Items

• 2020-01-07

  500 Square Feet

  When my wife and I got our first apartment together, we chose one which was affordable and small with the intention that we would spend as little time as possible there. Then we were quarantined and spent nearly an entire year in the apartment. We bought a house shortly after.
• 
  05/03/2021

  Kyle Sauley Oral History, 2021/05/03

• 
  2021-10-17

  Fish Food

  Since the Pandemic began and I was moved to remote work I have been spending more time than ever in my apartment. I bought some house plants to liven up my humble abode but they are easy to care for and don't do too much other than exist. I was looking to get a pet to occupy some of my time but unfortunately my building does not allow for cats or dogs, so I went for a fish friend as the lease was ambiguous towards fish. In college my roommate had two fish tanks and cared for them very well. The fish were always big hits with house guests and caring for them seemed easy enough. It was with this in mind that I purchased a male betta fish, which I named Tarzan after the drug smuggler Ludwig Fainberg from the documentary "Operation Odessa" which I highly recommend. However caring for a betta fish is not as simple as I initially thought. Yet with the help of the internet and all its wisdom I was able to do enough research and find exactly what I needed to make my tank as comfortable as possible for Tarzan. I purchased a five gallon tank along with, a filter, a heater (betta fish like it warm), gravel, a background poster, a pagoda, live plants, a net, a gravel pump for cleaning, ph chemicals, a large moss rock and of course fish food. He gets fed twice a day, once in the AM and once in the PM. The tank needs to be cleaned at least once a month and the filter is changed during that process as well. Every time I crack open his food my nose is greeted by a distinct fish food smell that is unmistakable and equally unpleasant. While I do not think that it would be impossible to care for Tarzan if I was still going into the office every day, it is definitely easier now that I am home more often. Cleaning the tank takes about an hour and can get smelly at times depending on how long it has been since its last cleaning. Without the current work from home situation brought on by the pandemic I would not have considered owning any type of pet that I would have to care for on a daily basis. The average lifespan of a betta fish is between three to five years, hopefully with enough care Tarzan can live to the full five and see the other side of the pandemic.
• 
  2021-10

  A fitness lovers life during a pandemic in the UK

  It describes how I struggled during the pandemic as I was not able to do what I love doing the most: training.
• 
  2020-08-08

  Positivity Throughout a Pandemic

  I submitted a story of my life during the pandemic and the positives that I have decided to focus on when looking back on this past year.
• 
  2020-05-10

  My sister during the pandemic

  Throughout living in this pandemic many people have had a multitude of different reactions regarding it. There is the people who really don't care too much about the pandemic and have not taken to many precautions in their life in regards to the pandemic. The next group of people are the ones who realize there is a pandemic follow the necessary precautions but don't obsess over it and make it consume their lives. And the final group of people are the ones who have let the pandemic take over their lives. My sister is in this last group. She has let it consume her and made her life revolve around this pandemic. She refuses to leave her apartment at all costs. In fact I think I have seen her in person maybe one or two times in the past year since the start of the pandemic. Along with that when I do see her even when it is known that I do not have COVID it has to be outside wearing a mask at least six feet apart and for not longer than fifteen minutes. Yes I understand the precautions of COVID but it is sad to me that this pandemic has caused family members to distance themselves from one another and has really put a lot of strain and stress on people. Hopefully the vaccine will be rolled out quickly and efficiently.
• 2020-03-28

  Moving Out of My First Apartment

  During the 2019-2020, I was living at Vista Del Sol, the apartment style housing available to upper division Barrett students at Arizona State University. I was fortunate to share my apartment with three close friends, and over the course of the school year, we had often gotten together with some of our other friends to hang out and enjoy the college lifestyle in our apartment. After we all returned from spring break, we discussed how uncertain our futures would be with the pandemic, and with so little information or precedent available to us, we all faced uncertain circumstances. Three of us were from Tucson, but our fourth roommate was an out of state student, but we all wanted to remain in our room until the conclusion of the semester (when we were sure the whole situation would be over). However, with added stress from our parents, we found out over the course of a week, that all of our parents expected us to return home, where they presumed we'd be safer and better monitored, instead of leaving us to our own devices. Packing and spending those moments together were heartbreaking, and would only be amplified in the coming months as we were unable to see each other and spend time together, even for special occasions such as birthdays or other events. As a last hurrah, the weekend before our first roommate moved out, we threw ourselves a little goodbye party, with a roommates photoshoot that we reference even now, a year later.
• 
  2020-06-30

