Items

• 2024-11-11

  Parallel Timelines

  In 2020, I jumped to an alternate timeline. Everything I had known before became somewhat stranger, uncanny, the familiar suddenly not quite familiar. I began to lose trust and safety in my community, my family, and myself. I wondered if it was the beginning of the apocalypse. I wondered how we would survive -- any of us. It started with an earthquake. We lived in southeastern Idaho, and I had never experienced an earthquake in my twenty-five years. I was home with my partner and our two dogs. There had been news of the virus spreading in places far from us, but it seemed distant and inconsequential. Nothing seemed to touch us in our rural, isolated patch of Idaho desert. Things were as they'd always been and always would be. We had just made dinner -- mini Hawaiian sliders, kettle chips, and orange soda -- and had settled in to eat when the soda in the bottles began to ripple and shake. The dogs lifted their heads and tucked their tails. We both stared at the soda, then shifted our gazes out the window to the dry Lost River Valley, where we watched the land move in a way that didn't seem to make sense. I felt the shift internally as the earth shifted in kind. Something inexplicable had changed. Soon, people began to talk of the apocalypse; swarms of locusts (or murder hornets), natural disasters, plague, conspiracy, political unrest, riots. It was global; it was in our backyard. It was far out of our control and too close to home. And though wouldn't know it for a few more months, I was pregnant. I had never planned to be a mother, but I suddenly had to grapple with bringing a daughter into this unstable, dangerous landscape. The following week, my partner was laid off from work. Uncertainty grew. Lockdown protocols began, but they were ignored by most of our community. I continued going to work at my public-facing job, afraid each day that my unborn child and I would be infected with the mystery virus by the many, many people in my community who didn't believe it existed, who ridiculed me for wearing a mask, who thickly associated the taking of health precautions with opposing political ideology, compromised morality, and poor intelligence. My partner began to experience inexplicable health concerns: sudden, severe bouts of vertigo, rapid heart rate, weak pulse, fainting spells, inability to digest food, and days-long migraines. It was chronic and debilitating, preventing him from seeking consistent work. None of the health providers he met with was able to identify the source of these issues, citing either anxiety or sympathetic pregnancy and sending him home. He worried he was dying of an undetectable disease. I worried that nothing would make sense ever again. When I was seven months pregnant, our landlord made the decision to turn our home into a vacation rental. This left us to either pay highly increased rent or find a new home. However, over a few short months, the cost of housing had nearly doubled in our community, and we could no longer afford to live there. Our only option was to move out of state to live with family. My daughter was born healthy, though I gave birth alone because the hospital would not allow visitors. A couple of months later, in our sick and sleep-deprived states and while navigating new parenthood, we packed all we knew and took the leap. We came out alive on the other side. Nothing was as it had been, but we were hopeful of new opportunities. Trump left office. The vaccine was developed and distributed. My partner found ways to cope with his mystery illness and found meaningful work. We both returned to school. Things moved on, forever changed but not destroyed. But now, in 2024, I've jumped timelines again. It started when I swallowed a pill of Iodine-131, a radioactive isotope of iodine meant to kill the thyroid cells in my body that had become cancerous. Something shifted at that moment, and each event since has eerily mirrored the events of 2020. I once again find myself feeling that sense of strangeness, that uncanny reality, that loss of trust in the self and the other. I am unexpectedly pregnant with a second daughter, and the pregnancy is high-risk because of its proximity to the radioactive iodine treatment. My partner works, but I have struggled to get back into the workforce. There have been sudden personal conflicts with the family that have supported us, and we are now faced with finding a new home within the next six months. My physical and mental health have declined. And as of this week, we are living with the nearly unfathomable reality of a second Trump presidency. I try not to attribute unneeded significance to perceived patterns, but it's hard to ignore the parallels between then and now. Each shift feels like stepping into an uncanny mirror: familiar yet alien. I wonder if these parallels suggest a lesson or are simply the chaotic rhythm of life. In the midst of it all, I hold on to the small victories -- the ways we’ve learned to cope, to rebuild, to love fiercely in uncertain times. Despite everything, we are still here. I hope that this time, the other side will bring more than just survival: it will bring peace. As I sit with the weight of both past and present, I am reminded of what remains constant: the love I carry for my children, the strength I find in my partner, and the quiet resolve to face whatever version of reality lies ahead. Maybe we all live in parallel timelines, revisiting familiar struggles in different forms over and over again. For now, I’ll keep moving forward, one hand in each of my daughters', one uncertain step at a time.
• 
  2019-10-05

  Tourism Story for the COVID-19 Archive

  Living in California, there were many local travel restrictions, and many transportation methods, stores, and restaurants were shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19. When travel restrictions were lifted in 2023, My family and I didn’t travel, and we continued to wear masks and practice social distancing. At the same time, I would daydream about traveling to many places. One place in particular that I have yet to revisit is the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, located on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. A few months before COVID spread globally, I had traveled to Cancun with my father just to go and see the ancient city; although I did take photos of the ruins, I wish that I had taken pictures of the placards and recorded the historical facts that tour guide was sharing with us. For my next visit to Chichén Itzá, I’ll create a note to write a journal about the people, places, and any historical facts I come across while taking videos and photos.
• 2020-08-11

  Story of Sickness and Travel

  During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was mostly at home. I lived in, and currently reside in Miami FL. During the earlier stages of the pandemic, everything was closed, shops, national parks, malls and the like. The only things seemingly open were liquor stores, not sure why up to this day. My first moment outside of Miami, was after the restrictions were lifted and I took, a small staycation in Fort Lauderdale. Things were still pretty uneasy, and heavy mask mandates were still in place. I stayed at a smaller hotel in North Las Olas. And we spent the day in the beach, and went around to downtown Fort Lauderdale. The city seemed to be moving as normal, and the populace was very relaxed with social distancing, and mask mandates seemed to be abided only by a few. Nowadays any remnants of Covid restrictions are few if any. About 1 year after covid officially was put down to a low extent with the use of vaccines, I traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana and I noticed a very similar ambiance as to when I was in Florida almost right after the pandemic. All of the populace was very relaxed and laid back with masks and social distancing was at an absolute 0. My guess as to why these things occurred was with the mentality of certain demographics and political narratives. Southern states generally have a more laidback outlook on life and fear the overall reductions of personal liberty, such as travel, in regards to national emergencies. Where as states such as New York and California were some of the heaviest in Covid restrictions, some even present to this day. Travel was always a beautiful thing to do for me, and Covid-19 put a small halt on it, but not completely. These stories happened between August of 2020 and June of 2021.
• 2020-08

