Items
Subject is exactly
Social Distance
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2020-03-05
The Sounds of a Casino
Living in Las Vegas and working in a hotel and casino, I got used to a few things; the sounds of the slot machines and the (albeit unpleasant) aroma of cigarettes and cigars. After being brought back to work after the shutdown, what I immediately noticed was how much quieter the casino floor was with all of the restrictions in place. There was a limit to how many guests we could have in, and social distancing meant only every other machine could be used. While wearing a mask and having plexiglass in front of my station, I had to get used to projecting my voice so that guests could hear me while I was trying to help them. Even now, I still wear a mask and have to actively make an effort to be heard. -
2021-02
Hoping for Good Days
It was several months since my last day in a classroom. March 13, 2020 to be exact. Friday the 13th. The previous school year we were told it was to be a possible 2 week break that ended up going until the end of the year. What was to become of the next school year of 2020-21? I tried to stay optimistic over the summer and enjoy the time spent with family. We were lucky to have each other and have a yard and house where we felt safe to be quarantined. I knew a lot of my students were not so lucky in that they lived in apartments with several family members. Still I wanted to be optimistic about the upcoming year. As the start of school year date got closer, it was apparent we were to continue online teaching via zoom. I felt I was pretty tech savvy and could integrate technology enough to keep my students engaged, but it was still challenging. I taught incoming freshman 9th grade students. They did not get the “new students” experience of coming to my school and meeting and greeting all the faculty and each other. Initially the expectation was to have all students have cameras on, and for the most part in that Fall semester, my students did. But then towards the break students started getting sick, parents were losing their jobs, some even lost family members. People were sad. We barely made it into the winter break with students attending “online”. I was fortunate to have most of my students log in but in other classes students stopped showing up. And if they did log in, cameras were off and it felt like talking to a void. Were they still paying attention? Were some of them just logging in and doing other things like playing video games or sleeping? I was frustrated, but also empathetic knowing for a lot of these students survival, not academics, was their priority during the time. After the winter break and a return to zoom teaching, it was a palpable sadness. There were people who had lost loved ones, and my students were depressed. I could feel the grief and sorrow through the screen and sometimes I would weep after my classes ended for the day. I had to maintain a persona of optimism for my students online and also keep encouraging their academic pursuits. I have never had such a challenging teaching year like the 2020-21 year. The sensory experience I am recalling is sometime in February of 2021. It was the second semester of school, back from the break and many people had a rough time of the holiday season with loneliness, fear, and loss. I don't know how I came up with the idea but I thought about students sharing playlists with the class. I would review them, and if we had a test together on zoom I would play songs on the background. One particular song I found was “Good Days” by SZA. It was not my style of music, but I knew it was what my students listened to. The day I played that song I started to get a lot of feedback from the zoom chat from all my classes about that song. By this time a majority of students had stopped showing themselves on camera and/or stopped talking, however Good Days sparked something in my students. The intro of the song is very melodic and serene. It is one of those songs that sounds very sweet, but is very sad at the same time. I could tell by the response of my students that it hit a nerve. A few of them began to speak up again in class, a few would turn their camera on again. And of course, I had several sending messages after class thanking me for the song. This happy/sad song connected me again to my students that I thought I had lost over winter break. It gave me a little hope again, and I think it gave some of them hope too. Now, whenever I hear Good Days by Sza it reminds me of those lonely online zoom classes in February and how we were all feeling a bit sad, but a simple song gave us all a bit of hope that the future was to have some Good Days ahead. Lyrics to Good Days All the while, I'll await my armored fate with a smile Still wanna try, still believe in (good days) Good days, always (good days) Always inside (always in my mind, always in my mind, mind) Good day living in my mind -
2022-07-11
Practice social distancing while boarding
This was a sign at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It is a sign reminding people to social distance. -
2022-07-11
Social distancing markings at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
This are markings my mom saw while at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Since the pandemic, things like this have become more commonplace in some areas, such as airports. I do not know if this was enforced or not. -
2022-07-11
Social distancing sign at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
This is a picture my mom took while at the Phoenix Airport to visit my sister. I don't know if this was enforced since I was not present. -
2020-03-10
A covid birthday
