Items

• 
  2021-07-10

  Together, But Alone: Quarantine Life at Andover

  My name is Maya Watt, I am 17 and I am from Memphis, TN. I am currently attending Phillips Academy Andover during their Andover Summer program before senior year. I have met many people, learned new things, and worked on my worth ethic. This is the story of my quarantine during my first week and a half at the camp. There are some highs and lows, but throughout my slightly rough quarantine/transition into the camp, I realized the purpose of my attendance at this school.
• 2020-09-30

  No Room for Activities

  I am not overly social. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic’s stay-at-home orders were not a big deal to me. However, the mandate meant no after-school activities for my kids who had a very hard time with it. My ten-year-old son took it the hardest as it meant no soccer, no chess, and no playdates which also meant no touching, no tag, and absolutely no wrestling. After classes, I would pick them up and chauffeur the kids around town to all their activities. If we had time we would sometimes stop by the mall and grab a bite to eat. If we had an hour to kill, we would run into the arcade for a quick game or two of Mario Kart. But all that stopped once COVID struck. There was no room for the kids’ activities—no sports, no music lessons, no mall eateries, no more Sbarro on the run, no arcade—so in essence, no more fun. Due to COVID constraints, my boy developed a small case of depression from not being able to play with his friends and soccer buddies. Seeing my son miserable affected me, especially after reading some children were committing suicide due to these restrictions. I forgot just how much bonding with friends and socializing meant when you are ten and surrounded by thirty other kids for five days a week. While the pandemic gave parents like me a respite from all their children’s after-school extracurriculars, it was not worth seeing my son sad like that, and socializing was not the only aspect affected. My kids really missed getting their hands-on activities with other kids at the playground and soccer field. Kids simply love playing anywhere and touching everything, so not being able to do so hampers their growth through play and touch. Soccer was an outlet for all my son’s pent-up energy and once it and the other sessions were taken away, he felt trapped at home. We would play in the backyard, but it was not the same for him. Although he may complain about school now, he still needs his friends. Luckily, the pandemic is over, and soccer and their clubs are all back on. My son is back to his normal rambunctious self again. My children are back to being full-time kids again!
• 
  2020-08-15

  Laughter is a Girl's Best Friend

  The image I included shows the sense of sound. In the picture submitted my two close friends and I are laughing in a picture together. The story I am regarding with this is the fact the pandemic deprived me of hearing not only their voices in person but also their laughter. In my state we started the lockdown by late March, so all of us were not quarantining together, so the time when the pandemic was the worst was the longest, we went without seeing each other in person. Of course, like other people, we would use technology, like Facetime and Zoom. Like most other people know, Zoom is not the same as in person. So this picture shows us laughing and for the first time in a really long time to hear us all laughing was musical. I think this particular sensory history shows the importance of what a person hears from day to day, or on a regular basis. It becomes clear in times of global pandemics what gets taken for granted until it is taken away. I think when this history gets studied in years to come, historians are going to see a recharge in what people think is important. Those simple things, like a friend's laugh, were lost in the time of quarantine.
• 
  2021-05-25

  Being 16/17 in a Pandemic

  This is my life during the pandemic in the United States which on personal experiences and reactions that I and those closest to me went through.
• 2021-01-01

  Curtain Call on 2020

  This past year was a crazy one. Since it’s now 2021, for the first time, I’m really looking back on 2020 and reflecting on my memories and moments. The year started off normal, and simpler. I had just made friends with a group that I liked a lot in December of 2019, I’m still with them, so that was pretty important. I imagine my life would be different, and I wouldn’t have many of the memories I have today. I don’t remember much about January or February itself, but I do remember Mardi Gras. At the time, the USA wasn’t really concerned about COVID-19, so being with friends during Mardi Gras were some of the best and last moments of large gatherings and celebrations I’ve seen in a while. After the 2 weeks of festivities, March rolled around, a month that stands out for everyone when looking back at 2020. Halfway through the month, we learned that we got out of school for 2 weeks. I was in media arts and my friends and I got super excited. The tone dialed down quickly though, as my entire math period following the announcement was Mr. Milling answering questions from kids about the virus and explaining the CLP. My friends and I hung out one final time that night on March 13th. After that, we split up and resorted to talking through phones and headsets as a communication system. In April we started meeting up again at Audubon Park for bike rides, and that continued through June. Then it seemed like school came fast, and all of a sudden, we were back in person, and things felt just a little bit normal.
• 2020-12-01

  My Day

  December 1, 2020 Over Thanksgiving break, I went to Saint Francisville and went hunting and had fun with my cousins. On the day before Thanksgiving, I shot my third deer and it was a doe that weighed 122 pounds and I was very excited. On Thanksgiving, we went to my grandmother’s house in Saint Francisville, which is about 10 minutes from our property. I ate turkey and ham and rice and gravy for lunch, and then I went and played with my little cousins. Later, we had a very good ice cream pie and then went home that night. On Saturday, we watched the Iron Bowl and watched Alabama beat Auburn 42-13, but it should’ve been 49-6. Then right after that we switched over to the Egg Bowl and watched Ole Miss beat Mississippi State. Yesterday we had basketball practice, and when I got home, my basketball shoes finally came in. They’re blue Kyrie low 3s. After school, I got a ride home with a friend because my sister had already left. I went to my friend’s house and just stayed there for a little while and more of my friends came there too. We played Madden and I beat my friend 35-8, and it was only the third quarter when he quit. At about 5:30, we walked to Circle K for snacks and it was so cold outside. I got a Rice Krispy Treat, Funyuns, and a drink, and then I went home and laid in bed and ate my snacks and had dinner and went to bed.
• 
  2020-07-04

