Items

• 
  2021-03-19

  Easing Into Travel

  This story details how our family eased back into travel once restrictions were lifted, by starting close to home and venturing further and further out. It reminds me of how much we value family trips, and how a positive outcome was that COVID forced us to discover things closer to home.
• 2020-03-03

  Pandemic Honeymoon

  Our wedding was on Leap Day, February 29th, 2020. The honeymoon followed shortly after with still whispers of a pandemic possibly looming. It was the newlywed phase of ignorance, but the pandemic was still viewed as something that wouldn't happen. We first went to Napa Valley without seeing one person wearing a mask in public. Traipsing around vineyards and imbibing on wine also helped stave off reality's harshness. When we arrived in San Francisco for the week, we realized maybe this was bigger than we realized. Walking the busy and heavily inclined streets, you would see about 50% of the people wearing masks and whipping out their hand sanitizer every so often. However, once we started walking through Chinatown, that number nearly doubled. Still, we somehow were not phased. Why would we be? We were on our honeymoon with an endless supply of matcha ice cream, dim sum, walking, sights to see, and more walking! The city was still bustling and alive; you could barely notice the Grand Princess cruise ship loitering in the bay for days, waiting for permission to dock that never came. The cancellation of a Warriors game? Oh well, our boat to Alcatraz was still ready to set sail! On the last day of our trip, we noticed a couple of restaurants closing early, with one owner asking, "Don't you know what's happening?!" On the last day of our trip, we decided to take the long drive home and go down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. In walking the streets and making our way to Monterey Bay Aquarium, we were shocked by the sight of people in hazmat suits spraying the exterior doors of the building. This image would later replay on the news once we made it home. They implemented strict lockdowns and travel restrictions within the hour of crossing back into Arizona's borders. We were so lucky we made it back home just in time and didn't realize until we made it home just how oblivious and ignorant we were. Looking back, I cringe at our naivety. Those concerned people wearing masks in Chinatown? Some of them would later become victims of racism due to COVID fearmongering. That ice cream shop we frequented? Vandalized and destroyed. That curious cruise ship at the time claimed seven lives and infected over 100 people. Once we were home safe and realized this pandemic's seriousness, we stayed home. Within a couple of weeks after returning home, we found out we were expecting, bringing even more intensity and fear. The carefree attitude and carelessness, as exhibited on our honeymoon, were now met with complete awareness of the pandemic and the strictest adherence to lockdown guidelines. We didn't travel again until our pandemic baby was two and a half years old—all of the innocence of life before COVID was forever gone.
• 
  2021-07

  Trip to San Francisco July 2021

  During the summer of 2021, my girlfriend and I traveled to San Francisco for a week-long vacation. Travel and business restrictions were greatly lessened but still in place. As seen in the photo masks were still very common, especially in a big city like San Francisco where there was less anti-mask sentiment (my mask was off just for the photo). We wore masks for the majority of the trip, including while on planes and trains or in any public space. One of the bigger impacts of the pandemic that we experienced during our trip was how many restaurants and other businesses closed at earlier times than before. Additionally, while our trip was happening the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were finally occurring after all of the delays to its start. We were able to watch many events from our hotel room that would have otherwise occurred a year prior.
• 
  2022-07-01