It was hard because we could not sing happy birthday to her. -
2022-06-27
Social distancing sign at Macy's
This is a sign I found at the mall. It is telling people to maintain a distance when shopping. This isn't enforced. However, I imagine only a year ago it being a bigger deal than it is now. I was just glad I found this sign, as it is a relic of the time when this was a larger issue. -
2022-06-27
Sign inside Macy's about germ spread
This was a sign I found at Macy's while at Scottsdale Fashion Square. This sign tells people to cover their mouth and nose while sneezing, use social distancing, and to avoid things like shaking hands. However, the time I went to Macy's did not have many restrictions in place. Some customers chose to wear masks, but at the point in time I went, it was not high alert. -
2022-06-13
And then they weren't neighbors
I wrote this story about an elderly man who lost his wife in war and suffers from PTSD. He then hears then news about Covid-19 and becomes more isolated because his family is worried about giving him Covid since he is more susceptible to dying. However, as he is getting lonely he realizes his neighbors are abusing their son, so he decides to adopt the little boy. This is to show how domestic abuse became worse with Covid-19 and how some neighbors were able to connect more than before. Finally he catches Covid and passes away, leaving the boy alone again. However, it ends with the elderly man and his wife as angels together. The objective is to show that death is inevitable, with or without Covid-19, but Covid-19 has made many people's lives a lot harder with the added struggle of financial burden, loneliness, and family struggles. -
2022-06-04
After coming out during the pandemic, many LGBTQ+ folks look to 2022’s Pride with a mix of emotions
This is a news story from The Seattle Times by Scott Greenstone. Pride has changed quite a bit over the last two years due to COVID. For a while, Pride celebrations were held virtually. The in-person events in 2022 will now resemble what Pride was like prior to the virus. Included in this article are personal stories of people who did not come out until the pandemic, with this year being the first year they will attend Pride in-person. For some, they didn't realize they were trans until the pandemic hit. Rhys Hutton, for instance, did not know he was trans, and is also coming to grips with having autism. Hutton's story of how he came to the realization started on TikTok when the algorithm kept showing videos of trans-masculine people. This exposure helped him figure out his identity more. Stories like this are not uncommon, according to a recent Gallup poll, ten percent of Millennials and twenty percent of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ+. -
2022-05
Isolated and Out of Touch
As someone who is very affectionate, the loss of touch throughout this pandemic has been devastating. While hugs, handshakes, fist bumps, and all kinds of other casual touches were second nature before March of 2020, six feet apart became the standard overnight. Greet your friends with an elbow bump, not a hug, and don't get too close because you might get sick. In May 2020, my first nephew was born, and I didn't get to snuggle him for months. It felt like I was missing out on vital connections with him, because I interacted from afar with a mask on. I live alone, and this loss of touch felt so isolating. You don't realize how important hugs are until you are quarantined alone for weeks and weeks without the touch of another human being. Now in 2022 as the fear has lessened a considerable amount, the lack of touch still seems to be prevalent in my life. After two years of adjusting to the loss of that particular sense, it feels awkward and forced to show the same affection that used to come easily. It seems like such a silly thing to mourn, the fact that I'm hugging people less. But it's one of those senses that you don't realize the importance of until it's gone. The loss of touch didn't affect everyone, but this completely altered the way I show the people in my life that I care about them. -
2020-06-01
The First Hug
The pandemic was a time of separation for all of us. The two weeks of isolation to lessen the curve turned into months of remaining at home, at least six feet away from friends and loved ones. As an intensely social creature, this was a time of anxiety and loneliness, despite being quarantined with my husband and three children. The person I missed seeing most was my best friend, Allison. We spoke on the phone daily, and attempted FaceTime (though it felt awkward to both of us). Prior to Covid, we saw each other at least once a day, working closely together to serve our church and meeting at the playground after school with our children. In April of 2020, we planned a coffee date with our daughters as a way to see each other and get out of the house. We went through the drive-thru line of a coffeeshop, and drove to adjacent parking lot. We parked opposite of each other, climbed into the backs of our SUVs, and had the first "coffee date" in over a month. Seeing my best friend's face, in person, brought me to tears - as did the distance between us. I needed a hug, desperately. As I drove away that day, I wondered when I would ever get to hug someone outside of my immediate household, when I would shake hands with someone, when I could high five my daughters' friends. In June of 2020, our church cautiously reopened for in-person services. Masks were enforced, and the six-foot rule was heavily encouraged. However, when I was finally in the same room with my best friend, I couldn't maintain the six foot rule. With my mask on and my hands carefully sanitized, I gave her a hug. It was one of the best hugs of my life. -