  First time traveling in Covid 19 Pandemic

  For my primary sources I chose pictures that I took with my friend and family through covid pandemic and my first trip to my country which is Dominican Republic at July 4, 2020, and it did not feel the same because some people were afraid of hug me, talk to me and even I could see them put their mask on when they saw me coming to their way and I do not really blame them because even i was afraid to hug my significant ones because I know that the time we were going through it was a lot for them, I am not going to lie, I was scared to go out because everytime that I watched the news just I heard that millions people died from Covid and that did not give comfort to go out because I did not want to get my family and friends sick. At july 20th I traveled for first time in the pandemic and it did not feel great because the looks that people used to give me when I cough or sneeze it was like if I came from another place, I did not enjoy this vacation the wanted because I could not see the people i wanted to see and the people I saw were scared of me because of Covid. I selected this source because I want to show the historians in the future the struggles and the loss that many people had in 2020 because of Covid, for example the students had to take classes from their home which is basically teaching ourselves, people lost their jobs because the economic went down and there was not enough budget to pay the employers because the Country was not prepared for this situation, and that many people lost members of their family, this was a difficult time for all of us.
• 2020-03-13

  Official School Shutdown

  I first knew this when one of my friends texted me. She told me to check my email and when I did, the screenshot above told us that we were not going to go back to school until after Spring Break. It was a Friday and it didn’t occur to me that we would have online school. So I just assumed that we had no school at all, like an extended break. However, we got some more follow up emails saying how we still had to do classwork and such. (This is when I started checking my email daily) Back then, I had limited access to technology and I didn’t want to bother my parents too much; so I had to work with what I had. But then the date kept changing. It was extended to May, then to the rest of the school year. And the first half of this year (2020-2021). It was extremely distracting to learn from home, it felt like my siblings became ten times more annoying, we had to be more careful with cleaning/sanitizing and had to store more food/supplies. I didn’t leave the house for a couple of months and I barely talked to my friends. I did get to try more home cooked meals and it was easier to prepare in the morning. While all this occurred, many political and racial things began happening like getting justice for hate crimes (ex: BLM protests) and unfairness from police officers became more relevant. When George Floyd got murdered, it caused a bit of controversy between my family and I, specifically between my mom and I. She claimed that he was a criminal, so the police officer was just "doing his job"; while I said that it still wasn't right. We kind of ignore that topic now.. When we went back to school in-person (late March 2021), it had less distractions and I actually started learning properly. We still follow safety precautions and still keep things clean.
• 
  2020

  Present

  Living during the pandemic, everyday felt like yesterday. The same things happened over and over again. It left me pondering when things will ever get back to normal. But even if things did get back to normal, these normal things will happen everyday. What makes the pandemic so different? The pandemic and COVID made me realize the many things I took for granted: seeing my friends and family, going outside for fun, going to school in-person, and much more. This is why I chose this post. Today, it is so true that the real world is an escape from the internet, especially with all of the Zoom and online learning, going outside is a pleasure.
• 
  2020-03-13

  My Experience with Online School and Quarantine

  Hi! My name is Wendy! Right after a normal weekend in March, I never expected that we would switch to online learning. I was shocked to see the email in the picture on March 13th, saying that we would no longer go back to normal school. This screenshot is very important to me since it made me realize that Covid-19 was a bigger issue than I thought. There was talk of a new illness (Covid-19), but I honestly didn’t feel like it would turn into a whole pandemic. I was kind of thankful since I had a dentist appointment on Monday that would’ve made me be absent from class, but all the cons of Covid-19 outweighed the benefits. The first few weeks were awful- it was hard to adapt to the constant isolation, and being with my family all day was tiring. Also, school wasn’t as engaging or fun anymore. We weren’t able to connect with our teachers or talk to our friends in class. Furthermore, seeing the news and how thousands of people were dying was very frightening. But it's been more than a year of online school, and I found out that what helped me cope was the small things like texting my friends on Discord, hanging out (with masks and 6 feet apart obviously), and exploring things that I couldn’t do before quarantine like drawing or playing the piano. Of course, there were days where I was fed up with being inside or when I felt depressed, but making the most out of this situation gave me the drive to keep social distancing. So remember to keep wearing masks, keeping 6 feet apart, and get vaccinated! This lack of social interaction and not being able to go to school or public places normally is unfortunate but we must stay away from each other to stay together. When it gets hard, find ways to connect with others through safe means like social media and use all that free time to improve and discover things about yourself.
• 
  2020-03-13