  Delay to The Bay

  My plans to visit San Francisco in 2020 came to a halt with the outbreak of the Coronavirus. As a high school teacher, I was looking forward to my long awaited-spring break. It had been quite some years since my last visit to the San Francisco, and I knew a trip to ‘The Bay’ was long overdue. I booked a flight, hotel, and waited patiently as the weeks went by. Spring was coming up and there were heavy concerns about COVID 19 spreading into North America. I was slightly concerned but figured I would be safe to make this trip. As news broke out about cases emerging in San Francisco, the nation went into hysteria. I was not skeptic about the hazard of Coronavirus, but selfishly planned to proceed with the trip. Then my father called me. My parents, both in their seventies were definitely at risk, especially my mother who struggled with health since my childhood. My father asked me kindly not to go to San Francisco. Without hesitation, I canceled my flight and hotel. I had booked everything online through a third party and was unable to receive any refund. Bummed out, I knew it was the right thing to do. Coronavirus spread, schools shut down and my spring break prolonged. At first I was spending time kayaking, but the weather in Phoenix got so hot I had to stay inside. The Phoenix summer of 2020 had record breaking heat with 55 consecutive days of 115 degrees plus Fahrenheit temperatures. I was miserable. With concerns of my mom’s health, social distancing, living alone and bored, I was very unhappy. The unjustifiable killing of George Floyd caused anger, and rightfully so, across the nation which contributed to more hysteria. The only positive that came from that hot summer were my experiments in the kitchen. I would then deliver tasty meals for my parents. This was the one thing that made me happy. Unfortunately, my mother did not survive past the summer of 2020. She passed away in her sleep peacefully due to an unrelated COVID cause. I was on an all time low. Sad, empty, missing my students, and missing normal daily life. We had no idea how many people would die and when things would normalize. It was truly scary. Fast forward to 2022 and things were much better. I figured surviving 2020 made me stronger and much happier. Vaccinated and boosted, I decided to pursue my trip to San Francisco. I made the best of this short trip. I went to a party outside the Chase Center for the NBA Finals, in which the Golden State Warriors played against the Boston Celtics. For the first time, I took a ferry to Alcatraz. In China Town, I saw locals dance with dragons, in which one bopped me in the face while I was taking photos! Caught by surprise, I did not take offense to this. Observing how the dragons behaved with mischief, I knew it was all for fun. This made me laugh. This was a much-needed trip indeed. 2020 affected everyone around the world. With global hysteria, people getting sick, people dying, racial injustice, everyone except pandemic deniers and those oblivious to political issues resonated with fear. Passing through time, my 2022 trip to San Francisco was a rebirth. A rebirth to normalization. A rebirth to my passion of exploring culture. A rebirth of sanity, and a rebirth of controlling fear. A rebirth to laughter. With dragons, noodles, basketball, and Ghirardelli, the delay to ‘The Bay’ will forever be a golden memory.
• 
  2022-03-10

  Politics wrecked America’s response to COVID. Don’t let it put transgender kids in danger, too

  This is a news story from The San Francisco Chronicle, written by Stephen M. Rosenthal and Diane Ehrensaft. This is an opinion piece comparing the government response to COVID and the politics surrounding it to ruining the response. The authors warn that following politics over science is dangerous. It later goes on to talk about the anti-trans legislation being passed through different states, such as: Idaho, Texas, and Florida. The authors believe that science proves that trans kids have no real threat from puberty blockers. A study is also quoted, where it says that gender affirming care for trans youth is linked to lower instances of depression. The point of this article is not so much about COVID itself, but fear of what was done during the peak of COVID being repeated on other types of legislation, and in this case, using politics over science with trans kids.
• 
  2020-06-01

  Langan Oral History, 2020/06/01

  The contributor of this item did not include verbal or written consent. We attempted to contact contributor (or interviewee if possible) to get consent, but got no response or had incomplete contact information. We can not allow this interview to be listened to without consent but felt the metadata is important. The recording and transcript are retained by the archive and not public. Should you wish to listen to audio file reach out to the archive and we will attempt to get consent.
• 
  2020-09-09

  The smells of the campus silenced

  The vibrant community around San Francisco State was the main factor why I decided to move into Park Merced. The ability to walk to campus each day or ride my bike with other students was exciting to see riding skateboards or bikes while smelling coffee or energy drinks was common. The smell on campus with the wide variety of food and snacks was common to every part of the campus early or late. However, this all changed once Covid was originally announced and students and staff started leaving the campus and area and the sights and sounds of people and food on the campus were silent. The campus now remained silent and the smells of burritos and coffee were gone along with students walking to campus. The residents who used to sit outside and occasionally sat outside reading papers disappeared. The air while cleaner breathing because of the lack of air was soon polluted by the fires in California leaving a red mist that made the air smell like burnt wood. The pandemic changed so many people's lives and it is important to recognize the impact mentally and physically people have suffered. The pandemic silenced the campus and the community silencing the site and sounds while removing the smells that the campus was known for.
• 
  2020

  H396 University of San Francisco prompt

  Prompt given to University of San Francisco students in H396, taught by Kathryn Nasstrom
• 
  2021-07-13

  Brian Harvey, Oral History, 2021/07/07

  Brian Harvey, a Managing Director at Deloitte and Touche, discusses the changes the pandemic has caused to his job as an auditor. He provides insights into the various industries he has interacted with over the past year.
• 
  2021-03-18