2022-05-25
My Hands Are Raw and I Can't Think
Listening to Marketplace on the radio each morning as I arrived at work in mid-January of 2020, I never suspected that what was forcing cancelations of Lunar New Year celebrations in China would leave me with raw hands and ringing ears. At that time, I was working at the Census Bureau for the lead person responsible for on-the-ground execution of the 2020 census in Idaho. The work involved data analysis and strategic planning, as we created and staffed a field operation to complement the Census Bureau’s attempt to transition from the traditional door-to-door canvassing to online self-reporting. In the early days of the pandemic, we tried to maintain business as usual as we, and most of the country, watched cases rise. When things got bad enough, a mandate from Washington shut down our office for nearly six weeks. When our team was called back, we entered a totally new world. The Census Bureau leadership had mandated a hyper safe work environment and work rules. The office furniture was completely rearranged to create social distance. A six-foot perimeter around every desk was marked on the floor to ensure work interactions took place at a distance. Similarly, walking paths were marked on the floor and one-way traffic was encouraged. Everyone was issued a box of masks and hand sanitizers and soap dispensers were everywhere. The visual was pretty laughable but it is my hands and ears that carry the strongest memories of attempting to work in this environment. Trying to comply with the guidelines meant more hand washing and sanitizing than one would likely see around an operating room. The government, while trying to be a really good parent, however, had failed to supply hand lotion. Shame on me! I didn’t bring my own and raw, chapped hands became my red badge of courage, and compliance. Additionally, I will never forget the volume in that concrete block room. A room full of people on the phone can be noisy; but social distanced work conversations meant masked people shouting to co-workers as they stood six feet from their desk. It was the definition of cacophony. The work I was doing required a lot of attention to detail and I remember it being so loud at times I could not think clearly. There were time I would go outside to listen to quiet of the traffic on the busy street in front of the office. -
2022-05-25
Vaccine check control at mall Aventura
All guests have to have 3 vaccines and an N-95 or double facemask to enter the mall. The flow of in and out of the mall are still controlled. -
2022-05-24
New Hobbies and a New Normal
Like many other people who suddenly found themselves at home for an extended period due to the COVID-19 quarantines I picked up many new hobbies which have now become a part of my normal life. In March of 2020 I suddenly found myself unable to go into nail salons that had been closed as nonessential businesses. I found online advertisements for at-home dip powder nail kits and ordered to materials to turn my living room into a makeshift nail salon to do my own nails. The smell of a nail salon is distinctive, and I found that smell filling my living room every time I did my nails. Also in March 2020, my office shut down and the entire staff was sent to work from home. At the same time my kids’ school was also closed and they were sent home for virtual classes. My quiet private office at work was traded for my noisy house with dogs barking, teachers teaching over Zoom, and kids in group videos talking with their friends. With all our usual reasons to leave the house gone I found little escape from the chaos that was now a typical day at work in my house. Looking for a reason to get out of the house I took up running. A few days a week I would head outside for a quiet neighborhood run trading in the sounds of Zoom calls with teachers and kids for the occasional neighborhood bird. Over two years later and life has returned to a version of what we used to call normal. Nail salons are open, I am back to working in my office, and my kids are back to learning in their classrooms. However, some of these hobbies I picked up out of necessity have found their way into my life permanently. I still do my own nails at the house, turning my living room into a nail salon every other weekend. I still go for neighborhood runs a few times a week either before or after a day at the office. While these have become fixtures in my life now, the smell of a nail salon in my living room still reminds me of the earliest quarantine days and when I head out for a quiet neighborhood run, I still recall the peaceful feeling that brought me when life at home was becoming too stressful in 2020. -
2020-05-05
A lack of touch in a tactile world
When the COVID-19 virus struck in the spring of 2020, I was still completing my undergraduate degree in history at a small university near the border of North and South Carolina. My university transitioned to online learning around the second week of March. One of my classes that semester was an upper level special topics course on Public History. Seizing the opportunity to document the COVID-19 pandemic for future generations, my course instructor had students to document and journal about our everyday lives in quarantine during the second half of the course as we transitioned online. The above is a video I took for that course of some my friends from back home, where I had returned to live in isolation with my mother, father, brothers, and grandfather; while at home, I would drive about once a week to an empty target parking lot to socialize with some of my friends from the community. We