID-19 pandemic, many still wonder when it well end. Now that vaccines have begun to roll out hopes feel higher for some and thanks to the use of mask, the spread of COVID-19 has been limited in many places as well. The sign pictured is one that Flagler College students know too well and it thanks those that pass by for their efforts in helping prevent the spread on campus. Along with these lawn signs as well as text or email notifications, Flagler students are able to be aware of conditions on campus such as moving into Phase Two or the available vaccines on campus.
• 
  2021-04-28

  Vaccine On Campus

  As a year has passed from the beginning of the pandemic, Flagler College has partnered with Flagler Health to offer the Pfizer vaccine for students over eighteen. Staff and faculty were also offered the vaccine in a separate event.
• 
  2021-03

  Pandemic Wedding: Jon and Brittany Wolf

  Walls- What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required) Wolf-We never really wanted a big wedding so making it as small as possible due to the current world climate was something that we were more than happy to do. We had to limit the guests to only immediate family even though our original intentions were to have more people present; we just didn’t feel right having any bigger of a ceremony. Our ceremony was also outdoors so our family groups could social distance more effectively and we made face masks mandatory at all times. Walls- What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic? Wolf- It was the fact that we could not include many people that we know would have loved to have been there. Our decision to limit to only immediate family was a tough one, but the one we felt most comfortable with. We were worried that some people may have been hurt by this decision. That turned out to not be the case, we were not selective with our invites and instead only invited immediate family. Walls- Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding? Wolf- Not really. It was pretty low-key so we were not worried about spreading the virus. We had reservations when we originally planned a larger ceremony which is why we decided to change it. Walls- What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding? Wolf- We didn’t have any vendors! :) Walls- If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund? Wolf- Same answer as above. Walls- What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic? Wolf- Surreal. It is amazing to have some sense of normalcy during this absurdly crazy time. The accommodations we had to make were things we never even considered before the pandemic hit. It is definitely a story we will look back on fondly!
• 
  2021-03

  Pandemic Wedding: Rachel Nichols

  Walls: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required) Rachel: So originally I was planning on having a bigger wedding around 200 people. I wanted it to be a huge celebration but due to the pandemic My Husband and I made the decision to just have our family, bridal parties, and just a few of our closest friends. I requested that anyone that was attending the wedding get COVID tested. I also provided masks to everyone and had hand sanitizer stations throughout the whole venue. Walls: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic? Rachel: My biggest concern having my wedding during a pandemic was the possible chance that my grandparents & any older family members could possibly come in contact with COVID. But they were my biggest supporters and assured me that all was well & that they were taking every precaution to stay safe. Walls: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Rachel: I definitely had reservations about having my wedding, for weeks I went back and forth on whether it was the right decision. It was honestly mentally wearing but I wouldn’t change a thing. My wedding was uniquely perfect and I had everyone there that I needed. Walls: Did you have to push back your wedding? Rachel: I definitely had push back from a few family members about having my wedding, it was a really hard decision to make. But eventually they came around. My wedding date was significant to me because I discovered that my Grandfather had gotten married on the same date I chose. It meant too much to me to change. Walls: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding? Rachel: I actually had zero issues with the Vendors because all I needed was a bartender, the caterer was more than accommodating and I had a family friend be my photographer. Everything was smooth sailing. Walls: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund? Rachel: Everyone who helped make this wedding possible was very flexible, they understood the circumstances at hand. Walls: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic? Rachel: Getting married during a pandemic was interesting, before the wedding I was nervous. I didn’t want anybody to feel uncomfortable, that was my biggest worry. But as soon as the ball got rolling everything felt effortless and magical. It became a very carefree environment where everyone who was there was able to forget about what was happening in our world and just enjoy themselves. Like I said before I wouldn’t have changed a thing, it didn’t even feel like we were in a pandemic. Everyone was able to enjoy themselves and stay safe at the same time. I'm very blessed to have been able to get married during a pandemic. It’s unique and something I will be able to tell my children about one day. These memories I will hold dear to my heart forever. It was just the right people and it couldn’t have been better.
• 
  2021-03

