Items

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  2021-02-04

  My Mother Will Be 80 Years Old This Week

  My mother will have her eightieth birthday this Sunday. She is not likely to share her story here. She has a computer and uses the Internet. However, she usually only looks at other people’s posts on Facebook and does not use Twitter at all. I will therefore tell some of her story myself. My mother has been stuck in her house for nearly a year now. She lives only a mile or two from each of us, so my sister and I get her groceries for her so she does not risk exposure to the virus. My mother was resistant to this for a while, from a combination of independence, a disinclination to impose on others, and a plain desire to get out of the house. My mother probably has not gotten a hug from anyone in nearly a year. We call her nearly every day, and we do visit with her on patio, but we always keep our distance. As much as she would like to see people more, she does not want to break social distancing. In her view, she has stuck with it this long and does not want to waste that effort. When I talk to my mother, she often expresses boredom. She reads, works on puzzles, watches television, and calls family (although she does not want to bother people). The other day I half-jokingly suggested that she spend some time writing her memoirs. It would be a gift for her children and grandchildren to record her life experiences. My mother has started writing several pages a day. She writes long-hand in a notepad, then types up what she wrote on her computer. I was amused when she told me this, because I have not written that way in more than thirty years, and younger generations likely could not imagine doing it this way. My mother made one of her rare trips outside the house last week. She was able to navigate the website and get herself an appointment for a COVID vaccination. I was rather proud of her for persistently navigating a website that I found confusing and difficult to use. Her persistence in seeking a vaccination speaks to her eagerness to get life back to normal.
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  2020-09-03

  How social justice protests could affect the 2020 election

  This article by Jenesse Miller looks at the campaign strategies of Joe Biden and Donald Trump as the social justice protests occur in the wake of police brutality. From the article, "Both Biden and Trump made plans to visit Kenosha in the wake of the civil unrest in that city. Trump toured businesses that had been damaged during riots and praised law enforcement, while Biden’s campaign announced he would hold a community meeting and speak with the family of Blake, who was shot seven times by police. Each candidate’s actions were carefully choreographed to appeal to specific voters among their respective bases of support, but will their plans work?"
• 2021-01-31

  Suffering and Loss

  I work as an investigations contractor assigned to assist my county health department with interviewing positive covid-19 patients. I recently spoke with an 85-year-old C19 patient who was hospitalized and awaiting surgery for a brain bleed at the time of our conversation. She explained that she had fallen in her backyard trying to retrieve her feral cat's bed from a rainstorm, tripped, and laid in the rain for almost two hours before anyone found her. Both she and her late husband contracted covid-19 around Christmas, and he died soon thereafter. The hospital where he received his final treatments allowed her to visit him just before he passed, which is an unusual and gracious blessing at this time. The medical interview that normally takes 30 minutes required almost two hours and tears from both of us. When we finished, I wished her well, offered that I looked forward to speaking with her soon, and asked God to bless her. I called her hospital gift shop and ordered a carved wooden angel to be delivered to her room, as she’s a woman of faith. I had the card signed from me and the Health Dept, so I suppose I’ll find out this week if anyone complained about it. More than anything else, I’m hoping her file shows a successful discharge and recovery by now. She told me she looked forward to trading in the cafeteria food for her son's gourmet cooking, and I pray she's already done that.
• 2021-01-28

  Amanda's future pandemic nightmare.

  The scene begins on december 31st 2019. Amanda: This year has been a wonderful year and I am ready to greet the next year 2020 with a few new year’s resolutions. My first new years resolution is- Mysterious time traveling Alien: I'm going to stop you right there. Amanda: who are you????!!!! Mysterious time traveling Alien: You aren’t going to get to do any of your new year's resolutions this year. Amanda: Yes I am. Why do you say that? Mysterious time traveling Alien: You’ll see. In fact, you’ll see right now. All of a sudden with a flash of blinding white-green light, Amanda is zapped 3 months into the future. Amanda: what happened? What day is it? She looks at her computer. Oh no! I’m late for a meeting! She then sees another email. It’s my boss. “Here is a zoom link” what is this? I guess I’ll click it. She enters the zoom meeting. Boss: alright. Hello, Amanda! So glad you arrived! So we have a problem. Amanda: No, I have a problem. What’s going on? Why are we on this call? Why am I not at work? Boss: are you serious? You don’t know? Yesterday you knew fine. You were saying you wished this pandemic would be over with. Amanda: But what’s going on? Boss: a virus has traveled around the world and has resulted in us having to stay at home, wear masks when we go outside, and do everything online. That’s why you’re here. Are you ok? Do you have amnesia? Amanda: i have to leave for a few minutes. Boss: the most i can give you is 20. Be sure to mute your mic and stop your video. Amanda: How do I do that? Boss: you do so like usual. Amanda: oh my god. What is going on? When i was making my new year's resolutions 10 minutes ago i had no idea this was what it was going to be like. How am I going to survive? I am never going to survive a day like this. Boss: um, Amanda? You’re not on mute. Amanda: How do i mute myself? Boss: you click on the bottom left hand corner of your screen and you have the option to mute and stop video. Amanda: ok. She does so, with much difficulty. Oh wait, Tiffany's calling. Maybe she can tell me what’s going on here. Tiffany: hey! How are you? What are you going to do today? Amanda: i was thinking about going to the grocery store, filing reports, and visiting you this afternoon. Tiffany: hold on, going to the grocery store? You have to order online. The only way you’re going to visit me is if you wear a mask. And the only thing you’ll get to do at home is the filling out reports thing. Amanda: how long is this going to last? Tiffany: what? Amanda: the whole “pandemic” thing. Tiffany: I think 2 weeks to a month. Amanda: thank god. Tiffany: I know, right? It’s terrible already! All of a sudden, Amanda’s Boss’s voice comes into her computer. Boss: Amanda? Are you ready to make your statement? Amanda: yes boss. Boss: i can’t hear you. You’re still on mute. Just as she finds the unmute and start video buttons, her 5 year-old daughter Vivian calls her saying she has been kicked out of her meeting. Amanda struggles for a few seconds, but then, with another blinding flash of white-green light, she is zapped into december 31st again. Mysterious time traveling Alien: Now do you see why you can’t do any of your new year's resolutions? Amanda: no, Tiffany said that the quarantining will only last 2 weeks to a month. I’ll have plenty of time to finish my new year's resolutions. Mysterious time traveling Alien: It’s going to be much longer than that. Amanda: *faints*
• 2020-10-15