  My Experience with Online School and Quarantine

  Hi! My name is Wendy! Right after a normal weekend in March, I never expected that we would switch to online learning. I was shocked to see the email in the picture on March 13th, saying that we would no longer go back to normal school. This screenshot is very important to me since it made me realize that Covid-19 was a bigger issue than I thought. There was talk of a new illness (Covid-19), but I honestly didn’t feel like it would turn into a whole pandemic. I was kind of thankful since I had a dentist appointment on Monday that would’ve made me be absent from class, but all the cons of Covid-19 outweighed the benefits. The first few weeks were awful- it was hard to adapt to the constant isolation, and being with my family all day was tiring. Also, school wasn’t as engaging or fun anymore. We weren’t able to connect with our teachers or talk to our friends in class. Furthermore, seeing the news and how thousands of people were dying was very frightening. But it's been more than a year of online school, and I found out that what helped me cope was the small things like texting my friends on Discord, hanging out (with masks and 6 feet apart obviously), and exploring things that I couldn’t do before quarantine like drawing or playing the piano. Of course, there were days where I was fed up with being inside or when I felt depressed, but making the most out of this situation gave me the drive to keep social distancing. So remember to keep wearing masks, keeping 6 feet apart, and get vaccinated! This lack of social interaction and not being able to go to school or public places normally is unfortunate but we must stay away from each other to stay together. When it gets hard, find ways to connect with others through safe means like social media and use all that free time to improve and discover things about yourself.
• 2021-05-14

  Repetition

  A 2-week lockdown. That was how it started. Logging on to discord and joining my friends conversation about how fast it would pass, happy to get a break from school. Another a couple months later, we are stuck at home, waiting for everything to end. School was now online, and I didn’t have any fun waiting around for the classes to end. I started calling more people, hoping they could play any games online to relieve the boredom. The same schedule every single day. Wakeup, eat, go to class, finish homework, play some games, call friends, do chores, go to sleep. Every single day, and it wasnt like I could do something different. It would’ve been nice to do something different, even if it was just going to a store if I wasn’t busy. It still is being repetitive, which is fine. I can at least play some more games, since my friends and I are finding more. It isn’t as boring as the beginning, but its meh. Some of the best moments, were when we went to the mountains, which was pretty far, but was still fun to go to with family.
• 
  2020-08-31

  What I Would Do After

  This piece of writing explains what I wish I could do after the pandemic ends.
• 2021-05-03

  Hope for a normal life

  This was written as an assignment for Paula Flynn's fifth grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. I hope that after covid i can live my normal school, spring, fall, winter, and summer life including: playing with my friends, doing sleepovers, going to the beach/playground, eating at a restaurant with no mask, summer camps.
• 
  2021-04-28

  Allison Oskar Oral History 2021/04/28

  This oral history focused on how smaller communities tackled the COVID-19 pandemic. The interview discusses how hospitals tackled the pandemic, and it goes into depth about what it was like to work for a hospital during this time. Also discussed were the ways in which the pandemic affected mental health and how it proved to be beneficial in some ways. There was a large focus on the ways in which COVID-19 affected the 'work life' balance of the interviewee.
• 2021-05-06T03:04:26

  17 year old's life during the pandemic.

  At the start of this whole pandemic i was hanging out with friends and doing all of my usual stuff. But then people i cared about caught the virus and died from it. So i have lost a lot. And the online classes is the worst thing i could ever do, because i feel like i haven't learned a single thing except for the fact that i hate online class. Due to this i think i may fail a lot of my classes which puts me way behind then where i'm supposed to be.
• 
  2020-04-18

  Support, Family & Friends

  At the beginning of quarantine, people were planning surprise personal birthday parades filled with cars of people honking, holding posters, or even throwing confetti. I believe that this was one of the moments that showed communities coming together, and it is really awesome to see this good news. I am very grateful that my family and friends helped me celebrate my birthday safely like this!
• 2020-01-01

  Covid-19 Perspective

  I believe my story hits a few major points and thoughts about this pandemic and a silver lining to it all. It caused violence due to false accusations to individuals I am friends with.
• 
  2021-04-21

  Mini Oral History with La Verne Ford Wimberly 04/21/21

  Mini oral history with La Verne Ford Wimberly from Tulsa, Oklahoma
• 
  2021-04-22

  The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

  I am submitting this for my Rel 101: Religion, Culture, and Public Life course.
• 
  2021-04-22

  How Covid-19 has Affected My Life - Kyra Smith

  The Submission that I uploaded is a reflection on how the pandemic affected my life. What I shared in this story is personal, and might seem choppy because I do not do well when expressing personal stories and feelings to others. I hope this helps someone to know that they are not alone.
• 
  2021-04-02

  #JOTPYFuture from Sarah

  Hoping for widespread vaccination by summer so I can hug my friends and family. #JOTPYFuture
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from hayden.craft_

  #jotpysilver my silver lining during the pandemic was when all 5 of the major American sports were playing at the same time, due to the season delays that year and it was an awesome week of sports. I can speak for me and all my friends in saying it was definitely a bright spot during such a hard time.
• 
  2021-04-03

  #JOTPYFuture from Frost

  #JOTYPfuture Hoping for some Marvel movies with friends :)
• 
  2021-02-27

  #JOTPYLesson from Brandon Kyle Presley

  I have learned over the course of the pandemic to be thankful for those around me. As I have seen many lose loved ones over the past year, it has reminded me how important family and friends are in life and that one cannot overcome difficult times alone. Apart from those friends and family, we as individuals can do very little. Jacob Lute Joshua Colson Dakota Presley Whitney Lute Thomas Lovett #JOTPYLesson
• 
  2021-03-04