  Pandemic Wedding: Victoria Beasley

  Walls: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required) Victoria: I was supposed to get married in New York City for a destination wedding but because of Covid we couldn’t risk everyone’s health so we had to move it back to Florida, keeping the guest list smaller. We had COVID signs everywhere stating what people should do (staying six feet apart, wearing a mask, and washing their hands). We had masks specially made with our names and date and we had personalized hand sanitizers for people to take. It definitely was very focused on and thought about. Walls: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic? Victoria: The thought of anyone getting sick because of our wedding really worried us but we had to just swallow the pill and pray for the best outcome. We luckily didn’t have anyone get sick and it was really amazing to get to see everyone. Walls: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding? Victoria: We tossed around the idea of pushing it back but after really thinking about it we decided not to because we had no idea when Covid would be over so it just didn’t really make any sense. Walls: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding? Victoria: We didn’t really have any issues with vendors. Walls: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund? Victoria: Our photographer specifically was super understanding, he was going to go to New York with us and was completely understanding and okay with us possibly changing the date when we were tossing around the idea of changing the date and he was okay with us staying in Florida no extra charge, I think he just wanted us to feel comfortable given the circumstances. Walls: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic? Victoria: If anything it gave us a sense of relief, nobody got sick and like a feeling of reassurance that just because there is a pandemic, while yes keeping it safe, we could continue to live our lives. It’s also cool to think that we can one day tell our grandkids how we got married during a pandemic.
• 
  2021-03

  Pandemic Wedding: Sara Hamilton

  Wolf: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required) Hamilton: My situation was very unique from a lot of COVID-19 weddings in that we were nine days away from our date when we decided to postpone the celebration. Everyone told us we were crazy and to just do it and Florida shut down less than a week before our original date. Because it was so close to the date and we already had our marriage license we decided to have a super small and intimate ceremony with 13 people including us and the officiant. Our original RSVP number was 152 people. Everything was shut down on March 22nd but we did our ceremony in my in-laws backyard. They built an arbor, put flowers everywhere, socially distanced all the seats and nobody was allowed inside the house except to use the bathroom. We did not wear face masks, but this was really before that became the responsible thing to do. Nobody got close to each other except my husband and I and we only had a champagne toast and cut a small cake before we all split off. It was so opposite of everything that we had planned that day but I am so glad we chose to do a small ceremony because we certainly did not know what the future held and we still don’t. Wolf: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic? Hamiton: For us the biggest concern was travel and people not being able to get back home amidst the beginning of the pandemic panic. We also have a lot of older people attending and we could never forgive ourselves if anyone we loved became sick because of coming to our wedding. And as I so think we are allowed to be selfish about one thing, another concern was that it just wouldn’t be the dance party we envisioned. We are both relatively relaxed and wanted to have the “big party” without people worrying for their own safety. For these reasons, we still have not had our big wedding. Wolf: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding? Hamilton: We had so many reservations. How could we be selfish and have the wedding no matter what when there is a global pandemic going on? Millions of people have died, and we want to celebrate our love even if it means not having those that have supported us in our partnership throughout the years? It just did not feel right to either of us. Our dream wedding is not about all the expensive and luxurious things… it is about having the support system that has been there for us throughout the years. Without that, it is not the wedding that we want. It has been extremely devastating, but we try to remember WHY we have made these decisions. I am tearing up as I think about it. Yes, we have now pushed back our wedding three times. We had an original date of March 22nd, 2020 and on March 17th, 2020 we chose October 18th, 2020 to be our second date. In August of 2020, we decided to postpone our October date to March 21st, 2021. We were confident we could safely make it happen but come January with reservations from both of us and our families, we decided to indefinitely postpone the big celebration until the world feels safe enough. Come July 2021, we will sit down to discuss if we will move forward with a fall/winter date or if we will push back to 2022. Wolf: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding? Hamilton: We are incredibly blessed and have had minimal issues with all our vendors. We chose to support local for all of our vendors and everyone that we picked is people that we personally know. Most people cannot say the same as us, especially after postponing three times. We only “lost” one deposit from our DJ but he is giving us a discount when we do rebook. We had to pay an extra couple of thousand for our venue (The Riverhouse) as our contract was only for 2020 and we had gotten a generous discount, but they were so gracious to us and all of the money we have put forward is being saved on an invoice for whatever date we end up choosing, regardless of if its in 2021 or 2022. So basically, all of vendors saved our money and will apply it to our new date when that time comes. This is very fortunate and we do not take that for granted, by any means. Our wedding was paid in full so with our vendors being so flexible with time and money, its taken a lot of stress of our shoulders and has made postponing multiple times a lot easier because we don’t feel pressured to move forth due to time and money. If it did not go this way for us, I’m not sure what we would’ve done…weddings are expensive. Wolf: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/refund? Hamilton: The first time around everyone was incredibly flexible and actually gave us first dibs on a new date since we were only nine days away from the big day when we decided to postpone. Second postponement wasn’t as easy but everyone still stayed flexible. Upon our third postponement, we were worried we would get backlash at saving a date then cancelling which is why we decided to postpone indefinitely until we feel its safe so we aren’t taking a date away from another couple and not stopping our vendors from making money on that day, since we are fully paid. We aren’t sure what will happen when we do choose a new date as that will require signing new contracts but because everyone has been so flexible and generous to us, we have no problem paying extra money for every vendor we chose. We chose each vendor because we really liked their work but we will stay with all of them for how they have treated us. We will pick a date that works for them all because they have done so much to keep us comfortable and we couldn’t imagine our day without them being by our side. We have not asked for any refunds nor will we. Wolf: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic? Hamilton: I could come up with a lot of adjectives to describe how it has felt as we are closing in on almost a year since our “mini mony” as they now call it. It is overwhelming, devastating, beautiful, and happy. (Here I am crying again) On March 13th, as I stood in my wedding dress for my final dress fitting, I cried with my mother-in-law as we were receiving calls, emails, and texts left and right about people not being able to make it due to the arising concern. It was there that we both knew what was needed. We drove home and broke the news to my husband and asked him how he felt. He agreed but didn’t say much. His mother left and we cried. We cried hard; we were SO mad. How could this happen SO close to our dream wedding? It took a few days, but we accepted it and decided to do the small ceremony anyways and wear what we had planned to wear. It was the happiest day of our lives, regardless of what had happened prior to 5:00 pm on March 22nd, 2020. So, while its been one of the hardest and disappointing things we have had to go through, it has made our marriage strong, honest, loyal, and committed. If we can get through our first year of marriage during a global pandemic postponing our wedding three times, I think we can do most things. I got to marry my best friend and the love of my life and I would be so disappointed in myself now if we had let postponing the wedding stop us from getting married. The big party will happen one day and this has taught us one very important life lesson: patience. So while I don’t wish this circumstance on anyone and so many have gone through it, I don’t regret that I got married during a pandemic. What a story for the kids one day, eh?
• 
  2021-03-16