  COVID Scare

  Going through the pandemic, I always knew how serious the situation was especially considering how large the number of cases were in Arizona. However, despite all of the people that were getting sick, I never had anyone that I knew who contracted the virus through most of the Pandemic. That was until late 2020. Now due to the precautions I knew I had to take, the only two places that I ever really visited apart from staying at my own home were my parents' houses. My mom and step-dad were extremely cautious when it came to the Pandemic and so too were my dad and step-mom however, I knew because my dad was an essential worker he would be exposed a bit more. One October day, my heart sank when I got a call from my Father telling me that he tested positive for the virus. This sparked a number of fears throughout my head like: "Is my father going to be okay, especially considering he has pre-existing conditions that would make it worse?", " When was the last that I was exposed to my father in timing when he tested positive for the virus?", "Who else could have gotten sick from my father... my step-mom or worse my 6-year-old sister?". The first thing I did, despite remembering that luckily it had been about two weeks from seeing my father, was get tested. I ended up testing negative, but I was extremely worried for my father and my step-mother who I later learned also contracted it. This was the first time I ever dealt with knowing that someone I knew that was close to me got the Virus. I truly feared for my family member's lives. I remember constantly calling my father to see how he was doing and hearing the struggle with the virus in his voice. Luckily, both my parents would make it through the sickness okay. My sister also was able to be taken care of by my step-aunt which was also a relief. As time passed and as my family tested negative for COVID-19, I would be able to visit them again. But, now I truly understood the severity of the pandemic and that the virus held no bias in who it targeted.
• 2021-01-26

  Covid has ruined many trips for many different people

  Covid is a terrible way to not go on a trip that you have been waiting to go on. if you wanted to go. what if you were going to visit family and than your flight is canceled due to COVID 19.
• 2020-01-25

  Statistics and final thoughts

  Covid 19 originates in China at the beginning of 2020. The first cases in the U.S. were in March when they have an average of 19 people died. December was the most severe part of the time when there was an average of 44,602 people died. Due to the number of covid victims and deaths, my mother and I decided not to visit our family in China until the pandemic settles down. Covid 19 made me more careful with my health; I took steps to prevent myself from getting sick. It changed my daily routine, but I soon get used to it.
• 2021-01-24

  Food, COVID-19, and my Mother

  My mom raised her children around food. She made sure everything revolved around it just like the Earth revolves around the Sun. We ate whether we wanted to or not, as food was her way of showing love. Mom is now in her late 70's and still works miracles in the kitchen. When we visited my parents' house (pre-pandemic), she fed us until we could not eat anymore, then declared we were still hungry and loaded our plates with more. That is what Mexican moms do, she always says. Even though we protest, my husband, kids, and I love it. All of this changed once COVID-19 hit. Worried about my parents catching the virus, we did not see much of them in 2020. When we did, it was from a distance in their backyard and not for very long. It took an enormous toll on my mom. My parents cannot visit with their children and grandchildren, but almost just as worse, my mom has no one to cook for but my dad. Although she still enjoys cooking for him, it is not the same. Although we all know what food means to her, none of us realized just how much until this pandemic hit. Normally, she is rarely sick, loves to hike, and enjoys going to aerobics with her friends. However, lately, she has felt melancholy, is getting headaches, and is sleeping more. This is extremely unusual for her, which has us all very concerned. This pandemic is wearing on her both physically and emotionally. This feisty woman is slowing down, which is scary to us all. Over the past year, we continue to tell her we want to come over but would never forgive ourselves if we unknowingly pass the virus to her or my dad. Mom did not and still does not understand. She just wants what she wants, which is her family surrounding her. My dad is much more pragmatic about this situation, but mom will not have any of it. She is incredibly frustrated and is not afraid to tell us about it. Luckily, both of my parents just got their first dose of the vaccine last week. My dad said this gives them renewed hope that their family will be together again soon. I hear this hope when I speak on the phone with my mom. She is ready to get busy again in the kitchen. I cannot wait to eat her homemade tortillas straight off the stove, her spicy chili, and all of her other tasty dishes. People are now talking about the 'new normal.' I do not want a new normal. I want to get back all that this pandemic has taken from us, including my family crowding around a table full of my mom’s food.
• 2021-01-22