would sit in our cars, spaced at least fifteen feet apart, in order to avoid spreading the virus. Though I was thankful for the opportunity to still see my friends, and to have at least one social outing each week, the sense, or rather lack of sense, that was most prevalent in my mind, and still is when recalling the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in the spring of 2020, is not being able to touch my friends. I am a very tactile person, and giving a hug or a handshake to my friends is an important part of expressing my love and feelings for others. Though during the COVID-19 pandemic we were able to communicate by means of modern day technology, such as zoom, and even in cases such as mine due to the state where I lived, still being able to socialize in outdoor areas, the fear of the virus prevented me from being able to express friendship in one of the most natural ways. Though only ten to fifteen feet apart, it was if we had all created an invisible bubble that could not penetrated. Though this was all for good reason, it did not make the psychological implications any less real. The ten feet that separated me from my friends for over two months felt like ten million miles, and my thoughts constantly played tricks on me. I grew accustomed to not touching or being near others. It was in early May, almost two months after returning home from college, that I touched someone outside of my family unit for the first time. A friend of mine who I went to high school with, who also worked on a farm that borders my family's farm, wanted to ride ATV's together. I agreed, and we remained at least six feet distant from one another. We it came time for him to return home, however, he extended his hand to give me a "fist bump." Normally, he probably would have tried to hug me, but even the notion of touching our fists together made me hesitant, though I did return the friendly gesture. The virus had me, and most of society, programmed to remain enclosed to ourselves, and in doing so, though necessary for a time, unable to engage in the most basic of human interactions. Prior to the pandemic, I never had give thought to the importance of touching in my relationships, however, in a post-pandemic world, I will never take for granted the most basic of human interactions, such as touch, because in a moment it could be gone. -
2022-05-23
Empty Seating at Starbucks
I have been to this Starbucks a few times over the years. This is a Starbucks inside Target. When I went there years ago, there used to be seating available for people to enjoy their beverages at leisure. Due to COVID, those seats are gone. I hope they get brought back eventually, because while I don't order from Starbucks that often, it was a nice place to sit while waiting for other people to get done shopping. -
2022-05-23
Sneeze Guard at Starbucks
While at Target, I noticed a sneeze guard at the Starbucks inside it. I can't remember if the staff were wearing masks, but that is one COVID-era precaution I saw that is still in use. My sister was ordering something from there, so I took a picture while I was waiting for her to be done. -
2022-05-23
Sneeze Guard at Hot Topic
This is a sneeze guard at Hot Topic. The staff themselves were not wearing masks, but the sneeze guards were still up. Since both cash registers were being used, I took a picture from the back for privacy reasons. -
2020-06-03
Covid Birthday
My 21st birthday was just a few months into lockdown. Like millions of other people, something I was looking forward to was affected (not ruined) by the pandemic. There were so many instances of things changing due to the circumstances that we had to stay positive about how we viewed the adjustments. Thankfully I was still able to see my friends although we were keeping our distance. In the photo, you can see all of my friends and I standing far apart from each other in my yard. This was just one pandemic event of many to come. -
2022-05-12
COVID sign outside LEGO store Arequipa, Peru
This is a sign listing COVID precautions on the door of the LEGO store at Mall Aventura. The instructions ask people to make a line to come inside, social distance, not touch products, and that a maximum of two people per family enter the store. I like the image at the bottom of the LEGO characters wearing masks. -
2022-05-04
Jason Inskeep Oral History, 2022/05/04
Jason Inskeep lives in Chandler, Arizona with his wife and daughter. In this oral history Jason discusses the way that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected his work and personal life, as well as the way that it impacted his wife’s career and his daughter schooling. He reflects on the polarization of the United States of Americas politics through the lens of Covid-19 with the impacts of mask wearing and vaccinations. As well as his feelings of worry and the USA’s 24/7 media cycle. -
2020-11-26
Thanksgiving 2020