  Safety at Teriyaki Ha Ha

  At Teriayaki Ha Ha on Route 1, just across from Nease High School, staff erected a wooden frame with plastic sheeting hung from it to create a protective barrier. When you walk in the front door, your order is waiting on the table. Cash is put into an envelope or credit card taken in advance on the phone. Everything is no contact. Next door is a Papa Johns where staff had masks pulled down around their necks and I observed several people walk in without masks, revealing how widely safety protocol differs from one business to the next.
• 
  2021-05-20

  Mask trash #35

  On Saturday, May 15, 2021, Walt Disney lifted the mask requirement in outdoor spaces. Masks were still required to stand in line or go into stores. The parks are always so clean, but I came across this lost disposable mask in Epcot- it was bound to be swept up quickly by an employee. With a 2-year-old, it was nice to have some of the mask requirements relaxed and a little less tension if he pulled it off his face. (NOTE- please link to the mask trash series - Omeka resource > item)
• 
  2021-03-22T08:10

  HB-1475, Florida

  An Anti-Trans sports bill preventing transgender women from participating in women's sports in high school. Whether or not you agree with the prospect of transgender women in female sports, this line from the bill seems to be overstepping the boundaries as the possible requirement for high school sports if the student in question seems "suspicious" about what gender they were assigned at birth: "The health care provider may verify the student's biological sex as part of a routine sports physical examination by relying only on one or more of the following: 1. The student's reproductive anatomy; 2. The student's genetic makeup; or 3. The student's normal endogenously produced testosterone levels." (Lines 59 to 66 of the Bill) The fact that a minor, a child may need an examination of their genitals or an invasive test of their endocrine functions or their karyotype (chromosomal makeup) is a horrible thought as it would cause many other sects of people who aren't even transgender, to begin with, to be harmed by this bill. People who are either Intersex (about a 2 in 100 occurrences) or have high testosterone (which cannot be controlled by anyone naturally) could be barred from sports out of fear for the imbalance of sports would just overall cause school sports to be more stress and trouble for students and faculty alike. Plus that is not even to mention the moderate amount of Intersex people who don't even know they are intersex due to phenotypical biological sex not always equating to the genotypical karyotypes people possess and the high amount of genital mutilation of Intersex children at birth, it would cause much more than what people would want from this sort of bill and cause a lot more harm than good.
• 
  2021-03-22

  Some Mexicans Find They Can Get COVID-19 Vaccines In The U.S.