  #JOTPYFuture from Clinton Roberts

  After the COVID-19 pandemic, my hope for the future is that people appreciate their time with one another. The pandemic has made me realize that virtual experiences and phone calls are not the same. We must remain vigilant and safe, but fully appreciative of our family and friends when those opportunities arise. #JOTPYFuture Lawson Miller Kelly Hoile McDaniel Morgan Keena Shawn McDaniel II Chris Twing
• 
  2021-03-17

  #JOTPYPhoto from Kat Bezaire

  Finished my BA, between myself and two pals we got a cap, gown and sashes so we staged our own graduation ceremony complete with photos (socially distanced of course)
• 
  2020-03-14

  Drinking and Staying Healthy

  The photo is a simple picture but I think it gives in insight into what many people were doing during the pandemic. It's a picture of a tequila bottle and a pack of Emergen-C. I know personally along with many of my friends we were drinking a lot during the time of being in lockdown. There was not much to do and we could only do so much staying indoors. We would watch tv, eat, sleep and do it all over again. The picture shows that while we were trying to staying healthy we were also drinking our days away.
• 
  2021-03-31

  How the pandemic effects children. Oral history with Kalthoom Syed

  : In this interview I talked with Kalthoom about how the pandemic has affected her. She answers my questions thoroughly through examples and really indicating how things have affected her life. Kalthoom talks about how the lack of socializing has really affected her emotions along with the fact that through the year she has really become into a more quieter person. She also spoke about how to cope with the pandemic she has started to read as that helped her escape from reality. She mentions that she has missed her childhood due to the improper graduation of high school along with the lack of connections with friends that usually high schoolers have that have been affected due to the pandemic. She speaks about her younger brother who is studying through online learning and how that has really impacted his learning as he now has to learn everything by himself which is hard for a little kid. She ends off with speaking about how she bought birds to keep her company as the pandemic started to feel like it would never end.
• 
  2021-03-31

  How the pandemic effects children. Oral history with Mohammed Husain

  This interview speaks about a teenager, Mohammed Husain, who has described her life through the course of the pandemic including how she has felt what she had experienced including some losses, things that have changed and ways she has coped. The set of questions provided are descriptive and offer directed questions that allow the interviewee to answer them thoroughly. Mohammed speaks about how she felt lonely during the pandemic. She describes things she has missed such as shopping going out with friends and effects on her mental health. She has also spoke about the limitations and how they have made her enjoy her own presence and made her evolve into a person who enjoys her own presence. She lists some positive aspects of the pandemic including closer relationships with family members along with a time to reflect on her own self. She has included that she has taken advantage of the time of the pandemic to really look back on her life and understand the moment as not everyone in their lifetime gets to live through such a scene.
• 
  2020-08-27

  College During a Pandemic

  Friday, March 13th, 2020 I received an email from President Favazza of Saint Anselm College that the whole campus was being shut down and we had until Sunday to move out of our dorm rooms and go home. We stayed in lock down for months- zoom, tiktok, family, boredom, walks, and eating are what my days consisted of. We got an email that we would be returning to campus in August we new protocols- masks, family units, hybrid classes. We did not care about the rules, we were just happy to be back and see new people. We got sent home second semester of our freshman year, what we thought would last a couple of weeks has now infected more than a year of our college experience. Masks, remote learning, social distancing, and COVID testing is our new normal. The photo above shows my friends and I on the Alumni quad at Saint Anselm College. It was a summer Friday night and we were trying to make the most of our time at college. My friends and I often spent a lot of our time outside. We ate lunch on the quad, spent our weekends on the quad, and did our classes outside. We realized that we needed to make the most of being outside because we had been locked inside for 3 months. We adapted to a huge change in what is supposed to be the best years of our lives.
• 2021-03-30

  My Post-Covid Hopes

  I hope I will be able to attend virtual school. I hope I can visit my friends. I hope my friends can visit me. I hope we can eat at restaurants. I hope the olympics will happen soon. I hope I can travel all over the world again. I hope we can go to amusement parks. I hope I can make new friends. I hope I don’t get lost on campus.
• 2021-03-26

  My Post-Covid Hopes and Dreams

  I dream of a world with no restraint. A world where everyone may be free. A world freed from the burden of masks and complaints. A world where we all agree. I wish for a world with no injustice. A world where everyone is equal. A world freed from the burden of hatred and those who despise justice. A world where there are none who are unequal. I hope for a world with the healthy at ease. A world where we aren’t isolated or destitute of friends. A world freed from the uncouth disease. A world where we don’t constantly need to cleanse. COVID-19 has been a mess, but we will stay hopeful nonetheless.
• 2021-03-26

  I want...