  2020 Goals from June 30

  This item was created in June when I had fully decided to stay home for the semester rather than renting an apartment close to campus. It was another ploy to create some kind of hope that this lockdown would be over in the next few months. There are four major sections divided into my dream room since I was allowed to remodel it (spoiler: the only thing that changed was my new bed and shifting the furniture), clothing, places that I was hoping to visit, and random photos that I wanted for my ‘aesthetic’. The only one I came even close to completing was the clothing with my four pairs of plaid pants and mountain of sweaters. Out of all the criteria listed, I think that this “item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020”. During the beginning of lockdown, self-improvement was a topic that many people in my generation along with others were attempting to tackle with this time at home. For this photo, it highlights my personal life and the things I thought was important during this time. I connected this with the Social Dilemma documentary because I did post it to Instagram for a reaction, showing the importance of social media and my computer through Photoshop is important for my life.
• 
  2020-11-25

  Nova Scotian provincial government caps rent increases at 2% and bans 'renovictions' during pandemic

  This new article details how the provincial government of Nova Scotia humanely reacted to the pandemic.
• 
  2020-03-13

  The Creation of Memories

  March 13, the covid-19 virus struck my highschool. We were sent home early and spring break was prolonged. Everyone assumed this would last a week maybe a month, but I knew that the devastation would last a long while more. Everyday during my lockdown, I focused on myself, more than I ever had before. I worked out every day, I baked, I did my school work, I was on a schedule. Over the four weeks I barely went out of my apartment, I tried my best to keep my head up high and try not to worry about the essential and front line workers. I buried myself into Tik Tok, which is what my story is going to be about. Through lock-down I became quite the dancer. I managed to learn most of the Tik-Tok dances and become fascinated with the Tik Tok algorithm. Although this sounds like a bit of a problem, I was happy, I spent hours a day on my phone scrolling. A screenager, I know. Well, in the midst of my scrolling I would come to romanticize my life post covid, how I will be making new friends and exploring new places. I made one Tik Tok a day, no kidding. I created an archive of the lockdown in my drafts. I devoted a lot of my day to Tik Tok, I kept up with the drama and followed all of the baking trends. However, my Tik Tok debut never occurred, sadly. But, I did come to find out new things about myself. I know, most people find social media toxic in some sort of way, as I do now, but during lockdown I felt it was a sort of outlet. I expressed myself and laughed, and saw a little happiness while being inside. I realized that all of my saved videos on Tik Tok would be an archive for my children, they would look at the videos and the umpteenth amount of selfies I took and laugh. Of course, the pandemic is no funny situation at all, but when my children learn about it and question how covid was for me I can show them. The photograph is not as important as my realization of how the Tik Tok changed the pandemic. It might have altered it in a bad way at times because people were glued to their screens. But it is okay for people to spend time on it, to make them laugh and to make them maybe become more creative.
• 
  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.
• 
  10/17/2022

  Sachiko Mortia-Mulaney Oral History, 2020/10/17

  This is an Oral History interview with University of Cincinnati student Sachiko Morita-Mullaney. Sachiko discusses her experience as a student at the University of Cincinnati. She brings up her identity as a Japanese-American woman and how that has affected her personally during the pandemic due to anti-Asian racism. She also talks about her small online business, and the different ways her and her family’s employment have been affected by Covid-19. Sachiko, a Political Science major at the University of Cincinnati, is very informed about the government’s response to Covid-19. She shares her opinions about healthcare in the United States and how racism and classism have affected the United States’ response to the coronavirus. Finally, we talked about the future and the quality of the US response to the coronavirus.
• 
  2020-10-29