  Oakland clinic offers Mayan interpreter for COVID-19 vaccinations

  Oakland clinic offers Mayan interpreter for COVID-19 vaccinations La Clinica de La Raza is targeting Latin Mam or Mayan-speaking community with translation service Thursdays OAKLAND — A new COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Fruitvale neighborhood is offering interpreter services for the Latin Mam or Mayan-speaking community. This month, La Clinica de La Raza began offering the community-targeted vaccination service at 32 locations across the Bay Area, including ASCEND Elementary School on East 12th Street, where Latinos who speak Mam, K’iche ‘and Q’eqchi’ can get translation help from appointment to inoculation on Thursdays. There are over 22 different Mam dialects spoken primarily by people of Guatemalan and Mexican descent. According to a recent UC San Francisco study, Mayan people with Guatemalan roots are the fastest-growing ethnic group in Oakland. “I’m here to support my community, getting them the service that they deserve,” Brenda Sucely Perez, the on-site interpreter at ASCEND, said last week while about 450 eligible people were vaccinated. Staff at the Fruitvale site have administered roughly 2,000 Moderna vaccines per week since opening on March 4, according to La Clinica officials. Salvador Garcia, an Oakland firefighter, volunteered at the vaccination clinic. “Coming to get the vaccination is a good thing because it would help prevent the spread,” Garcia said, adding that it’s especially important given how close relatives in the Latino community live. “When you’re around people in such tight quarters around here, the way the families live with each other, it’s just good to have the preventative measure of the vaccination.” It’s also one of the reasons the nation’s first and strictest stay-at-home orders proved ill-suited for the hard-hit Latino community, a four-month Bay Area News Group investigation found. That analysis showed case rates for the region’s Latino residents are nearly four times higher than White residents, while the Latino population has fared worse against the virus across California. During the fall case surge, economic pressure to keep working outside the home became another major factor in the Latino community’s higher COVID-19 positivity rate in the Fruitvale neighborhood than the rest of the state, according to a UCSF study conducted in September. The results of that study found that antibody-positive prevalence was 9.8% overall among people who live and work in Fruitvale, a predominantly Latino neighborhood. The number spiked to 26.8% among the Latin Mam, or Mayan, speaking community, USCF [sic] researchers noted. The COVID-antibody test shows that someone once had coronavirus.
• 
  2020-07-05

  Painted rocks on Iron Horse Regional Trail

  These are a series of photos I took on July 5, 2020, of a set of painted rocks I found on the Iron Horse Trail in Danville. The rocks say: "BE KIND" "STRONGER TOGETHER" "DANVILLE GOT HEART" "WHEN THERE'S NO PEACE ON EARTH THERE IS PEACE IN CHRIST" "SRV '20" (in reference to nearby San Ramon Valley High School) "SMILE! 🙂" "EMBRACE THE PAUSE!" "count your BLESSINGS" "Learn from Yesterday" "LOVE has many COLORS" (with a painted Pride flag in the background) "TOGETHER we will PERSEVERE" The rocks are all positive in tone, with a rock celebrating the recently-graduated seniors at the local high school, a rock advocating for queer people, a variety of rocks with generic inspirational messages, and a message urging others to find solace in religion. There is also one rock that references Danville's community explicitly.
• 
  2021-06-25

  English, Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog COVID signs in SF

  On June 25th, I saw this set of posters next to a bathroom in Japan Center, a Japanese shopping center in San Francisco. The posters are in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Tagalog.
• 
  2021-06-12

  Mask trash Golden Gate Bridge Park

  Several disposable masks littered the grounds around the Golden Gate Bridge Park on the north end of the bridge. This photo shows a blue disposable mask near a lookout.
• 
  2021-06-12

  Mask trash San Francisco

  While visiting the Golden State Bridge, I came across this blue fabric mask with a penguin print.
• 
  05/03/2021

  Jeff Foster Oral History, 2021/05/03

  Elizabeth Hathorn interviews Jeff Foster, a college student and member of the U.S. Army. He discusses the effects of COVDI-19 on college classes and on military training. He also touches on a few other aspects of life during the COVID-19 quarantine.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Why are we seeing more wildlife during the pandemic

  This article is important because it discusses why we are seeing more wildlife out and about during the pandemic. They discuss the topic of “is more wildlife out, or are people just noticing wildlife more?” and other topics related to this. This article also discusses the difference between seeing bigger or smaller animals and the reasoning behind it. This article gives a good insight on wildlife during the pandemic and reasons for more sightings.
• 
  2021-01-16

  Kaiser apologizes

  Kaiser Permanente apologizes for long phone wait times since the Covid-19 vaccine became available.
• 
  2021-01-17

  Bay Area firefighter paramedic deployed to SoCal hospital describes COVID-19 situation