  In Mexico, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is difficult. This has led to some Mexicans going to the United States COVID-19 vaccine. However, those that do this usually have money and/or connections. In some cases, the areas these people go to for vaccines are struggling to receive vaccines, such as the counties near the Texas-Mexico border.
• 
  2021-03-15

  Covid-19 cases plunge 83% among US nursing home staff

  "After the rollout of Covid-19 vaccine, the number of new cases among nursing home staff members fell 83%, data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows. "It's a big relief for me," said Joan Phillips, who works at the North Beach Rehabilitation Center outside Miami. More than 3 million doses of vaccine have been doled out in nursing homes across the US."
• 
  2021-03-09

  Lady Pink's solo show at the Museum of Graffiti

  This story talks about famous graffiti artist, Lady Pink, and her upcoming solo show at the Museum of Graffiti in Miami, Florida. Lady Pink mentions getting the vaccine as part of travel plans and virtually attending her show opening, and the transition of graffiti art to gallery space and the corresponding taboo.
• 
  2021-02-24

  Same Country Two Seperate Lives

  This tweet is a great example of how different the pandemic was handled in Florida. This was tweeted on May 4th, 2020. It was the first day that Florida opened back up after shutting down for the month of April. This is significant in my experience of the pandemic because I have friends and family down here in Florida with me, where the pandemic isn’t taken as seriously. I also have friends and family up north in Wisconsin where the pandemic is handled completely different. For instance, Wisconsin didn’t open back up until late June. Since I live in Florida where stores and beaches opened up quickly, I was able to spend a lot of time outside swimming and relaxing by the beach before I went back to school in fall. This made the whole “quarantine” less miserable for me whereas I know people up north that struggled immensely as they were stuck in a shut down. The cold, gloomy weather in Wisconsin doesn’t help their case either. Additionally, my mom was able to get a job down here in Florida because she’s a teacher and schools are open and have in person learning. On the contrary, my brother who just graduated college in spring of 2020 and lives in Wisconsin still hasn’t found a job. It is now February 24th, 2021. Many companies have lost revenue by having to shut down for a few months and as a result, they let many employees go and are not looking to hire anyone else. The only potential new opportunity risen from this pandemic is that some jobs are all online now. This allows my brother to apply for jobs outside of Wisconsin if he is desperate enough. Overall, as a college student here in Florida, my life has not changed significantly. I still go to class, I still go to the beaches, and I still go shopping as long as I have my mask.
• 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.
• 
  2021-02-24T13:24:52

  A 2020 Senior's Experience

  Link to my Story https://eaglefgcu-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/vdearmas2389_eagle_fgcu_edu/EfbXTEMivQhBlns1iufe0PUBKjsdXqzsQvBkamaxWh4YAg?e=IwR5k3
• 
  2020-02-24

  My Coronavirus Experience

  In the beginning of the pandemic, I immediately realized how a large portion of the public was not focused on the virus itself, but the racial controversy of the virus' origin. This was unnerving to the core, because it is a fact that COVID-19 came from China. While it was unacceptable to accept this as fact, MERS literally stands for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome. It is clear that there was a pro-CCP agenda being pushed in the background when propagating the "COVID Safety" spiel. As time went on, more and more inconsistencies began popping up. Beauty and barber shops closed, but Nancy Pelosi is more than welcome to get her hair done. Masks become required to enter any building or participate in society at all, but when the new President was sworn in, the spectators were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and masks were few and far between. What my story says about the pandemic is that while we may have had a real potential global crisis, I believe things were skewed, twisted, and flipped so that it is most convenient for those who hold the power, and not done in the best interest of the American people. An example of this in real life was how the Los Angeles Lakers, Ritz Carlton, and Bank of America (per store) were able to get PPP loans, drain the pool of PPP money, and leave small business owners fighting for crumbs. I have linked a Washington Post article below that expands on the PPP loan problem and how our government failed small business. The pandemic I fear will have long-lasting, Orwellian effects on our society in the sense that those in power will continue to use fear mongering to control the public through COVID. Even though a vast majority of the population has already had it and are building antibodies, Western European-style, 1940s era vaccination cards are beginning to circulate. I fear these cards will be the new "gold star" or "Scarlet Letter'', except those without it would be barred from society, rather than those with it. In my opinion, COVID today is what AIDS was in the eighties. Lots of unanswered questions, lots of fear, and government intervention so that free thinking is minimized. These three, and you have a perfect recipe for controlling the masses. Both diseases were politicized to death, and public opinion of the disease swung back and forth with politicization. If AIDS was blown up to the proportion that COVID was, I couldn't imagine the backlash the political and science communities would get from a certain demographic of people who are very vocal and have a statistically higher likelihood of contracting HIV. I hypothesize that pandemic would turn into pandemonium. With that, my experience during quarantine was as expected. Mental health suffered due to lack of human interaction and ability to go outside, and physical health suffered due to inability to go outside and lack of motivation which was connected to mental health. The main positive thing from the pandemic I can identify is the performance of my stock portfolio. Even though I lost my job due to COVID, I was still able to afford rent, food, and supplies to stay hunkered down in my new $900/month prison for my three month sentence. Another big positive from the quarantine was my savings. The pandemic helped me realize how much unnecessary or emotional spending I do. It helped me point out lots of bad habits I have so I can work on fixing them. Things like spending money when I'm sad, and identifying vices that hold me back in my day-to-day. While the pandemic brought a lot of negatives to me and the world around me, I believe there are some positive things to take away from it. Opening your mind to more than what the government feeds you, appreciating every moment you have, embracing new hobbies, and learning how to maneuver through change. These are all things the pandemic has taught me, but if I had the option, I wouldn't do it again. In terms of being a part of history, simply by living you are a part of history. I was at Sloan-Kettering in NYC with my family getting a life-extending cancer treatment for my father when 9/11 happened. He was one of three patients that day because while in surgery, the first plane hit the towers. The rest of the patients to be seen that day were canceled. I suppose the point I am trying to make is that history is subjective. 9/11 wasn’t 9/11 to me. 9/11 was the day I was blessed with enough time to make some foundational memories of my father before he passed. It can be argued that since I have been invested in GameStop since November, I was a part of history there too. I went to the Game 7 Cardinals vs. Red Sox World Series Game in Fenway Park. The game that broke the Bambino Curse. Again, it could be argued that I was a part of history there too, except my three year old self was asleep for the last two innings. History is subjective, and every day, everyday people like you and I make history. Historians and memoirists will use these events in the future to write articles, make movies and tv shows, write books, and extrapolate many other kinds of art from it. However, most often historical stories are told through a lens of subjectivity, and because of that, eventually all history becomes skewed to the point where it is indistinguishable from fable.
• 
  2021-02-21