  Keys, Wallet, Mask

  The image I chose to share was of the basket of masks in my room. Never in my life could I have predicted that this would be something I have, never mind how much of a staple it would become in my everyday life. I think what I titles thing story holds a certain importance as well. Keys, Wallet, Mask, really emphasizes how much masks have come to be a part of my daily routine. Going from living at home to moving into my new apartment in North End during the middle of the pandemic in July, just minutes from Downtown Boston, I went from only wearing a masks when going to get groceries indoors to wearing a mask every time I walk out my front door, even just walking down the street. I truly has just become such a natural thing to have a mask on my face and for everyone I walk by to have one on as well. I think the significance of the mask during the pandemic and that it has really been the only constant in my or everyone’s lives throughout this COVID-19 experience. Every day I hear contradicting statements about the pandemic, not knowing what’s true and what’s not. My masks for me symbolize a sense of protection at a very vulnerable time in life. I’m not sure if they help or if they don’t, but I know for sure that wearing a mask has given me some sense of security throughout all this chaos and uncertainty.
• 
  2020-06-15

  Ph.D. exams in quarantine

  My family stayed mostly at home through July. I began my Ph.D. exams in June and finished them at the beginning of July. I had to work in the office of our apartment complex, because I couldn't concentrate in our apartment with two kids. When the cases began to rise in July in Arizona, the governor closed bars, gyms, and water parks. As a result my complex closed the offices, and I had to scramble to find another place to work. Thankfully our professors decided to give us 2 weeks (instead of 1) to answer each question, and I passed with high scores.
• 
  09/19/2020

  Jared Walpurgis Oral History, 2020/09/19

  Despite this assignment being for university students, most American’s do not know the realities that students now face during the pandemic; even myself, who is working full-time from my childhood home while taking this course. I can skip Northeastern’s Covid-19 updates and I am completely ignorant of the protocols that on-campus students have to remember everyday, and the consequences that they face if they do not. I didn’t know that NEU had tents set up for outdoor gathering or studying, or that roommate quotas in on-campus housing has remained the same despite social distancing protocols. I hope this interview shows a glimpse of university life and the students sentiment towards university decisions, such as NEU’s very public and controversial suspension of 11 freshman without a refund, as it is not the norm for all of us. That’s why it was a pleasure in getting this insight from Jared, a third year Asian studies major. We learned the most before the recording, by simply getting to know how the coronavirus has impacted our location, surroundings, and day-to-day life. This introduction went well, because it set us up for asking more targeted questions with a storyline during the interview. I especially appreciated Jared’s conversational tone, as it felt more like a re-do of our first conversation than a formal one. I liked being the interviewee for this reason, as it took the pressure off having to keep a natural discussion going. Our interviews went over the time limit, mostly because we were both invested in answering each question thoroughly and thoughtfully, and we realized it would have been very difficult to gain the insight that we had without doing so. However, maybe with some more practice we could have been more succinct.
• 2020-08-09

  I'm sorry my love.

  Dear son, I am so sorry you are having to live through these crazy times. You are only three and don't understand why we can't go see your grandparents and your friends. I know that it sucks that we can't play outside and living in an apartment makes it even worse. It will be over some day soon. I am so proud of you wearing your mask anytime we have to go somewhere. I am so glad you're in such good spirts at all times. When all of this is all over we will go and visit family and friends. We might have lost a year but my love we will go on vacation and see our family and friends. Just a little longer and we won't have to wear our masks. Until then my son keep strong and we will get through this.
• 
  2020-05-15

  Dawn

  I can't sleep past 5:30 these mornings. So I roam my house in the quietude, waiting for the sun to come up and animate the static space. Like many artist I'm trying to use my living space (which I'm fortunate to have) as studio, set, character.
• 
  05/17/2020

  Thank you, Key Food window signs

  As I walked past the Key Food grocery store in downtown Jersey City, I saw hand-made signs in the windows of an apartment across the street. Normally these would be expressions of gratitude to health care workers, but these were directed at the grocery store. It expressed how hard it has been to get food at times during the lockdown, and how much we have learned to appreciate the people who work in grocery stores.
• 
  2020-04

  Life Changes

  My life experience during this pandemic and how it has changed. Though many have had the opportunity to have access to resources I have not which has become a challenge! #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-05-07

  A Change of Pace: Life During Quarantine

  This is just a brief look into my personal adjustment to the COVID-19 quarantine and how it has affected my everyday life. I discuss what an average day looks like for me in light of the situation. I also highlight the challenges I have faced during this time, as well as the changes that have occurred in my life. #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-03-19

  "Don't Pay Your Rent" Message

  A chalk message that states "DON'T PAY YOUR RENT" written on the back of my apartment building. This was during the period of quarantine when people were questioning whether or not landlords would still charge rent. I ended up paying my rent.
• 
  2020-04-30

  How the pandemic changed my everyday actions.