  I want... To be able to see my friends and without masks. To be able to see my cousin who's one of my best friends. To be able to go to school To be able to play volleyball inside To be able to have fun without worried about my health To be able to see my grandparents and my newborn cousin I haven't been able to meet To be able to have fun and live my life as a kid, the world every kid deserves
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from Tina

  #jotpysilver my silver lining during the pandemic was that I was able to get closer with a lot more people. I have become great friends with those who have stayed in touch, and I am so grateful for them. Having a community during the pandemic really helped me feel less scared and alone overall. Otherwise, the pandemic would have been too lonely and isolating.🤍💗
• 
  2020-07-21

  Photos from Remembrance of Philando Castile rally

  Hindsight is 20/20. Unless you're Jeff Bezos, this year has likely been really difficult (and it might get worse). I'm trying to challenge myself to look back at 2020, not only remembering the injustice, corruptness, and trauma of it - but all the friends made, hugs shared, and inspiring moments I got to witness. ⁣ ⁣ Lots of love to everyone who has been cheering me on locally and beyond. It's made this year a bit easier. That being said, call your mom. Embrace seeing a therapist. Hit up that friend you've been meaning to catch up with. ⁣ ⁣Photos from Remembrance of Philando Castile rally, July 6, 2020
• 2020-02

  Goodbye my friend

  They say losses come in threes but thank god mine came in two as for I wouldn't know how to live with another grueling loss. Everyone is okay everyone is having fun and out of nowhere I receive a text "Gisela died last night." I was stunned I was beside myself how can this happen? It surely couldn't be real I just talked to her yesterday, surely as the day went on the more the news started becoming real, people started posting their goodbyes and the tears started rolling, this was it I would never talk to my friend again. I would do anything just to bring her back and hear her laugh one more time.
• 2021-02-25

  Finding a friend

  When I found out I had COVID it put me in a dark place since I couldn't hang out with my friends and I couldn't see my parents for 16 days. So I realized that when I was here I would try to find a forever friend and I ended up adopting my cat named Millie. From a bad thing and a bad place came a good thing with a new and lifetime friend.
• 
  2020-06-21

  A Class of 2020 Student's Covid Story

  When I was in the second grade, I remember my math teacher telling my whole class that we would be graduating high school in the year 2020. It seemed so long ago, like this far away land that didn't exist. We all smiled and chatted amongst ourselves about how 2020 was such a cool-sounding year and we liked having that year to look forward to. Elementary school became middle school which became high school and then it was my senior year all the sudden. My high school has a tradition in which seniors paint some boulders behind our school with our class colors and have a barbecue. At senior barbecue, we complained about how we just couldn't wait 7 more months until prom and graduation, and how excited we were for them. If only we had known that none of those things would happen. I remember in March of 2020 going to Chicago away from my hometown of Baltimore to visit the college I'd decided on, and the news was a storm of talk about a virus called covid-19. My high school friends were blowing up my phone with texts telling me that we were off school for 2 weeks and how "awesome" this was. I remember having a gut feeling that this would not be "awesome." Though everything virtually shut down from March to May, my 4 best friends from high school and I were luckily still able to have a somewhat normal summer safely; we went swimming in the lake by my house and camped and it forced us to actually get some exercise. I also was fortunate enough to still make some money over the summer at the childcare center I worked at. I was fortunate in those ways, but I think anyone would agree it just wasn't the same. I remember being heartbroken about prom and graduation at first, until it hit me that this was a problem so much larger than Dulaney High School in Maryland. Bigger than the east coast, bigger than all of America. This was a virus affecting virtually everyone on the planet. That mindset is crucial to keeping everyone safe; your parties can wait. Your trip to Disney can wait. I knew my prom and graduation being sacrificed was for a greater good. I've heard that your true character isn't how you act in your finest hour, but in your worst. I'd say COVID has become a identifier for that.
• 
  2021-03-12

  1 in 5 Americans has lost someone close in the pandemic, poll finds

  "About 1 in 5 Americans say they have lost a relative or close friend to #COVID_19, highlighting the division between heartache and hope as the country itches to get back to normal a year into the COVID-19 #pandemic. A new poll from the Associated Press- NORC Center for Public Affairs Research illustrates how the stage is set for a two-tiered recovery. The public's worry about the virus has dropped to its lowest point since the fall, before the holidays brought skyrocketing cases into the new year.
• 
  2020-03-11

  Meet Generation C, the Covid generation

  "Natalie Sanchez heard it in her children's voice when their birthday parties were canceled and saw it on their faces when they couldn't play with friends. It was more than just simple disappointment. It was fear that the world they once knew might have changed forever. "I think that it's something that's going to kind of scar them. I don't think that they'll forget," says the mom of three. Now, a year into a worldwide disaster it's no longer a question of if this pandemic will shape an entire generation, But how."
• 
  2021-03-05

  Virtual Funeral

  This is my fourth virtual funeral in less than a year. Although covid has been around for about a year, it didn't really hit home until a few short months ago. Los Angeles has been hit hard, and being from a large minority group I have lost a few people close to me. The first was my best friend's dad, then his brother, then another friend's brother. The photo is of a funeral that I am currently watching. I grew up in a large church in Los Angeles, this beautiful lady very well knew in the Hispanic Pentecostal community. She watched me grow up, attended my sweet fifteen and my wedding. She had the biggest heart and loved God fiercely. She was my mom's good friend and in January she contracted covid, by the end of the month she was gone. I've quickly realized that the only thing harder than losing so many people in such a short time span is not being able to say goodbye.
• 2020-03-05

