Items

• 
  2021-03-26

  Choosing between Work and Health

  This short piece shares the struggles and experiences of choosing between working as an essential worker and worrying about my family's health during the peak of the pandemic.
• 
  2021-04-22

  Uncertainty, Spirituality, and the Inevitability of Change #REL101

  I foolishly thought that it would be easy to write this post. I didn’t anticipate struggling so much with finding the right words to explain the impact the last year of pandemic life has had on me, but I’ve deleted about a hundred paragraphs of rambling, existential stream of consciousness nonsense about cherishing the small moments and growing in the face of adversity because it is surprisingly hard to be concise about your feelings on an event you’re still living through. I’m starting to think that maybe doing so is impossible, so instead of falling into cliche and flowery prose, I want to just be blunt. I haven’t seen my family in two years. My grandmother has dementia and in that time it has worsened exponentially. On a weekly basis, I have a call with my mom that starts with a debrief on whatever the newest updates in her condition are and ends with a plea to visit as soon as I feel comfortable traveling. Every day, I go into my retail job and tell them no, I don’t have symptoms or live with anyone with symptoms while waiting for the beep of a thermometer meant to ensure I don’t have a fever. I breathe through two layers of fabric, disinfect my work area between transactions, and field rants about restrictive mask mandates for six hours a day, then come home and begin the process of undressing, banishing my clothes to the washer, and trying to relax before I have to do it all again. Everything in that paragraph is, to put it nicely, so bleak it hurts. It’s easy to get caught in the feelings of overwhelm that came along with this pandemic and it would be a farce to say that there aren’t days where everything feels like way too much for one person to handle. Surprisingly, though, the thing that has blissfully not survived the most turbulent year of my life is the apathetic, empty cynicism I used to feel. Instead, I feel weirdly hopeful that this is the beginning of massive change both in myself and on a global level. Maybe it’s naive to think that way and maybe it’s just a coping mechanism to help me through the pandemic, but there’s a part of me that thinks that may not even matter because the changes are coming regardless. In the last year, I’ve moved out of Nevada and into a pink house in California with the love of my life. Despite a fraught, stressful prior experience in college, I’ve finally come back to higher education in a way that feels both healthy and exciting. The field of religious studies has reawakened my passion for learning and my ability to grow in academia. I’ve abandoned my skeptical, agnostic views and traded them out for a brand of religiosity that combines self-improvement, magic, and trust in something bigger than myself. I know how that all sounds and if the last sentence has you rolling your eyes reading this, I get it. The last year has been weird, don’t get me wrong. If I told a 20-year-old version of myself that one day we’d be living through the plague of a lifetime, studying religion with hopes of examining cultism, and practicing a version of witchcraft grounded in our ex-Catholic roots, I doubt she would believe me. It admittedly sounds pretty wacky all laid out in plain English like that. Part of what I’ve learned throughout the pandemic, though, is that suspending cynicism, skepticism, and disbelief can sometimes lead you to unexpectedly lovely places. Whether I saw it coming or not, Covid has changed my life in countless ways, just as I’m sure it’s changed the lives of everyone reading these entries. Some changes have been for the worse, certainly, but the things that have changed for the better are what I’m choosing to focus on. I’ve read articles about a reemergence of spirituality amongst young people that make me think others have been having similar ideas and something about that feels good. We’ve spent a lot of time isolated, lonely, and missing a sense of belonging we took for granted before, but there’s reassurance for me in knowing that my experiences aren’t all that different from anyone else’s. That type of community, however it manifests, is (and I hope you’ll forgive this admitted slip into flowery prose) something that the pandemic has taught us we must cherish above everything else because it’s what makes our little human lives worth living. More than anything, whenever this pandemic reaches the time where we split our lives into not just before, but after, I hope we don’t forget that.
• 
  2021-02-28

  #JOTPYLesson from gedco45

  #JOTPYLesson For me, the pandemic has forced me to slow down a bit, and to take more time for myself than I'm used to - when the pandemic began I felt incredibly guilty for taking more than 30 mins for myself to relax with. Now, I'm kind of forced to acknowledge that I deserve to rest or even just have fun every now and then, that I have value when I'm not working. @lordfrogman @amjugan @dankzestykale @kategillis @father_keaton
• 2021-04-15

  Second Semester Done, One Year In, But What Will I Miss?

