Items

• 2020-08-22

  Finding peace during the pandemic

  During the pandemic, like most people, I experienced high amounts of stress and feeling kind of hopeless. I would spend the majority of my day playing video games in my house which doesn't really seem like a bad thing to be doing, but over time I could feel myself being lost and not the same person anymore. This was because before the pandemic, I was constantly on the move and interacting with people, so when this was taken from me I was unable to resume the things that I had always done. I began school at a local university and found myself unable to make friends as I had easily done in the past, because my social skills had taken a huge fall due to the pandemic. I found myself being a really quiet person and would only talk when I was talked to, and also found that I did not have the drive to complete tasks that should have been easy to complete. The way I began to overcome this was when I joined a local dance group. They were practicing at a park following social distance regulations. I did not instantly feel comfortable because I was unsure of myself and was not very confident when I first joined. However, the group was very welcoming and friendly towards me and they gave me all of the time and space I needed at the time to begin coming out of the shell that the pandemic had formed around me. Within about a year, these members have become some of my closest friends and we hang out daily. My confidence has reached an all time high that honestly I think might have caused me to become bored whenever I know something is a waste of time but is something that I have to do. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because it is definitely an improvement from before where I would not attempt to do things because I did not feel the confidence to complete them. Had I not joined the group, I would've stayed in my shell and would not have made the friends I have today. They gave me a chance to become active again and become socially active as well.
• 
  2020-05-29

  The Spiritual Enlightenment of the Quarantine

  Whilst in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic we as people had lots of time to spend, let alone kids and teens. Because Covid swept the globe so quickly the Educational system was not prepared whatsoever which resulted in the student not even having zoom classes. With this gained a lot of time that I did not know to manage, and so I started my Spiritual Enlightenment. This Enlightenment was basically me starting to read books, paint and improve my ties with my family. Painting stayed with me for a large time of that year but sadly I had to let it go when we started school once more. I entered High School as a different but better version of myself
• 2020-05-01

  Background Noise

  From 2005 to 2020, I was a police officer. My life was hectic and noisy. I carried two mandatory work cell phones everywhere I went, 24 hours a day, which rang, beeped, and chirped continuously. A police radio was on in my house, in my car, or in my ear, every hour of the day. In my world, people were always talking, at work and at home. I resigned from my position in April of 2020, just as the COVID lockdowns were coming into effect. I suddenly found myself with nowhere to be due to no longer having a job and having minimal to no contact with others due to the lockdown. Being an avid flyfisher, my days became about spending most of my time on the river alone. This was also not normal, as I am also a flyfishing guide, and am used to fishing with other people, who are usually talking to me, but due to COVID, I no longer had clients. The constant of my life went from hearing people talking (and yelling) and devises making noise, to the sound of the rushing water of the river. I soon found improvements appearing in my life. I began feeling better, sleeping better, eating better, was able to focus more, and had a much more positive attitude. All of which were side effects of being on the river everyday by myself. The COVID pandemic was an opportunity for people to re-connect with nature unknowingly, as outdoor activities were their only choice of recreation outside of their homes. Due to outdoor activity being the only option for recreation, people learned, or remembered in some cases, the value which nature can add to life, as well as how simple it is to take nature for granted. The pandemic forced people back into nature, which re-awakened (or maybe awakened for the first time) the special relationship between the human senses and nature.
• 
  2022-03-13