  MARIN, Calif. (KGO) -- As COVID-19 cases surge, Bay Area firefighters are getting deployed to hospitals across the state. Bob Craft, a firefighter paramedic from the Central Marin Fire Department is working the nightshift. Two hours into his shift, he intubated a patient in the emergency department who arrived to the hospital with stroke like symptoms and prepped a COVID-19 patient for their flip onto their stomach for the rest of the night. "It's the gamut from really regular people coming to the emergency department to people on ventilators on the ICU who are on the COVID ward," said craft.
• 
  2021-02-26

  Streets of San Francisco 2K21

  Streets of San Francisco 2k21 by @gregoryd1 #sf #sanfrancisco #sfchinatown #chinatown #regram
• 
  2021-03-20

  Van Gogh Exibit

  It's not an exaggeration to say the new Van Gogh exhibit is an immersive experience.⁣ ⁣ The projectors cover the walls and floor in vibrant psychedelic brush strokes that are constantly in movement, cycling through paintings like The Starry Night, Bedroom in Arles and his self-portraits.⁣ ⁣ Learn more at the link in our bio. 📷: Mariah Tiffany @tangerine__scream
• 
  2021-02-26

  Koi street art in San Francisco

  This article in the SFGate tells how artist Jeremy Novy has pivoted to commissioned street art work during the pandemic. Novy's commissioned work is done out in the open "based on guidelines from the Department of Public Works and the San Francisco Police Department, which he says assert that his public art is legal, with permission from the property owner."
• 
  2021-03-04

  S.F. Japantown businesses owe tens of thousands in rent. Can the area survive without them?

  In the decades since, the community’s boundaries have shifted and shrunk, devastated by forced Japanese removal and internment in the 1940s and by large-scale redevelopment in the ’70s. But San Francisco’s Japantown persisted, even as others throughout the United States faded away. Today, Nihonmachi is the country’s oldest and largest Japantown, one of three remaining, but it covers only about six blocks — and many worry it is in danger of disappearing. The pandemic has hit neighborhood businesses particularly hard, and this year an agreement with the area’s largest landowner to keep the Japan Center malls “Japanese-themed” is set to expire.
• 
  2021-01-31

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 97

  San Francisco school board erases school names
• 
  2021-01-29

  Virtual School in the Pandemic

  This drawing shows my mostly normal morning during the pandemic.
• 
  2021-01-21

  West Contra Costa Unified School District Food Services Meal Distribution During the Pandemic

  This is an example of what many schools in California are doing for children and families during stay-at-home orders of the pandemic, as part of efforts of the US Department of Agriculture. Many families face food scarcity issues and the meals provided at school are sometimes the only source of food during the day for students. During the pandemic, many children will face food scarcity issues if they do not attend school in person. This school district has organized meal boxes that provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. The website provides the pickup information in both English and Spanish to meet the communication needs of the families in their district, and stresses the importance of food for students' health and well-being.
• 
  2020-05

  Critical Industry Employee Authorization to Travel Regardless of the Time of Day

  When this ongoing pandemic initially began, people were not sure how long the extremities would last or whether COVID-19 was as bad as some people claimed it to be. As we now know, the wearing of the mask has become politicized with some movements and ideologies, and the safety and wellbeing of the community is being contested with freedom, pandemic conspiracies and/or blatant denial. It is now November 6, 2020, and I can safely say we as a global community have seen ridiculous and ineffable events unravel over the past year. Sadly, these unique occurrences are far from ending as the pandemic is worsening in terms of case spikes and as the people are growing ever more weary. I am reflecting during this election period, looking back at the strange changes I haven't seen before in my life, and recently I found this work document I had at home. The document presented is a paper granting the holder the right to go about their day, allowing them to travel when others were not allowed.This paper was given to me at work during May 2020 just a curfew took place. Although the mandated curfew in San Francisco only lasted about a week, I remember that people did take it seriously more or less as I walked to work barely seeing anyone outside. The paper would help me if the police stopped me at any point. My parents were worried that I would get pulled over since I worked evening shifts (luckily I didn't have this happen). What is interesting and scary about this document was that others could have been fined or got into trouble if they were stopped; this was something I never considered at that time. Others may state that this document is scary in terms of historical precedence to the nineteenth century in America. This can be tied to freedom papers in segregated and/or slave based areas in the American south when African Americans had to possess such papers stating their business either on their or someone else's behalf. The repercussions otherwise could have been horribly severe if they didn't have said papers. Thus, this paper holds power and grants amnesty from punishment. Two different periods with different purposes but similar implications and deterrents. Interesting what can be created during a modern pandemic.
• 
  1919-02-01