  Every day, I cook (kitchen not pictured but in the same room), work out, study, relax, and work from home all in the same room. This goes to show that even though the world is changing in huge ways during this time, every day actions such as going to the gym have had to transition into the home. Small changes like this show how we have had to adapt routines that we wouldn't normally give a second thought to. #REL101
• 
  2020-04-22

  USPS note left in mailbox

  My apartment complex front office isn’t receiving packages anymore. USPS left this note in the mailbox and I went down to the post office the next day to receive my package (a book from B&N).
• 
  2020-04-27

  My personal isolation

  A personal account of the pandemic.
• 
  2020-04-23

  Young woman confined in Paris, France

  Description of a woman living in Paris, France during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 
  2020-05-26

  A Day in the Life III

  This is my third entry, and I have found that people are beginning to not pay rent. The apartment complex have posted notes on the door's of people who have yet to pay, threatening to evict them. Sadly, I doubt this will amount to anything, as very few people are still here and so I wish them luck in evicting people who aren't even here, since they are threatening to actually evict people. It truly shows how much they care for us as their tenants when they shut down all of their services and leave rent prices the same, truly magnificent.
• 
  2020-04-14

  Goodbye Basketball

  Since the COVID-19 pandemic many businesses and housing facilities have closed common areas to promote social distancing. Since March many residents have not followed through with the warnings and now landlords and managers have taken measures to keep people from gathering such as at One North Apartments, a University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign student housing facility where they have taken the hoops off the basketball rims #DePaulHST391.
• 
  04/17/2020

  A Day in the Life

  Entry about 4/17/20: It's sad to think about how different things were only a month ago. On a Friday only a month ago I would have been out with friends, going to clubs at night and partying until I dropped. And now, I just sit in my apartment, sleeping all day and sitting up all night. My friends have all gone home, and I am the only one left that I know in this town. Yep, can't wait for all of this to be over.
• 
  2020-04-18

  A Day in the Life

  Entry about 4/17/20: It's sad to think about how different things were only a month ago. On a Friday only a month ago I would have been out with friends, going to clubs at night and partying until I dropped. And now, I just sit in my apartment, sleeping all day and sitting up all night. My friends have all gone home, and I am the only one left that I know in this town. Yep, can't wait for all of this to be over.
• 
  2020-04-01

  Landlord left a list of homeless shelters

  The tweet shows a picture of a list of homeless shelters the twitter users landlord displayed on their doors. This is due to financial issues for many. Many people were unable to pay rent due to being laid off for jobs. The person replying to the tweet expresses outrage that the landlord is not willing to make an exception since this is in the middle of the pandemic.
• 
  2020-03-20

  Quarantine Tik Tok Toe

  TikTok of playing tic tac toe with a window cleaner while creator is staying home. #HIST5241
• 
  2020-03-18

  Apartment front office closure

  Office has closed to residents and does not accept packages for residents to the front office. The office has asked residents to make sure that deliveries go directly to our front door.
• 
  2020-03-25

  Apartment Pool Closure

  Tempe, Arizona. Apartment complex - Green Leaf Tempe Station.
• 
  2020-03-23

  Self-isolation desk

  As an Australian who has just arrived back from overseas (Thailand) on 20 March 2020, I am required to self-isolate for 14 days. As I am sharing a small one-bedroom inner urban apartment. I need to stick to my own room, while my fellow inhabitant lives in the lounge room. I’m also a PhD student in the final throes of trying to get my thesis done and do various casual research jobs at two different universities. This is my makeshift desk set up at the side of the bed to enable me to hopefully get some work done throughout this uncertain period. I also have a tiny 1.5mx2m space set up on the other side of the bed to try to do some yoga during the isolation period.