  Trip to South Lake Tahoe in 2020

  Shortly after it was announced that some of the most restrictive measures in place due to the covid 19 pandemic were to be lifted, I took advantage and planned to leave town. One of my first trips was to South Lake Tahoe in August of 2020. I choose this trip because I figured it was the safest option since I would mostly be outdoors and could stay away from people as much as possible. I was also desperate to be outdoors after being stuck at home with family. The trip went without a hitch and got the rest and release I needed. Along the way however, I did notice several changes because of the ongoing pandemic. Thankfully the areas we visited were mostly to ourselves as there was hardly anyone. Still the people we did encounter seemed almost as relieved as us; I'm not sure if it was because they were also in the great outdoors or if they were just happy to see another person who was also just wanting to be out in nature. Still, mostly everyone maintained more than sufficient distance from one another. Restaurants still offered reduced capacity and keep guests distanced. Although some businesses and locations did not require masks anymore, many still wore them (including myself). I observed mothers wiping their children's hands. Fathers carrying extra masks. Hand sanitizer was still hard to find (thankfully I had some). Occasionally there would be that person who defiantly denied a mask or just didn't wear one when everyone else. Many people would stare at this person. I would personally get nervous around groups who were particularly loud or in large groups, although I must admit I've always been a bit socially anxious. It was just that now I was not only uncomfortable with unfamiliar groups of people, I also wondered if they were sick, or if they ever were, and did they even care. I thought these things as I watched spit fall from people laughing or eating. I paid special attention to employees and staff at restaurants and establishments. Would they wipe the spit off the counter? Did they wipe down the tables? I was especially hyper vigilant and felt guilty. I was traveling during a deadly pandemic with my family still back at home. Thankfully, I didn't get sick. That didn't happen until after I was called back to work since I was deemed an "essential worker." Then I would become ill for about 4 torturous months.
• 
  2020-06-08

  Cross-Country Road Trip During Summer of 2020

  This story is about my family's experience of having to move during the COVID-19 pandemic from Georgia to Washington State and the road trip that took place. It was a stressful event because we did not know much about COVID-19 at the time and how it would affect us if we did contract the virus. We did not even have typical creature comforts to comfort us.
• 
  2022-05-15

  Bahamas 2022 - First Trip Post-Covid

  My first trip in the post-covid era was to the Bahamas in May 2022. It had been years since I was last out of the country. The family of one of my close friends has a timeshare and I was invited to spend a week down there with a handful of friends. Heading into the 2022 trip, I was nervous about international travel, especially to a place I had never been before. The fact that I was with my friends made things a little more comfortable for me, but I still didn’t know what to expect or if I would even be able to make it to the Bahamas and back home. See, at the time the Bahamas still required a negative covid test to enter the country as part of their “covid visa” protocol. The country also required a negative test to leave the country. The friends I was with were very cavalier when it came to covid and covid restrictions. I was nervous, and I was and am considered high risk due to the nature of my asthma, but I was still determined to have a good time with my friends… and it ended up being one of the greatest trips I ever went on. New experiences, new food, a break from my life (which had become aggressively difficult to deal with), that trip was everything I had hoped it would be. I always kept a mask in my pocket just in case, but the nature of the negative covid test at least gave me some peace of mind that I’d be okay. The picture I included is of a smaller part of the group - 5 guys having a time on a lazy river. I remember laughing hysterically with each lap we did. That was the first time post-covid where I finally felt free and relaxed.
• 
  2020-03

  Canadian Travel During Covid and After

  Contrasts domestic travel during Covid to respond to security program needs versus personal travel from Canada to the United States post-pandemic, and the different airline/airport experience.
• 
  2021-03-19

  Easing Into Travel

  This story details how our family eased back into travel once restrictions were lifted, by starting close to home and venturing further and further out. It reminds me of how much we value family trips, and how a positive outcome was that COVID forced us to discover things closer to home.
• 2020-10-15

  Travel with Your Worries

  When travel restrictions were lifted from COVID-19, I waited a few months to take a trip away from home. One was to Flagstaff, Arizona in October of that year. At this point, mask mandates were still in affect in many places and there was restrictions on how many people could come in with me to the doctors office, which is what I was traveling for. This was the first time I would be seen by my doctor in over a year, as with COVID restrictions, they had shut it down to telehealth. It was also still scary after being cooped up for months to be out, and having to eat out, something we hadn’t done in nearly 8 months. The second trip I took was only weeks later to go to the Children’s hospital in Phoenix. Again, masks were still required in most places, and even a sneeze made everyone jumpy still. My child could only have one person escort them into the hospital and we had to wear masks, which was fun with a child that was under 2 years old, but it worked. It also made things go much slower than it has been since 2020 as well as they were extra careful sanitizing and spreading people out. I also remember the housing for people that needed to stay at the Children’s hospital was also limited to one adult with the child being treated at the hospital, which made it harder for parents that had to stay with their children. I remember a lot of fear traveling, making sure to have sanitizers, masks, and anything else we might need for everyone. I remember a lot of worry.
• 
  2023-09

  My First Solo Trip

  During the events of COVID-19, I was in recovery from a serious illness that attacked some pretty valuable organs and, therefore, was immune-compromised. It was pretty shocking as I had been perfectly healthy up until that point and was just entering my early twenties. Therefore, I did not and could not travel during COVID. So, by the time of my first trip, post-COVID, travel restrictions had been lifted. I am currently as physically recovered as it gets from what happened and living life in a new normal! The first trip I took was to visit my sister in Alaska, where I stayed for about two months. We had a blast, and it was great catching up. I saw the ocean for the first time, and it was a particularly emotionally moving trip to experience. I will be heading out to see her and her lovely puppy, Honey, again in January, and I am excited to see them and explore new places! I am also hoping to rockhound in AK to add to my ever-growing rock collection.
• 2022-09-09

  Seoul-Searching During Covid 19

  Although Covid restrictions were slowing fading away by the end of 2022 in the United States, it was a process for me to travel to Seoul in 2022. Before traveling I had to fill out various forms of documentation indicating that I was healthy enough to travel. In Korea, you were still required to wear a mask in public places but other than these mandatory requirements, the trip was extremely enjoyable. I personally didn't mind it and thought the extra precautions showed a sense of care. In some ways it also showed the difference in societal standards and cultures. I got to go to museums, shops and eat delicious food. I loved it so much and it was an immerse learning experience.
• 
  2021-03

  First Time Traveling after COVID-19

  At the end of March 2021, I took a trip to the Idyllwild Mountains in Southern California. Getting to the base of Idyllwild Mountains was a 15-minute drive from where I lived. I rented an Airbnb with my family to enjoy the upcoming snow. Having multiple members in my family with compromised immune systems, we were still taking self-isolating and social distancing very seriously. During this period in California, Disneyland reopened, and restrictions eased around the state. Right before the trip, California leaders announced that anyone over 16 would be eligible to receive the vaccine the following month. While I wanted to go out and make happy memories, like enjoying Disneyland again with my family, I remember the anxiety of even staying in the Airbnb with my family and the worry that we would catch the virus. However, because of the cleaning policies and the relative isolation of the location, it felt like a safe way to travel while still being able to take enough precautions to limit exposure. While there are excellent restaurants in Idywild, we brought groceries to our rented cabin. We felt this was safer because we were still uncomfortable dining out then. Although we only stayed on the rental cabin property, it was still such an enjoyable experience. I got to watch the snowfall with my niece and nephew. We made snow angels, played board games, and ate homemade chili. It was a magical experience after prolonged stress, fear, and worry. While we were still socially distant and isolated during the trip, it was such a memorable experience, and I will forever treasure the memories we made together during our first time traveling after the start of COVID-19.
• 2022-05-01

