Items

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  2020-08-09

  COVID Relations

  This picture was taken in my hometown of Elko, Nevada. My girlfriend and I decided to take some days off and go visit as her parents live in this small mining town. This small town had some pretty lenient restrictions, or they were being poorly enforced. One specific place or I guess monument when looking at the context of the town, the catholic church, was keen on maintaining social distancing protocols and doing what they could to protect those who decided to attend mass. I myself am not much of a religious individual and to be fair my girlfriend isn’t either, but her parents are. Due to this we decided to attend a bright and early 8 am mass. This is a selfie that she took as we are walking into the sermon, masks on of course as we were both wanting to follow the recommendations for our safety as well as the safety of others. This picture only shows half of the changes that were made to the normal sermons, every other pew was closed off and they made sure that people kept the masks on and made sure that each family was at the appropriate distance. This picture means a lot to me because it is the last time, I saw her family and it is mostly due to COVID reasons. Travel is harder and more expensive it seems, and this makes it all the more difficult to plan a trip. The past year has been difficult on every individual and everyone has gone through their own battles and experiences with COVID. This is a memory that brings a little bit of light to an otherwise very dark situation. Personally, speaking this may be one of my favorite memories of the past year and although I am not a religious person I would relive this moment again because of how much it meant to me.
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  2020-08-09

  Dear 2021

  Dear 2021, A promise, once spread out the hope of an uncertain rebirth of life. A light reflected the forgotten words of a mocking society through the shattered glass. We wanted the upcoming year to be full of joy, happiness and as what used to be always, full of social interactions. Upon 2020, nonplussed, we decided to step ahead, having no expectations on how threatening this step would be. At the beginning it seemed like a single country situation, we didn’t care much. Friends still hug each others, terrorism and riots kept on going and so did pollution. A day followed the other, and suddenly a shut down came by. Universe made its call and it was time for it to balance things out. I guess that we, this generation created a massive hustle, impacting the world positively and also negatively. During this strange and silent period, the world is brought to think and reflect. In a population that used to buy, consume and work on a daily base, where Sundays or Saturdays were ways to get a small breath in a suffocating life, a virus came and all of us were suddenly forced to stay at home. An era full of misdeeds and confusion, little human being suddenly did become the possible killer of an elder. Days felt hard, long and the promised hidden light at the end of tunnel was less and less viewable. But a question belongs among us, why is staying at home so fervent, when a century ago our ancestors were forced to kill and fight for the promise of a future peace? Birds were hiding to die, sign of misfortune. Death marks the end of a life, but never the ending of a grief. A new flag was raised and it was a blue mask. A new weapon , hand sanitizer. Eyes brought us back to a time where the information wasn’t easily obtainable, old times of an enjoyable sorrow. In these deep moment, death or illness was accepted, shunned but certainly not forgotten. The concerned families were brought to burry their heads underwater and scream pain silently. A connected generation begged for freedom, to let their hands go and restart living, start back what made us this new generation, the 21st century people. In a way this burning request can be seen as a demand of life, normality or even just a spirit call. Spirit has always made itself more living than simple materialism, so have we learned? Were we ready to grow up, and face the upcoming burdens? Is life going to come back as normal? Dear 2021, be kind to us, to the world. Sinner and Saints, killers and savers, blacks and whites, Homos and heteros, all of us threw a stone, set a margin in this so called life. Coming out from the isolation period, contact were made back, but different. Activities and work took back place, but different. The social system fired back, but different. The difference is not that big, but nowadays hygiene Normas become the main focus of health services; but this slight change is very impactable. I’d like to quote a blogger on this platform named Kristijan,17 from North Macedonia that sparkled the fact : "three things I don't leave my home without: my phone, my wallet and a face mask." back to normal but different. Dear 2021, let this year be brighter and let the human kind learn. we are all humans, so keep us united. From 2020 youth- Elyés Ayadi
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  2020-08-09