This was the homemade stuffing I made for Thanksgiving of 2020. Due to social distancing my family had in order to protect people, my extended family ate at two separate locations. For me, that meant going to my parent's place next door and dining with my aunt and uncle. My grandparents had their own celebration with other family members. One interesting twist to this was that we all ended up eating the same food between both houses because it was split up. This is why I ended up making a lot more stuffing than I normally would for Thanksgiving. In addition to this, I brought over some homemade cranberry sauce and homemade jam. I had learned to make canned jam during 2020, and I had some leftover to give. Everyone enjoyed the food I made and my aunt said it was some of the best stuffing she ever tasted, and she isn't really a big fan of stuffing. Sadly, the stuffing was not enough to ease tensions on the politics happening at the time. Other parts of the day included my family getting into a political discussion on the 2020 election. I had different views on it than my family did, so I left once that started. Later on in the evening, me and my husband went over to my in-laws. My sister-in-law was sick with COVID, so my father-in-law gave her food from the evening for her to take home. I was bummed about that, but people did not want to take their chances of getting others sick, which I understood. My father-in-law invited someone that year from Egypt for the occasion. It also turned into a political discussion there. I felt more comfortable voicing my opinions there than I did with my immediate family, but it was still draining. It made an otherwise okay evening into something that I don't want to think about. 2020 was a hard year for many people, and the election being so close to Thanksgiving made it very awkward. It has toned down since then, but I think people being locked down and exposed to constant social media and news coverage made it harder for people to actually discuss things. I think it's a good thing to be informed, but I do not believe the information overload many dealt with during 2020 was healthy. It even took a toll on me, as it made my mental health worse. Between the lockdowns, protests, and election, it was hard for me to take all at once. My only real solace was school and my husband, as both forced me to think of things not happening at the very moment. As a history major, I find it easier to think of events in the past than I do the present at times. It's why I really like the medieval period in Europe because it is far enough removed from the current era, so I am less likely to get heated about some of the topics brought up. With current events, I need to take a break at times. It was very obvious that the Thanksgiving from 2020 was not something that really made my mental health better. I enjoyed the food and the company, but I had a hard time wanting to discuss politics with people that I interact with regularly. It's one thing to discuss with strangers I might never see again, but completely another to talk about it with people that you need to interact with daily. Now that things are back to normal, for the most part, the tensions are not as high. I find myself being able to discuss politics again with some family members without it going badly. Overall, I would say that Thanksgiving 2020 was a good social experiment on how much overexposure to media and lockdowns can be detrimental to personal relationships. Seeing things behind a screen too often and being away from others takes a toll on humanity. This is why I was so glad when things started opening up again because people need to be out more and with others. As much as technology has helped us communicate, it still can't make up for the human interaction everyone needs. My own mental health has been much better since the ending of the restrictions and I don't want to go back to them again. -
2022-05-01
Fresh juice at the market
This photograph shows my son drinking fresh orange and pineapple juice at a market in Arequipa, Peru. The juice vendor works behind a plastic sneeze guard, wears a face mask, and disinfects change before returning it to you. -
2020-05-18
Essential Worker Hard Hat Sticker
The attached picture is a part of my story during the pandemic. I work in the semi-conductor industry at a site that makes a large amount of important computer chips that are vital throughout the world. Our site was experiencing the pandemic just like everyone else, parallel to a time when everything we manufactured was in extreme demand due to many people working from home, schools teaching from a distance, cars needing chips, and medical equipment in high demand. It was absolutely critical that our site continued to operate safely and could not shut down. Our site and corporate managers made policies to ensure that only the minimum number of critical employees were on site to limit the chances of COVID-19 transmission, while following state-mandated essential rules during the early pandemic shutdowns. I was given a form to travel with and this sticker, additionally our badges would not let us in the site without specific essential worker access. This sticker is a daily reminder of what a crazy time I was part of, working on our site with minimal people pulling together to enable people to have the technology the needed to keep the world moving, from home... -
2022-04-29
Depression during a Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one the hardest things for me to deal with. I suffer from depression and often combat this by spending time with friends and family. Before the pandemic I would often spend my weekends with friends and visit my family after work on half of the weekdays. Throughout the pandemic, until recently it has been rather unacceptable to spend time in close contact with others. In the being of the pandemic during the first shutdowns and mandates I struggled deeply with having to stay home all the time. I became quite depressed and would often just sleep through my days off. I tried to do virtual hangouts with my friends and family, but it just wasn’t the same. I ended up planning socially distanced hangouts with my friends, often picnics/lunch in the park 6 feet apart. This really helped me because I was able to socialize with them in person. As the pandemic progressed, and I wasn’t able to see friends nearly as often as before I became more comfortable with being alone. I started to find the things I enjoyed doing on my own. I took time to really work on some of the issues I had been avoiding. I used the time I was forced to be alone in a productive way. Although the pandemic challenged my way of living, I still found a way to grow. Now that we are starting to get a better handle on the virus, life is slowly starting to return to what it was before. With the release of vaccines I have been able to start seeing my friends and family again. With the lower rate of cases a lot of the business I used to visit are reopening. As we start to return to “normal” I’ve found my new normal and I quite enjoy my alone time, just as much as the time I spend with others. -