  First Trip After Lockdown: A Journey Through Cheese, COVID, and Care

  In May 2022, fully vaccinated and cautiously optimistic, I boarded my first flight since the lockdowns to attend a cheesemonger conference near St. Louis, Missouri. I was masked, wary, and meticulously followed all the precautions—barely even touching a beverage on the plane. Traveling again felt strange and exhilarating, though the pandemic was still very much on my mind. The conference was a whirlwind of cheese-related knowledge and networking, and everything seemed to be going smoothly until an unexpected situation arose. A young woman attending the conference broke a tooth but had no rental car or easy way to get to a dentist. Since I was the closest to forty among the group and happened to have a rental, I drove her to an emergency dentist. Stepping into the medical office, I was struck by the fact that no one was wearing a mask—something I was not yet accustomed to seeing in a medical setting. In California, most medical establishments still mask up. But I brushed it off, thinking it was just part of returning to the “new normal.” After the conference, I flew to Texas to visit family. Ever cautious, I took a COVID-19 test in the rental car before returning it to the airport. NEGATIVE! Safe to fly. Everything seemed fine until I began feeling unusually warm mid-air, but I was double-masked and very anxious. Maybe I was just panicking. When I reached my Texas hotel, my nerves were on high alert. I called my wife, who teasingly dismissed my worry as paranoia. But as soon as I took a test in my hotel room, I got a positive result. I called her back on FaceTime to show her the results, and reality hit only then. The following day, my stepmom picked me up from the hotel. I sat in the backseat, masked, windows rolled down, and tried to distance myself as best I could. We went straight to urgent care, where they confirmed my positive test with a PCR. Given my pre-diabetes and higher BMI at the time, the medical team recommended monoclonal antibodies. In my dad’s small town of Lake Hills, Texas, the local fire department and medical staff came directly to his house to administer the treatment. They hooked me up to an IV and provided fluids and antibodies, returning two days later for another round of fluids. In a town where only a few people took COVID-19 seriously, I was quite the Dramatic Californian Gal. Luckily, my parents did not get sick, and I was incredibly grateful for their care and the support of my family. A week later, I tested negative—just in time for a long-awaited cruise to Belize, Honduras, and other parts of the Caribbean. Testing on Cruise Ships was super strict then, and you even had to do a rapid text live on a Zoom-like platform 24 hours before boarding the vessel. Boarding the cruise ship in Miami felt surreal, a return to something like freedom. At that point, there was no risk that I was going to be infected with COVID-19. However, after my recent infection, the fresh sea air was a balm, and the sense of safety I felt, knowing I’d just recovered, made it a unique experience. But the trip left its mark; I am still vigilant about masking on planes, keeping up with vaccinations, and taking COVID seriously. While the fear has subsided over time, that first experience with travel after the lockdown taught me the importance of caution, the medical community, and gratitude.
• 
  2020-03-13

  Shanika’s COVID-19 EXPERIENCE

  Life During COVID
• 
  2024-09-26

  When Fear Took Form

  I am sharing my story about the Covid -19 pandemic because the experiences changed my life for ever. I have read so many people in the past related stories of their experiences, and i am glad they documented those , because i am able to learn about the wars, the depression, the pandemics and so much more. Therefore i want to make sure i leave my experience, so the next generation can know what it was like living through that period in history.
• 
  2024-08-08

  Natural Hand Sanitizer

  This is not a story. This is about to stay always hygienic and healthy what we need to do
• 2024-07-23

  Why don't I remember most of Covid?

  I remember working remotely from my kitchen for my job. I remember watching movies. I remember being locked down and taking trips to the supermarket wearing masks. I remember avoiding touching things and copious amounts of hand sanitizer. I remember my parents getting older and using facetime to be able to see them. I remember them dying and not being able to take a flight across the country to be there. I remember that birthdays happened without parties. I remember having Covid after being vaccinated, being careful and giving up so much of life. I remember finding out that friends had passed away and not knowing they passed. I remember starting to make changes in the way I do things like open a door without touching the handle. I remember being concerned for the safety of others and wearing a mask for their protection. I remember being chastised for wearing a mask and people trying to shame me for it. I remember holding my breath when a person passed me on the street to reduce risk. I remember standing farther away from people in line and not talking to people. I remember not seeing a smile and not remembering to smile. I smile now. It takes effort but I smile now.
• 
  2024-05-20

  Walk With Me Surving Covid

  This book takes you on Tracys journey as a COVID survivor through a traumatic experience. She is faced with losing her independence, having to rely on others, and letting go of a love she thought she wanted only to find the real love she needed. Tracy shares how she copes with depression and PTSD and lives and functions with it daily. This book is a powerful testimonial from a truly strong woman who shares how her faith was her strength
• 
  2024-06-18

  Handwashing @ the National Records of Scotland

  It is summer 2024, I am visiting Edinburgh, Scotland for a study abroad class with ASU online MA history students. Today, I am working at the National Records of Scotland. As I visited the loo before I headed upstairs to research, I noticed this sign reminding staff and the public to continue washing their hands to reduce the spread of COVID-19. I hope that none of our students/staff get COVID while here and that it is a mild strain if they do. It feels like a phantom on the past, but one that could certainly reappear unexpectedly.
• 2024-05-09

  COVID 19 zero contact

  The pandemic was the worst for me to be honest because I couldn't take a class that was designed for on campus. Because of that, I had to drop the class and wait for campus classes to be available so I could learn better in the classroom settings. I was depressed because it was my first time dropping a class since I started college in spring 2018. I had to wait for the next semester to retake the class which held me back a semester . I'm happy I got out of that stage which took me a while to get out of. I had to go to work regardless of what was happening in the pandemic because I was working in a retail store at the time and wasn't allowed to stay home like other people. Until you have COVID and you submit your doctor's note to get two weeks off. The new rules that were made for the retail stores cause people to fight because of a cough or a sneeze was just overall depressing. The news was very depressing because older people in the nursing home could see their loved ones before they die or hug them for the last time. Nurses couldn't go home to their family because they had to work long hours and they did not want to carry any disease home to their loved ones. 2020 was No bonding time at this moment.
• 2024-05-07

  Life Before and After COVID-19

  Before COVID-19, no one thought twice about social interactions. After COVD-19 that's all people were thinking about. Something that was so normal and mindless became the one thing that people were afraid of. After lockdown was over, many people had social anxiety because they went form not seeing anyone to seeing everyone. People were so afraid of catching COVID-19 that they chose to be alone rather than live their life and make memories. Coming back to school after lockdown was so scary. I was so used to not having to see anyone or care about what anyone thinks because we had class from home. Seeing all these people, made me so self conscious of what people think and how to behave normally. It was almost as if I had never talked to people in my life. Even now in 2024, people don't interact in the same as before. It's more normal than ever to see people wearing masks. I feel that this is the new normal and we are probably never going back to how it was before COVID-19.
• 2020-04-04

  Covid Helped Me Grow

  My story takes place at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 (Quarantine). The two weeks off that my high school mentioned had passed. It was at that point that I knew it was going to be a lot longer than two weeks. I was always quite the introvert, so the first week or so was very manageable for me. However, I soon realized how much I underappreciated getting the chance to leave the house and go do things such as going to restaurants, running errands, and most importantly, spending quality time with friends. It was during this time period that I was at one of the lowest mental states of my life. To add on to that, I was in a relationship at the time of quarantine. Long story short, we had some complications with our relationship before the pandemic, and it only got worse during the early days of it. However, for a more positive note, I spent a lot of time with my family and also my friends via facetime. Aside from that, I had an incredible amount of time to myself while stuck in quarantine. I used this time to myself to reflect on myself and how to improve my life and to get it together. As some time passed and after a lot of journaling, I had made some decisions that was going to change my life and make me a better and stronger individual. To list off a few, I had decided to end my relationship with this girl because I had found that we truly were not compatible with each other. Another thing was to get my first job so I can make money, stay productive, and also meet new people. I also decided that i was gonna be more social and really try my best to put myself out of my comfort zone moving forward, once the quarantine had concluded. I can proudly say that while I'm not perfect by any means, I had made these changes in my life and I am now extremely content with myself. Overall, this story is important to me because while I was in one of the worst periods of my life, this was one of, if not, the biggest learning period of my entire life. The amount of lessons that I took from my experience and the adversity that I went through during the pandemic has shaped me up to becoming the best version of myself. I can confidently say that I am just getting started and will continue to constantly improve myself as time will go on.
• 2020-12-20

