Items

• 
  2021-02-12

  #JOTPYSilver submission from Dr. Averill Earls

  #jotpySilver @covid19archive1 Weekly paint nights (virtually) with friends. Relaxing, fun, catching up... and now I have a room full of art @lmansley @jackiantonovich @EmmaLeigh117 @Every50pages @k8_lister
• 
  2021-02-14

  #JOTPYSilver submission from @grace5star

  Spending time with my partner, having lunch and dinners together and connecting with some old friends #JOTPYSilver @LoriMartini @janagram80 @gruffalo4u @SandraSchreiner @martinaf678 #JOTPYSilver
• 2020-08-22

  The Difficulties of a College Student During a Pandemic

  During the start of the school semester of spring 2020, talks of a very contagious illness stated to spread. Most students on campus believed COVID-19 to be a threat nut one month later, all colleges across the world shut down. While moving out, my friend's dad said we would be back that same semester. I believed him until infection rates increased across the United States. States started to shut down including the one I lived in. Restrictions, isolation, and guidelines were enforced to ensure public safety. Instead, thousands of people went into depression including me. Not being able to leave my house during the pandemic was difficult. Not only was I hundreds of miles away from my friends at school, but I couldn't see my friends at home too. My experience with online class didn't make interacting with people any easier. Most of my classes didn't require the camera to be on, while the other class didn't even meet online. This was very difficult for me because I was used to being around friends everyday. I started to become depressed as I spent 2 months without interacting with anyone but my family and my teacher. Fortunately, restrictions eased up as the spring semester came to a close. I was able to get a job at a donation center for the summer. I still wasn't allowed to see my friends which made for a disappointing summer but working helped the time go by. When it was time to go back to college, I was relieved. My college was fortunate enough to have students on campus for the fall 2020 semester. I was overly excited to see any friends after months. I counted down the days until we moved in. But I knew the semester would be different. When arriving on campus, I learned that several rules and regulations were implemented to "keep the community safe." Some of these included no visiting anyones dorm room, scheduling when to eat, certain doors were entrances while others were exits, no guests from off campus, must wear a green bracelet at all times, must get randomly tested, etc. I made sure to read the rules and regulations but unfortunately, my roommates didn't. The very first night on campus, my roommates decided to have friends over. I told my roommates that it wasn't allowed but it did not matter. The guests stayed until there was banging at the door. The Resident Assistant working that night wrote us up, and we had to meet with the Dean. While meeting with the Dean, I explained how it was not my fault and I was against having guests over, but I was charged with a $200 fine. Completely upset, I change all my classes to online classes and moved back home. I did not trust my roommates enough to stay. The last thing I wanted was several fines that weren't my fault. When I got home, I was really depressed. I was the only one home out of all my friends and I was back to remote learning. I couldn't see anyone while home and I felt betrayed by my roommates. I felt like my life was crumbling as another semester of my college experience was being wasted. This caused me to have a mental breakdown, and lose all motivation to do work. Four months passed by slowly and I escaped the semester with mediocre grades and a crippling mind. Fortunately, my parents noticed I was not in the best shape of mind. They had me see a therapist and find new activities to do during the pandemic. This got me back on my feet and my friends from home started returning from school. The gap between semesters when well and I was joyful again. However, it was time to decide if I wanted to return to campus for the 2021 Spring Semester. I was torn because some of my friends were staying home that semester and I still did not trust my roommates. I thought rationally and contacted them to see our their semester went. To my surprise, they received 4 fines and one of them had to quarantine. This gave me reassurance that I made the right choice on leaving campus during the fall semester. Currently I am taking the 2021 Spring Semester all remotely and I am happy. I am seeing friends and have synchronous classes. I am confident that I will keep seeing my friends at home and keep a good mindset throughout the semester. I wish for everyone to stay strong during the pandemic and seek help if you're depressed.
• 
  2021-02-17

  The Life of a College Student during the Pandemic

  I am submitting my experience during the pandemic because it is important to share with others who may be feeling the same way that I am. We all are learning first hand how to succeed during this pandemic and it is important we share with each other what our experiences are so we can grow together
• 
  2021-01-29