  Vaccine Story: Phoenix educator is hoping for a safe return to the classroom

  Kristina Erickson, a seventh-year Phoenix educator, received her initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer) just after midnight on January 13, 2021. Ms. Erickson describes her experience as both exciting and nerve-wracking during and after her visit to the State Farm immunization station. She states that the process was surprisingly organized, despite the long line of cars awaiting their appointment. During our interview, Ms. Erickson was forthcoming about her decision to get the vaccine. She said, "I really want to get back into the classroom. If I can meet CDC guidelines so I can see my kids again, I'll do it!" On February 5th, Kristina will be returning for her second and final dose.
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  2021-01-24

  No Hands Across the Water: The Cancellation of Plans for International Travel

  I was planning to go to London this year to present at an international conference of librarians and connect with librarians from all over the world. This conference is only held every three years, and it is an important forum to share thoughts, present ideas and projects, network and build international collaborations, and plan joint projects. Doing so through email and Zoom is a poor substitute for this type of one-on-one conference. I travel internationally frequently, and I was planning to fit in a trip to Ireland before the conference, to visit with the land of my ancestors. I’ve been involved in a genealogy project along with some of my relatives, and my trip to Ireland would have given me the opportunity to do some family research. When I travel, I travel very close to the ground: staying in small B&Bs or hotels, dining in local establishments, traveling by bus or rail, and really trying to fit into the community rather than be a tourist to the extent possible. International travel is so important for this divisive world these days to foster understanding and cooperation both personally and professionally. So the cancellation of my trip meant not only the loss of some fun times but also speaks to a greater loss.
• 
  2020-01

  Doggy Love for Patient!

  The photo shows me and my dog while I was in the hospital doing chemotherapy for Testicular Cancer. By that point, I had been in the hospital for three weeks and we had got a prescription for me to be able to bring my dogs in order to cheer me up. My husband brought me our dogs Little Man (Miniature Dauschuand) and Lady (Whippet Terrier Mix). I was so happy to see them that I cried. The fur babies were so happy to see me that they just jumped on me and began licking me. This shows how lonely the covid-19 had made me and how the doctors were able to allow my furbabies to come to visit me which cheered me up.
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  2021-01-22

  More Espresso, Less Depresso

  The item that I have chosen that connects to the pandemic was a Starbucks Coffee. The reason why I decided to choose this item is that there are days that learning over zoom is quite a challenge and that it gives so much pressure on me to be able to adapt to this kind of style of learning. With coffee on my hand, I can focus on class more and it makes me more energetic. When I drink coffee during my zoom classes, I tend to be able to participate more. I love caffeine, it encourages me to also be a positive person during these times because, without any coffee, I wouldn’t be able to learn anything from a monitor screen. Coffee best represents my current experience as a junior in high school because there are days that are sad and depressing, and there are days that are happy and bright. Online learning is a cycle, wake up and learn, after that you rest. I have been doing this since MARCH. Again, this is me with coffee because without any coffee, I am really tired and not energetic. When I have my coffee, I am always feeling refreshed and active! Online learning is something that I am not used to and I fear how with the difficulty of learning online, I am not able to understand the lesson which can lead me to bad grades. Hopefully, I will be able to accomplish my goals by staying determined and dedicated to online learning, resulting in a better grade for my classes, (with coffee of course). One word to describe my 2020 year is a challenge. It’s a challenge because there are things I have been through, like losing my grandpa who sadly passed away due to a heart attack and not being able to visit him because of COVID. COVID was mainly the reason why my 2020 was a challenge because I have to figure out new ways to keep myself happy and motivating. Online classes have made me less motivated because it didn’t feel the same and that everything was quite last minute last year. I wasn’t able to keep up with lessons, which discouraged me to continue and of course my grandpa’s sudden death. As from my experiences, the various holidays looked the same for me this year. Christmas and Thanksgiving were the same because I usually hang out with my family. When I do my online classes, I usually have a workspace. Since I know for a fact I am going to sit in one place for the next 9 hours, I have my coffee next to me to keep me up, I have my water, some chapstick, a big monitor screen, my textbooks, and my journals. I also have an office chair with a pad seat cushion for me to be comfortable! Even though those were the basic items on my quarantine workspace, I like to keep things simplistic. I only have things that are essential for me to use for working online, so I am not bothered by that. The three things that I would include in my quarantine survival kit would be some energy drinks, chapstick, and a pen with a journal. The reason why I chose these items is that for the first two, I cannot do anything without them! It’s great to have a lot of energy to do tasks, and some chapstick to have my lips not chapped. I also wanted to bring a pen and journal to describe my experiences in quarantine. I would also use that journal to write down things that bother me and things that I am appreciative of. Words do mean a lot, so I love to express my feelings in a journal to remind me that overall in time, things can get better.
• 2021-01-22

  Covid-19 Symptoms

  So far, I have only know two people that have had Covid-19. One of them was my uncle who lives in New Jersey, and the other was a friend of mine who is my age. My family from NJ came to visit us two weeks ago(which included my uncle), and my uncle told us that a few months he had covid-19. He said that he had no symptoms at all, the only way he even knew he had it was because he had to get tested to go back to work. The test came back positive, but he still had not even one symptom. I also have a friend who had covid-19 over winter break. He said that he had no symptoms except for he lost his taste and smell for three days. Those are the only people that I've know who have had covid-19.
• 
  2021-01-21

  Covid Christmas

  During Christmas we had a lot of family go to my one of my Grandmas house and we had Christmas Day there. A couple weeks later we found out that my Aunts brother was exposed to Covid. My parents got tested and they were negative, and so was my Aunt. The not so good thing is now, my other Aunt has been staying with my Grandma since then and makes us wear a mask when we visit our Grandma. That was my story.
• 2021-01-19

