Items

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  2020-10-28

  Pierogis and Kielbasa: Sound and Smell During COVID-19

  Before the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns began, hearing or seeing a loved one seemed almost a certainty. Although I worried for the safety of all my friends and family, I was most concerned with the well-being of my aging, immunocompromised grandmother. As a daughter of Eastern European immigrants, she was accustomed to eating ethnic Polish food. Throughout my childhood, she would kindly make pierogis and kielbasa sausage for me and my sister. The savory aroma of pierogis and kielbasa sausage cooking in sauerkraut inundated the senses. With the onset of the pandemic, however, my life, as with so many others, changed. Unfortunately, my grandmother is not accustomed to using video-chat services; however, hearing her voice over the phone or social-distancing on her porch allowed me to maintain contact, hear her voice, and smell the wonderful aroma of the food she always made for me as a child. Although momentary, the loss of hearing my grandmother’s voice as well as her delicious food made me realize how important it is to cherish the connections you have with your loved ones. During a time of uncertainty, tragedy, and disconnection, a loved one’s voice (as well as the food they make) can provide an emotional uplift.
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  1918-10-18

  Historical Artifact from 1918

  I used the announcement from the article to create a comparison between the situation with the Spanish flu in 1918 and our current situation with the pandemic
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  2020-05-07

  Potential Exposure in the Lower Sioux Indian Community of Minnesota

  “The Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota’s (“Community”) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) received voluntary notification of a potential exposure risk in the Community this previous weekend. Those individuals that were potentially exposed were notified by Health and Human Services and are voluntarily self-isolating in their homes. As part of our community response model, these individuals will be receiving daily phone calls from the community health nurse to monitor for symptoms. Social Services representatives are calling every 3 days to ensure that basic needs are being met and to offer support.” #IndigenousStories
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  2020-04-14

  Distance Learning in Allaikh

  Schools of Chokurdakh, Olenegorsk, Berelyakh learned in Russian Ust and Byagnyr where they wore masks and kept a safe distance. After a few weeks, an order was issued to transition to distance learning. “During the restrictive regime, parents and legal representatives have received applications and consent to transfer students to distance learning. The educational process is carried out through landline and cellular telephony, through the email of parents (legal representatives) and through the educational platform “Uchi.ru”. Grades are set for completed assignments by students. On the passage of the program and educational material, teachers keep a report on the control sheets for the implementation of program material, and the responsible coordinator of the correspondence form of training forms sheets of teachers' working hours. Certain categories of students for the period of the restrictive regime are provided with food in the form of dry rations,which set includes: stewed beef, condensed milk, paste, cereals, pasta, sugar, jam, etc.” #IndigenousStories