  The end of the semester is near, with one week left in my college semester and only a few weeks left at the high school where I work. As my first year as a Ph.D. season comes to a close, I have to say I am actually going to miss some parts of spending the year going to class via Zoom. It’s been nice to not have to worry about superficial things like my outfit and practical things like making sure my water bottle is full and that I have had lunch before class. Zoom is exhausting. Being aware that my classmates can see me, and I can see everyone else all at once. Sure, I can hide self-view, but in a way that makes me more nervous because I won’t be able to see if my face looks silly. I spend a lot of time holding my face in a specific way to avoid “resting bitch face” that I often end my 2.5-hour classes with headaches and jaw tension. I guess I won’t miss that. Monitoring chat and live conversations is a nightmare. So much so that I don’t pay much heed to the chat at all. I won’t miss that. Not having to find parking on campus though... that has been super nice. Not having to account for traffic, being able to schedule appointments more easily. It’s also allowed my professors to be in other states for meetings when necessary or step out for other Zoom meetings when they have to for a few minutes and then return. I guess it is what we have been saying for the better part of nine months now, that we have always had the ability to be flexible, just no willpower, and the pandemic has shown us that we really can be flexible. Selfishly it makes it easier to work and go to school as well. I haven’t missed a single class all year. It made being a TA easier too, since I didn’t have to go to campus for those classes either, which would have further complicated a work schedule. I am ready to go back to school, after three online master’s degree, the perpetual student in me was so excited to go back to campus for classes and be a part of a college campus again and I didn’t get that because of the pandemic, but I think in some ways it made the transition easier for me. It made it easier for me to feel like I could do it all at once.
• 
  2021-04-07

  Little Gifts

  My dad is a paramedic currently working three jobs within the EMS field. He's basically only home one day out of the week. I take care of the house and my little sister while he's gone but I know the job is hard right now, especially with Covid-19. When I can, I buy him little gifts I think he would appreciate, like this Hawkeye Funko Pop. I honestly just wish they would pay paramedics and other EMS related first responders more than what they get now, especially since this pandemic has shown how necessary and essential their job is.
• 2021-04-06

  Open doors

  I am hard of hearing but I also have a chronic illness and a physical disability. For years I, and others like me, have asked to do more work from home and use video chat. We were told it’s too hard and expensive. Then COVID19 became a pandemic and all of a sudden our request wasn’t so hard or expensive anymore. All of a sudden we all had the same need. It was exciting as doors opened up for me that were always closed. I attended conferences I’d always dreamed of attending. Not only that, but since I was used to teaching music online already, my fellow music teachers gleaned the info from my lived experience. For the first time I was an equal. My answers for things came from resources they would never have thought worthy of consideration. With my fellow artists also now unemployed, I had everything necessary to start my dream business. A inclusive production group. Now when society uses the word inclusive or accessible, they don’t bother learning what this entails so they are mostly seriously lacking. My group represents, every body type, age, gender, ability, and voice type. No longer will anyone be stereotyped. When I sing for people, they say they could listen to me sing often. Yet I’m never considered for shows, wheelchair aside, due to me being a mezzo soprano. Producers want lyrics. The same voice type for every lead role. Not in my group. I write my own musicals in a way everyone gets a change to take centre stage. Now that my fellow artists are back working again, those who I hired 2020 are still with me. I am very grateful the doors of opportunity opened even if for a short time because that was enough to keep them open for me where needed. That was enough to gather those who can make and keep this dream a reality. We are set to debut our first show in June 2021. It doesn’t get better than that. So while COVID itself is horrendous, the lifestyle the pandemic made universal helped others see what we live daily, and it also created a more universal work place for all.
• 
  2020-04-02

  College Student in Covid

  I wrote about my story through covid. I am a college student studying Early childhood education. I am also a child care worker. My submission is about what it was like going through college during covid. This is important to me because it's my experience and I know many other college students feel the same way.
• 
  2021-02-15

  #JOTPYPhoto from Marissa Rhodes

  This picture encapsulates my home life (which is my ONLY life) during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's difficult managing kids, their school, and working full time with absolutely ZERO separation between work, school, and play. #JOTPYphoto
• 
  2021-02-17

  #JOTPYPhoto from Gina Heart exclamation

  Staying home cuddling with my dog = work @mollyc @mollycho @Gee_La_Dou @edgartoo12 @Lightskill1
• 
  2020-11-11