  Covid Procedures

  There are a lot of new Covid rules. One of them that I don't like is that I can't visit with friends. There have been multiple times when I wanted to have a friend over at my house but couldn't because of Covid. I don't really care about the masks except that they ruined the fashion style for the next decade or more. The grade split sucks because most of my friends are in a different grade, but it's not too bad, because one of them got special permission to eat break and lunch with me so we can talk. Social distancing is also annoying but not too big of a problem. I also was doing school online fine. Overall, the Covid procedures are a somewhat minor annoyance.
• 2021-01-09

  Lionel Trains & Billy Joel

  Last Saturday night, my folks came to visit, bringing beef stew and, yet another birthday gift for our now 3 year daughter Lennon (her birthday was a week before and they’d already showered her with gifts at that time). Of course, we’ve kept a very close circle since March last year, and that has become increasingly more important since, now my wife is 8 months pregnant, son on the way. Our reality being quite different from the norm this past year is of course, not unique to us, but had Covid not been a thing, last Saturday night, it can be counted on, that we would have been at a boisterous gathering, hosted by family members of one side or the other. My wife’s family and my own; they’re strong in numbers and lack modesty, but not volume. We miss that, but the small, quieter gatherings that the necessity of the moment has brought moments that might have been missed. That’s too much of a lead in, so I’ll make the point more brief, When my parents came, the oven cleaner was burning off. My wife and mother brought attention to it. But the smell brought me back to my childhood. That’s exactly what I said, and I looked at my dad, because I knew that he’d be the one that knew what I was talking about, though I wasn’t necessarily sure what I was talking about. This briefly interrupted our trying to construct a Troll castle (with way too many tiny parts!) or something, that my parents had just gotten for their granddaughter. But then, dad said, “Lionel Trains” That was it! The toy trains on the track that my father, brother and I used to do when we were kids. It brought us back, that was the smell. It’s probably not healthy, but it was a really nice moment. Ok, that made me think of a time that my brother recognized a smell from childhood. I was like 12, my brother 14, I think it was my first concert. My father had taken us to see Billy Joel at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, we had fun. After the show, walking through the parking lot to the car, my brother said, “What’s that smell? I remember it from when we were little.” My dad said, “That’s pot.”
• 
  2021-01-12

  Christmas in Cochrane, 2020

  This file contains both a photo and a text story to accompany it, it's mainly just my thoughts surrounding the holidays in the pandemic, firstly with what I did, what my previous Christmases were like, and my family's reasoning with staying home and abiding with quarantine restrictions in opposition to the many other examples of people breaking these restrictions for the sake of family. I think it's important mainly, because the pandmic has redefined, or put a new emphasis on familial love - do we love our family by choosing to stay home during a deadly pandemic? Or do we love them by breaking restrictions to visit them during said pandemic. Submitted for HST 580's first assignment at Arizona State University, Pandemic Prompt: Holiday's.
• 
  2020-12-14

  Santa to the rescue

  This holiday, we were on an emergency stay at home order. Solano County advised that all gatherings should cease. Meaning that our holiday was unfortunately canceled. My family has been working hard to adhere to the rules and orders, but we are all feeling a little exhausted from it all. I especially wanted to visit my parents in Oregon. Originally, we were thinking of getting tested for Covid right before we headed up to Oregon. But my mom being a medical worker did not feel that she could guarantee our safety. So for a little change in our routines, we made hot cocoa at home and filled up our new mugs. We got warm and cozy (All in our jammies and hats) and piled into the car with blankets. Then we drove to a local neighborhood that is well known for its holiday spirit. The locals call these streets Lollypop Lane, and it adjoins with a road we call Candy Cane Lane. We just cruised in a big loop listening to Christmas music for hours. Whatever, the kids were happy and we felt like we were doing something out of the ordinary for the first time in a long time. At one house, a man dressed as Santa yelled to the children in their cars and told them that he knew they had been good. It was sweet. All and all we went looking for Christmas lights every few days.
• 2021-01-11

  The Cause of Covid-19

  I have heard many different stories about how the Corona virus started. Everything from the government made it, to its warfare. At this point the only story I really believe is the one that takes place in Wuhan, China. My dad's side of the family lives in China, Taiwan, and Japan and we visit there a lot. There are these night markets where they sell everything that you could ever need and more. They have things from food, to arcade machines, and even fake luxury goods! I know that in the more parts of china they have markets that sell animals that the Americans would gag at. So the story goes that there was a person who got a bat to eat at one of these markets. However, this bat was infected with a disease. They didn't know and they saw people and that person saw other people. That's how I believe that it started.
• 2021-01-10