  The Virus That Slowed Us Down

  I was worried before the virus as to what would happen to the world if we just kept moving forward like we were. It seemed that the world was in the motion of forward, keep going going going going. Do not stop, do not stop, keep moving forward. In a way the virus showed us more than we could have ever asked for. Once we were all stripped of the things we all enjoyed and loved, things changed. We were introduced to new things that we did not feel or experience again because we left them behind in our continuously moving forward lifestyle. The people that needed to do some internal viewing was able to stand back, and work on themselves. The people that did not know where they were going in life had a chance to breathe and catch up with the state of the world. Do not get me wrong, the virus was the worst thing to happen to our society...but it also showed us that we are all not different. Sadly some aspects of it were politicized and given a merit for your views, but in the end, the people that took it for what they could .. learned. We become better fathers, better mothers...better friends, better siblings,, a better us. We seen the things we were missing that were in-front of us all along and that was each other. The virus forced empathy upon us and everyone around us. The world will forever be changed by the one thing we could never fight against and that was ourselves.
• 2020-06-09

  college life in COVID

  this image is from friends I have made during my dark times during COVID 19, it was hard to make friends as a freshmen when classes were held on zoom. this took a toll on me and my personal life was going dark, it seemed that everyday that passes was just like the day before, no change. it made me contemplate how life is really worthless, you get up to everyday to do your required tasks and then get back to sleep just to get up again the next day and rinse repeat. I started going to a religious place to get help, and found people to hang out with. which ultimately helped me get back to normal life. I still feel as if life is worthless to most of us, as we do almost the same thing everyday and are expected to entertain each other. and while that may seem grim and dark, its the reality of life. to think of life in this manner is not harmful fore say as it helps you take bigger strides and risks in life, which may not be taken when life is thought of as a precious gift from god. and while life is a precious gift from god, realizing that taking strides which may negatively impact your life can also improve your life, which will help you get in a better spiritual and emotional state of mind. so while I played Basketball and enjoyed my time, I knew that my life was gonna get significantly better because this life barrier I placed upon myself was not gonna hold me back. and that was going to improve my spiritual and emotional state of mind
• 
  2021-04-19

  She’s Back and I’m Terrified

  After 400 days to the day, my daughter walked back into her gym. A competitive gymnast who has been training with the same gym since the week before she turned 3, this has been a long year. We are privileged in the sense that the hardest decision we had to make during the pandemic was not related to jobs security, hunger, or even health (beyond keeping ourselves from COVID). Our hardest choice was not allowing our daughter to return to her gym to train when they reopened in June. My husband and I knew COVID was just beginning. We knew the spike would come and the health of our family wasn’t something we were willing to risk, especially because our jobs allowed us the luxury to work from home and distance. At first, we made case rates dropping our marker of when she’d go back. Then, with the announcement of the vaccine, we decided to wait until our household was vaccinated. By the end of March, the adults of our household were vaccinated and our local case count had dropped considerably, to an infection rate percentage of 1.4%. Still, we wondered “should we just wait until she’s vaccinated?” But she’s 10, there is no vaccine being publicized for her age. How long can we keep her from her life? It’s not just the training. It’s about mental health. We’ve kept her physically safe, but she’s 10 years old and hasn’t seen a single friend in person for almost 14 months. She hasn’t shown any signs of a mental health crisis, but even if she isn’t showing anything, this has to have taken a toll on her. It was a difficult and scary choice, but my husband and I decided her mental health and emotional health are worth the risk. She is so happy. She’s had two one on one sessions with her coach and we are all shocked (and relieved) that her daily solo workouts EVERY SINGLE DAY for 400+ days now paid off. She not only kept all her skills but learned enough her skills to advance to the next level. I know her coach is shocked. I don’t think she really believed that a kid would work hard enough on her own to keep in shape. I know my daughter is very proud and very relieved to know she can compete again. And the timing is perfect - the new season starts in May, so she’ll begin in a new level with other girls she knows who also leveled up. She never acted unhappy during quarantine, but since going back, she’s seemed lighter and happier. Still, the two times she went were one on one. The beginning of May will see her going back full time, three practices a week for ten hours a week of practice. I’m happy they’re letting her keep her mask on and that the coaches are wearing masks but I’m still nervous. It’s so hard to send your kid into a situation that may lead them to contract a deadly illness. But it’s also so hard to keep your kid in a bubble. I never in a million years imagined I’d have kept my child home for 400 days. I’m a public school teacher, I’m the first person to tell you the importance of socialization. But in a pandemic, I guess my mothering deep instinct to my child overpowered anything else. I hope and pray with everything in me that we don’t regret allowing her to go back. I hope we are turning a corner in CA and that a vaccine for kids arrives soon so I can feel slightly more relaxed.
• 
  04/03/2021