  Declaring Patient 100 Deceased Life as a NYC EMT During an Unprecedented Global Pandemic

  December 20th, 2020, started as an “ordinary” day for myself and my colleagues. 1600 hours rolled around, and my partner and I clocked in for our sixteen-hour tour. We had finally adjusted to our new routine of working a mandatory sixteen hours as opposed to twelve. As emergency medical technicians, we were at the forefront of the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City. Our region was hit hard by COVID-19 and seemed to be the epicenter of the pandemic for longer than one could ever imagine. For NYC EMS workers before the pandemic, it was common to see around three thousand calls for service daily across all five boroughs. Once the pandemic struck the call volume rapidly overwhelmed the city's EMS resources as they answered a record seven thousand calls for service daily. My partner and I made small talk as we awaited the arrival of the outgoing crew. The day shift arrived back at the station exhausted, defeated, and depressed. They informed us that during their sixteen-hour tour, they had answered twenty calls for service; fifteen of which were for critically ill patients. After some small talk, we exchanged medication kits and radios as it was our turn to serve the great city. Immediately after logging on to the computer system and giving the dispatch center an in-service signal, we were called for a priority one assignment. Our unit was called to the scene of a thirty-two-year-old mother diagnosed with COVID-19 who had stopped breathing. As we arrived at the scene, I donned my four-day-old n95 mask, as well as a makeshift gown made from a garbage bag with holes cut for my head and arms. As we made our way up the five flights of stairs the sound of the screams grew louder. We entered the apartment to find a woman lying on the couch who was clinically deceased. For the next forty-five minutes, my partner and I worked feverishly to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, endotracheal intubation, as well as intravenous cardiac drug administration. Despite our efforts, the patient continued to show no signs of life, my partner and I locked eyes and nodded at one another, knowing we had done all that we possibly could have for this patient. I switched the cardiac monitor off and looked down at my watch as I said, “Time of death 1705 hours”. Our next responsibility was to inform the patient’s husband and children of her passing. While you train for many hours to show empathy after death, this task never gets easier. My partner sat in the kitchen with the family, while I prepared the paperwork for a death pronouncement. My partner delivered the life-shattering news and did her best to console a grieving family. After returning to our ambulance to decontaminate our equipment and restock for the next assignment I opened my logbook to record the death encounter. My heart sank as I turned to the next open page which was page number one hundred. In less than one year, I had pronounced one hundred patients deceased from COVID-related illnesses. In my short career before the pandemic, I had only pronounced about fifteen patients deceased. It was at that moment that the true magnitude of the pandemic sank in. COVID-19 had decimated the way of New York City life, the previously bustling city remained shuttered as many remained in indoors in hopes of preventing illness. Before the pandemic, I had known the city as a connection of vibrant neighborhoods filled with culture and joy. COVID-19 had robbed our great city of its life and color; for the next two years, the city appeared black and white as a shell of its previous greatness. These thoughts quickly fled my mind as my unit was once again called to another high-priority assignment. We were called to a sixteen-year-old man diagnosed with asthma, who had recently contracted COVID-19 and was struggling to breathe. Our days were filled with assignments like these, often with no rest, and zero opportunities for a meal break. Nearly one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, my colleagues and I were exhausted, and our mental health and morale were at an all-time low. Many of my collogues fell ill, and four of them died because of COVID-19. We had often asked ourselves and one another; “Why Us? Why are we still doing this job? and when will this end?” While these times were challenging, we understood that we had been called to work in EMS because of our passion for caring for those in need. Day in and day out, we found strength and resilience in one another. My colleagues and I had implemented daily peer support groups in which all were welcome to come and speak about their experiences. While COVID-19 seemed to pull the world apart, it pulled EMS staff closer together. Enemies quickly became friends, and seemingly overnight we all became family. Our perspectives were unique as we were the only healthcare providers to enter the homes of the ill, and feverishly worked to care for them under less-than-ideal conditions. As the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline with the introduction of the vaccine, my colleagues and I felt we could breathe a sigh of relief. As quickly as the pandemic entered our great city, it seemed to vanish even faster. Each shift brought hope as we watched businesses reopen, and the streets were once again filled with color and culture. While we experienced new variants and spikes in COVID-19 cases, we felt that our great city had become stronger and more resilient. While COVID has changed our way of life, one thing I will never forget is the comradery we built amongst the emergency medical services personnel. To this day my colleagues remain a second family in which I can confide after a difficult shift. While COVID was one of the greatest challenges faced by New York City, I feel that it has made us stronger and more resilient than ever.
• 2021-04-19

  Brave

  Covid 19 almost took away one of the most significant people in my life, my grandmother. The near loss of my grandmother due to COVID-19 made me realize the devastating impact infectious diseases can have on individuals and their families. It reinforced the importance of proactive measures to prevent disease spread and protect vulnerable populations, regardless of ethnicity or background. This experience made me strong enough and brave enough to provide my grandmother with the support and comfort needed during this scariest moment of my life. During my grandmother's battle with COVID-19, I learned firsthand how crucial it is to provide unwavering support and comfort to loved ones during challenging times. The emotional strength and presence I offered her made a significant difference in her recovery journey, reminding me of the power of love and compassion in the face of adversity.
• 2024-04-18

  The Dream

  The Dream that kept me going despite repeated severe Sickness, All I want to say is that the longer the darkness, the longer will be the light.
• 2020-03-14

  Leah's experience with Covid

  The objective of this story is my personal experience with Covid 19 and the shutting down of the world around us due to the health affects. At the beginning of the Covid 19 in 2020 where all schools were beginning to mandate the wearing of surgical masks to stop the spreading of the newly found disease, Personally I didn't expect this disease would shut down what we once knew as normal. In the early days of the pandemic my family was the ones who were reluctant to wear the masks, as we did not realize the danger that is to come. Only a few weeks had gone by and the schools and stores were beginning to shut down and everyone had begun to learn the severity of this pandemic. Doctors were turning away patients who were suffering with health issues caused by outside sources other than the pandemic, causing other lives to decline. As a middle school student watching the depletion of the world right before my eyes, I was afraid of what may come in the following years. I was afraid of the pandemic and what negative affects that it may bring to me and my older family members. I was also afraid of the new norm that I now had to get used to along with the remote learning and not being to hangout with my friends and family as I once did.
• 0012-03-20