  Wait, it's 2021? New Years Eve in a Pandemic

  For the past four or five years, New Year's Eve was always something I greatly looked forward to. Usually my night was spent with friends, playing games or enjoying a drink while waiting for the all-important countdown to the new year. One year, my roommate's mom came to visit and we celebrated by bombarding each other with silly string as the clock struck midnight. The next year, my friends and I decided to participate in the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, one at each stroke of the clock, but forgot until about 5 strokes in and risked choking as we attempted to catch up with the clock. In 2019, which seems like so much longer than a year ago, I celebrated with a friend who worked for a dog-sitting company; as midnight came and the fireworks began, we toasted with champagne while comforting the nervous pups. Despite what had happened in the previous year, or whatever challenges I already foresaw for the upcoming year, New Year's Eve was a chance to end the year with some fun, and start the year with good company. Obviously, this year was different. Leading up to December 31st, I felt a sense of loss. In 2020 I had moved to a new state, and the friends I usually celebrated with were over two thousand miles away. Even if I was in the same state as them, it would have been irresponsible to celebrate in the way we previously have. What was usually a night I looked forward to every winter was instead serving as a reminder of the often overwhelming sense of loneliness this pandemic can bring. I was heading into the end of this year melancholy and disappointed. But then one sentence, which I saw on instagram, changed my outlook. While I did not screenshot it, it said something along the lines of this: Celebrate New Year's Eve by going to bed early, so you can start 2021 rested, refreshed, and ready to take on the year. So that's what I did. After finishing work around 7:00 PM, I went home, took a shower, read a little, and called it a night. I recall briefly waking up to the sound of fireworks, but for the most part I slept well and began 2021 rested, rather than exhausted from staying up all night. While I was still a little sad to have spent the night alone, without the usual fun activities, I think it was a good way for me to start out the year. I can use that night as a reminder that even though 2021 will still be unusual and, at times, a bit lonely, I can take this alone time to focus on myself, and what allows me to feel rested and refreshed. It's not the most revolutionary resolution, but as far as New Year's intentions go, I think it's a pretty vital one.
• 2020-12-22

  Christmas with Covid

  The coronavirus or covid-19 is what I had to live with and continue to live with. During the Christmas season covid hit hard and it prevented me from seeing family and friends. It was quite devastating that I was unable to visit my grandmother because it may be one of my last Christmas's with her. By the time covid is solved we will have arteficial hearts.
• 2020-12-25

  My COVID-19 Christmas

  My 2020 Christmas was different but some things stayed the same. I started out my Christmas break finishing online school for the semester. After I took my finals I started packing my suitcase to go to Colorado. I was born there and I have my whole family there. My mom and I go every year to visit my grandparents on their farm. My sister is in college in Arizona so she meets us in Colorado for Christmas. This year was different because she couldn't come to our grandparents house. She had to work. So on Christmas day we face-timed her to open presents and it was very fun. Another thing that changed this year was was the plane. We flew on United airlines and the plane was only half full. My mom and I wore masks and got our temperature taken before we entered the plane. We stayed in Colorado for a week and it was super cold, but there was no snow. After we flew home to California I spent the rest of my break playing volleyball at the beach and binge watching TV shows.
• 2021-01-07

  christmas with covid

  Christmas this year was different for everybody. Well, usually for christmas we go and visit family. but this year, we couldnt. For this christmas i was with my mom because my parents are divorced. we decorated the house all nice, and had a christmas eve dinner. it was mashed potatoes, steak, green beans, and cranberries. Usually on christmas morning, we would all get up around 7 am, But this year, we got up at 10 am. the day went by normally, but the vibe was still off in a way i couldnt figure out. that concludes my christmas
• 2021-01-07T12:23:00

  Christmas with COVID

  Christmas in 2020 was different. Usually we visit relatives in Florida but due to COVID we did not want to risk getting the virus and giving it to our grandparents and great aunts and uncles. We decided we would have a stay at home Christmas and my parents went all out with decorating to make this a great Christmas even though we got to see none of our extended relatives. Christmas Eve came and we went to church, which was outside and very cold. On Christmas morning we began to open presents and it wasn't the same without my grandparents there but we got through it. Once we finished opening our presents we had to go get breakfast and we did not get to have our normal grits casserole that my grandmother makes. We had a French toast casserole instead which was still very good but does not compare to the grits casserole. We played with our gifts all day and that was that, my Christmas in COVID.
• 2020-12-25

  Covid Christmas

  On Christmas morning of 2020, we had an unsusually... boring Christmas. We would usually have family over for the holidays, or we would go and visit. This time it was the four of us, My father, mother, my younger brother, and me. My brother and I entered the living room where our Christmas tree was displayed, We had quite a few presents under our tree this year. So my brother and I took our turns and opened gifts. One of my Uncles would usually be so frustrated with all the wrapping paper on the ground when presents were being opened. He wasn't here his time, so everytime trash was being picked up my brother would say "It's the ghost of our uncle....." When the presents were opening my brother and I were bragging about what we got, and then our Christmas morning was essentially over. Since we didn't have family over thisyear we invited a few friends to come over since they didn't really have much to do either. They came over and we had quite a bit of fun the rest of the day. Although it wasn't as lively as Christmas with our family was. We then sat down to eat dinner which was prime rib, greens, macaroni and cheese, shrimp, and dinner rolls. We later on went to bed as nothing else had to be done.
• 2020-12-27

  Jacob Orozco and his Covid 19 Christmas.

  The Christmas of 2020, Covid was still going on. I woke up the morning of Christmas very excited, made myself eggs from a chicken, and bacon from a pic. I also had fresh squeezed orange juice. After that my 3 siblings came downstairs and had some of the breakfast that I had made. Eventually my parents work up and we got started ripping open presents. after that we drove to visit family and exchanged gifts. we had soup and meat from a cow and drove an hour back home. We got up at 8:00 am the next morning and started driving to Lake Tahoe, l beautiful lake in Northern California. we Gott caught in a snowstorm but all was worth it when we finally got there. This Covid Christmas was not that bad. As a family we found ways to make Christmas fun and enjoyable, despite the tough times we were living in.
• 2021-01-06

  Christmas Break 2020

  My Christmas was hardly affected at all by COVID-19. The only difference was that I did not get to see my mom's sister's family. The only reason I did not see them was because they were extremely paranoid about the virus.
• 2020-06-26

  Oh the places we will not go for now.