  Apart for Eleven Months

  This year, my daughter’s Girl Scout troop, like every other troop in the country, has moved their cookie sales online. Even cookie pick up is strange this year. Instead of having families come by and pick up cookies to sell, I leave the cookies on the porch with the receipt and wave through the window. When my best friend (and co-leader) came with her daughter to pick up cookies, we chatted through the window and took a picture to save the bizarre moment. I mentioned that when another family from the troop came to get cookies, I almost didn’t recognize the girl because she had gotten so tall. My best friend then had the genius idea to take a picture of her daughter by my front door. She said I should take a picture of my daughter so we could compare their heights, as they have been the same size their entire lives. And then she said a statement that shocked me: “I mean, it’ll be a year next month since they’ve actually stood next to each other.” I guess since my best friend and I text almost every day, and have seen each other over Zoom, I hadn’t processed how truly long it has been since we’ve all been physically together. I met my best friend when I was 11, we were college roommates, married guys we were all in the same friend group with in college, had our first kids exactly six months apart from each other, our second kids two months apart from each other, and live 15 minutes away from each other. We have been lock step since we were kids, so not seeing each other for almost a year is insane. As the picture shows, our daughters are still basically the same height, so even apart, we're still lock step. Still, hoping we’ll be able to be together again before the girls grow anymore!
• 
  2021-01-23

  Change of Life A Friends Story!

  I realized the seriousness of the pandemic when I began an exercise program on February 6, 2020. There was not much noise being made about the pandemic yet. I got my nails and hair done on February 11-12, 2020. I would realize now that this would be the last time since I have done this in a year. As the pandemic progressed things were places shutting down and I left my exercise program on February 28, 2020. I early voted on March 2, 2020, and wore a mask. Saw my dentist on March 4, 2020, and got my hair done one last time. By May, I went practically to my doctors and my general physician via telehealth, and then finally I realized this was very serious. People I know began to test positive for Covid. One of these people came into direct contact with me so as a result I went and got a Covid Test as a safety precaution. I found out it was negative. I began to not leave the house now due to the rising cases in my community in Florida. In August cases began to surge even more as people returned to school since summer was over. The holidays came in December and the numbers continued to grow and caused me to not leave the house anymore. This has been a terrible year of isolation and has caused me to lose many dear friends due to the pandemics of isolationism and people's change in attitudes. I am blessed to have a great spouse and a home with a bed to sleep in. I got vaccinated in January 2021. While this brings hope I have to figure out what I am to do and how to move forward as a result of the ongoing pandemic while I have to still maintain safety protocols. I hope the end is in sight due to there now being federal government oversight.
• 
  2021-01-22

  E-fishingcy at its finest.

  For as much as covid-19 has changed everyone's lives, I have been more the less unaffected being the lazy shut in I am. Before the pandemic hit, I played a lot of video games and talked to friends exclusively online and after it has not changed at all, if anything my life has taken a turn for the better and i've become more active and efficient in my time. Even though i still play lots of games in my free time, with distance learning, while some have found it more stressful, I couldn't be thriving more, because before my main flaw was that I would have difficulties organizing papers and assignments (as seen slightly on the bottom of the image) and would miss out on grades because I lost many things, but with everything being online, its nearly impossible to lose papers or work so I have had better grades and with everything in my home within my reach during class, I have been able to drink coffee to stay energized in class during class, exercise when I get some stuff done early. In addition, with being more energized and having more freetime, i’ve got to meet people from all over the world, becoming friends with people all over america, europe and asia, and even started learning a new language in my free time. So overall, I would say that my covid experience has been great, i’ve become a more efficient and organized person, ive met more people and put myself out there more than ever, and have expanded my horizons into bettering myself and life.
• 
  2021-01-22T18:15:30-10:00