  Paid Leave Approval for COVID-19

  My entire family had contracted COVID-19 and in accordance with company policies I was required to apply for mandatory paid leave for a minimum of 2 weeks and a COVID-19 test after that 14 day period. COVID-19 had a large impact on both my job and my family.
• 
  2021-02-21

  Mini Oral History with Paul Keagle, 02/21/2021

  This is a mini oral history with my husband, Paul Keagle, regarding silver linings during the pandemic.
• 
  2021-02-20

  Mini Oral History with Peg Spangler, 02/20/2021

  I recorded a mini oral history with Peg about silver linings and positives during the pandemic.
• 2021-01-31

  Freezing Masks

  I live in Massachusetts, which certainly isn't the coldest area in the United States, but it is definitely not warm during January and February. Whenever I go out in public areas, like when I am walking my dog downtown or going to work in Boston, I always wear a mask. I personally feel that wearing a mask is a personal responsibility that we owe to everyone else around us. I work for hours wearing the mask, and have no problem doing so because it's the right thing to do. However, it has been particularly cold in Massachusetts the past week or so, which has meant that my mask freezes almost immediately when walking around. The condensation from my breathing quickly freezes from the inside which makes wearing the mask even more uncomfortable than usual. Then, when I get inside, the frozen condensation defrosts and the inside of my mask is soaking wet (not pleasant!!). But at the end of the day, we do what is necessary for the common good, and winter and the virus will soon be behind us!
• 2020-09-14

  My start into school during 2020

  My summer was completely ruined by covid-19. I spent most of my time indoors and doing online classes. My sports were canceled and I could not even start practicing with my travel lacrosse team. I was able to hang out with my friends but we were very limited in activities. I did enjoy working though I was able to get a lot of hours. Overall I wish COVID-19 never happened at all it changed everything in the worst way ever. Over the past few days, I have been overwhelmed with homework and projects. I miss real school and I feel as if it is so much better than an online school. The in-person school gives me access to talk to teachers and I can study together with friends. Online school limits me so much in my resources and for me, I do not do well in an online class. This pandemic and the California fires are really messing with my life. Most people say they have more time because of what’s going on but to me, this is definitely not true. The online school consists of more homework over teaching this is not the way people should learn.
• 2020-12-17

  How COVID-19 Affected My Daily High School Life

  This is a journal entry I created when school started online learning. At the time, I was frustrated and upset at the online learning, but now I have been able to adapt and overcome the adversity our society faces. Covid-19 has greatly impacted my family. I have been continuously doing online school at California high school and at DVC. I personally strongly dislike it. We are staring at a computer all day for classes and to do homework. The online classes make me tired and lazy. With sports pretty much stopped, it is hard to go outside and practice all by yourself. For my dad, his work has been greatly affected. His workload has dropped and he has constant precautions for his employees. He almost even had to shut down. For my sister, she was finally able to college three months late. They might also cancel her soccer season at UCSB. For my mom, she is very cautious about being around other people because of her parents and their health. This pandemic has influenced the world away from socializing. I can rarely hang out with people and being on zoom is annoying. We are doing the same thing over and over again when it seems like there is no purpose. Our entire world as we know it flipped over and is completely different now. I need school to go to hybrid and sports to start back up soon.
• 2020-09-29

  Covid-19 journal entry

  When quarantine first started I was happy we didn't have to go to school and i thought we would only be gone for a couple weeks. Now that it’s been more than 28 weeks I obviously am not happy about it anymore. I can’t hang out with my friends anymore and going to work is kind of scary. I hate that we have to wear a mask because when I smile at people they can’t see that I’m smiling at them and I just creepy. My mom is a hair stylist so she was out of work for quite a while, fortunately now she open back up again. My brother also lost his job because the business he worked for had to shut down. My other brother Chase was a senior when it first happened and he just went off to college a couple weeks ago. Chase actually got COVID-19 and that was pretty scary but he didn’t show any symptoms or get sick at all. This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California.
• 2020-09-14

  Yellow Skies and Blank Screens

  I’m awake, the sky is yellow, and I don’t want to be in school right now. We wrote a speech awhile back and now we have to listen to them in class. It’s to bad that I don’t like recordings of my voice so therefore, the recording of me reading my speech is going to suck. My cat keeps distracting me from my class so I turned off my camera. I don’t like people seeing me get out of my chair/read or write. It makes me uncomfortable thinking about someone watching me while I’m zoning out. I have work later today which will be okay, My twin and I will most likely pick up dinner which sounds really nice right now. I hope the smoke clears up and it gets colder even though I’m a summer person. Online school is okay though, it's nice to not have to be crammed into a small room with 20 other students in a loud room with no escape.
• 2020-12-17