  The Day the World Changed

  On March 12th, 2020, I found out the fate of the remainder of my first spring semester as a college student. I don’t remember much about days during quarantine, but I do remember specific details of this day. It was the week before Spring Break for UAB, and all students were preparing for a week off from school. That weekend, my family was planning a trip to New Orleans for the weekend as my mother’s employer offered her a free two-night stay at any hotel of her choosing. My dad and I were planning to finally visit the National World War Two Museum. As my friend and I were walking to dinner at a local poke place in Five Points South, I received my first email that my English class would remain virtual for the remainder of the semester. My professor had Type 1 Diabetes and did not want to risk his health. Shortly after, the entire student body of UAB received an email that students would not return to campus until April 1st, 2020, at the earliest. While some students decided to pack up all of their belongings and take them home with them, others truly believed we would be coming back on April 1st. I decided not to take my belongings with me and traveled four hours to my hometown for the extended break. I went home that Friday, March 13th, 2020, after taking my midterm for Biological Anthropology. Once I arrived home, my parents made the decision to cancel our trip as the spread of COVID-19 was unknown at this time, and they did not want to risk going to a public and crowded place like New Orleans. Instead, my father and I traveled four hours back to Birmingham to pack up my dorm room and bring my belongings home. At this time UAB had completely shut down and was limiting access to campus and the dorms. They only allowed me 15 minutes to get any belongings needed. After that trip, UAB officially closed for the remainder of the term and students belongings were moved out of the dorms by moving companies to make room for healthcare workers. We did not get the chance to go on our New Orleans trip until over two years later, in 2022. I planned a big trip for my 21st birthday with my friends and family. While most restrictions have been lifted, people were still wearing masks, and businesses were still enforcing the three- to six-foot social distancing. I wasn’t surprised, as just earlier in the year, my employer required face masks for the spike in COVID cases in Birmingham. I remember going to restaurants and we were required to wait outside for our table. In the National World War Two museum, there were stickers on the floor that represented how far we should stand from each other. While many of the restrictions, including the social distancing and wearing a mask, had been lifted, it was nice to see that people were still making it a point to follow them for the safety of themselves and others.
• 2021-06-14

  Family Trip to Florida 2021

  My father is a world class powerlifter who has podium placed at world championships before. He was planning to do the qualifier for the next world championship in 2020, but that was understandably delayed. When stay at home orders were lifted, he competed in the state level qualification event, in his case North Carolina, for the national championship. He had to lift in a mask, which was uncomfortable and potentially dangerous as lifters could not always get enough oxygen during and after a lift causing some to pass out and need medical attention. He did well enough in the qualifier to proceed to the national championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. On that trip, COVID restrictions were very few, if any, with the hotel, lifting event, and restaurants/stores not having mask mandates or vaccination checkpoints. Unfortunately, my dad did not win this championship. He did, however, come back the next year and won the 2022 championship in Orlando, Florida. When we went on that trip, COVID precautions were not really present at all, and it almost seemed life it was before COVID.
• 
  2021-07-30

  Covid Was Over

  In 2021 my Mom and I planned a trip to Mexico to visit her side of the Family. We had been putting off the trip because of a lack of money and then Covid hit. It had been seven years since my mom had been able to visit her mother and her siblings. At this point in time, travel restrictions and quarantines were largely a thing of the past. People in my area no longer considered Covid to be a threat in the way it was viewed in the early part of 2020. Masks weren’t in common use and people went about as they pleased. Deaths were still rising. By June of 2021 our trip took place. Most of the big travel restrictions had been lifted, but oddly enough America still had testing restrictions for reentry. Mexico, a nation that still cared about limiting the spread of the virus, had no testing or vaccination requirements for entry. We went on our trip and had a great time visiting our family in Mexico City. While staying we decided to visit the Museum of Anthropology in the city center. To enter, we had to go one at a time and be sprayed with some sort of sanitization chemicals by guards in the front. Being a poor Spanish speaker I was afraid I would do something wrong and that they wouldn’t let me enter. Thankfully everything went well at that time. When the time came to leave we had to locate a pharmacy that would do rapid testing for our return trip. America had very specific instructions that only allowed for certain pharmacies to do the testing. This made it very difficult to find one that would work. When we got to the testing site it reminded me of zombie movies. The pharmacy was surrounded by tall iron fences with razor wire at the top. People wanting to be tested were funneled one by one to a testing kiosk. The kiosk itself was a glass paneled box complete with attached glove arms and a ventilation system. The test itself was a simple swab test that was much more painful than I thought it would be. My nose hurt for an hour afterward. On the day of our departure I was nervous that something would not be correct with our records and we would be stopped from leaving Mexico. The person who officially went over our records was in the baggage check in area. She took our documents and didn’t even look at them for one second before handing them back. I was confused but this, since our American travel sites made such a big deal about it. Honestly, we could have easily faked the records to get back into America. Ultimately we got home safe and sound. A little over a month later everything went to hell. My cousin, Aunt, and Abuelita all contracted Covid and were hospitalized. My Aunt and Abuelita passed away from the virus, only my cousin survived. My mom had to deal with the loss of two close family members less than two weeks apart. It felt so wrong, how could they have both died when Covid was over?
• 2020-12-30

  Travelling in December 2020 and January 2021

  I remember first hearing about COVID-19 in January of 2020. There were concerning reports that Chinese authorities were wielding apartment doors shut to contain the virus, which was certainly a bad sign, and I was fairly certain that if those measures were being taken, the disease was a big deal. I followed the developments fairly closely from my parents' home in Oklahoma. In late March, around the time of my 21st birthday, I was working as a substitute teacher at the high school I graduated from. I was able to work one singular day before the virus shut down the school district. The next few months were full of changes. Uniformed National Guard personnel staffed vaccination centers, groceries were delivered directly to houses, and entire industries went work-from-home. By the time December rolled around, the initial panic had mostly died down, and many travel restrictions were lifted. I needed a break. I decided to catch a ride with a buddy of mine from Indiana who just so happened to have family here in Tulsa. I bought a plane ticket to facilitate my return trip. We have some mutual friends in Zionsville, a little suburb of Indianapolis, and we collectively decided that we wanted to have a New Years party. Here in suburban Oklahoma, many of the mask mandates had been dropped by this point, but it was still prudent to carry a mask in the somewhat rare event that a business owner preferred patrons cover their faces. It was much the same in Zionsville, but businesses in Indianapolis proper, in my experience, were much more strict. I understood that COVID-19 was a serious health risk, and that it was smart to wear a mask, but it was somewhat confusing to go from a place that seemed so carefree - and admittedly irresponsible - to a place that was still mandating face coverings. The party with my friends went well and many margaritas were consumed. It was a much-needed break. The locations with the strongest COVID restrictions were perhaps the airports. It made sense to me, since airline travel likely contributed a great deal to the initial spread of the disease. Regardless of reasonability, masks were worn the entire duration of the flight. The entire cabin smelled of sanitation wipes, and the airport felt somewhat emptier than I was used to. This was Indianapolis' airport. I had a layover in Dallas and that Airport felt much more lively, in that sort of carefree way I was accustomed to back in Oklahoma. Masks were still required on the plane itself. I landed back home late in the evening without too much excitement. It was nice to take my mask off when I got into my mom's car. Overall, the trip made me realize that different states and regions were treating the ongoing pandemic very differently. While New Years was a welcome break from the monotony of the initial quarantine year, the trip did raise questions about my state government's commitment to public health and safety.
• 
  2022-07-09

  A New World: How Covid-19 affected my anniversary trip.