  Quarantine with my Best Friend

  The day that school announced that quarantine was to happen, my friends and I were pretty much in shock and after that day we would stay in until everything would run “smoother”. I choose to talk about my best friend, her name is Julie and she is currently a senior. During the whole quarantine we were unable to see each other for the safety of our family but always remained close as ever. Despite not texting or calling every day, we made a promise to each other that we would always reach out whenever we needed anything. The whole 2020 year we had only seen each other about 3 times. It’s not a lot, but we both made those days the best. The reason I chose the picture of her is because of the time that we had lost during quarantine and the things we could’ve been doing together before she is off to college. Of course, both she and I learned a lot of self-reflection this year and grew from the many things we lost this year, we most definitely do not want to lose each other. We had plans with each other such as volleyball. I wanted to work my hardest to be able to reach varsity by the time she is a senior so that I could play against her and to show how much I’ve improved. She is and always will be a special bean in my heart and no matter what happens after high school, she will always be my best friend. I dedicate my number 18 to her which stands for her birthday where the number 1 is the first month of the year and the 8th day of her birth. No one can replace my best friend/sister from another mother.
• 
  2021

  Trapped Behind the Window

  After the number of COVID cases surged in March, my high school was required to close and switch to distance learning. At first, I felt happy because like many other students, I thought we were off to vacation and could relax. However, this joy did not last long because I soon grew anxious, discouraged, and overwhelmed; I must learn to adapt to a new world where notifications constantly nag at me, a new world where I go to school at home, a new world where the sunshine no longer touches on my face, a new world where I do not hear my friends talk and laugh by my ears. Unlike a few others, I don't feel trapped by this pandemic because I can go on a bike ride around the neighborhood anytime I want; I just feel lonely because I can only communicate with my friends through words on social media, stony words that have little meaning to them unless they are matched with the emotions on my friends' faces. Besides that, technology is an amazing, yet odd invention. I can communicate with anyone I want and learn about everything I wish to learn about through the computer. But I am still in my room all day long. I learn everything about the outside world behind a window, a window that can light up my room with the bright sunlight of knowledge or prevent me from climbing out to the outside world to experience the joys of life.
• 2021-01-21

  Symptoms

  I kept in contact with my old school friends, and we always play video games and draw comics together. On January 5th, they asked, like usual, whether we have time to go to the park together. A girl name Siren said she couldn’t come because she got COVID. She took one week to recover; she told us that she was constantly coughing and uncomfortable to breathe. We just face-timed Siren on Tuesday and glad saw that she’s a lot better.
• 
  2020-06-26

  Quarantine Adventures on Minecraft

  Although my friends and I were relatively sad that we couldn't hang out with each other due to going in lockdown, it gave us the best excuse to start a world on Minecraft, and of course, build a McDonald's. There was a lot anxious thoughts, fears, and overall clinical depression. However, through it all, we fought together in unity to overcome not only the external struggles due to quarantine, but also our own internal struggles (that was very much poetic). This screenshot holds a lot of meaning to me because it truly shows how we all truly went through a lot this past year, and how we've been able to adapt to this new lifestyle. Nevertheless, this new way of life really hasn't been that horrendous, and in fact, I'm starting to prefer this type of schedule. At the same time though, I really wish that things could go back to normal, so that way, my friends and I's addiction to Minecraft could cease.
• 
  2020-11-23

  Bestie Bae Booboo Luvrs 🥰😘😝

  This picture is kind of obvious. During this pandemic, I didn’t pick up any productive hobbies like other people did. I found it hard to get out of bed before 2 pm and do my assignments in a timely manner. One of the only things that got me through this pandemic was technology. It allowed me to keep in contact with my friends from school and reconnect with friends I hadn’t talked to in a while. My friends were my biggest motivation to keep pushing and I am so grateful for them !
• 2020-03-13

  Remote Learning

  Remote learning was a blessing and a curse, when I first started doing online it was so easy and i could talk to my friends, eat during class, and overall have a better time. This was the best part about online, but the worst was that I never received proper instructions for things, so my grades weren't too good.
• 2020-08-30

  Learning Online

  Learning online had its ups and downs. Coming into school is so much easier and helps me with a better routine and a good social life. When we were online I did not have the best routine, I would roll out of bed right at 7:58 and just go right to my desk to start the day. Some days I just stayed in my pajamas all day. Although I liked getting to sleep more and be in my pajamas I also think that it is healthier to get up earlier so I am actually awake for school and get out of my pajamas so I can feel productive in the day. Some benefits of coming into school are getting to see my friend and teachers, and having a good healthy routine, and even getting to just get out of the house. The benefits of being online are getting to be in your own house so you are comfortable, getting to make yourself lunch, and even getting help from parents when you don't understand something. Some Obstacles are not getting to met and talk to your teachers and not getting to see your friends.
• 2021-01-15