  Silver Lining Mini Oral History with Jessica Goldman

  This is an interview done by Robert Baker-Nicholas, interviewing Jessica Goldman for the Covid Archive. I asked her a couple of questions in this short mini oral history interview. The questions included her name, age, race and where she lives, along with the question that states, “What’s one positive thing you’ve experienced during the pandemic?” Jessica Goldman replies to the question with a detailed explanation of how the COVID-19 has impacted her job and her students.
• 
  02/21/2021

  Kim Feins-Snow Oral History, 2021/02/20

  This is an interview done by Robert Baker-Nicholas, interviewing Kim Feinz-Snow for the Covid Archive. I asked her a couple of questions in this short mini oral history interview. The questions included her name, age, race and where she lives, along with the question that states, “What’s one positive thing you’ve experienced during the pandemic?” Kim Feinz-Snow replies to the question with a detailed explanation on how the Covid had impacted her resilience and how she is actually more resilient than she originally thought she was.
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  2021-02-12

  Local man becomes victim of COVID-19-fueled spike in unemployment fraud

  Along with COVID-19 came a spike in identity theft. These thieves then use the stolen information to apply for COVID-19 unemployment benefits. In some cases, the states try to get the victims to pay back the money given to the thief.
• 2021-01-26

  COVID Satistics

  COVID 19 has been horrible for all of us. Many people have been lost and many families have been affected. According to Statista since January 25, 2021, over 25.1 million people have been affected by the coronavirus across the United States. California, New York, Florida, and Houston are the states that are reporting the highest numbers. Since January 25, California has the leading number of cases at 3,168,528, then Texas with 2,250,421, right behind is Florida with 1,649,449, and lastly New York with 1,335,695. In total, these four states add up to 8,404,093 cases out of 25 million. After a year of experiencing this horrific disease, I am very happy that there is finally a vaccine. My uncle works in the emergency department of a hospital so he could be getting exposed to people with COVID daily. Since there is now a vaccine I am not as worried when he leaves to work. Because he is a health official he has already gotten the vaccine and luckily had no side effects. A couple of weeks later my grandma got the vaccine because she is high risk and fortunately she is not experiencing any side effects either. Now that everything is calming down and COVID is becoming a new norm like the Flu, I have learned many things throughout this pandemic. Although the pandemic was horrible for everyone including my family, it helped give me a wake-up call. I realized that every day is not guaranteed. You can do everything right but still, end up hurt or even worse dead. Throughout this pandemic, I have made a promise to myself that I will work harder for the things I want, spend more time with my family, and cherish the moments I am given.
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  2020-06

  A College Student Surviving the Pandemic

  I chose my Target employee card from when I worked there over the past summer in my hometown, Venice, FL. I chose this object because it represents to me the pandemic when everyone was at their worst, during all the main lockdowns. I keep it in my wallet because I still somehow have an employee discount. But every time I pull it out, I am reminded of that scary summer of when no one knew what was going on or what was going to happen.
• 
  2020-03-01

