Items

• 
  2022-04-12

  VAP and SMhopes #2

  Let's celebrate our differences
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  2022-03-20

  Day in the Life, Post COVID

  Now that it seems the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over, it is interesting to look back and see how the quarantine, rules, and regulations have changed our day-to-day lives. For me, I would say that it has changed many aspects of my day-to-day, here is a list of my routine and how it is different from before COVID. 1. I make coffee at home every morning. I hand grind whole beans and methodically use a French press. This came from not being able to get coffee at a coffee place on the way to work during covid lockdowns and closures. This one really is better; I save money and get to have better coffee. 2. I listen to one of the many podcasts I am subscribed to now on my commute to work. Prior to covid, I never really listened to podcasts but started to during the lockdown as there was literally nothing else to do. Again, I see this as a positive. Now I am learning things when I would usually just be listening to the same songs over and over. 3. As I walk into work I check to make sure I have a mask, even though it has been over a month since we have had to wear one indoors. It still feels weird not wearing a mask sometimes and I have little panic moments occasionally when I realize I don’t have a mask on me, then remember I don’t need one. I think that a lot of people experience this same thing. COVID changed a lot for people and many things will be the new normal. 4. My workday really did not change because of covid. Due to the nature of my work in the military, we did not have the opportunity to telework as we need access to certain systems that cannot be accessed from the regular internet. So I think there is probably resentment in there, seeing stories of people being able to work from home and spend more time with their families. Though other parts of the workforce, such as the service industry also did not have the opportunity to telework. I think it will be interesting to see if teleworking stays, I hope it does as it seems to have a lot of benefits that I would like to experience. 5. Another thing I do every couple of weeks is going for a drive. I never did this prior to COVID, but I would do it at least once a week to get out of the house in a way that wasn’t just going to and from work. Even though now I can go places and do stuff, I still find myself just wanting to go on a drive and clear my head. 6. I go home and make dinner. I never really ate out before covid, but my cooking skills greatly increased during the covid lockdown as I used cooking like a hobby, branching out and trying to make a bunch of different things. This was also a positive as now I can make a wider array of meals. The pandemic has forever changed our lives and though we may not think it, if we go through our daily routine, we can see things that echo that time. Hopefully, we can find that the changes are positive.
• 2021-01-21

  Symptoms

  I have only had 1 family member get COVID-19. It was my great grandma (102) who passed a few days ago due to COVID-19. She had trouble breathing and One of the people in her home must have brought it to her. One of my teachers also got COVID-19. He said that he only had like a fever for a few days but still doesn't feel 100%. One of my friends family went to dinner with someone with the rona but didn't know at the time. They found out and freaked. Emily and I were at their house when they found out. They all got tested and were negative which made sense because none of them felt bad. My step-aunt and her house got COVID and they all had different symptoms. One kid lost taste and the other lost smell. My aunt got a fever and my uncle had trouble breathing. The symptoms of COVID-19 are all different.
• 2021-01-07

  A covid christmas

  Christmas really was that different this year. For example we did pretty much the same things as last year. The main difference was how we shoped for gifts because we chose not to shop in stores. Overall Christmas was the same.
• 
  2020-09-08

  Is America Living up to its Core Values

  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 America has not lived up to the core value of equality that it promised, yet alleges that it has maintained its promise of freedom. It also includes references to the following modern events: the blm movement and the freedom of protest
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  2020-04-15

  We are all in the same boat. We are not all in the same storm.

  HUM402 An important reminder that each of us is going to feel differently to the current circumstances based on numerous variables. I have found it's very easy to get caught up in what others seem to be capable of but I'm not comparing apples with apples. My storm is different to theirs and it's ok.
• 
  2020-04-07

  Mideastern burial traditions clash with fears of contagion

  The article is about how Covid-19 has affected the religious burial practices of those who died from infection in the Middle East. Attention focuses on the contrasting differences between how the infected bodies were handled, where they were layed to rest, and traditional preparational practices that were foregone during the early stages of the Pandemic due to the lack of knowledge and fear about the virus itself, resulting in discord between deeply religious family members of the deceased and government/health officials.