  First Potato Harvest

  I have been a home gardener for a few years now, and love to cook using the things from my garden. When Covid started to hit the US in late February/early March, the resulting panic resulted in widespread shortages in the grocery stores for many common items of American households. News reports consistently told us that food supply networks were in jeapordy. I had never grown potatoes before (though I have grown sweet potatoes), but I decided that for its nutritional value to space ratio, it would be worth growing potatoes this year. Thankfully, the media had seemingly overblown the shortage problem (at least in my area), but that didn't matter because I enjoyed growing potatoes and had a great harvest. My first dish I made with my homegrown potatoes (and homegrown carrots) was a delishous pot roast. I was able to include a glass of y homebrewed beer to complete the meal. Sitting down for this meal was certainly a bright spot during the pandemic and was the culmination of several months of labor and enjoyment.
• 2020-08-09

  My life in Covid

  With covid my daily life has changed and my grades have gone down. I guess covid just has made me feel like I have no motivation to finish and do anything. I try to motivate myself but staying home and just laying on my bed don't help. The only thing covid has done for me is become closer to my friends since we facetime almost all the time I have actually hung out with a few friends and that was really fun. I guess with covid I have gotten more confident in myself and don't feel so insecure. I also had my quinceanera but it was in mexico. But covid has its ups a down I miss school my friend and in school gives me motivation I just wish this covid thing was over and things go back to normal
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  2020-08-09

  What Do You Spend Your Money On?

  This email depicts the main purchases made by myself and other brides fro their wedding. Finding sanitizer in bulk has been a challenge, but a must for those continuing with wedding receptions.
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  2020-08-09

  Oklahoma School Reopening Requires Teachers to Be Creative with Their Precautions

  With the reopening of Oklahoma schools, teachers are doing their best to create preventive measures in their classrooms. Dibble, Oklahoma third grade teacher Ms. McDaniel was inspired by online plans for creating class dividers out of PVC pipe and transparent shower curtains. The dividers allow the students to interact with one another, see the classroom board, and see the teacher without being able to breathe directing on other students. Oklahoma schools have not instituted a regulation for masks or other protective measures and only have offered recommendations. This has left individual school districts to provide their own rules. In this particular school some students wear mask, some do not, and others have opted for virtual learning. These desk dividers become a way for teachers to have structural PPE where individual PPE may not exist. Ms. McDaniel made five large cross section dividers that can protect up to twenty children. Ms. McDaniel researched, purchased, and fabricated all of these on her own. Her ingenuity is an example of how rural schools and rural teachers have had to be more creative with their methods of precaution. Submitted for the #ruralvoices collection. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580.
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  2020-08-09

  Worship seems so lonely now.

  With this isolation it's hard to feel a connection when your fellow worshipers aren't there with you. The friendly faces aren't there anymore and you're stuck feeling lonely. You can watch a video or listen to the broadcast in your car outside the church but it's lost its familiarity. We miss the people around us and are losing that comfort of others in worship and in song. We may even feel disconnected to our spirituality because of it. But it's something we just have to deal with to keep others safe. Even the Psalmist felt lonely. He described himself as a lonely bird sitting atop the roof of house and waiting for the Lord (Psalm 102:7). Perhaps we all just have to wait.
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  2020-08-09

  Don't Put You're Mask in The Trash #COVID-19

  During Covid-19 it is very important for us to recycle the mask that we use. There has been a drastic increase of the use of mask since the pandemic, which can cause environment problems if they are not disposed correctly. Buying mask that can be washed and reused would be ideal, but if that is not possible, the least we can do is recycle. Although it may seem like a small task, we can help the world stay clean by recycling your mask after using.
• 2020-08-09