  Originally, I always had the idea of taking my wife on a Mediterranean cruise for our 10 year wedding anniversary. However, it seemed as if Covid-19 would make those plans impossible to carry out. Thankfully, vaccines became available, and the Mediterranean countries would begin to open up to tourism again with some restrictions. On July 2022, we flew out to Rome, Italy to spend a few days there before the cruise itself. Even going through the airport was an entirely different experience, since this was our first time seriously dealing with the restricted rules(we had previously isolated ourselves for over a year and did everything online). We had to wear masks everywhere in the airport, our tram was partitioned into sections by barriers, and airplane boarding took longer since the boarding groups were made significantly smaller. When we arrived in Rome, we still had to wear masks inside of buildings(which was consistent with our experience all throughout Europe) and transportation(some buses enforced it, some didn't). In addition, as we visited restaurants, shops, and tourist locations, there were only a limited amount of people allowed in each location since there was a priority in having space between different groups. The restrictions continued as we embarked on our cruise a few days after. If you were vaccinated(as we were), you only had to take one antigen rapid test before you entered the ship to make sure that you did not have Covid-19. If you were not vaccinated, you had to take two tests, one a few days before you entered the ship, and one on the day of embarkation. This was unique, as a lot of other cruise brands were not letting anyone who was unvaccinated aboard their ships. When we boarded the boat, each group was given their own table and their own serving team(with masks on). This was possible because the allowed capacity that was on the boat was severely reduced. This allowed for us to have a more intimate experience with the serving staff, which was still at a relatively high capacity as compared to the population of the customers. As it comes to the picture itself, it is very important because we were only allowed to take off our masks for pictures inside of buildings. In addition, that picture was inside of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, which is a place that I have always wanted to enter due to its Christian symbolism. The walls and the statues tell the story of Christianity that has spanned over thousands of years.
• 2021-03-11

  Missouri Travels A Year After COVID

  In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, and the world went into a global lock down. A year later, restrictions started being lifted and my mother and I traveled to Osage Beach Missouri, as well as the surrounding areas. Because Osage Beach was a tourist town on a lake most of the local attractions were closed due to it being the off season. It was March of 2021. Previously, my family had loved going to Missouri, but always had gone to Branson. We chose Osage Beach, however, because we could get free accommodations through my parents timeshare points. The day I remember most of the trip was traveling to St. Louis, Missouri to visit the St. Louis Zoo. The day before going we had to book a time slot in order to reduce our chances of being exposed to COVID and in order for the zoo to know approximately how many people were there. We did not have to wear medical masks outdoors, since we were fully vaccinated, but when in areas like the gift shop or some dining facilities we had to wear masks. If a zoo worker asked to see our COVID vaccine cards we had to show them or put on masks. After visiting the zoo, my mom and I went to a local pizza pub in Osage Beach that had St. Louis style pizzas. They were not as concerned about the COVID regulations and did not enforce any mask or social distancing policies that the St. Louis Zoo had. This was a theme of Missouri restrictions as I saw when I toured the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. There I was not required to wear a mask or social distance, but group numbers were limited and reservations had to be made. Luckily my mother and I did not get COVID during the trip, but after a year of lock down and restrictions, the few restrictions still in place felt like a culture shock, even though I still lived in Texas at the time.
• 
  2020-10-22

  Julian Adventure

  Julian Adventure My story takes place in the fall of 2020 while many travel restrictions related to Covid-19 were still in place. Like everyone, my girlfriend and I, who are residents of San Diego, CA, had undergone lockdown for a period of time, only leaving the house for essential reasons. We worked from home, ate at home, and entertained ourselves at home. We avoided people as much as possible. Needless to say, after months of isolation, we needed to get out of the apartment. We decided to book an Airbnb in Julian, CA–a mountain retreat about an hour away from San Diego. Upon arriving at the Airbnb home, I remember we felt a bit nervous. How clean was it? Were there germs about? What if the owners did not disinfect the countertops? Driven by anxiety, we had brought our own cleaning supplies and went to work wearing gloves and masks. The place was already spotless, but cleaning it ourselves gave us a sense of control, a little certainty that we had done everything we could. The place sat on twenty-five acres of land with mountain views and horses about. We tried to feel at ease in our new environment and maintained limited, if any, contact with others. We avoided Julian town, but driving through it revealed significantly less people than usual. Although it was a nice getaway, the trip within the milieu of Covid-19 prevented us from fully relaxing.
• 
  2023-07-13

  Post-Pandemic Trip to Seattle

  Like it did for many people, the start of the Covid-19 pandemic canceled multiple travel plans for me. I applied for my passport in 2018 with the intention of going on a study-abroad trip my junior year of undergrad. Instead of travel memories, I have a memory of sitting in my PoliSci class and discussing the news with my classmates that the university might shut down for a few days. We didn’t go back, and I still haven’t used the passport. Once travel restrictions were lifted it still took me a while to get back out into the world. The first trip I took was in July of 2023. I traveled from Minnesota to Seattle, Washington with some of my friends from high school for a week of sightseeing. We chose it because most of us had never been to the Pacific Northwest. It was my first time in an airport since December of 2018. I remember having quite a few lingering anxieties related to Covid, to the point where I was actually dreading the trip before we left (even though I ended up having a wonderful time). I had some struggles with health anxiety during the pandemic. Before tests were widely available I remember frequently being so paranoid I had Covid that I would convince myself I did and actually make myself feel sick with anxiety. Since restrictions have been lifted this has stuck around, and now takes the form of me getting excessively anxious about getting Covid before important events (like the trip, and my wedding just a few weeks before it). I also was nervous about going to the airport because I didn’t know what to expect in regards to how many restrictions would still be in place. It turned out there were no restrictions remaining in the MSP or SeaTac airports beyond some signs reminding people to not enter if they felt unwell (I am certain most people who make it far enough to see the sign still enter). Once the actual boarding of the plane went fine, I entertained myself with anxieties about the odds of someone on the plane having Covid and all of us breathing circulated air. I actually had Covid once in the fall before the trip, and got the highest fever of my life but was ultimately okay. Interestingly, this didn’t really ease my fears during the flight. Nobody got Covid from the Seattle trip (though we were probably just lucky) and instead I got some of the most precious memories of my life so far. I also had a surprising lack of anxiety once we got there. We visited a long list of places including most notably the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, and the National Nordic Museum. There were no Covid-19 restrictions remaining in any of these places. I had packed one reusable mask in my backpack in case I needed it, and it turned out the one time on the whole trip that I entered a space where masks were required (a small independent bookstore) I didn’t have it with me and had to borrow one. I still thought about Covid every time we pushed through a packed crowd in Pike Place Market, but more so than being afraid I thought about how during the peak of the pandemic I was convinced it was something I would never do again. I don't believe the pandemic is truly over even now, but I drastically felt how much things had changed in that moment. The picture I included to tell my story is of my friend Carlie and I on the top of the Space Needle (I am sitting on the right). We went back twice, and spent literally hours sitting on the glass floor and watching the city go by as it slowly rotated. It's one of my fondest memories of the trip. I’ve heard some people say the Space Needle is overrated, but as small-town Midwesterners we were pretty fascinated. I’m grateful to those who spent the pandemic under harsher restrictions in bigger cities like Seattle so that I can visit these places now. It was nice to feel so small looking down on Seattle after the world felt so small during restrictions just a few years earlier.
• 
  2020-12

  COVID and Disney: Population and Contamination

  This story discusses my trip to Disney and Florida following the pandemic, and the lasting effects it had on me, society, and the world as we knew it, as well as the differences among people in how they handled this event.
• 
  2020-07-07