  Covid in the Last Frontier

  The object I choose was the first "mask" I ever wore during the start of this pandemic. During the time, I was in Alaska, and when news of the spread of Covid hit, we (the state) went into lock down almost immediately. The object I submitted has more of a symbolic nature, as it signified a new world that not only were we not prepared for, but one that would become a new norm. At the beginning, it was hard to secure masks, as they were going as fast as toilet paper, so we had to make due with what we had, hence the bandana. What made things relatively difficult was the strict lockdowns and what time of the year they specifically happened. In Alaska, it is crucial soak up as much sun as possible in the late spring and summer due to the long, dark, and cold winters that often lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder, or Seasonal Depression. Not being able to leave your house, and having summer activities closed down made it difficult to soak up the sun and energy we needed. But as humans always do, we found a way, through homemade masks and long, socially distanced walks. I currently reside in Florida now, and the atmosphere was and still is completely different than the one I faced in Alaska. It was an eye-opening experience to live in two states during this pandemic, and how each state handled the virus in their own way.
• 
  2021-01-24

  An uneasy Quarantine

  My experience during the pandemic was a little unsettled. My fiancee and were in the process of selling our house when this new SARS virus started to really spread throughout the United States. Surprisingly we received many good offers and one was too good to pass up. We had a house lined up in a rural area of Florida but that deal fell through. It seems as the pandemic got worse and spread rapidly in the major cities a lot of other people began buying properties in rural areas driving the prices up so the deal fell through. We then began looking for a house in the suburbs of Fort Myers, Florida. In the meantime, I had to live with my parents while we closed on a new house. This was an anxious time as both of them are over 60 years old and my father has existing lung problems I was and am dreadfully worried about him. However, with some luck and a great deal of vigilance and adherence to recommended conduct by the CDC, none of us ever got infected. My fiancee works in a large hospital because of her knowledge of safety procedures and warning signs our family has so far never gotten sick. Despite a few people close to us contracting the virus including our neighbor and her brother who was frail before contracting Covid and is now fighting for his life. These are scary and painfull times.
• 
  2021-01-24

  Wearing Me Out

  I am a contrarian. When the culture seems to be telling me to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and beaches (I'm on the coast of Florida) I always did the opposite. I was a shut-in for my entire life and had always disliked being adventurous, open, courageous. Probably, I was just anxious and scared. I was just beginning to open up at the beginning of the year and when COVID became the prime news and media and the culture seemed to flip and become about isolation and shutting-in... I snapped. I said no, I won't. I won't stay inside any longer. I won't isolate myself from others. I started taking better care of myself, doing yoga on the beach, watching my diet, working out daily, threw out half my wardrobe, and bought these boots. I put myself out there and met many people that changed my life for the better. I am now adventurous, courageous, forthcoming, and open to new people and experiences and, in my opinion, it is all thanks to the quarantine and shut-down. I did contract COVID and did isolate with my family who all also caught it (my mother brought it home from work, where they all wear masks). These boots carried me through this year and have made me feel confident in myself and what I can do for the first time in a long time.
• 
  2020-03-22T12:49:00

  Overwhelmed

  When I wrote this journal entry the world was just starting to go into a panic. Mass hysteria caused every town to be placed on lockdown. Everyone was being forced to quarantine and had a curfew at 9 pm everyday. There was no explanation of what the Coronavirus was other than it was fast spreading and killing thousands of people. In March, there was still a lot of uncertainties. As a college student everything was very abrupt. Our classes and school were shut down fast following students traveling and coming back and testing positive. With being locked into a dorm where roommates left, the dorm life got very tough. Feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness were common to feel during this time. You go from having an active social life to being terrified to be near someone. It takes a toll on your mental health. Additionally, in this journal entry I talk about a relationship with a guy that wasn't going to work, another active conversation about how the want to see someone amidst the pandemic was not attractive and easy. There was a want to go home, but my family lived in Miami and their cases were higher than the one's on the West Coast of Florida. This entry was important to me because I thought it was a perfect description of the chaos and emotional uncertainty of the beginning of the pandemic.
• 
  2021-01-23

  Change of Life A Friends Story!