  Classroom Networking

  I have always been a good student. However, I always make sure to have a "homework buddy" in every class that I am. That homework buddy is someone I can ask clarifying questions about coursework, exams, or quizzes, and vice versa. Usually, this study buddy is someone I already know in the class, or I just end up naturally making one. Of course, with online classes replacing in-person lectures, finding a study buddy has been completely different. I would say that I was extremely lucky to find my first study buddy. We met through our class Slack channel. We have been through time-consuming projects, grueling homework practice, and exam preparations...yet we have never met each other. We also only somewhat know what we look like (we both have social media accounts with little pictures). Despite this, I have never felt like we were strangers, and I am pretty positive that we would get along exactly the same way when we met in real life. We were both surprisingly nonchalant and neutral about our personal life details. While this is certainly not the most traditional relationship I've ever made, I view my study buddy the same way as I do to all my other friends. I have also joined group chats for my classes. These chats are fine; everyone is cordial and helpful. I would say none of us are friends, but questions get answered, tips are given, and it is still a beneficial group to be in. I am not sure I could get used to the new way of networking. Next semester, my university is supposed to be back in person. I do miss face-to-face human interaction, so I hope that I can make friends and study partners the traditional way again.
• 
  2020-08-17

  Surprise Birthday Driveby

  It was my 64th Birthday and I was down and out on the couch with Corona Virus. I got a phoncall from my daughter asking me to go to the front window. I told her I could barely get off the couch and I had a fever. She told me to bring my phone and video tape my grandson skateboarding. He had just learned a few new tricks. So I managed to make it to the window and to my surprise horns started blowing and cars began driving by my front window. It was a Birthday drive by ! I was in shock. They truly fooled me ! At first I couldn't tell who all these people were but after they circled around a couple of times I began recognizing people. It was my family and friends. They came from as far as Los Angeles County. Even my 96 year old mother was there ! I truly felt love
• 2020-03-20

  The Start of a Shutdown

  The date was March 20th, 2020. It was my best friend's birthday. Our friend group was preparing to throw a big party for her with lots of guests and food. We were all so excited for her to turn 18, finally able to vote. We were all also happy to be seniors and were looking forward to graduation and prom. March 20th will be forever cemented in my mind as the day it all went wrong. We found out that "Covid-19" was truly something very serious and our classes became virtual, no more seeing our friends in school. We couldn't have an in person birthday party for our friend, we couldn't hang out either. That day was so pivotal in all of our lives. We didn't know we would be stuck in quarantine for the next six months, we didn't know our graduation and prom would be canceled. We didn't know how much our daily lives would change. Sometimes, I wish I could go back to the pre-covid days. Everything seemed so simple then. No major pandemic, no masks, no overfull hospitals. But at the same time, as I reflect, quarantine has changed who I am as a person and has caused a lot of internal reflection and introspection. I feel like having to only see your family for six months makes you a better problem solver because you have to stay in the house and figure the issues out instead of going out and trying to brush it off. Overall, Covid is horrible and has caused so much loss. However, we need to also see the somehow positives that have come from this awful situation.
• 2021-01-20T12:22:00

  Too close to home

  I was in class on a Wednesday and my phone kept going off like crazy.it was being so distracting so I just decided to check why it was going off and then turn it off for good. I picked up my phone and there were thousands of text messages saying "you need to get tested", "go get a test". At this point I was completely confused, so I asked them what was going on and they said that one of my friends had tested positive for Covid and that I need to get tested because I'm hanged out with them on that Monday. Once I read this I completely froze, I didn't know how to handle this information. I was scared for my life, and for hers, I wasn't sure if she'd be okay. If I was going to be okay. I wasn't paying attention to class at all and everything my teacher was saying was going completely over my head. School got out and all I could think about was how am I going to tell my parents that I came home possibly with Covid. The thought of just having to tell them the news and how they could possibly react to it scared the life out of me. I didn't think that I could tell them because I was afraid they would be too disappointed in me and to scared. I finally got the courage to tell my mom and she surprisingly took the news well. My parents weren't happy but they definitely weren't angry so that's good. They told me that I had to wash everything that I have touched in the past 2 days. I was so glad to tell my parents because holding that secret in was tearing me apart inside. I checked in with me friend everyday to make sure she was ok. It's scary to see it on the news and to hear it on the radio but once it hits too close to home, it can really change your entire life.
• 2021-02-11

  Zoom Birthday "party"