  Covid 19 Challenges

  This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. A big challenge I’ve faced during covid has been getting used to online school. Knowing when I have which classes, and dealing with internet issues has been the biggest problems. Another challenge my family has faced has been staying safe while everybody works. My Dad, Brother and I all work with the general public so it’s been challenging staying safe. My mom has had it easier because she can do her job while only interacting with 1 or 2 people. It’s been the hardest on my dad because he interacts with the most people and at times can’t maintain 6 feet apart.
• 
  2020-12-10

  Burnout: A Sociological Analysis of the 24/7 Work Mentality and Its Impact on the City That Never Sleeps

  The item we are submitting is a reflection of society at large, something imperative as we have all been forced to self-reflect on a personal scale during this pandemic. Being forced to recharge and take a breath from the tech-fueled, on-the-go, culture we are entrenched in is a psychological challenge in and of itself. Therefore, starting a conversation as to why work is seen as a means to an end rather than as a self-fulfilling contribution to society and, consequently, something that leads to burnout is a conversation worth having before we enter into a society once again that causes severe stress and anxiety for most people. This is important because we must look at not just our personal lives, but the society we live in so that we can properly address the factors leading to major decline in the mental health of so many, as well as whether or not we want to re-commit to such a society once life returns to some sense of normalcy.
• 2020-12-01T16:09

  Woking During a Pandemic

  Finding a source of income in todays pandemic ridden society proved to be a difficulty for many Americans, including me. I had been unemployed due to COVID from March 2020 until early October 2020 where I finally found a well-paying job that I'm currently still employed at. However, not working from home perpetually forces me to risk my individual health and the safety of my roommates - especially when current CDC guidelines are not followed or enforced under the Trump Administration. As I now work as a beverage cart girl on a golf course in Fort Myers, I deliver/make food and drinks for golfers and their guests. Masks, gloves, and social distancing were not a part of my training and are not enforced unless inside buildings. In order to combat the rising COVID cases amongst the employees at my job, my employer initiated a no cash-tip policy that severely effected everyone's income instead of increasing COVID protocols. This demonstrates how businesses are more inclined to implement safety procedures that cost the least amount of money to them, emphasizing profit over people. This is especially relevant when a large portion of the public is either "sick of masks" or simply doesn't believe in the virus. I have had multiple club members tell me that masks are pointless and that I don't need to wash my hands between customers or follow social distancing rules. They continuously stand within a foot or two of me no matter where I move and laugh when I inform them we can't make certain items due to COVID exposures. It gets increasingly overwhelming having to defend your personal safety with customers or employers.
• 
  2020-12-01

  At home work during the Pandemic

  Adaptation to the work enviroment
• 
  2020-07-31

  Australian Health Worker quote on difficulties of Mask

  COVID is significantly affecting us in our personal lives as well. So it's not just something that we're managing at work. Quote from Female aged 43, Other Health Services. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices
• 
  2020-07-31

  Australian Health Worker quote on balancing

  It's the work and the home situation that is having to be balanced for everyone. And everyone has a unique set of challenges. Quote from Female aged 43, Other Health Services. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices
• 
  2020-09-15

  Jewish Melbourne: Jewish Care blog post - 'what can be done if you're unemployed during coronavirus'

  An article by Simon Jedwab, Program Manager - Employment Centre, providing advice and support for people who are unemployed during the pandemic
• 
  2020-11-16

  Interview with Active Air Force Reservist during COVID-19

  This is a audio interview with a active Air Force Reservist, describing how the Covid pandemic has impacted his work environment and personal livelihood.
• 
  2020-11-10

  産業医の診療もリモートで　生活習慣病など対応(2020年11月10日) - Remote medical care by occupational physicians for lifestyle-related diseases (November 10, 2020)