  Analysis of 1919 Image of A "Smoker's" Flu Mask

  The artifact that I have chosen is a photo of a man wearing a mask, with a hole provided so that the wearer may smoke a cigarette without having to remove said mask. The photo appears in the Saint Louis Post on February 1st, 1919, and the accompanying text seems to imply that it may have been taken in San Francisco, as the city is mentioned in particular. Additionally, the descriptive text is followed with "- International Film Service", implying that the image and text originate from this organization. This would have appeared in the paper during the third wave of the Spanish flu, several months after the deadly second wave. The third wave mostly consisted of smaller scale outbreaks in larger cities, such as San Francisco and Saint Louis. The flu had already re-established itself as a major threat with the second wave, and so many cities had put laws in place to make wearing flu masks in public mandatory. These laws were disliked by many, some of whom held anti-mask gatherings and started movements to try to overturn the laws. We see similar things today, of course, as many people refuse to wear masks and defiantly hold gatherings with little to no safety precautions. This artifact raises a great deal of questions about the differing perspectives on masks and cigarettes over the course of a century. The idea of wearing a mask that accommodates cigarette smoking appears laughable today, as we now know the harm that smoking causes. Making it easier for someone to damage their lungs in the middle of a pandemic seems like a foolish idea. However, research into nicotine addiction and the harm that smoking causes was practically nonexistent in the early 1900s. Therefore, the only obvious harm that a smoker mask would cause is possible infiltration of germs and bacteria through the mask's hole. One thing I found while researching the possible source of this image is that men in particular felt uneasy with wearing masks during the Spanish flu, because they felt emasculated. Many advertisements during this time promoting mask use were framed in such a way as to hopefully soothe men's bruised egos. One could argue that there is a connection between smoker-accommodating masks and attempts to make men feel secure in their masculinity. All this said, however, there is also the possibility that this image was purely satirical. It was reproduced in the May 1919 edition of Popular Science magazine in an anti-mask joke article. The article attempts to poke holes in the rationale behind mask laws, with comments about how regulation cannot stop the transfer of disease. As I cannot find any evidence of the smoker masks being mass produced or even other photos of them, there is a good chance that the original image was made as a joke. As mentioned before, the image was sourced as coming from the International Film Service, a short-lived animation studio in the 1910s. This image could have been produced by them as part of a gag. As the version that appears in the Saint Louis Post appears to be entirely sincere, it is possible that they missed the joke and took it seriously. It is also possible that the Saint Louis Post used the image jokingly but framed it seriously, and humor has changed enough in the past century that I cannot register the dry sarcasm used in a newspaper from 1919. Overall, this artifact raises many questions and few answers. With that said, it still sparks a lot of thoughts about how people in 1919 dealt with their pandemic and how we deal with ours.
• 
  2020-10-06

  Pet shortage in SF

  The COVID-19 lockdown has forced many people into social isolation, and also provided the free time necessary to care for and train new pets. The resulting surge in dog adoptions has led to a shortage of adoptable animals in San Francisco shelters, and the pet sales industry made a record-breaking $100 billion this year. Since puppies can no longer be commercially shipped, a company called PuppySpot has taken to chartering private jets to transport animals bred in the Midwest to the Bay Area. With no end to the pandemic in site, demand has continued to rise.
• 
  2020-04-04

  Homemade Potstickers

  I woke up Saturday morning feeling drained after 12 hours of sleep. As a teenager in the middle of a pandemic, I had nothing to do except to fix a messed up sleep schedule. I got out of bed at 1 PM and decided I would not do anything that day. I was ready to be back in bed and binge Netflix. Suddenly my sister along with my mom and dad and cat burst in my room and told my tired self that we were going to make potstickers. UGH. I told them to go away and that I was busy. An hour later I could smell something coming from the kitchen, something delicious. I could hear my stomach rumbling and I was ready for some food in my belly. I went to the kitchen and saw that the first batch of potstickers were done cooking, they looked perfect! The dough after being pan-fried became crispy and golden brown, and the inside was warm and flavorful. I wanted to help make more (so I could eat more) and turns out, folding potstickers is not as easy as it looks. In comparison with the rest of my family’s, my folded potstickers looked like a total disaster. At least it still tasted good! I didn’t watch Netflix for the rest of the day and I’m glad I didn’t. The time I spent with my family that day will forever be part of me and I hope my family in the future will make even more memories together.
• 2020-10-26

  Sports? What's That?