  I realized the seriousness of the pandemic when I began an exercise program on February 6, 2020. There was not much noise being made about the pandemic yet. I got my nails and hair done on February 11-12, 2020. I would realize now that this would be the last time since I have done this in a year. As the pandemic progressed things were places shutting down and I left my exercise program on February 28, 2020. I early voted on March 2, 2020, and wore a mask. Saw my dentist on March 4, 2020, and got my hair done one last time. By May, I went practically to my doctors and my general physician via telehealth, and then finally I realized this was very serious. People I know began to test positive for Covid. One of these people came into direct contact with me so as a result I went and got a Covid Test as a safety precaution. I found out it was negative. I began to not leave the house now due to the rising cases in my community in Florida. In August cases began to surge even more as people returned to school since summer was over. The holidays came in December and the numbers continued to grow and caused me to not leave the house anymore. This has been a terrible year of isolation and has caused me to lose many dear friends due to the pandemics of isolationism and people's change in attitudes. I am blessed to have a great spouse and a home with a bed to sleep in. I got vaccinated in January 2021. While this brings hope I have to figure out what I am to do and how to move forward as a result of the ongoing pandemic while I have to still maintain safety protocols. I hope the end is in sight due to there now being federal government oversight.
• 2021-01-19

  COVID lockdown rules

  The stupid COVID rules that have been put in place are not worth following, this virus has a 99.9% recover rate for anyone in between 4-50 and we have to shut the whole country down. I live in California which is democrat run so we have to be on red alert like this virus is a threat to all humanity. It’s stupid and it always has been. I wish I lived in Florida at this point because I can play sports there and live life. But no, I have to comply to California’s socialist communist ideology’s.
• 
  2020-12-16

  Finding out our Season was Cancelled

  All of these photos were taken after our last game of the trip along with the last of our season. We found out our season was cancelled the day before and our coaches planned all of this in a day. Also two of our coaches who stayed in Boston flew all the way down to Florida to watch our last day of games and experience it all with us. It was crazy and overwhelming. The game before the last one got cut short because the other team’s coach got a call from their school saying they need to come back immediately because of Covid. This is when we knew it was real and it was over for real. It was a lot of sadness and the seniors did not want to go out like that. Every single senior athlete went through this same thing at every college and high school, all around the country. These photos give the viewer a personal aspect of Suffolk softball and how we dealt with it along with some words that our coach wrote in one of the Instagam posts. It allows historians to look back at how the pandemic affected athletes and maybe compare Suffolk softball to other schools and look at the timeline of before, finding out, and during the pandemic. These images are important to this archive because it is directly related with what is going on today and if people wanted to learn about this then there should be some sort of information on it because there are very little personal stories about athletics.
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  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.
• 
  2020-11-18

  How COVID has changed my home life

  The initial stages of COVID were almost surreal. I was in Key West, Florida when I first got the email from my college that we were going to be all online from mid-March to the end of the Spring 2020 semester. This carried into the Fall semester and that changed how my girlfriend and I were going to live. We decided that if we are going to be at home all the time we need a place big enough for us to separate our bedroom and our school stuff. So we moved from Fenway’s backyard to Somerville and from a studio apartment to a one bedroom. Instantly everything felt better. There was space for all of our stuff, we were able to spread out, and most importantly, we were able to get a dog. We previously had two cats but having an animal that needs to go outside and see the light of day more than once a week has made everything easier. It forces my girlfriend and I to take breaks from the mountains of school work we have and it gets us out of the house for more than just spending money or making money. Finally we got our second dog and she has made life even better because now our dogs get to play together and we get to go out more often to places like dog parks without having to worry about other people and their dogs being there. In the picture you can see Oakley (grey and first child), Tucker (orange and second child), Millie (blue Pitbull mix and third child), and Zoe (white and brown Pitbull mix and fourth child). These little creatures have made everything worth it. Without the pandemic I would not be able to say that I am as blessed as I am now to have four adopted animals that I get to call my world.
• 2020-03

  Schooling During the Pandemic

  With the pandemic going on school has been quite different and this is more of a general outlook of how that is effecting me personally, because I can't speak for everyone else. When COVID really first started hitting us in March, I packed up all my things almost out of no where because my school (FGCU) suggested that we all go home for the semester and changed all of our classes to online meetings. When it first happened I suppose that it wasn't a huge hit to my education because the semester was already pretty much over and we only had a month or so left. However, when summer came and I had to do two more challenging classes over six weeks I started to realize how much I actually appreciated going to classes in person. Especially with Physics, which was very difficult to learn and comprehend in six weeks all while being taught online. Even more challenging was the virtual labs which in of itself is ironic. Nonetheless I was able to pass physics (barely), and now fast forward to present time we're in the Fall semester and not too much as changed. I understand what we are doing, but it is honestly quite annoying when you're trying to pass all of your classes, especially being an engineering major like me. For example, just now as I'm writing this I'm supposed to be in a class, but for some reason I can't connect to the zoom meeting and neither can anyone else. Thankfully my professor records all of our meetings so I can watch it later but regardless it is pain because finals are this week and I'm more worried about my calculus and engineering classes. I really find it more challenging to pay attention to a class when it's online compared to when I'm actually there in person, maybe that's just me but I couldn't imagine I am the only one who agrees with that.
• 
  2020-11-30