  テレワークの定着で産業医による診療も遠隔になりました。 　大和証券医務室・多田愼一郎センター長：「体調は悪くないですか？」 　本社勤務・50代男性：「特に問題ないですね」 　大和証券医務室・多田愼一郎センター長：「テレワークしていて運動もできているからいいですね」 　新型コロナウイルスをきっかけにすべての社員を対象に在宅勤務を導入した大和証券では、今月から産業医による診療をリモートで行っています。本社以外で勤務する社員も利用できるようになり、在宅勤務などの新しい働き方についても相談できるのが特長です。ただ、風邪などの症状には対応できないため、生活習慣病やアレルギーなどを中心に診察するということです。 With the normality of remote work, medical treatment by occupational physicians has become remote. Daiwa Securities Medical Office, Director Shinichiro Tada: "Are you feeling okay?" Working at the head office, male in his 50s: "No particular problem." Daiwa Securities Medical Office, Director Shinichiro Tada: "It’s good that you can do remote work and exercises at the same time.” Daiwa Securities, which introduced tele-commuting for all employees due to the new coronavirus provides medical care by occupational physicians remotely from this month. Employees who work outside the head office can also use it, and it is a feature that they can consult about new work styles such as working from home. However, the doctors do cannot take care of symptoms of colds but rather mainly examine lifestyle-related diseases and allergies. Video is translated by Youngbin Noh
• 
  2020-05-18

  Working at a bottle shop during COVID19

  Throughout the pandemic I worked in a bottle shop owned by Coles in South Melbourne. Sales increased dramatically during the pandemic for two reasons. Firstly, people were worried about Dan Andrews closing bottle shops during lockdown. Secondly, because bars and venues were closing, people had to source their own alcohol. During the interim period when people were discussing what the stage 3 and 4 lockdown would look like customers would come into the shop and ask if we were considered an ‘essential service’. I would respond with “I assume we’re considered essential,” “how would you survive without booze?” and “you’d know more than we do.” During this period of time it seemed like everyone knew a friend or an acquaintance of a friend who was in politics and sharing information about COVID lockdown meetings and what the next stage would involve. The uncertainty of not knowing if I’d be working next week was stressful and caused anxiety and it also caused me to panic buy wine (most of which was not touched). Nonetheless, we stayed open throughout all lockdowns and acquired new customers. During lockdown our sales increased on cocktail ingredients such as triple sec and campari because people started making cocktails at home. During the pandemic customers seemed to have more time to chat and browse and wanted to try new products. but this could also be because they liked the excuse to stay out of home for longer. As well, Coles gave employees who worked from March to May 2020 a one-off thank you bonus for working during the hardest weeks of the pandemic. Working during a pandemic had highs and lows, I was grateful that I didn’t live with my family, so I couldn’t bring home to virus, but it was hard juggling extra hours at work around online uni and other aspects of life. HIST30060
• 
  2020-11-05

  A Thriving Glass Factory, Melbourne

  The glass factory is in the middle of Spotswood, a suburb close to central Melbourne. The factory produces glass containers for many products including baby food, vegemite, beer, wine, jam, and kombucha. They have been very busy this year, thanks to panic buying. One staff member stated that production had been high since March 2020, just like it was in Christmas 2019, the peak season for glass production. Glass bottles are made around Australia as they are quite difficult to transport, so they cannot be outsourced to overseas manufacturers. This facility has around 100 staff. In these images you can see some staff having a break out the front of the business. They are wearing masks in accordance with Victorian (state) laws. In the other image you can also see that the workplace is taking temperature checks to reduce the risk of virus transmission. 37°49'49.5"S 144°53'30.5"E HIST30060
• 
  2020-10-25

  Pockets Full of PPE

  This is a photograph I took when I was clearing out my pockets to wash my uniforms. I work in Law Enforcement, and due to the nature of our work, we are always needing to refresh our PPE and have it ready to go at a moments notice. I hadn't realized how much more often I find myself needing gloves until I noticed the 'Glove Mountain' that has formed on my dryer... Almost all my pockets had gloves or extra mask in them.. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure... #GloveUp #MaskUp
• 
  2020-07-30

  Some form of Selfish

  Those that refuse to wear masks could be seen as selfish. I know there are many who can not wear them for medical reasons but most of the non-mask wearers do not fall into this category. I work in a coffee shop, we have multiple signs stating that a mask is required inside. Late one evening, right before close, a woman came in without a mask. She did not have one and refused the one I offered to her. Another employee who did not know this happened because she was in the backroom asked her about a mask. The woman leaned over the counter and was screaming about rights and the government and threw Peter Parker the spider plant at us, one of the many plants we keep along the bar.
• 
  2020-10-09