  March 13th was the day that everything changed. My social life, school, activities and especially sports, were gone. I remember the last day that we were in school before getting the email that schools were going to be shut down for what we thought was only going to be two weeks, I had open gym for volleyball. I remember me and my team being super excited because we haven't played in moths and we were all excited to get back on the court and to all be together. My team and I all meet after school to get ready for practice and as we were walking to the gym in all of geer that took 20 minutes to put on, out team captain told us that our open gym was canceled. Everyone was in shock and mad at the same time because we all wanted to get back on the court, plus we had already changed and that took a lot of work! After we all said our goodbyes not knowing how long it would be until we saw each other again and even how long until we were able to get back on the court. Finally after months of being away from volleyball and my team we started conditioning. It was so fun to each my team and to get to workout together. We are not sure when we will get back on the court but at least we have conditioning which is a huge step forward.
• 
  2020-08-13

  The Reality of Traveling During COVID-19

  ere silent and it seemed as if I was living in a ghost town. I exited the car with family who all had their masks on. I could smell the cloth of my mask and see the open building that I always remembered being packed. I remembered the people scattering around trying to make it to their flight on time. But what I was experiencing wasn’t even close to that. The building seemed empty. When I did encounter someone they would look at me and make sure to maintain their distance. As I continued my journey to my boarding gate the restaurants didn’t seem as exciting as they normally did. My mask clogged my sense of smell, as I couldn’t smell the food like I normally could. Eventually I made it to my plane. The plane was filled will barely any people. My family occupied one row and the rest of the people were far from our seats. The entire 3 hour journey to Louisiana was filled with hard breathing with my mask, admiring the scenery and the empty plane. Smelling the humid air and my disappointment that I wasn’t getting my free drink. The entire experience was different and proved to me how Covid-19 is considered a sensory revolution.
• 2020-10-26

  Sensory Memory Changes During COVID-19

  The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected our sensory memory. All of the 5 senses have experienced a lot of change during this pandemic. Personally, I found the streets and stores to not be as packed as they used to be. When I go outside, I see most people are wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart from each other. During the pandemic, it has been a lot quieter as well. There is barely any traffic on the freeways or even the sound of cheering from football games and gatherings. The sense of taste also experienced a lot of change. Due to social distancing regulation, restaurants and cafes have been closed or only allowed takeout. Personally, it's been almost 8 months since the last time I went out to eat at a restaurant or get coffee pastries at a local cafe. For smell, California was struggling with fires so for a few weeks and all I was able to smell was smoke. Finally, the sense of touch has been experiencing change. I'm not able to see my relatives and friends. Since I can’t really go outside or visit people during these times, I haven't experienced a hug, high-five, or shaking someone’s hands in a while.
• 2020-10-26

  2020

  August 17, 2020 the first day of school. Years in the past for school i have jumped up excited to meet my new teachers, see my classmates and start sports. This year i felt something different, I was excited I was scared to start this virtual learning journey where my home becomes my school, my bedroom becomes my classroom and my family becomes my classmates. This life we are living is one that will be told for decades to come, so let’s tell it the right way. The very first mandate was to wear a mask, this was to keep others safe of your germs. Wearing a mask limited interaction with people because it was hard to hear them or know how they are feeling because we can’t see facial expressions. The second mandate was a country wide quarantine, two weeks in your home to clean your body of the Coronavirus. Many people didn’t believe or did not want to follow this mandate so they didn’t, so two weeks turned into four months. Not being able to see your friends, family, co-workers, and just the general public was really strange and was hard to get used too, however now as things start to open it is strange and hard to get used to this as well.
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  2020-10-24

  Sensory History & COVID-19, Lesson Plan

  This curriculum was designed for a junior level US History course. First, students learn about sensory history through the study of a historical event. Then, students are asked to submit a COVID-19 sensory memory to the JOTPY archive. The curriculum and student work are being submitted to the JOTPY archive to provide insight into the sensory history of COVID-19. They also give insight into the vast array of perspectives teenagers living during the COVID-19 pandemic have based on the diversity of their current life experiences.
• 
  2020-04-16

  COVID-19’s Historic Economic Impact, In the US and Abroad

  The main point of this news article is to share how the pandemic has effected the US economy and other economies. I chose this news article because for each topic they compare the US to other countries to really help readers see the difference in the way the countries went about COVID-19 This article explains how the economy will be affected for many years after the pandemic is over because of this and how the daily lives of millions of people have been changed because of the current poor situation in the economy. The article is important because it informs people about the economic decline we’re facing currently.
• 
  2020-10-08