  Describe your experiences while learning virtually. Explain your routine and discuss both the benefits and obstacles of remote learning

  My experience learning virtually was ok. There were a lot of ups and downs. The hardest part was learning through zoom. Somedays I spent over 5 hours on zoom in one day. I was always tired and felt like doing nothing. I highlight of doing school at home was not having to get up early in the morning and I had more free time. I loved having more free time during the day. On a normal day, I would wake up and get ready for my first class. I would go through school and do my homework right after so I wouldn't have to do it later. After school, I would hang out with my family and enjoy the time i had with them because I couldn't do anything else like hang out with friends or sports.
• 2021-01-15

  Virtual School

  It is great and it is bad in virtual school. In my opinion, I think it's good and bad because you get to have a lot more rest time and you can sleep in. On the other hand, I do miss the benefits of coming and interacting with my teachers and my friends. All and all, I cant wait till we go back to normal.
• 
  2021-01-11

  Pizza and The Old Stone Church

  Lockdown restrictions to indoor dining at restaurants, which prevents friends from gathering and socializing in familiar locations.
• 
  2020-04

  A Different Kind of Adventure (But an Adventure all the Same)

  I wanted to use this collection of photos to highlight the change of attitude and environment for friendships pre-Covid and during Covid: In the first three photos my college friends and I are out and about a major city and public transportation, giving no second thoughts on sanitary factors. For us, an adventure meant exploring the city limits and beyond. In the next photos, taken after most of us returned from our respective universities and finished a serious quarantine. We finally reunited, though barely leaving our home limits, after being locked inside for weeks, it felt like an adventure; Despite the need for much caution and unfamiliar form of socializing. We cherished each other’s company in this new way of hanging out. Finally, the last photos were taken later in the summer. Out of quarantine but still amid a pandemic, we found adventure were found in something as ordinary as grocery shopping or trying something different like eating fast food in the trunk of a car.
• 
  2020-06-09

  Graduating in Pajamas

  This is a screen-recording video of a FaceTime with two of my close friends. The morning of June 9, 2020 was the set date for my school's graduation. However, due to COVID-19, a large in-person gathering with 560+ students and our family members was not possible. Our graduation was moved online so while watching the graduation video in our pajamas at home, my friends and I FaceTimed so we could turn our tassels together. This graduation was obviously not like anything we expected, since under normal circumstances we'd be able to walk across the stage and shake our principal's hand while receiving our diploma. Under normal circumstances our graduating class and teachers and family and friends would be together as a whole, as we move on to the next stage in our lives. This year we had to use technology to try and give us the same feeling of togetherness, which was disappointing but very understandable considering the dire circumstances of the pandemic. We were still able to laugh and smile and try to make the most of the situation, and not lose the excitement in moving onto the next chapter of college.
• 
  2020-08-01

  Staying close through zoom beveraginos

  During lockdown my group of friends stayed close through sharing videos and memes on facebook and participating in tiktok trends. We had a weekly zoom set up with people from Melbourne and Geelong where we’d talk about our mostly uneventful weeks, gossip about uni and celebrity news and little bit about Dan Andrews or as he was lovingly known Daddy Dan/Dandrews. Regularly having a zoom call was a comforting experience because before the pandemic we stayed in contact mostly by planning parties and lunches. The pandemic definitely made us closer through creating group chats and organising to play a game together, usually Among Us on Wednesday night. This post includes the tiktok beveragino trend where people have drinks with their mates and film them popping out from random locations. HIST30060
• 
  2020-06-27

  We Got Married During a Pandemic

  HIST30060: Making History My husband I planned our wedding for November 2020. My extended family lives in Malaysia, and we had organized for them to fly over to Melbourne for the celebrations, inclusive of classic wedding dancing, food and merriment. It obviously did not happen like that – but, it was better. In March, when the restrictions hit Victoria, we decided to move our wedding to June, not even knowing how many guests we would be able to have at that point. A few of our friends eloped, and some even planned a wedding in one night to accommodate the changing restrictions. In the weeks leading up, we pulled together our 20-person guest list, hired a photographer, and on the 27th June 2020, got married in intimate courtyard of our parents’ church. There was no (intense) dancing or fancy decorations, instead we got to focus on each other, on vows we made to each other under God and before our closest family and friends, and we got to live-stream our ceremony to everyone else (big win to not offending anyone). We are so thankful to God – it is better than we could have imagined or planned for ourselves.
• 
  2020-07-26