  Anonymous Oral History 2020/10/09

  This interview was conducted as a part of a COVID-19 archive project. In it she discusses her day to day life, how her life has changed since COVID hit the US, and how her home is coping with those changes. She discusses the effects that COVID has had on her family and community and how it has affected her son who has OCD. Lastly, she discusses her hopes for the future.
• 
  2020-07-27

  First day of school during Covid

  My daughter began 1st grade at home through online learning. Her first day was July 27th, and she returned in person on September 8th. Trying to balance everyone working and learning from home was an incredible struggle, and didn't benefit anyone. Mom was working on her dissertation and taking classes, her dad was teaching high school from 8-3 each day, and she had classes with homework throughout the day. For a 6 year old who had no idea how to type, it was very hard to get everything completed. While we are glad that she is back in school, I worry about her safety everyday.
• 2020-10-12

  Losing it

  Financially, we took a hit, so that put more added stress on me. Having my kids home, juggling meals, class work, homework, along with toddlers, a full time job & part time job has put me at my wits end. Not getting daily needed exercise or sun light... 4 months into the shut down, we tested positive for covid. I was the only one with symptoms & they were bad. I was in bed for over a week & with symptoms for 3 weeks & still had to juggle my daily life. I felt like i was falling into a slight depression. It’s been a struggle beyond belief. It’s very overwhelming & there are days that I just want to run. I don’t feel we have caught a break in any way.
• 2020-10-10

  Unorganized Mind

  As a mom of a 17 month old the pandemic had me unprepared for what was to come. My mind went into fight or flight mode. I had to get food for my family, enough household goods to last us during quarantine or potential lock down. The first 3 months I had to learn how to work from home, be a wife, plan activities for my son and have me time. Well its October and me time has yet to be here. Planning my days became harder and harder as I was constantly in meetings, while my son screamed for attention in the background. The day that daycare opened I was terrified but relieved at the same time because I had someone to look after my son. It has gotten better but I do fight some moments of anxiety. My mental health took a turn for the worse as I had to seek out help. I am thankful to my husband, family and daycare workers.
• 
  2020-09-29

  How COVID Affected My Summer

  This story is my experience with COVID and what I think the future holds from this learning experience.
• 
  2020-09-27

  How covid-19 changed my life.

  It is important because it affected my employability.
• 2020-03-13

  "The Corona revolution"

  This passed year has been a journey for everybody all over the world. We each were forced to figure out what to do, how to deal with our problems and adjust to it. The Corona pandemic changed everybody's lives with out a choice as well as some permanent changes. The corona virus also did change my personal perspectives on life and towards how I feel. When the corona virus began I lost my job, I wasn't able to see my friends ,I was forced to do things I never done and I felt miserable. Now looking back this journey was super important and it opened my eyes to the idea of change and to be grateful. The corona virus allowed me to work and change many of the habits I didn't like about myself like my eating habits. The corona virus forced me to try to figure out how to use a computer better. The corona virus also allowed me to understand the importance of what patience. Another thing I gained was realizing how important family is especially in a miserable time and why support is needed. Overall we can say go bad and how much damage there is or we can look at the greater picture and look at many of the changes we went through and look at that as an opportunity to be grateful like appreciating health and coming out of this alive and well!
• 2020-03-31

  Hate Speech: Community and Family

  The covid-19 pandemic has shaken the world in an unexpected way including myself. Several Americans have been affected by the pandemic losing jobs with panic wreaking havoc across the nation. My family was also affected with the pandemic as they operated a family owned restaurant. Many customers started to slowly disappear until my family was forced to close the restaurant from quarantine. Everyone that I knew was affected mentally as they did not know what to do indoors and eventually broke down. During this time, I was also in my second semester of my freshmen year looking forward to interacting with new people and professors. My first semester was enjoyable as it was a whole new experience that I was exploring. The pandemic made all classes remote and the atmosphere just did not feel the same as being in person. I was overwhelmed as most of my family lost their jobs including myself and the transition to online was unexpected. I lost all motivation to even focus on schoolwork as I was also affected mentally, but I managed to get through. The reopening phase of New York slowly recovered my family as they were able to open back their restaurants, but there was still a decrease of customers. The pandemic was not the only cause of the decrease of customers, but also my family being Asian was a factor. Many people engaged in targeting Asians around my area as the form of hate speech grew more severe as time passed by. My family did not feel safe operating their restaurant as they would not know what would happen to them. The community around me were mostly Asians and there was an increase of violence around my area. The community used to be lively with neighbors interacting with their kids constantly with everyone knowing each other. However, everything changed as everyone is staying indoors and is afraid to walk out in fear of being victims of the pandemic and hate speech. This story is important to me as the pandemic not only affected my family, but the community I live in. family, hate speech, restaurant, job, college, community, Asian
• 
  2020-09-19