  For this journal entry I plan to discuss the changes this pandemic is bringing to children and parents, and continue to discuss how their voices are silenced in this archive. My son’s sixth birthday was the other day, and I decided to host a Zoom get-together for him with his closest friends from school. It was awkward for me to text some moms I have not seen in ages because we do not go to the park anymore for play dates. This group of moms and kids would meet up on Fridays at this park the kids fondly called the “fish park” because it had a play structure with a big fish designed into it. The group got to be quite large at the beginning of 2020 with around eight families participating. As I write this, I am feeling very sad and missing those days when we were all together. We often would each bring something to snack on and share as a group. We were all there to help each other and of course socialize. It was a nice social group. It was also a friendship formed based on our children’s connection to each other. So, when the pandemic hit and play dates were out of the question, some of us drifted apart for a while. I remember when we first started learning about COVID-19, this was the hot topic of discussion in our Friday meetups. We debated and discussed and worried. They all thought I was crazy, I am sure, for going out and stocking up on food back in February because an official from the CDC told people to even back then. Later, they started to realize I was right and followed my lead before it was too late and the grocery stores started emptying out. Four of us formed a text group and have kept in almost daily contact with each other this last year. A lot of our conversation is supportive while we try to get through these challenging times as moms of small children. We share our worries and fears. We share our joys and survival tips. There have been lots of laughs, too. It has been a blessing to have this support group this year. We even met up in a park one Sunday morning last fall and spent the morning catching up. We were of course masked and sitting in chairs well over six feet apart. All these moms have made the same decision to keep their children at home. One mom decided to home school her children because she could not get adequate resourcing for her son who has autism and as a former teacher, she decided to take it on herself. Being online for school has been especially hard for children on the spectrum, I have been told by a few moms with children who are, because mainly their routine is messed up. Two of us have our children in the flex program and one moved hers to a new completely online school our district created to serve families during the pandemic. The flex program was for parents who are wishy washy on deciding whether to send their kids back to school. It is for us parents who were too scared to send their kids back so early (and had the privilege to keep them home) and optimistic that the virus would fade away enough and our kids could return relatively safe. It is not looking good that our children will return at all this year. Every quarter we say, oh maybe next quarter, and then the virus spreads in our community and the numbers tick up and we keep them home again. Anyway, the point is that my two kids have been home this entire time, almost a year, out of a brick-and-mortar school and not socializing with other kids in person. It has been very hard for them. They miss seeing their friends desperately. Obviously, a birthday party was out of the question so I decided to set up a Zoom “party” for my son yesterday to celebrate his birthday and so he could see his friends’ faces for a little bit. It did not work well. First off, I muted everyone to announce the plans and then could not figure out how to unmute everyone and that lead to tears and frustration. Kids kept leaving and coming back. Some would not participate in the games I tried to arrange. We played charades, would you rather, and did a little scavenger hunt by sending them to find objects of the various colors of the rainbow. My kids were not having it. My son was out of sorts which is not like him, and my daughter was so upset with me because I would not let her interrupt the games to play a video from her screen. So, she was pouting, and my son was pouting for some unknown reason. I think he was overwhelmed and just fatigued by it all. This is not what he wanted for a birthday party; I am sure. But I tried. I did the best I could with the circumstances, and I know some of the kids had fun even if the birthday boy did not. The bottom-line is that Zoom birthday parties are hard—harder to facilitate than in-person birthdays and wow do I give props to teachers who are doing this every single day. My son’s kindergarten teacher makes it look so easy! But I know it is not. I already had tremendous respect for teachers, but my respect has grown even more after this experience. I am very thankful for all they do for our children. They should be honored. The problem with this archive is the potential for silences. As I discussed last week, children will be silenced in this archive unless an adult writes their experiences for them. I am writing this story about this Zoom party for the archive and it is getting included, but it is still from my perspective. My son is not sharing what he felt during the party and how he has felt this year collectively. We may never know what he was thinking during the party because little kids move on and forget. At the very least though I have shared this experience from my point-of-view, which I am sure is a replication of thousands of parents and children’s experiences all over the world—at least the ones who have access to the internet and Zoom.
• 
  2020-03-11

  Mental Health during the Pandemic

  On March 11th, 2020, my life changed drastically. Just over a month into my second semester of my freshman year at Duquesne University, I was excited to keep making memories with people who became like a second family to me. However, news of a virus on the other side of the world was spreading quickly. We never thought that it would come to this country or affect us in the slightest. But on this day, the entire student body received an email that would absolutely crush me: the email from the president of the University telling us that we would need to leave. When I received this news, I do not know which I was more scared of, this mysterious virus or not being able to see my new friends for a long time. At this point, I did not know how the virus was going to affect me. I had absolutely no idea how much tragedy was about to spread throughout the country. All I knew was that the high of being a college student, with independence and a new group of amazing people was being ripped away from me like a snap of the fingers. As soon as I got home, all I did was complain to my parents that I wished I was at school. Each time I did this, I would end up feeling terrible, because I knew that people were suffering. However, even though I knew I shouldn’t, I felt like I was suffering too. My entire life, I was raised as an only child. As a kid and in high school, I had an amazing group of friends that I still talk to today. When I went to college, I started spending every waking moment with my new group of friends, whether it be doing homework, watching movies, etc. I knew I wasn’t going to be with them year-round, but I knew that I was not ready to leave them in the middle of March. After all, the semester wasn’t even over yet. Spending the rest of my semester at home was extremely difficult for me. I felt so lonely, even though my friends were just a phone call or text away. However, every time I communicated with them, I somehow felt further away from them. It was a constant reminder that I should be with them, but I could not be. Throughout the last months of the semester and into the summer, my mental health rapidly. I knew I was experiencing a small form of depression, but I did not want to admit it to anyone because there were people in the world that were suffering more as a result of the virus. I soon found some form of comfort when I realized that other teenagers and first-year college students were going through the same thing as me. So many people were taken away from the people and places that they loved most, and everyone was having a hard time coping. The coronavirus has put the entire world through a lot, but each day I have hope that the end is near, and that we will all be reunited with the world we used to know.
• 
  2020-05-31