  Title: Navigating New Normals: Embracing Vaccination for Access in Brooklyn

  This shows my point of view and experience to the pandemic
• 
  2021-03-09

  Long Live My Mama

  I feel like my mama story needs to be heard. We loss millions of people to it .
• 
  2021-02-17

  It took my world

  This is a photograph of my best friend, my mother. In December of 2020, we went to Disneyworld and came back with Covid-19. I was barely pregnant at the time, but my Covid symptom was only a cough. This cough would only hurt my uterus, so when I started to miscarry, I wasn’t too surprised. My mom, on the other hand, thought that her muscles were sore from walking around the parks for a few days. She had a cough and a bit of a fever, but was still walking around the house as we quarantined together. She was cold, which only ever happened when she was sick. One day, she didn’t leave her room because she was struggling to catch her breath if she did too much. She had me turn the heater on for her because of how cold she was under her blankets and comforter. She had been keeping her C-PAP machine on to give her the extra air support, but when we checked her oximeter, it was only at 70. So I called the paramedics like she asked me to, they came, we met them at the door, her vitals were taken, and they said that I could take her to the hospital or they could. I told her that I would drive. I had to take her to the emergency room that was not in our normal network because that’s what was open. I took her there with the expectation of getting her transferred the next day. When we called, the other hospital couldn’t take her because all of their beds were filled. So, she stayed there, and I couldn’t be with her because they were trying to keep the spread down. She was texting and FaceTiming me for the first 4 days that she was in the emergency room. On the 5th day though, she stopped responding. I called the hospital and they told me that she had spoken to her doctor and they had decided to put her on the ventilator to give her body a break for a few days. It was not a few days. On day 39 of her being on the ventilator, they lowered her sedation medication and she had no eye movement. So, I told them to let my brother go in and say his second final goodbye and to call me when they had ended her fight the next day. They called and said that she took a few seconds off of the ventilator before they called the time of her passing. I was alone now. My dad passed away in 2006 and my brother was a technical part of my family, but it was just me and my mom in the house still. Now, it was just me. A year later, I lost my home because I couldn’t get a loan approval to buy out my brother’s half of the equity. At that time, I was pregnant again with the baby girl that my mom dreamt of me having. This child that she had planned to be overly involved with, to play with, to snuggle, to kiss, and to have memories and adventures with. But now, the nursery would be someone else’s room. A stranger. Covid-19 took my baby, my mom, my house, my stability, and my will to love. I have been able to love my baby girl, but I am always comparing myself to my mother and thinking about how she could’ve been the best grandma. How she would’ve helped me. How we would’ve traveled to so many places together. And now, I struggle to pay rent on a single room. I leave my child at daycare 5 days a week and try to keep her there for each meal in case I don’t have enough to feed her. And I hide away from a lot of socializing because my mom was my favorite person to hang out with.
• 
  2020-03-31

  Locked down, Locked in

  I was a SSG in the US Army when the lockdown hit. The isolation let my personal demons almost get the best of me, but lessons were certainly learned and I pray we never get to that point ever again.
• 2023-10-12

  No Longer a Traveler

  The pandemic has altered the way I view and interact with people and places. Although I have always been cautious of germs, illness, personal space, and keeping healthy, the pandemic has heightened my awareness. I am now turned off and disgusted by the thought of crowed spaces, movie theaters, gyms, airports and other places with heavy traffic. I no longer have interest in activities I once enjoyed and participated in. This has affected how I travel and how often. I once loved traveling, visiting new places, trying new restaurants, interacting with communities, and just being a “tourist”. After the pandemic restrictions were lifted, I had no interest in traveling and enjoyed being at home. Home was comfortable and safe. The first time I traveled after the pandemic was in 2022, I traveled to California to attend a conference, visit some museums and to do touristy things. I did enjoy my experiences, but it was truly exhausting. I was constantly worried that I had caught COVID or that I was going to catch it. By the end of the week, I was ready to go home and recover from the anxiety I had. It has been a year since that trip.
• 0023-10-12

  Happy Mother's Day 2021

  In May of 2021, after nearly eighteen months of being apart, I was finally able to visit my mom and dad in Spokane, Washington. After driving five hours across Washington state, I finally arrived at my parents house. To say the least it was a very emotional greeting. When I arrived we greeted each other with many hugs and tears. Throughout the day we would just give each other random hugs, happy to be together again. My parents live in a retirement community that was very careful and followed the Covid recommendations to keep the residents safe. I was considered an essential worker as a grocery store worker. I didn't want to take the chance of exposing them to the virus since I worked closely with the public until I received the first vaccine. I also have two sisters that live in Spokane and were able to see them too. We still had to wear masks in most areas but that did not matter. Getting the family together, after such a long time, was all my mom could ask for on her special day. Happy Mother's Day.
• 2021-04

  Regret for a Trip Not Taken

  This story is about travel that did not happen, but should have during the Covid-19 Pandemic. In mid-2020, my little sister Sarah was diagnosed with kidney cancer. She was married and had 3 children up in Seattle. When my family heard the news, travel was severely restricted and many people were still dying daily from the virus. I have my own wife and kids, so we all agreed that it wasn’t a good risk to go and visit. Besides, we reasoned, she hadn’t started treatment yet and she had good chances of beating cancer. So we waited it out. My sister and I talked frequently, and she told me that she was optimistic about her cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, our Dad died in January of 2021 due to complications related to Covid (he had Parkinson’s also), and neither of us could travel to do any funeral service. In April of 2021, the pandemic had cleared up enough that most travel restrictions had ended, everyone was vaccinated, and the risk was lower. My older brother Sean had planned a trip to go to Seattle and stay there for a month to visit, help take care of kids and just be there. He urged me to go, at least for a week or so because he told me that he thought it wasn’t going as well with her treatments as Sarah had led me to believe. Because of Covid patients overwhelming hospitals, I don’t think she was getting as much good-quality medical care as she needed, though that’s my opinion. Anyway, I didn’t want to go on this trip. I don’t particularly handle death and dying well, and I didn’t want to go there and be basically sad and crying the whole time, and I was in denial about her health, so I didn’t go. A few months later, in June 2021, Sarah succumbed to cancer and died. If I could go back in time to do it over again, I definitely would have gone. I would have liked to walk around Seattle with her and take pictures to put on Facebook, our primary means of sharing memories, or take her kids out for a few hours to sight see and get to know them better. I regret, and always will, that I did not go and see her and her family there at the end.
• 
  2020-05-08

  Scaling Mountains - Overcoming Obstacles (and New Englands peaks) During the Covid-19 Pandemic