  Working during a Pandemic

  This summer I was lucky enough to be able to work. Not only being able to work in a pandemic but with kids nonetheless. While the start of summer camp already changed, we were not able to leave our building for outside activities, and only a certain number of kids were aloud for each grade. We soon would progress to everyone above the age of six wearing a mask. While at first the kids did not understand why now they had to were the mask, by the end of summer they were used to it. This was a huge learning experience for everyone, including parents and employees. The employees are to temp check and hand washing before clocking in and doing tons of cleaning throughout the day. As well as making sure they wash their hands as well at the children. Parents cannot come inside, the kids will get temp checked at the door before entering, as well as them washing their hands upon arrival. While working now is scary because you never know what is going to happen these days if I or a coworker is gonna contract it. Every week it's a am I healthy? Are my family and friends healthy? Is my workplace safe? To be honest, working now does feel safe and weirdly so, with the constant cleaning and mask-wearing, I feel as if we are taking all the precautions necessary. God Willing, we will be able to keep this up. It a strange time we live in at the moment and by working it helps keep my mind off the scary reality we face today.
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  2020-08-09

  Lockdown 2020

  I found the meme relevant because from march to now, the US still is not the same. We are having to adjust to a new "normal." This initial lock down was only suppose to be for 2 weeks, but it kept getting pushed due to people not following the stay at home order. It is now August, and some individuals still refuse to wear a mask to help protect not only themselves, but others. This year is definitely a year I would not come back to if I ever had the opportunity.
• 2020-08-09

  A World With COVID

  This global pandemic is something that no one at my age expected. At my age, all people can think about is starting a career soon or finding that special someone soon. A pandemic as severe as this seemed impossible. At the beginning of this pandemic, my family and I were under extreme caution, never going out unless it was work related and never seeing other people. Eventually, this lifestyle became too much for my parents to handle and they started seeing friends in small groups. I would advise against this as much as possible but they would never listen or care. Eventually, they wanted to plan a trip to Mexico to visit family. Again, I advised against it but they attacked me in numbers, saying that it was family and we needed to make time to see them. After much begging, my family convinced me to go to Mexico with them. I would later find out that this was a terrible mistake. We spent a week in Mexico and then my family started to become extremely sick, all besides me. I started to believe that they were COVID-like symptoms but my family disagreed and ignored me. They started to become so sick that they decided to come back from Mexico earlier than expected and went to the doctors here. The doctor recommended a COVID-19 test and thats when we found out that our entire family tested positive for COIVD-19. The first two weeks after testing positive were extremely tough for the entire family. My older brother and parents nearly never slept, had trouble breathing, and couldn't even hold food in their stomach to eat. Luckily, I was asymptomatic throughout this entire process but taking care of my family was draining and harder than I could ever imagine. I would have to wake up in the middle of the night to help out because my parents to were too weak to get up and do anything themselves. At one point of time, my mother was so weak that I actually had the thoughts that she might not be able to pull through this and she still refused to be sent to the hospital, for reasons I couldn't even understand. It has now almost been an entire month after testing positive for the first time and all of my family has regained their health and are up and walking around the house. We have gone back to test about three times as a family and each time, it comes back positive. Although we're not able to return back to society as normal people, we are all healthy and happy again and I am just praying for the day that we test negative and can go back to our normal pandemic lives.
• 2020-08-09