  This image describes how quarantine was in a nutshell because nobody could go outside or visit any other countries, I submitted this so kids could have a little laugh while learning about this horrible tragity.
• 2020-12-17

  COVID-19 Affected My Summer

  With COVID-19 spreading around the world this summer, a lot of my plans I was looking forward to doing were all cancelled. My brother was going to visit Ireland for his abroad last summer, but of course COVID exists. My mom and I were going to meet with him in Ireland and stay for about 4 weeks. I was really excited to go also because we were going to travel to London, Manchester, and Wales. Also not to mention the Irish pubs seem really cool and vintage.
• 
  2020-12-01

  COVID in the Navajo Nation

  When I was originally planning my trip, I hoped to visit Antelope Canyon, as well as a few other parks on the Navajo Reservation, but the Navajo Nation has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the country, so by the time I was in the area, the parks were closed, and even if they had been open, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable visiting and spreading it more, even if I would have been outside and away from people. Because of that experience I wanted to take this space to try to amplify their experience. This Instagram account records the experience of an organization providing relief to members of the tribe. There are only 45 search results for Navajo in the archive, which I would constitute as an archival silence considering that many cities with comparable populations have hundreds of entries. I know that taking a screenshot of a website can only tell you so much, but it is the best way I could come up with of elevating the voices of the Navajo Nation, which is an important practice to engage within the context of archival work.
• 
  2020-10-11

  Visitor guide at Canyonland National Park

  This object is an informational poster that provides information to visitors at canyonland, allowing them to choose hikes and plan their visit without having to interact with rangers. This information could be useful to future historians studying how outdoor recreation and the parks service were affected by Covid. Because so much was shut down, and because experts recommend being outdoors if you’re going to spend time with friends, outdoor recreation has been one of the sectors that have been positively affected by covid. Because of this, the way the national parks responded to covid is a significant part of 2020, even if it might not seem like it at first glance.
• 
  2020-11

  Puzzling Times

  To me puzzles were nothing more than the stack of boxes collecting dust in the top shelf of the coat closet. Maybe I took them out once or twice when I was in grade school while I was looking for something to do after using up all of my TV time and refusing to pick up a book. I don’t recall every shopping for my puzzles, receiving them as gifts, and now that I think about it, I don’t recall ever finishing one besides, of course, the twenty-four-piece pink Hello Kitty puzzle, of her walking her dogs in the park. Now I look back upon the entire month of March spent working on multiple thousand-piece puzzles, finishing every puzzle I could find in my household. I remember sitting in AP Econ first period of some random Wednesday in February asking my teacher “what if this student does test positive? Why are we here? Isn’t this dangerous? Isn’t this putting us at risk of exposure?” He quickly assured me that classes on Tuesday were cancelled solely for the purpose of disinfecting the entire building. I questioned this response as I looked down at my stained covered desk that clearly hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. However, I wasn’t too worried about the situation as this almost comical idea of a virus was ripping its way through China and Italy, and not a single case was discovered in North America. I go home that evening to discover that a case was in fact discovered in North America, and of course it was in Washington. Completely awestruck, I try to convince myself there is no possible way out of all the schools in the nation this virus found its way to Hazen High School. I forget about the whole thing and go back to cramming for my Stats test. Thursday morning I’m awoken to the news that my school will be closed for the rest of the week. Not understanding the seriousness of the situation, all I’m thinking is “thank God I have more time to study for this Stats test.” That Sunday we receive more news stating school will be closed for the next two weeks and then an addition for that preplanned Spring Break. Still receiving messages from my Stats teacher to keep studying and practicing as we’ll pick up where we left off when we return, I stop studying because at this rate who knows if we’ll be going back. Sure enough, the weekend before our expected return we receive the email stating that all classes will be online for the rest of the term. Around this time my sister and mom were sent home from their work as cases around Washington continued to forcing many places to close and moving everyone online. This was the first time in years that we were all under the same roof again, and this was the first time ever we were forced to spend 24/7 with one another for who knew how long. And this was when the intense puzzling escapades began. For my parents it was a quite easy transition as they were doing the exact same things just in the comfort of their own home, but for my sister and I we had many weeks of nothing as school and work were figuring out what to do in this unprecedented time. There’s only so much TV to watch, so we landed on this brilliant idea of starting our puzzle collection, starting from the sixteen-piece slowly making our way up to two-thousand pieces. The smaller puzzles were obviously quick and mainly worked on between my sister and I, with the occasional visit from my parents forcing pieces to fit together that my sister and I would later discover and have to move. As the size of the puzzles began to grow, so did the time we spent working on them. From completing one in an hour to working on one for days. What started between my sister and I, soon turned into an entire family affair. Staying updated with the number of cases and deaths around the world and in Washington, the time spent working on these puzzles became very soothing to me as my mind was completely focused on sorting the different shades of pink that would eventually become a sunset. This little family project of ours created this sense of unity, collaboration, and overall fun in such a sensitive time and atmosphere. I felt that first month really allowed my family and I to bond in a different way, just because we all had the time to sit and work on puzzles together. Then of course the inevitable happened, no not quarantine ending, but we finished all the puzzles. I still remember asking my sister, half-jokingly, if she thought we would be able to finish all the puzzles before quarantine ended, of course at the time I thought there was no way it would las till August. I was clearly wrong, and we did indeed finish all the puzzles. We quickly looked online for more thousand-piece puzzles to buy, which to our surprise were incredibly expensive, but looking back we probably weren’t the only family doing puzzles so it would make sense the price skyrocketed. With the abrupt ending to our puzzling journey, I was disappointed with the little family activities we would do together, but we had months to go so we eventually did find something. Though puzzles are such a simple object, often associated with children or elders, it’s going to be something I remember from my teen years for the rest of my life. Whenever I see a puzzle, I will think about the strong family bond my family created the summer of 2020.
• 
  2020-12-13

  A Choice of Monetary Support or Raising your Children?