  Dogs send love

  HIST30060 During COVID it was definitely a comfort for many to have their pets. Whilst the world was figuratively and literally burning down around us, the unconditional love and easy needs of caring for a dog brought a small moment of respite in the day. A dog will always enjoy a treat. It makes one think about the perspective of dogs during this time. For my dog, Goliath, he now gets to see me every single day, compared to me leaving at 7 in the morning and arriving home at 4pm (sometimes later) when I was studying on campus. And he gets more walks because leaving the house with him was some of the only times we actually got to leave the house. A dog will always enjoy a walk. Just having another creature near you who enjoys the little things and isn't weighed down by the dread and despair of the pandemic and who I get to share the company of really helps.
• 2020-10-23

  No New Friends during Covid

  The saddest part about living my last year as a teenager during covid isn't the fact that I have to stay at home and live with my parents for the 8th month in a row while all of my friends go out and party, or the fact that I constantly feel like I'm wasting time and should be doing more with my life and my time, or the fact that I'm constantly at a crossroads about wanting to change my major but not wanting to do so remotely, and as a result making my curriculum harder than it needs to be. I would say that the saddest part of it all is all of the people I lost along the way. For starters, I guess being in the house 24/7 makes people reveal true colors. Not only did I lose friends, but I also lost love-interests and overall people I thought would be in my life forever. No these people did not die, but their relationships to me did. The first friendship lost was a guy I held very close to me during high-school, so close that our friend group continued to communicate with one-another post-graduation (which says a lot). The reason everything blew-up was his reaction to the BLM. Me, being an African-American girl would hope that I had chosen friends that would not support unnecessary police brutality, and instead stand-up for the killing of black lives... Sadly, this wasn't the case. Lost friend #1, remained quiet during this movement after George Floyd's murder, and instead only chose to speak about how the rioting and looting had inconvenienced his life as a caucasian male living in Naperville IL. You could say I was a little offended about where his concerns lie, but this didn't stop me from speaking on it and giving him the chance to save the friendship. The was a chance he neglected to take and let's just say that was the last time I have spoken to him. I do not believe that politics should be the "end-all-be-all for relationships, but not wanting someone to die because of the color of their skin is not politics... it's human rights. Moreover, friend #2 was lost during the period of COVID due to him developing a completely new personality and turning into someone who didn't respect the words of others, and instead get mad when things didn't go his way. Given that I had shared a lot of personal experiences with friend #2, I was very hurt to see this side of him. But this didn't stop me from cutting him off. I haven't spoken to him since April, may that friendship RIP. Moreover, countless people turned out to be the opposite of who I thought they were during this time, and I have cut many ties and burned many bridges amidst experiences COVID-19. Although on the bright side, those who are truly meant to be in my life have shown their loyalty and strengthened our bonds stronger than ever throughout the past few months, and for this, I will be forever grateful to have lived through something as life-altering as the pandemic.
• 
  2020-10-11