2020-03-13
Living through A Pandemic
I can clearly remember when the pandemic began and as it progressed. I was in my senior year of high school. Before we understood the magnitude of what was going on there was a general consensus that it would be over in a few weeks. There is a culture with the media that trends only last a short time and we move on as a society. We all thought this would be another trend. A few months later and many things were still shut down. I finished school online and got my diploma in my car. We wore masks everywhere to stop the spread and everyone kept hand sanitizer on them. I also worked in food service at the time which was considered an essential business. We got extra pay and had extra precautions to follow. A few steps that were put into place were timers to wash hands at least once every 30 minutes. When masks started to be required they were sold out. I made a makeshift mask out of hair ties and a bandana. Soon Covid-19 tests became widely available and that created individual quarantines. People would test every time they came in contact. In the beginning, people were worried about paying their bills. Both of my parents owned small businesses. We had to sell our home to scrape by. As time passed the country made accommodations to open businesses up again. Two years later and we are still majorly affected. Now we are affected by product and labor shortages. Often grocery stores are out of certain products. However many businesses created contactless services such as grocery pick up, and delivery became more widely common. -
2022-04-29
Pregnancy through Covid, a letter
This text was meant to capture the feelings surrounding my life while pregnant during Covid. It is a bit unstructured, but so was the Covid-19 experience. -
2022-04-29
Social Drought
Social Drought is a text story about how the pandemic erased all hopes of maintaining an active social life and how I had to find ways to fulfill my need for social interaction. -
2022-04-29
The Pandemic in the Military
When I found out about the start of lock downs and the fact that a pandemic was even happening, I was at the end of a training rotation at Fort Irwin, CA. My colleagues and I were extremely concerned about the welfare of our families as we had all been screened for symptoms, but there was talk of us not being able to return home until the DOD had figured out exactly how they were going to respond to the “sudden” emergency. I only put sudden in quotes because the government had plenty of warning that this was coming but decided that it wasn’t worth acting on until it had already started happening. Once home, the adjustment to a new way of life was akin to being dropped in a foreign country that speaks a language you don’t understand and has none of the customs you are familiar with. While families, dependents, and civilians had had warning, albeit minimal, that lock downs were going to be a thing and that masks were now mandatory regardless of where you were going, those who had been away without any media or contact back home, were suddenly thrust into the lifestyle of April, 2020. From that time to now, not only has vaccination and the reality of the virus become a contentious topic among coworkers, friends, and family, but what side of the issue you place yourself on has led to some of the worst division the nation has seen since the 1960s. Families have been ripped apart and friendships destroyed because the views expressed and sides taken on pandemic related issues, including the 2020 election, have adopted the same level of identity in our lives as our ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds. Those who would have found common ground in shared religious belief, or shared culture now create new divides on the basis of believing that the vaccine works or not or believing that those who participated in the Jan 6, 2021 Capitol incident were justified or not. -
2020-04-03
My Neighbors and I
My neighbors and I have known each other for multiple years, and are good friends. They came from India as immigrants back in 2000 and started a family, eventually moving in right next to us about two years before the pandemic. Once COVID hit, our usual Saturday night bonfires together came to a halt as we wanted to be safe and not spread the potential infection. Instead, they bought an entire fire pit off Amazon, and through the trees each Saturday night we continued our Saturday night bonfires together, just not next to each other. This was honestly a beautiful experience because no matter what we found a way to continue to connect with each other in a safe and timely manner! We still keep in contact to this day and reminisce on our old memories as neighbors. -
2020
COVID and My Christianity
This story is how I view the American church's response to the pandemic, both at a local and national level, and how it affected my faith. -
2020-04-26
A World Apart