  COVID Share Your Story #REL101 Business Law Major's Point of view

  Over this pandemic, as a Business Law student, I completely submerged myself in the "politcal" news of the nation. This not only drained me but proves as a point of countless arguments in a sea of confusion. I felt hopeless and the leaders of the nation proved of no condolence and empathy to the needs of the public. In this time, I was able to completely transition all my schooling and work endeavors online. Being secluded allowed. me to look around me and see the people getting affected by the circumstances that have been built up. Seeing my local community members separated from their families, having close relatives affected by the virus, being in constant fear of whether or not an encounter could possibly have affected my well, has been constant worries and fears of us all. Despite being able to look at the blessings currently in our realm, it is hard not to focus on the lives that have been cost and the well-being that is bring compromised due to the lack of efficient safety precautions being made by government officials in regards to schooling and education. Being able to come back to my family to isolate was a privilege a lot of people didn't have the ability to receive. Moving back from my apartment gave me a feeling of being back in high school but my mindset was still on growth. Making the most of my time was the only viable option I could take without allowing the worries of the nation sink onto my shoulders. After tallying the 6th month of being in lockdown, I only can empathize with those who have children and at risk family members who need to find solutions for schooling and healthcare needs. As a Business Law student, I can only educate myself and those around me, with what is going on around in our political climate, as to comprehend what action must be taken in order to provide significant change. If I could think of what will happen in the next say 4 months, I would not have an answer for you. Taking every day as it comes is the main piece of advice I can leave with. If you approach a problem with confidence in your own ability, all you need is a clear mind and the right tools to tactically approach a means for solution.
• 2020-08-09

  The Most Challenging of Times

  When this virus started, I did not think much about it. I was naive and was one of those people that believed that it would not affect me. Boy, did I receive a wake-up call and fast. I live with both my parents, my older sister and her two boys. My youngest sister also lives with us when she is not at college. It started with my oldest sister having to work at home and not going back to work. Then, I got the notice that I my hours at work would be getting cut and I would have to file for unemployment. The same happened to my mom. If that was not enough, graduation got “canceled” and I was not able to walk. Something, that meant the world to me. Overtime, I began to get used to new reality we all were living in. Well, I thought so, until we were hit with the most gut-wrenching news. My tio (uncle) Raymond, was getting rushed to the hospital, he had stopped breathing. A week earlier, him and my tia were diagnosed with COVID-19. Later, we found out that my tio had a heartache in the ambulance and three more while at the hospital. He was not responsive, and they had to put in a comma. My family and I leaned on our faith more than ever during this time. In the end, my tio was still not responsive. My cousin – his daughter – was the only one allowed in the hospital. His entire family had to say goodbye to him over a facetime call... Majority of my family lives in Arizona, my family and I are the only ones that live in Colorado. We have not been back to Arizona for a couple years now. I have not seen my tio in a couple of years and we did not even get to say anything to him. My tia and cousins, were then left with the financial responsibilities of his funeral, the hospital bills, rent, the essential bills, food, etc. The only issue was, there was no money. My tia has been fighting for my tio’s retirement, his life insurance and pension. We have been trying to raise money for them for all the essential needs, but mostly his funeral. One month to the day, we get even more heart-breaking news. My tia’s father, had just passed away from COVID-19. This is the same family that had just lost their husband and father, now lost their father and grandfather. I lost my grandfather way before I was born, so my tio Boa always acted as my grandfather. My family could not get a break, every time we thought we could breathe, we would just get the breath knocked out of us. Two more tio’s passed away after that, this time on my mom’s side of the family. More and more of my family in Arizona are getting COVID-19, and we fear if they will be strong enough to make it through. My nana (grandmother), then recently just ended up in the hospital. This pandemic has dropped my family to their knees plenty of times. Though we are terrified for the uncertainty, we clench to our faith to get us through it.
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  2020-08-09

  How food keep me from Alcoholism

  struggling with alcoholism I found a outlet in cooking, this post shares some of the things that I have made over the last few mouths. I wanted to showcase some positive notes of this pandemic and how it has brought mental wellness to the forefront.
• 2020-08-09

  I'm sorry my love.

  Dear son, I am so sorry you are having to live through these crazy times. You are only three and don't understand why we can't go see your grandparents and your friends. I know that it sucks that we can't play outside and living in an apartment makes it even worse. It will be over some day soon. I am so proud of you wearing your mask anytime we have to go somewhere. I am so glad you're in such good spirts at all times. When all of this is all over we will go and visit family and friends. We might have lost a year but my love we will go on vacation and see our family and friends. Just a little longer and we won't have to wear our masks. Until then my son keep strong and we will get through this.