  No Summer in Wisconsin

  In January I had heard a few reports of COVID-19 starting to spread into the United States, but it wasn't until late March and early April that the whole thing became very real. I remember the day before UWSP officially announced that it would be sending people home. I was with all my friends in my dorm. I remember looking at one another and saying our goodbyes just in case we were all having to pack up the next day. I personally didn't like the dorms very much, but leaving earlier than I was expecting was particularly hard. The semester before I had gone home because of a death in the family. I was unable to cope with it and school. So the fact that I had to leave once again after having had two great roommates was a blow to my pride in returning. When I came home it felt very strange. Suddenly I had all this time off without really wanting it. My plans for the summer were originally to go to Japan for the Guy Healy Program, but that didn’t pan out. I didn't want to go back to work and I had some time before online classes kicked in. However, that’s when a long-awaited release appeared. On March 20th, Animal Crossing: New Horizons released on the Nintendo Switch. I ordered it to arrive the day of, and that game took up an enormous amount of my time. With classes ending and the summer beginning, there was still not too much happening. I put down Animal Crossing after playing it for a total of 655 hours (about 27 days). I felt empty and useless. I wanted to see my friends and enjoy the summer with them. I wanted to have an income but was still afraid to go in public. When I spoke to my mother about this she responded “The virus isn't happening anymore”. I spent most of my time sleeping and depressed. That’s when I decided to buy something I thought to be only for rich people. I bought an Oculus Quest AKA a virtual reality headset. I figured, since I wasn’t spending any of my money on going places, I’ll buy something to allow me to do so. As July began I grew frustrated with the limitations of my headset. Because of its limited processing power, I couldn't see all the places and people that I wanted to. So, that led me to my second large purchase. I bought a gaming pc (in my defense it was $100 off!) Immediately after placing my order, I got a job. I was very afraid of being around people, but I needed to get some of my funds back. I started working at one of the Dollar Generals in town and my goodness was it a shit show. To paraphrase: there was a new manager, numerous new employees, stricter rules, a coin shortage, numerous item shortages, I was the only employee who wore a mask every day until I left, and most customers did not wear a mask even after the federal mandate. I legitimately wished for death by the time August ended and had my medication dosage increased. Every day that went by was a day closer to me leaving and living in my new apartment in Stevens Point. On September 1st my roommate and I moved into our new apartment. I was so relieved and so happy to be far away from my reckless and conservative family. I was now closer to my school, my friends, and now I could plan my own meals! Classes began on the 2nd and they were entirely online, except for one. It was very strange waking up and not going anywhere. For the next few weeks my days went the same: wake up, eat breakfast, attend classes, eat again/nap, attend more classes, play games, do homework, go to bed. Over and over and over.. I started to feel like I was going a bit mad. Sure, I spent a bit of time with a select group of friends and went out to buy groceries, but I was starting to falter in my classes. I was sleeping through class, forgetting to finish my homework, and struggling to fall asleep. Feeling like I had nothing left in me, I made a few changes to my life. For one, I began eating healthier and taking my pills every day. I also had my dosage doubled again. Secondly, I started to work out a bit with a new friend of mine. Finally, I have been trying to fix my sleep schedule so I can have time in the morning to work on things and wake up for school. These last few weeks have by far been the craziest of them all. With the presidential election and Wisconsin's rising COVID-19 cases, it’s hard to find a sense of peace. I am home at the moment watching my little sister because my mother and step-father went to South Dakoda for their 10th anniversary. Last week I learned that my grandfather became infected, and today I learned that two of my cousins have now tested positive. The lack of fresh food at the house is driving me insane and I honestly just want to go back to my apartment. I can only hope that November won’t be as insane as I expect it to be. But hey, at least I have my 21st birthday coming up in December!
• 
  2020-08-20

  Masks and Virtual Living

  The photo of my friends- A lot of my social interactions since March have been virtual. Every Friday, I would call my wonderful group of friends and catch up, since we couldn’t see each other in person. The photo of my friend and I with masks- I worked at Menards, in sort of the warehouse section of the store. I worked 10 hour shifts in the heat with a mask on every day. It was definitely uncomfortable, but I do think it was important and necessary for all of us to wear masks.
• 
  2020-08-11

  Video Chat Birthday Celebration

  The pandemic disrupted the frequent trips I take to visit my friend Chrissie in California. We planned on celebrating her birthday together in person, but since we both lived in hot spots we decided it was best to postpone our festivities. I used some of the money I would have spent on traveling to buy her some very personalized gifts. When she received her presents I asked her to meet me on the Houseparty app so that I could see her reactions. They were priceless. I commissioned an artist friend to draw her beloved cat Dulce which I then printed on a poster. To add a Texas touch, I also got her a James Avery charm bracelet with an inside joke engraved on it. Even though I would have much rather hung out with Chrissie in person, this celebration was still special. Being away from made me think about how much I love and appreciate her. Quarantine allowed me the time to reflect on what makes her unique and what gifts would put a smile on her face.
• 
  2020-04-16