  SF Public Library + SFMOMA giveaway

  SF Public Library has partnered with SFMOMA to provide free art kits at mobile library locations. I live in the city, and thought this was a neat way for the library to engage with people while their branches are closed.
• 
  2020-10-08

  Watch Me Grow Right Through The Concrete Cracks

  The story behind this image is something I hold true to my creative process, in aspects of the pandemic, what I would like people to know is that even when life seem colorless with no blossom, we have the capacity to make something beautiful out of pain, fatigue and tiredness because humans are relentless and resilient, like a flower growing right through the cracks.
• 
  2020-10-06

  The Media & COVID-19, Lesson Plan

  This curriculum was designed for a junior level US History course. Students are asked to identify a news article that highlights an important aspect of the COVID-19 experience. Students are also asked to write a summary of the article that includes an overview of the article, why they selected the article, the importance of the article, what the article reveals about life during COVID-19, identification of any noticeable bias in the article, and a statement about the responsibility of the media during the pandemic. The curriculum and student work are being submitted to the JOTPY archive to provide insight into the topics that are important to teenagers, as well as the expectations and reality of the media during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also give insight into the vast array of perspectives teenagers living during the COVID-19 pandemic have based on the diversity of their current life experiences.
• 
  2020-10-06

  "Trump mounts bizarre and misleading White House return despite warnings"

  A display of how the president is acting ignorantly during this time.
• 
  2020-09-08

  Black Lives On the Bottom of America's Totem Pole

  This essay was produced as a part of the American Studies program at California High School in San Ramon, California. The essay is in response to the prompt "Is America currently living up to its core values?" This essay argues that black people are a key example to why America is not fulfilling to the country it seems to be. It also includes references to the following modern events: the Black Lives Matter Movement and police brutality.
• 
  2020-09-06

  Crowded Crissy Field on Labor Day

  A friend that lives in San Francisco posted this video on his Instagram stories. It is a video of Crissy Field, the park and beach area near Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It is a spot beloved by locals because of the open space and picturesque backdrop of the Bridge. The San Francisco Bay Area is experiencing an intense heat wave over Labor Day weekend. The heat, and the smoke from surrounding wildfires, has pushed residents from around the Bay Area to locations with cooler climates and cleaner air. While a number of local beaches are closed, it appears as if Crissy Field was not one of them. This video captures the crowds of people that flocked to Crissy Field over the Labor Day weekend.
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  2020-09-01

  Greetings From...San Francisco

  A wonderful group of students from my first year of teaching (2011-12) has stayed in touch since they graduated in 2015. They have an annual tradition of coming back to the Bay Area at least once per year and spending the day in San Francisco. They take a photograph in front of the Golden Gate Bridge - even if it is completely covered in fog - to mark their time together. The COVID-19 pandemic made their tradition impossible this year. They still decided to mark the year by creating this "Greeting from...San Francisco" postcard style photoshopped image. It is such a sign of the times! I am grateful that the group is finding a way to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 
  2020-08-31

  Fires Strike California

  This photo is symbolistic of the fires that we now must deal with in California. As people remain at home to work, energy usage is at an all time high. Thus, the potential for wildfires, lost lives, and damaged neighborhoods/homes is also probable. We are now seeing this disaster play out and hope for the best. This photo was taken during a walk in San Francisco around sunset. The orange and pink glow filled the sky and the aroma of smoke was everywhere.
• 
  2020-06-09

  Finding Opportunity in Midst of Tragedy

  When I left San Francisco in March (due to USF closing), I knew I was coming back for the summer. I thought maybe I would find a nice research position at the school once things calmed down. However as CO-19 progressed I quickly realized that my goal of getting a research job was nearly impossible as almost every position had a hiring freeze. I returned to San Francisco on the last day of May to move into my apartment and begin a tedious job hunt. I applied to around 20 jobs at UCSF, the only place I could see hiring for in-person research. Unfortunately I never heard back. Saddened by the lack of job offers I quickly became consumed by self-doubt. How will I ever get into medical school if even entry level research doesn't want me? How will I set myself apart? Over the next week I decided to broaden my job search to not just research but different healthcare positions. Even positions I wasn't qualified for, but willing to learn. At that point I had applied to twenty-five more jobs and almost immediately started hearing back...from ALL of them. This past summer I held three jobs. One as a dental surgery assistant, one as a clinic and research intern at the Stone Research Foundation, and one as a receptionist at an orthodontic practice. These positions I could have never have gotten under normal circumstances. With a combined total of almost 60 hours a week dedicated to work I can say I have learned so much and am proud to be a part of the health care field. While this summer was one of the most difficult, it lit a fire under my butt. It taught me that there is always another way to get where you want to be in life as long as you don't give up and keep trying.
• 
  2020-08-30