Nearly a decade ago, I immigrated to South Africa. At the time of the start of the pandemic, my partner and I had been struggling with our visa papers and it had been 7 years of fighting with Home Affairs. March 2020 saw the closure of Home Affairs, a national state of emergency with nearly a year of stay-at-home orders from the government, curfew, and limited access to the public sphere, and for the first time, a reprieve from the nightmares of the immigration process. Just like that, in a single memo to the public, Home Affairs resolved all of its bureaucracy, in favour of public safety, and my partner and I were able to stay in the same place together for over 18 months. The longest we'd been able to stay together since immigrating. In a situation that saw so much upheaval, pain, uncertainty, and widespread panic, I found precious moments of peace and safety. I felt lucky and guilty all at once. Living in a rural forest community in the mountains, with my nearest neighbour over a mile away, stay-at-home orders had little impact on my daily life and I was able to relish time at home with the people who mean the most to me. All the while, stories of social and political dissent and unrest played a continual reminder that not all was right with the world, that my experience was unique and world's apart from the collective pandemic experience. I was made painfully aware that this global phenomenon, one that connected people so thoroughly and completely, was a deeply and fundamentally separate experience for myself. I have a privileged, unique, and unusual story of joy and peace experiencing the pandemic. As an American in another country, I was able to see first hand what a nation with limited resources could do when it decided to put public health and safety above all else. The pandemic provided me with my very first experience of feeling wholly communally supported, safe, and protected. This is a story I want to share because so many people were deeply traumatised by their government's response to covid and the subsequent fallout of the lack of support, and for them to know that it was no failing on their part for feeling like they were put through a meat grinder. Every single person on this planet deserved to experience the ease and simple joy that I was granted, and in a world with such immense wealth, there is honestly no excuse for why my experience was so unique. -
2022-09-11
Covid-19 Reflection - Our Social Society
My reflection on the initial shift in social norms in Tampa, Florids -
2020-03-06
Senior to Sophomore
It was the Friday before Spring Break. Senior year, everyone is joyful with big plans to get out of the harsh Arizona sun. Rumors of a flu-like virus spreading in China were heard but never hit mainstream media which meant, not our problem. I was helping out at our school's Volleyball tournament that day, listening to the new Lil Uzi album that was hyped for so many years, life simply could not get any better. I had secured a good scholarship for college and was nearing the end of my last semester of highschool without a doubt in my mind, but it all changed so quickly. No one knew that would be the last time I saw my graduating class, that I would never have a traditional graduation, that our final plans for the last day of school were all worthless. I still remember the day as if it never ended, the day when everything in my life went upside down and the world was sent into a mass state of panic and depression. Seeing friends was near impossible as everyone was scared of what may happen outside. So many people that I graduated with and interacted with every single day, gone, never to be seen or heard from again. Though Arizona did at first avoid most lockdowns and mask mandates, luckily many people still took the necessary precautions. The first lockdown was possibly the most eventful and enjoyable as everyone was in the same idle and confused state with nothing to do and no aim as for where to go. The rise of a new app called TikTok took the world by storm and provided entertainment for everyone. It was a new place for everyone to connect and share ideas and surely enough, society was instantly hooked. It was the beginning of the new online semester of schooling alongside the second wave of lockdown here that truly began the depressive wave on all students. Many students, as well as I, still to this today are struggling to stay focused in online schooling and this meant very poorly educated and depressed students for over a year. No amount of aid from teachers or staff could cure this lack of socialization and the sole ability to make friends and connections that is required in schools. All of a sudden, fast forward from the middle of my senior year of high school to Sophomore year at university, life has done a full 360 and social interaction is a foreign language. Masks are required so no one knows who is who and friend groups are only for those that pertained throughout the pandemic. -
2022-04-27
Evitar tocar pasamanos
A photo of a sign telling shoppers not to touch the handrail of the escalator and to maintain social distancing on the escalator. -
2022-04-27
Street tacos
At this taco stand across the street from the Porongoche mall, there are signs saying that masks and social distancing are required. When you're handed your change it is sprayed with disinfectant and the bag that holds your food is also sprayed. Arequipa, Peru. -
2022-04-27
1.5m spacing at bus/taxi stop
Marking on the ground indicating that people should keep 1.5m between themselves at a bus/taxi stop outside the Mall Porongoche -
2020-04-20
Lima airport