  This report done by the Center for American Progress really opened my eyes to the way mothers have been affected by the pandemic. For so many mothers, the pandemic forced them to choose between supporting their family by working, or leaving the workforce to become stay at home parents. For myself, I had no other choice than to become a stay at home mother because of the closing of schools and childcare. My son is a toddler, before pandemic he attended a private childcare two days a week and spent the other three with family members so I could work. By the quarantine in March, my job had “closed for the foreseeable future” and my son no longer could visit his family due to the risks. As most of the population has, mothers have made sacrifices this entire pandemic, they have struggled to provide, given up the little time away from home they had and stepped into numerous different roles to ensure their children are safe, cared for and learning. Now, I question if there could’ve been more help for the mothers around the country when the pandemic hit? Could the government relieved some of the stress of losing an income? Why was it a choice between money and the lives of their children?
• 
  2020-04-12

  How Families Interact During Covid-19

  This photo is of my family during one of our zoom meetings. My family lives in Italy and so this is the only way for my family to stay connected during the pandemic. We were planning to visit them in Italy during the summer, but we were unable to due to COVID. This photo demonstrates something significant about my generation under COVID because technology has allowed us to stay connected through the pandemic. A video call was a wonderful experience for the older members of my family because they were only able to send letters when they were younger and talk on the phone. Even though we are in the middle of a pandemic technology has truly allowed my generation to remain connected with our family and friends. As described in our reading “What do archivists keep or not” this is an example of a primary source because it is “tied to particular people doing particular things at [a] particular time and place” (Thompson, 3).
• 2020-12-14

  Middle Schooler during Covid-19

  The coming of Covid-19 had a huge impact on not only me but everyone else. During Covid-19 Lockdown I wasn't able to go places and see and visit friends without being six feet or wearing a mask. I wasn't able to train for sports or have practices. I am still not able to go to school to get an education or even just see my best friends that I am used to seeing every day. I had to adapt to this strange way of life and had to figure out ways to do my everyday things. These are ways Covid-19 has impacted my life and ways I have adapted to it.
• 
  2020-12-15

  Campaigning Through Video Games

  As covid-19 continued, many political campaigns were forced to be more creative in their approach when it came to engaging with audiences. Some campaigns held virtual events and rallies. The Biden-Harris campaign decided to take advantage of the cultural phenomenon that is Animal Crossing: New Horizons to engage with younger voters. In the Nintendo game, players curate their islands and can create their own personal designs to share and use. This game has been significant to many millennials during covid, because it has been a place for young people to “hang-out” virtually and show off their creativity. The Biden-Harris campaign took advantage of this massively successful game and created their own island, Biden HQ. They created t-shirts and designs that other players could utilize. Players can still visit Biden HQ using the in-game dream code DA-7286-5710-7478.
• 
  2020-09-09

  Pregnant in a Pandemic

  This photo was taken by me in the hospital elevator after leaving the OBGYN, this was the first visit I was allowed to be accompanied by my partner. I wanted to share it on my instagram story. Due to Covid-19 Chris would have to wait in the car while I would go in alone. We are finally far enough in my pregnancy that he can come and assist me. The photo I’m holding up is the ultrasound of our baby girl, we just got it printed at the appointment. And my partner is smiling with all his excitement, but it is under his mask. This item demonstrates the significance of couples becoming parents during this pandemic generation. It’s very regulated, restricted, hidden by masks, and constant changing hospital policies.
• 2020-12-14

  Thanksgiving during a pandemic

  This thanksgiving was not like another. For the first time in a while, we spent this THanksgiving under a lockdown due to Covid-19. Although we were locked down my family and I traveled to Florida to visit our grandparents because everything gets worse. Since we traveled it made it feel a little bit more like Thanksgiving but not entirely. We had a lot of delicious food that everyone helped make. Everything tasted so good and I was so full after. After we ate we all sat around and talked for a while. But, my siblings and I had to clean up and do all the dishes because the adult’s job was cooking and we had to clean. Later after some time had passed everyone started to go home, but my siblings and I really wanted to get an early start on the Black Friday deals. We all got in the car and drove to target. When we showed up at target we were shocked to find that it was closed. All the shops had closed early because of the curfew. We all thought this was crazy. Since target was closed we all just decided to go home and go to bed. It was a great Thanksgiving but everything still felt very weird.
• 
  2020-12-07

  Dr. Henry extends gathering restrictions over the holidays

  Tweet: "British Columbia has banned family gatherings of any kind over Christmas right to January 8! Wow, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year indeed. Will be the worst suicide numbers ever. Why aren’t we allowed to get Covid tests to show we don’t have Covid to visit family?"
• 
  2020-12-09

  Personal Instagram Story (December 9, 2020)