  A New Home

  Despite all classes being online, I decided to come back to San Francisco for college after being home in Colorado for 5 months. I've moved apartments, and have a new roommate that I had never met before. So now there are four of us, living through a Pandemic together. We are doing quite well so far. We've made a calendar for chores, and a calendar that shows when each of us has classes so we aren't loud in other rooms while classes are occurring. Not only that, but we've become a family of sorts. We are almost always involved in each others' plans. We work out together, eat together, watch TV together and sometimes even cook together. It's a comfortable situation, and I'm grateful to be having this experience despite not being able to attend classes in person.
• 
  2020-08-02

  'Catastrophe': How Nation's Worst Outbreak Exploded at San Quentin

  In less than two months, 19 San Quentin inmates have died, including at least eight on Death Row, more than half the number of condemned killers executed here in four decades. The official number of prisoners infected has reached 2,181 — about two-thirds of the prison population — but many refused to be tested.⁠ ⁠ And alongside the prisoners plagued by a pandemic in a poorly ventilated germ-ridden lockup are the 258 prison guards and other staff who got sick too — and ultimately brought it home.⁠
• 
  2020-08-29

  San Francisco Public Library COVID-19 Community Time Capsule

  The San Francisco History Center of the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) is actively archiving all types of materials, in multiple formats, to build a collection that documents and preserves the collective experiences of San Francisco residents during the COVID-19 public health emergency. They are interested in what is happening to San Francisco residents, neighborhoods, schools and workplaces. They are asking local residents to put on their archives hats and help capture what is different in our world today, what we miss, what we’ve created to reflect our new reality, and how we are communicating and living now. With your help, SFPL will build a collection that reflects the many ways San Franciscans were impacted by, and responded to, this public health crisis. All submissions will be preserved in the COVID-19 Community Time Capsule at SFPL and be shared with the public, as well as remain in the City and County Archives of San Francisco (part of the San Francisco History Center), for long term preservation. If you are interested in sharing digital content, please use our online submission form below. Digital content will ultimately be available through our online collection platforms and social media accounts. Submissions may include: photographs, blog posts or social media posts, video or audio, notices, signs or posters, including government notices or signs from private businesses, letters, emails, postcards, community newspapers, personal journal and diary entries, creative work - such as drawings, paintings, graffiti, poetry, recipes and games. This collection could be paired with the San Francisco Bay Area JOTPY Collection for a more robust picture of the impact of COVID-19 on the region.
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  2020-08-24

  San Francisco Stays Home

  The eerie and empty streets of downtown San Francisco shows social fears and ultimately the decisions to stay home amid the pandemic.
• 
  2020-03-29

  sign of courage

  Early in the pandemic, when we were sheltering in place but were allowed to be outside for exercise (here in San Francisco), I started taking photographs of signs people posted in and around their homes. This became a daily activity while I was out for a walk. Usually the signs were fairly small and were posted in windows. But sometimes they were more elaborate, like this one with a quote about the nature of courage from Maya Angelou. It made me realize that courage isn't the absence of fear; it's something else. The longer quote includes this: "Having courage and showing courage means we face our fears." That has really helped me in this frightening time.
• 
  2020-03-18

  An Empty Bridge

  This is a picture of the Oakland Bridge in the Bay Area, California, while completely empty due to the initial Covid-19 lockdown. This bridge normally has thousands and thousands of people crossing it on any given day, and at any given moment it will typically be packed with commuters. In the photo, it's almost completely empty. This uncanny image was the first thing that made me, living in a city on the opposite side of the country, realize just how serious the virus would be. At this point in time, most of my friends and family still believed we would be going back to school within the month of March. It was unimaginable that we would still be dealing with the pandemic in August, when I am writing this, and that we probably will be dealing with this for the foreseeable future. The response to this pandemic was quite obviously botched by the US and its institutions that are supposed to protect us, and by the end of this hundreds of thousands of people will be dead as a result. I fear a lot of people in the future will blame this tragedy on everyday people's failure to lockdown, and I think this image serves as an essential reminder that when we were first told to lock down, the American people locked down.