Before boarding the plane from Dallas, TX to Lima, Peru we had to demonstrate that we had two masks. On arriving in Peru, we were advised that we'd have to wear two masks. When we got to Peru, a lot of people were double-masked, but no one seemed to be checking or enforcing the rule. The airport in Lima is full of social distancing and hygiene measures such as markers on the floor while waiting to pass through security, signs reminding people to wear masks and wash their hands, and plastic sneeze guards in-between seats outside airport gates. Even when connecting to the WIFI at the airport, you'll see an image of a llama wearing a face mask. -
2022-04-20
Social distancing marks on escalator
At the Lima airport, the escalators contained the faint markings of social distancing indicators. The red Xs let you know to wait and the image of two feet is to indicate where you stand. Masks are still required inside the airport. -
2022-04-19
GB Oral History, 2022/04/19
The interviewee discusses vaccine hesitancy and life during the pandemic without having received the vaccine. -
2021-08-05
How COVID Affected My Family
COVID took a huge tole on my family. We were unable to have getting togethers for almost a year since my grandparents are older. This was hard for us because we have multiple get togethers in a year. Last August, both of my great grandparents tested positive with COVID. They both have many underlying health conditions that made their fight hard. My great grandma pulled through but my great grandpa did not. This was a very hard loss for my family because his passing was the first in our close family. The worst part about all of it was that they would not let any of us in the hospital to say goodbye. We had his funeral outside so all of my older relatives could attend and stay safe. COVID years were hard for my family and I am very glad we are finally on the other side of it. -
2020
Family triumphs
My parents are very scared of covid, they are in their fifties with a six year old at home. Due to this, I wasn’t allowed to even be home from the time I was a freshman to this day two years later as a junior. I just miss my family. Pictures and FaceTime isn’t enough for me. -
2022-04-15
Pending Doom…
The pandemic was a very lonely time for us all, some may have felt as though they were pending doom. -
2022-04-12
NOT AGAIN! Philadelphia set to reimpose indoor mask mandate
This is an Instagram story by endtimeheadline. This is about Philadelphia bringing back the mask mandate, which will have masks be required again at restaurants, shops, offices, and other indoor public spaces. -
2022-03-03
Mask On!
This is an Instagram post by taracomics. This post is a PSA reminding people to be respectful of small businesses that want masks. The reasoning is due to small businesses having less workers, and if too many people get sick, it can't stay open as long, thus giving money issues. -
2022-03-03
And just like that...COVID is over
This is an Instagram post by roryzacher. This is a meme showing what they think about the virus. This is a popular meme of a guy looking back at a girl in red, with his angry girlfriend in blue to the side of him. This meme became popular in the mid-2010s and has retained its popularity. In this context, it means now that there is a war, the COVID narrative is gone. This is commonly used by pandemic skeptics since they believe many of the COVID restrictions were more political rather than for health reasons. The war this is referencing is the Russian invasion on Ukraine. -
2021-08-03
The Pandemic Is Not Over
This is an Instagram post by courtneyahndesign. This user is warning people about a new variant and how it is affecting others. She brings up the CDC and what they say about this issue. She says that if you are not, you should be wearing a mask and get vaccinated. -
2022-04-10
How the pandemic brought together friendships
Pre-pandemic I had a strong, close-nit group of friends who we frequently made time to spend together whether it was a get together dinner, lunch or breakfast once a month, going to concerts, festivals, wine night or "just hanging out". Once the pandemic hit and we were on lock down we could no longer get together obviously. I was single at the time and has a very strong bond with all my girlfriends. Not being able to see them and interact mad me feel sad, sometimes lonely and some days depressed. When I reached out to my friends I discovered that they were having the same feelings. From that moment on we decided to have a virtual girls night/wine night once a week to stay connected. For many months once a week we video chatted while drinking our wine. Even though we could not physically be there with each other, it was the next best thing. For me, just being able to see their faces made so much of a difference. I felt very isolated during the pandemic and it definitely made me feel happier, less lonely and have something to look forward too especially because at the time I barely left my house. For some the pandemic caused people to lose relationships and become distant, but for me my bond with my girlfriends became stronger which I am thankful for. -
2022-02-02
Engaged Couple Decide To Require All Wedding Guests To Be Vaccinated — Now Family Is Refusing To Comply
This is a news story from Your Tango by Dan O'Reilly. This is about a couple that required all family members attending their wedding to be vaccinated. The issue with this is that the family does not want to comply to those wishes. This story was originally found in r/wedding on Reddit. According to the bride, her fiancé's family was on board with imposing vaccines, but the bride's own family is 50% vaccinated, with the unvaccinated thinking this is a dumb idea. This has been part of a controversial issue on if vaccines should be imposed. Most of the Redditors had sympathies for the engaged couple and believe it is what was needed for a safe event.