  Home for The Holidays

  I live in Florida and my friend goes to school in Vermont, but for the holiday's she decided to come home. We knew this would be risky situation with her flying and having stops between, so I was able to get an extra rapid test for her since my family was already getting tested. We haven't seen each other since August, so we had been eager to be back at home together again, even though things are so different. Everyone has gone through a difficult time this year; one of the things I feel hit home is that my final stages of "childhood" and cherishing everything before I move was not at all what I wanted it to be. Now that my best friend and I are safely home together for winter break, I know we will both be doing our best to soak up all of our hometown before everything changes for good.
• 
  2020-11-14

  Tatiana's Work Enviroment

  Tatiana works at Davita Dialysis in the Miami, Florida area. Her work experience has been immeasurably altered due to Covid-19. Walking in to work everyday feels very different for her with all of the warnings and no visitations allowed.
• 
  2020-11-20

  Rick Scott Latest GOP Senator to Test Positive

  There seems to be another outbreak in COVID cases among GOP lawmakers. This week, Rick Scott, the Republican Senator from Florida, tested positive for COVID. He is the most recent case, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa also tested positive earlier this week. Both have been quarantining themselves and working from home.
• 
  2020-04-10

  The Balcony: My Families Sanctuary

  During the first, and most unknown parts of the pandemic, my family and I were in a small apartment in Miami. There was less information about the pandemic, so we weren't really leaving the house for anything, and our only access to the outside world was a small balcony. We had never really used the balcony, or the apartment for that matter, but it was a safe place where we could regain our sanity at the end of the day, together. Whether this was my mom and I reading our books, or my entire family watching the sunset, listening to music, and talking, we could not have made it through those first few months of the pandemic without this outside space.
• 2020-11-11

  Covid-19 - Higher Education

  It is now almost time to wrap up my fourth semester of college at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. I've always been told ‘as you get old time goes by faster’ and wow if that isn’t one of the truest things i've ever heard. We are in the middle of week thirteen of sixteen. My university, I'm sure many others, have suggested students miss out on Thanksgiving break this year because of the risk we bring Covid-19 home to our families and the community and potentially infect others. Luckily, I do not have any final exams and my in person class after Thanksgiving is giving us the option to go home and complete our work from there. I have decided I will be going home and I plan on getting a Covid-19 test before then to ensure I am not bringing any germs from my university home to my family. Despite the addition of masks this semester nothing seems like it has changed. Students are still deciding upon partying and having large get togethers. It is obvious that many students must think Covid-19 is ‘fake’ or they are ‘immune’ because they continue to put themselves at risk every weekend. Many universities and school systems across the United States have had to transition to complete remote learning once again because of outbreaks in classrooms, residence halls, and Greek life organizations. Covid-19 is not a ‘hoax’, it is very real and should be taken seriously as people's lives and jobs are depending on it.
• 
  2020-06-23

  A COVID Graduation

  I found this story of an in-person graduation to be a bit tragic story. This is because people wanted to believe that COVID was simply ignored in some states. While living in NC we had people that felt that it was just too little risk to slow down large gatherings, we also had restrictions that prevented this exact behavior. I saw many people were doing graduations online, and some were just not even having graduations at all. But this article shows that there was an attempt to hold this ceremony with indications that people were maybe encouraged to wear masks, but they were not mandatory. While there is no indication of more COVID positive people after the graduation, there is a sense of dread to have to go be tested especially after what should be a cause for celebration.
• 2020-08-28

  NBA Bubble

  During the pandemic all sports stopped, at least until there was enough safety procedures to safely play. The NBA found a location in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort, which was able to both house the teams invited as well as the staff and support staff for the teams. The games would be broadcast with virtual fans. This worked pretty well because the people in the bubble were tested and could work out and play on the many courts that the complex boasts. This idea was one of the better sporting decisions but with the size of the teams much more easily done than with other sports, with larger teams and more staff. The NBA soon returned and began to play and give people live entertainment with few COVID cases reported from the bubble
• 
  2020-10-14

  COVID Closure Collections Reward

  Award given to me and my supervisor from the manager of the Museum of the Everglades that recognizes our effort entering 6,000 items into our collections system while we were working from home. While the museum shut down in-office operations the collections team (my supervisor and me) were able to utilize our time at home skillfully to enter 6,000 records. This item memorializes the hard-work our collections staff puts in every day, even amid a frightening pandemic.