  During the pandemic, I was lucky that I didn't lose anyone close to me. I know many people around me and in the world who watched their loved ones die from COVID-19. It has also had long-lasting health effects on many people as well. It is an ongoing conversation because people are still contracting the virus daily. Lockdown was a surreal moment for many in our ordinarily fast-paced world. The entire world stopped, and for once, we couldn't rely on our usual entertainment and schedules for distraction. This led to the development of new habits, which, unfortunately for me, were not just board games and binge-watching Netflix. Alcoholism had been at my doorstep since my senior year of high school, with my dependence on the substance worsening as the years passed. This is a genetic condition, and I have had countless family members struggle and die because of substance abuse, mainly alcohol. When the pandemic hit, I drank nearly every day, and this continued during lockdown with my roommate and a few friends. Not only was this dangerous because of the spreading pandemic, but it also worsened my mental health. Soon, my college shut down, and I had to move back home, where my substance abuse continued. My relationship had fallen apart when my ex moved back to India as he was on a student visa. The drinking and emotional isolation/strife led to a breakdown wherein intrusive suicidal thoughts plagued me. Something had to change; one night, I quit all substances and contacted my PCP about a mental health evaluation. I know my diagnosis was wrong, but it got me on the medication I needed to forget the intrusive thoughts and piece my life back together. My saving grace was my father and, eventually, my friends, who decided to pick me up and give me a distraction. This distraction became hiking mountains, a shared hobby of previous substance abusers. The chemicals released in the brain during these hikes and the physical exercise filled the void alcohol used to. It served it and began to heal the void left by years of mental health struggles and abuse. Like in this picture, the world's problems and my own seemed small when I was on top of a mountain. Not only that but also hiking is a very social-distance-friendly activity. The love for hiking fostered in my childhood was rekindled during the pandemic and remains one of my favorite things to do. My father and I are attempting to walk up all New England's notable peaks.
• 
  2021-11-19

  Our Adventures In Iceland

  I've written a story sharing our Covid trip to Iceland that we were able to take after the restrictions were lifted. I don't think we would have gone if the circumstances were different, it was a life-altering trip for us, something joyful in the midst of a world crisis.
• 
  2020-08

  Memories are Like Waterfalls; a Post-COVID-19 Recovery Vacation

  As a survivor of COVID-19 with long-lasting damage, this memory still brings feelings of anger and fear to the surface. It takes place at a family cabin that was the epicenter of many happy memories all the way from childhood through becoming a parent myself. That first trip back forced me to see all that COVID-19 had stolen from me and would continue to steal from me for the rest of my life.
• 2020

  Continuous Travels Throughout The Pandemic

  As an Active Duty Soldier during the COVID-19 pandemic I was able to travel; albeit my movements were extremely controlled and job-related and not for leisure. On 13 March 2020, when the entire Country literally reacted to and shut down due to COVID-19, I was out of town and hours away from traveling back to my duty station. The sudden reality we were all faced with felt like The Twilight Zone, especially since it was also a Friday. In May of 2020, I drove to my hometown of San Antonio, TX. My mother was a COVID patient in the ICU, and I needed to get home to help take care of my father. Thankfully, my mother recovered, and I returned to Tennessee, where I was stationed at the time. The COVID restrictions from Tennessee and Texas could not have been more different; whereas Clarksville, Tennessee treated public separation and mask-wearing with a laissez-faire attitude, San Antonio was very strict with its public safety ordinances. A few months later, I deployed to Iraq; transiting to and from the Combat Zone was extremely restrictive. Prior to the Pandemic, we could enjoy local sightseeing if we had a layover in Spain or Germany; naturally, during COVID we were confined to our lodging. However, in January of 2021, as travel restrictions began to lift ever-so slightly, I participated in a unit training exercise in California. To my surprise, we had to fly commercially to Las Vegas, NV. To ensure 6-foot separation, we were each allowed our own rental vehicles, and our own hotel rooms while we trained in the California desert. In all my years in the military, that was the only time I wasn’t required to share a rental or hotel room with anyone. After we had concluded our training, we commuted back to Las Vegas. The original plan was to use military lodging on Nellis Air Force Base, however our Commander allowed us to find our own hotels in Las Vegas, as our flights would not depart for Nashville for another 36 hours or so. At that time of course, no one was traveling or booking rooms; I was able to find a room at the 4 Queens Casino on Fremont Street for forty dollars a night. This turned out to be far more cost-effective to the US Government, as we would have paid around ninety dollars a night had we stayed on Nellis AFB. Restaurants in Las Vegas during the Pandemic opened no earlier than noon, so we had a lot of time to kill in the morning. We walked up and down Fremont Street, the Strip, and it felt as though we were the only group of people in the city. Casinos were empty throughout the day and remained empty well into the night. Being thirsty Soldiers, we visited a Speakeasy and a couple of restaurants; again, with the eerie feeling like we were the only “tourists” there. We even visited the Mob Museum and enjoyed all the history and Prohibition artifacts at our leisure! Between multiple quarantines, working remotely, COVID tests, memorandums clearing us to leave the country, and the eventual vaccination, we continued military travel. It was impossible for my unit to cease all operations due to the Pandemic; we adjusted on the spot and continued to learn throughout the entire experience. It was impossible for me to narrow my travels during COVID to just one single memory; rather it felt like one continuous surreal dream. Today if anyone asks where or how I spent Lockdown, I have to ask, “When during the Pandemic are you referring to?”
• 2020-06-18

  Florida to California

  In June 2020, I had to drive from Florida to Northern California for a new job. I didn't fly for fear of Covid and I had a car to move. The journey took me 5 days. The first day was from Tampa Florida to Mobile Alabama, the second day was from Mobile Alabama to Dallas Texas. The third day was from Dallas Texas to Albuquerque New Mexico. The forth day from Albuquerque to Cedar City Utah where my sister lives. Finally from Cedar City Utah to Truckee California. Before the trip I had isolated myself for fear of getting sick while travelling which I feared greatly. My general approach was to eat breakfast at the hotel, get lunch in a drive through, and have uber eats deliver food to my hotel for dinner. Along the journey it was interesting to see how strict the rules were depended greatly on where you were. In Texas I stopped at a donut shop for coffee and found a large group of elderly men sitting around drinking coffee and eating donuts without a single mask to be found. This group was clearly not concerned about Covid. However, when i drove through Navajo country in Arizona, the rules were very strict and only drive through food options was available and I had difficulty finding an open bathroom in the entire area as no gas station or restaurant was allowing people inside. I also remember listening to E Street Radio on satellite radio and Bruce Springsteen was reading the obituaries of people who had died. I remember that being a striking moment throughout all of this.
• 
  2021-03-12

  Philadelphia Trip Covid Combat Corner

  The pandemic was a very depressing time of limited activity that divided many by political responses. March 2020 is when the U.S. responded with stay at home responses followed by social distancing and testing. A year later in that same month of March, I was cornering my teammate for his fight for Cage Fury Fighting Championship in Philadelphia where some COVID measures still existed such as masks that we utilized on the plane and even during the warm up of the fight. Tests were required that had a swab impaled up our noses, but in hindsight it was a great experience especially as a historian where I toured many historical sites such as Benjamin Franklin's grave.
• 
  2022-05-14

  Dealing with COVID in Israel two weeks after the lifting of the travel ban

  This story relates the issues my wife and I had in dealing with Covid restrictions on a trip to Israel, just two weeks after the travel ban had been lifted. The story has no great significance except, perhaps as an example of "life is irony." While the story itself is trivial and meant to be amusing, I do share it here with a profound sense of sadness over the recent Hamas attacks and their consequences.
• 
  2020-05-06

  Drive Through Birthday

  On May 6, 2020, my childhood best friend officially turned 15. It may be just another birthday for most. However, in Hispanic culture, it means a girl's shift from childhood to womanhood. Usually celebrated by parties filled with hundreds of people, princess dresses, cultural food, music, and gifts. Due to the pandemic, it was diminished to a drive-through celebration filled with masks and distance between loved ones. It was a memorable birthday; nevertheless, a significant part of the typical Hispanic cultural experience was stripped away from her.