  Long distance letters

  This photo is a birtday box my friend sent me from Maryland to Florida. We originally planned on celebrating together because we'd be at school still, riding out the end of our freshman year of college, but with all Florida universities being shut down in early March, we were forced to move out of our dorm and return to our homes. This image is important to me because with the craziness and uncertancy of the future, we went back to our roots and stayed in contact the old fashoned way, letters. While we still talked on the phone and texted, waiting to get your next letter in the mail was exciting and fun. In this particular box, I was sent a shirt that my friend tye-dyed herself & a couple of letters about different things she'd been doing (or not doing) and just letters about life. Even though we were apart, being able to write and send momentums made us all feel closer.
• 2020-04-03

  My running journey

  A month or so into quarantine, when the restlessness of isolation really began to set in, my friends and I decided to begin a challenge-- we would all run for at least 30 minutes every day for eight weeks, increasing our times every week and trying to beat our own and each other's paces. We were all looking for ways to keep ourselves busy and figured it'd be a good opportunity to stay healthy and sane in quarantine. Our running challenge also ended up being a nice way for us all to remain close, which was difficult without seeing each other every day.
• 2020-08-04

  A World of Communication at the Fingertips

  With my cell phone I am able to communicate and hang out with my friends and family that I might not be able to do without it. It allows me to keep updated on new, and I can have fun with my teammates as we get through this struggle together. This allows prepares me for college as I access a lot of necessary information I need to properly prepare myself for college life.
• 
  2018

  Jewish Melbourne - Applesauce In The Meatloaf

  An unveiling of a dear friend , an unexpected lesson learned, and the value of every day.
• 
  2020-07-08

  Social Distancing BFFs

  My 7-year-old daughter and one of her best friends since the toddler room were signed up for their first year of softball and first team sport together. Then the Stay at Home order happened. The organizers kept asking us to hang on and wait and see if we could play this year. In June, they got the go ahead from the state for practices. I was on the fence, but they had good safety protocols in place and my daughter is high energy and very athletic, so I decided she could go ahead and play. So did her friend’s family. The girls have been good about wearing masks and kind of good at keeping 6 feet apart through the 2 weeks of practices. This week, which would have been the end of their regular season, they had their first game. At the end as we were leaving, they came up with this way to be together and connected while being safe and apart.
• 
  2020-05-24

  Socially Distanced Best Friends

  After months of our parents not letting us see eachother due to COVID-19, me and my best friend decided to hang out in my front yard. She brought over boba and food from Ding Tea (our favorite), and we ate together 6 feet apart, as we watched the sun go down. When we decided to get near eachother for pictures, we were cautious and made sure to put on masks to be safe.
• 
  2020-05-28

  Quarantine Journal

  I miss my friends :(
• 
  2020-04-27

  A Postcard From a Friend

  Sent to me by a friend who lives less than half an hour from me, this is an example of how the world has reverted in some ways during the pandemic. Written letters and postcards are largely objects of the past, yet this was an effort at analog connection in the digital world, one that required thought and care to produce.
• 
  2020-05

  a group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony

  An article about a Facebook group which has exploded during COVID, in which members pretend to be ants
• 
  2020-05-15

  Melisa Perez, Dougherty Family College, HIST 115

  A friend of mine studied a broad here in MN, I had the privilege to get to know her during her senior year as a college student. With the whole pandemic, she wasn’t able to go back to her home country it was unknown when she will be able to return back. A week ago, she found out that today will be her chance to leave. Although we are both happy that she is able to go back home, it was sad to know that we wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to each other due COVID-19. Although it seems like she is just going back to visit her family, it studently hits me that we are actually living in a time like this. I really wish I was able to send her off and give her one last hug since we don’t know when we will see each other again. It’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you soon.
• 2020-05-19

  Reid’s reflection on the pandemic 19 May 2020

• 
  2020-05-05

  Colleague Care Package

  I received a care package from a colleague in my field. It includes snacks, ibuprofen, toilet paper, a positive message, and a craft.
• 
  2020-05-04

  New York Times Mini Crossword Puzzle May 4, 2020

  Since self-isolation began for my household, my husband and I have started doing crosswords from the NYT (New York Times) with friends via Zoom. We can share our screens and complete the puzzles together. It has been good way to exercise our brains and connect with others. I'd be curious to see if subscriptions for the NYT Crossword, which has its own separate subscription option, have increased in the last few weeks.
• 2020-04-29