  Brittni Smith Oral History, 2021/04/03

  Brittni Smith lives in a small town in Kansas. Here, I interview her about her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. She talks about what it was like getting a COVID test. Brittni also tells me about what it was like to have family hospitalized during a pandemic. Her work furloughed her for a few months at the beginning of the pandemic, which she also tells me about. I am researching the unexpected consequences of the pandemic; a good example would be people not going to the doctor for checkups for fear of catching COVID. I interviewed Brittni for this research.
• 2021

  statistics

  when covid first started in march, I was checking the rising statistics every day and trying to stay positive. Who knew it would be still high in January. Now, the cases seem to be going down everywhere, which is really good. The countries with the highest cases seem to be the united states and united kingdom, but they are both thankfully going down. People i know have affected these statistics, for my grandparents and parents got covid, but no one died from it. In august/september, the cases were going down a lot, but went super high again when the holidays came around. Now that the cases are going down again with no holidays coming up, I feel like we are getting to a good point. Its been a stressful year but I learned alot from it and improved myself.
• 
  2021-01

  Beautiful Things

  This picture was around the time of winter break. To many people it will just be a picture of the mountains covered in snow. However, to me it is a picture that represents the change in my life since this pandemic. Before the pandemic all I was able to do was focus on my studies and sports with no time for myself, but now, even though times are stressful I am able to breathe a little more.. I guess. Before these mountains were covered in snow I went up there a few days before to check out the view with the Christmas lights, but nothing could have prepared me for what would happen next. Even though these mountains were already beautiful before, after the snowfall they’ve become a masterpiece. These mountains show change, in fact they encourage change within ourselves, for the better of all of us.
• 2021-01-14

  Online Learning

  My experience with remote learning is better than I thought it would be. In the beginning, when everyone was adjusting to going to zoom meetings for every class and have to get supplies from school to do at home. I feel like I used my printer more in the past month than the past year, printing out papers and sheet music that would usually be handed in class. But I enjoyed working at home in some parts. For example, everything I needed was right there next to me and I didn’t have to worry about losing it (for the most part). Online learning also made me rely on myself and remembering all of my assignments and their due dates. I feel like my self-control improved a lot in the past few months. Online classes are not the best, but I am glad that everyone made them work.
• 2020-08-03

  The Chess Master

  I chose this object because all throughout the pandemic, I have taken the time to study chess for hours and play chess to improve for when tournaments in real life come back.
• 
  2020-05-13

  Advice to take a gap year now

  This is an oped advice piece from a financial expert advising this year's high school graduates to take a gap year. He suggests travel, earning money, taking classes, and staying positive
• 
  2020-04-11

  Need to Do Better than "Go Back to Normal"

  This tweet points out the hard conditions for workers and families without benefits, especially without healthcare coverage. People are wanting to return back to normal but this Twitter user says we need to do better than normal.
• 
  2020-04-17

  Petition to Help Louisiana's Incarcerated Youth During COVID-19

  A charge.org petition to improve conditions for incarcerated youth in Louisiana during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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  2020-04-06

  Pat O'Brien's Longs for a Normal Bustling Atmosphere, New Orleans, LA

  The Facebook post reads exactly, "Until we meet again... We hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. We are busy making improvements at the bar for when we can all be together again #stayhome #stayhealthy #staysafe #coronavirus #covid_19 #covıd19 #socialdistancing #doyourpart #thistooshallpass #frenchquarter #nolabar #Repost @checkerbored with @get_repost ・・・#dranks." The bar is using the time off to repair and improve the quality of the famous location.
• 
  2020-04-02

  My College Life

  This is a file containing my personal experiences with COVID19 and how it has impacted my day-to-day college life.