  Collin Mullen Oral History, 2020/09/19

  Collin Mullen talks about his displacement from college in the spring and how his daily life has changed.
• 
  2020-09-18

  BORDICK Covid-19 Archive Project

  This interview is about Isabelle Cincera and the affects the pandemic had on her life as a high school senior. The interview discusses the impacts such as online school and her social life. Isabelle demonstrates a great example of how Covid-19 directly affected the life of a student.
• 2020-09-18

  A Terrible Blessing

  At a time where I’ve never been more in need of a break, I received more than I had bargained for. It is early 2020, I’m in my senior year of high school and worked almost everyday after school; I almost reached my breaking point. Everything stressed me out: drama, school, work, and lack of sleep. I hoped and wished and prayed for a break, and my prayers were unexpectedly answered. At first, it seemed like Coronavirus was just another cold, but then the world collapsed and everyone shut down. I was about to get an early spring break: two weeks to flatten the curve. Yet, this break turned into a nationwide hellscape. Everyone was forced to stay home, schools closed, entertainment centers closed, hockey was postponed, and even graduation was up in the air. I’ll admit, getting to stay home everyday was a blessing for the first few weeks. Then, it started to make me go nuts. I didn’t get to see my friends or go to work or school; my life was paused. A break is only good when you enjoy it with your friends, and my friends weren’t allowed out of the house and quite frankly, neither was I. My anxiety truly peaked and I was scared things would never even begin to go back to normal. Although it was different than it should’ve been, graduation still happened. I finally was reunited with my friends and teachers and it felt amazing to accept my diploma. As for college, it has been a little stressful amidst the pandemic. Not having in person classes is extremely different and it's much harder for me to learn, but i’m managing and things are getting better by the day. This brings us to the golden thing that remains: masks. I hate having to wear a mask in public, it’s a severe pain. However, I will follow the rules until everything returns to normalcy. At the end of the day, this pandemic has taught me a valuable lesson: always appreciate what you have and live in the moment, you never know when it could come crashing down. And today and forever, I stand by this. I will cherish what the lockdown has given me and taught me, yet I had to walk through hell to get to heaven.
• 
  2020-08-29

  Strange Times

  ​When the covid-19 crisis began I was living in Bangkok, Thailand. My work visa was due to expire on April 7th and I had a flight to Australia booked on that date, but at the time the Australian Government was urging all citizens to return as quickly as possible because they feared that flights would be grounded. I called the Australian Embassy and asked what would happen if I became stranded without a valid visa and the man on the phone told me to change my flight to the next available one out, as things were changing by the minute and he couldn’t give me a certain answer. ​One option I considered was crossing the border to get a tourist visa, but then I saw on the news that many expats had crossed over into Laos to do just that, and had become stranded there because Thailand had suddenly closed its borders to all but its own citizens. Expats with homes, families, and jobs in Thailand were not allowed back into the country even though they’d acquired valid visas. My flight on April the 7th was cancelled so I rebooked for March 31st. An announcement was made that all flights to Australia would cease on the 25th of March, so I cancelled that flight and managed to find another one on the 21st, which was on the following day. I had no time to pack up my apartment properly or get my affairs in order. I left my fiancé in Bangkok thinking that I would be able to return to her in a month or so, but it’s now the end of August and it doesn’t seem as though Australia is going to let anyone out anytime soon. Throughout the covid-19 crisis I have been documenting my experiences. The diary focuses on my trip to India in early March, where I nearly didn’t get out in time, as well as my escape from Bangkok and the everyday life in lockdown I’ve been going through ever since. I send the entries to my fiancé via email each week. My hope is that the diary will end with our reunion, but my fear is that life will lead us along a different path.
• 
  2020-06-23

  Jackson County COVID-19 Employee Health Screening

  This was provided upon returning to work in June 2020 to all Jackson County and the County Tower Building employees.
• 
  2020-08-26