  The Last Week

  A personal account.
• 
  2020-04-19

  A Neighborhood Unified Together

  During this pandemic it is important to stick together and lean on the people around us. This image captures neighbors coming together to support each other while maintaining social distancing.
• 
  2020-04-08

  Friendships in the times of COVID-19

  During the times of COVID-19, the relationship dynamics between roommates evolve as they shift from being mere roommates to teammates in the battle of staying alive and healthy. COVID-19 demands negotiating new rules, new ways of communicating, new responsibilities, and importantly: new lasting friendships. It is interesting to see how the pandemic both tests and strengthens the bonds between roommates as we navigate responding to each other’s needs. COVID-19 has presented a series of challenges with one of the negative impacts of social distancing, including coping with loneliness. The privilege of living with friends helps boost morale and mental health as we are constantly reminded that we are going through this not alone, but together. Pictured is my roommate celebrating her twenty-second birthday on our back porch on a sunny day in April. Although it is not how she imagined she would spend her birthday, friendship and company offer a silver lining during the coronavirus pandemic. #DePaulHST391
• 
  2019-03-17

  Social Distancing Twitter Post @Caveheraa

  The screenshot is of a Twiiter post which features a group of friends sitting several feet apart from each other in their neighborhood. It shows us the change the pandemic has made on our relationships with each other and how we communicate and socialize.
• 
  2020-04-24

  A A

  Image of two young people sitting on a park bench, one smirking at the camera and the other sprawled across their friend's lap, legs in the air.
• 
  2020-04-02

  Watching a movie together

  This is me and my friends watching a movie together via special website. Though we weren’t together physically, we still were there for each other and had fun. *Me
• 
  2020-04-02

  Stuck Inside During the Pandemic

  These two pictures are from my best friend and me. We are in one city because of the epidemic. But still can't go out. We are very eager to go out and play together. We haven't seen each other for a long time. As far as I can remember, we last met on October 1, 2019. I miss her very much. I'm also looking forward to spring very much. I can have a picnic with my best friend. I will feel very happy.
• 
  2020-03-26

  Missing My Homies

  This is a tweet stating, "tested positive for missing my homies" with a picture of a man crying. This completely describes my personal experience while social distancing during this pandemic.
• 2020-03-20

  social distancing for the pros !!

  TikTok of friends meeting up in a parking lot but staying in their cars to social distance
• 
  2020-03-26

  Corona coffee dates

  Maintaining friendships and social connections in times of COVID-19 and the practice of social distancing.
• 
  2020-03-21

  Diary LM

  CV diary Saturday 19 March 2020 I went to the walk today. Have missed the last two and the world has changed so much that I wasn't sure anyone was coming. But there were 5 of us, all keeping our distance. Three did not come because they are self isolating or fearful of having coffee with us ?? A lot of the discussion as we walked about the past two weeks - the virus , restrictions, shopping, toilet rolls, family situations, what is going to happen... G has just come out of two weeks isolation after her holiday in Egypt. D is under pressure from her daughter to change her life - e.g. Not to walk this morning. But she came. We all need the exercise and I/we need to see my friends. When we got to the coffee shop we were able to snag two tables outside. But that wasn't enough for M who moved her seat even further away. Each to their own. But hard not to feel the inherent rejection. G shared her hand sanitizer. During the walk I got a phone call from a friend, cancelling our plans for a film tomorrow. She was amazed that I was outside walking with friends and had stopped for a coffee. Said she and her husband have been in isolation since last Sunday. Cautioned me to do the same. When I got home I thought about my plans. I will go to church tomorrow (it was confirmed late today that the Diocese has belatedly decided to ban all services from Monday). Should I go to the gym on Monday? They seemed well organised last week. Should I cancel my lunch with Susan on Tuesday? Have not seen her since her mother died, I could not go to the funeral or the wake. And she seems quite distressed and needs support. On Wednesday I am expected to present at an important Board presentation to Club members. It is being taped and uploaded to our website for those who cannot get to the meeting. Should I cancel everything after that? LM