  High School Graduation-- Covid-19 Edition

  May 31, 2020 Senior year, something that every student looks forward to the second they enter high school. It’s supposed to be a time for celebration, big life steps, and most importantly, spending one last year with the kids you grew up with. Starting senior year in the fall of 2019, everything seemed laid out before me, it was just a matter of finishing college applications and deciding on a college, worrying about who might be my prom date, and whether I would be starting goalie for my varsity lacrosse team. All those worries disappeared when schools got shut down March 13, 2020. At the time only for two weeks, given that Covid-19 was really beginning to hit the United States. My friends and I thought nothing of it and were hopeful for a return to school to finish out senior year. But weeks went on, and one-by-one, everything began to be canceled. First, it was lacrosse. Next, it was the permeant switch to online school. And last, perhaps the worst of all, the cancelation of prom and graduation. When it truly hit that the end of senior year had been taken away from us, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I sulked around for a long time, and even began to feel like I was losing friends. Flash forward to May 31, 2020, and I’m sitting in the back of my Dad’s truck, which was decorated in my school’s colors of green and black. I sat in my graduation cap and gown all by myself with my parents in the front of the truck. The community had come together to celebrate the Class of 2020 in the only safe way they could think of—a parade. We waited in a parking lot to drive by my high school one last time. Most of my classmates were there, sitting on top of cars, looking through sunroof windows, or sitting in the back of trunks. It was heartbreaking to see all of my friends split apart, all waving from our cars. Friends who I was only really friends with in class smiled and waved, all of us wishing the other well, and dying to give out a hug. As we began to drive through the neighborhoods leading up to the high school, the streets were lined with so many people (all socially distanced and with masks), holding signs and screaming for us. I didn’t cry until I saw my favorite teacher, who saw me and also started to cry, saying she got the letter I had sent her, thanking her for being my support throughout high school. It was such an overwhelming feeling of sadness and joy. When we finally made it to the high school, we all parked and waited to drive by the entrance one more time where they would call our names, as if we were walking across stage. The picture I am submitting is a moment when we had stopped, and I was standing there crying looking out at the high school and all of my classmates. The picture I feel captures how so many were most likely feeling in that moment. Knowing there was so many you didn’t truly get to say good-bye to, but so thankful for the opportunity to see each other from a far. Covid-19 took away so many things for so many people. Graduation was something I had been looking forward to for years. But to see the community come together for us high schoolers in such a confusing time is something I will never forget.
• 
  2020-03-20

  Hope

  My plague year story of the covid-19 pandemic is honestly quite a normal one. For me covid was not a barrier. It was an obstacle that I learned to get around. I did not let anything hold me back from trying to make the best of my situations. Nothing was ideal in any way possible. I never imagined my final months of highschool being spent at home or starting college online. But I always remembered to take a step back. To distance myself from the chaos and most importantly enjoy my time to the best that I could. Because as humans we have limited control on what happens in our life. It all really depends on how you react to what is happening. You can let the confusion surround you and hold you back. Or you can step out and keep strolling on your path to success, happiness, and love. So like I said my situation in life at the time of the beginning of the outbreak was not ideal. I was in my final few months of highschool and looking forward to graduation, prom, and moving on to college. Unfortunately those milestones did not occur according to plan. My highschool experience was cut short. Way too short. I was forced to adjust to online schooling in very little time. The teachers were still confused on how to teach online and kids were confused on how it worked. My school did not utilize google meets or zoom at the time. So my only connection to my teachers was email. The situation was pretty sad. I missed my friends from school and I missed my teachers that used to fill my day with fun. But I adapted quickly and got my work done. I did not let the communication gap stop me from finishing school on a high note. I utilized the extra free time I was presented with by working. All the time. I work at Target. So I am considered an essential worker for an essential business. So I was desperately needed at the store all the time to help out. I was working forty hour work weeks all while still making time for friends and finishing school work. I worked later shifts, came in on off days and came in earlier to help when they needed. I will never forget the benefits of the work experience I got during the first few months of the pandemic. It taught me a lot about managing my time and money well. I also made great connections with my coworkers and customers who came into the store. These experiences will help me greatly when I move forward in my life in many ways I do not even realize yet. I worked a ton, finished highschool, enjoyed my summer; which I still found a way to make memorable and started college. I may not have gotten the experience I had hoped for when I first came to my campus. But as I’ve said many times, I did not let the obstacles stop me from enjoying my life. I built the greatest support group of friends and I could not have asked for a better outcome. My group and I made the best of college campus life. We always find ways to have fun and still get our work done. So far college has been a fun time and I am glad I came. Again, my story may not have the same hardships as a lot of people may have gone through. My story has been pretty hopeful. So here is to passing the hope on. I hope I continue to grow and thrive and if you may not have had the best experiences yet, here is to hoping you can break free from the chaos and live life to the fullest capabilities right now. Life is not about how hard things are, it is about how you are able to overcome difficulties in your path.