  Normal Covid Year

  Through the pandemic I have never stopped working. My wife and so many others were laid off and impacted through all of this. I smile because we have been able to maintain our livelihood and health.
• 
  2020-08-17

  Pandemic at Planet Fitness

  With the pandemic, the lives of many people have changed. For me, I see the changes most significantly at work. I started working at Planet Fitness in January, before the lockdown. I enjoyed my shifts and loved interacting with members at check-in. When we returned to work in July, my work shifts changed significantly. One of my new responsibilities included enforcing our mask policy. Not all members were as accommodating and understanding, as the member featured in the photo collage. Most times when asking members to wear masks, they would apologize and put on their mask. Other times, member's responses varied from rudeness to annoyance. The most shocking aspect of working at the gym during a pandemic is the lack of empathy some people have. In our first month back, many members were coming into the club or calling the club, unhappy that Planet Fitness had resumed billing since they did not feel comfortable returning to the gym. Overall, while there have been some bumps in the road when it came to the reopening of the gym, it has been nice to regain some semblance of normalcy with going back to work and interacting with my members.
• 
  2020-03

  Working at Weggies

  I started working at my job at Wegmans in January 2020. As a cashier, pandemic or not, you encounter many people. When the pandemic hit, everything changed so fast and so drastically. There were so many rules about employees washing hands frequently to mandatory masks to social distancing in line. They even limited how many people were in the store at a time. My job did the best they could given the circumstances, but it was still scary going to work. This virus does not make it easy to identify who has it and who does not. Whenever you go out, please where a mask and stand back. You don’t know how many people the employees see daily.
• 
  2020-05-19

  Sunset of the Workers

  On May 19, while Metro Manila was already on its 4th day under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), our neighborhood (Barangay 156, Caloocan City) was enduring the 7th day of our 8-day total lockdown. From our 3rd floor terrace, at the close of day, I chanced upon these construction workers atop the Skyway Stage 3, still keeping their noses to the grindstone, despite the risk of getting COVID-19.
• 
  2020-07-27

  Journal Entry - July 27, 2020

  This is a journal entry on how I'm feeling about having to return to the office full time.
• 2020-08-09

  Working during a Pandemic

  This summer I was lucky enough to be able to work. Not only being able to work in a pandemic but with kids nonetheless. While the start of summer camp already changed, we were not able to leave our building for outside activities, and only a certain number of kids were aloud for each grade. We soon would progress to everyone above the age of six wearing a mask. While at first the kids did not understand why now they had to were the mask, by the end of summer they were used to it. This was a huge learning experience for everyone, including parents and employees. The employees are to temp check and hand washing before clocking in and doing tons of cleaning throughout the day. As well as making sure they wash their hands as well at the children. Parents cannot come inside, the kids will get temp checked at the door before entering, as well as them washing their hands upon arrival. While working now is scary because you never know what is going to happen these days if I or a coworker is gonna contract it. Every week it's a am I healthy? Are my family and friends healthy? Is my workplace safe? To be honest, working now does feel safe and weirdly so, with the constant cleaning and mask-wearing, I feel as if we are taking all the precautions necessary. God Willing, we will be able to keep this up. It a strange time we live in at the moment and by working it helps keep my mind off the scary reality we face today.
• 2020-08-10

  Customer Service in a Global Pandemic

  I have been working during the COVID-19 pandemic at a beverage/fast food restaurant. When all the news about the pandemic first started coming in, a lot of my co-workers just said that it was not a big deal and that it was basically the flu. However, there were also people who felt the complete opposite. I, like most people, try to gauge how I feel about something by listening to how others feel and researching the issue. Since it felt like there was not much true information going around, I felt I had to rely on other people's opinions in the beginning. That was a rollercoaster! I feel like in the beginning, there was no inbetween! People were either incredibly opposed to the fact that this virus is actually killing people, or they were terrified by it. I did not know how to feel. Eventually, I began to realize how serious this situation was. In these past months, I have been through many different mindsets. When I really started to realize how serious this situation was, I decided I would not leave my house. And I didn't. I took a month and a half off of work and stayed inside all day fearing the outside world. Little did I know, this was when there were very few cases in my area. After that, I began working again. My next mindset was that I needed to do all I could to keep myself safe because I needed to work. I began to think, if I get it, I get it. All I can do is try my best to stay clean and safe. But that didn't stay for long because my mindset would change constantly. I am writing this for my english class and I am required to add the hashtag