  Since the unfair deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor back in May 2020, I have been posting on my Instagram story in the hopes of educating someone. While I try to defend it as activism, there is a level of performatism since I was not allowed to visit an protests with my mom’s health and seeing how the Boston police were handling the situation. It is easy to just post a picture of something that you agree with and not show yourself doing anything that will really hope. Recently I have been trying to read more books focused on theory in order to educate myself more and this has been a major focal point of my time lately. Along with this, I have also attempted to find more petitions to sign and donating more since my job has become more stable. This item connects to the criteria of “something significant about your generation”. This comes from the fact Gen Z has always had the internet as a major component in their life and many of us find our personal worth on social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Being able to see these posts everyday keeps us engaged with the world around us, however, with Instagram’s policy of random posts, not everything is being seen and it leads to certain topics not getting the same exposure. I think that while social media is good in terms of activism, there is a major need for protesters still as they are the ones that get the most change done. There is also the importance of filling the archival silence as the larger topics are being discussed. As a white woman in 2020, educating myself and making sure the voices of minorities are heard before mine. I would rather post these little infographics than about my life because educating the masses is more important than my second time visiting Michaels each week. Giving even the smallest platform to these stories is important as many of my friends have said that they have learned something new from these. It sometimes feels like I’m posting into the void, but, I hope to get the larger message across anyway that I can.
• 
  2020-06-30

  2020 Goals from June 30

  This item was created in June when I had fully decided to stay home for the semester rather than renting an apartment close to campus. It was another ploy to create some kind of hope that this lockdown would be over in the next few months. There are four major sections divided into my dream room since I was allowed to remodel it (spoiler: the only thing that changed was my new bed and shifting the furniture), clothing, places that I was hoping to visit, and random photos that I wanted for my ‘aesthetic’. The only one I came even close to completing was the clothing with my four pairs of plaid pants and mountain of sweaters. Out of all the criteria listed, I think that this “item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020”. During the beginning of lockdown, self-improvement was a topic that many people in my generation along with others were attempting to tackle with this time at home. For this photo, it highlights my personal life and the things I thought was important during this time. I connected this with the Social Dilemma documentary because I did post it to Instagram for a reaction, showing the importance of social media and my computer through Photoshop is important for my life.
• 
  2020-12-11

  Interview with Jean Kechely

  Interviewee: Jean Kechely Interviewer: Kelly Lindemann Date of interview: 12/11/2020 List of acronyms: JK = Jean Kechely, IN = interviewer Background: Jean Kechely is my grandmother, an avid tennis player who spends the winter months in La Quinta, California. The purpose of this interview was to gain insight into how the retired population has responded to COVID-19, and to get her personal perspective on how COVID has affected her life. IN: Hello Grandma! Thank you so much for participating in this interview about your experience during COVID-19. I appreciate your time, and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the pandemic. Before we get started, could you tell me about where you’re living now, and maybe a bit about what your life there was like before the pandemic started? JK: I’m staying in La Quinta, at my home that I spend winter months in. When I came down this season, of course we were in the thick of it. It actually started last season when I was here. January and February were kind of normal, and then we had one large event - I think about 20 or 25 thousand people come to it annually- called the La Quinta Arts Festival. I do volunteer work there, and it was a lot of fun, but that was the very last event where there were large numbers of people. The following day - [the festival] was March 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th- they made an announcement that the big tennis tournament, called the BNP, was going to be cancelled. That meant all the world class players, like Roger Federer and all of the big ones, would not be coming. That was totally unexpected, and they felt they had no choice, that they would be endangering their health, if they came. A lot of people were inconvenienced tremendously because they had come from all over the country, and had hotel or Airbnb reservations made ahead of time and had spent a lot of money just buying their tickets. And of course the community in this area of the desert really loses out on a major event. That event, over a period of two weeks, generates a crowd of 450-500,000 people, which is a huge economic impact to a relatively small geographic area. So that was pretty amazing, but you had to take it in stride. However, things went on, but there were no big get togethers. I live in a community that likes to have social activities -there are two hundred and eighty eight home in my area- and we have a wine party every months, the ladies get together for ladie’s luncheons once a month, and those events were all cancelled at the beginning of the year and are still cancelled. We don’t have any idea when they are going to be resumed. IN: It sounds like being surrounded by people who have similar interests and social circles is a really valuable source of contact. I’d like to hear a bit more about what it’s been like to have those circles somewhat shut off from you- how have you perceived the change, and what has the pandemic meant for you and your friends as far as how you can socialize? How have you adapted to social life during the pandemic? JK: Well actually, I would have to tell you that I feel very minimally impacted due to being a retired person and in excellent help, which enables me to engage in the normal activities that I enjoy, which I would describe as healthful recreation. I still play tennis three times a week, and my tennis club had to make a couple of changes. They require all of us members to wear a mask when we enter the property, but once we’re on the court and actually playing then we can remove our masks. Another big change was that we could not invite any guests to the club; that was something that we all enjoyed doing, but they felt that they couldn’t allow that. So, that’s how it still is right now. IN: As far as your companions in the club, are you all fairly like minded in your reactions, or are there differences in people’s opinion on how to respond to the virus? JK: Oh, there are many, many differences. Some people feel that they just don’t know what to believe about it. They don’t know what advice to follow, so anything that is actually mandated by the government, then we have to follow that to be good citizens. Several of the women with whom I play would have an adult child tell them “Well Mom, I don’t think you should be playing any longer because you have no control over where those people are going, or with whom they’re associating”. So, I’ve had a couple of players that I know stop playing, though now they’re back. There are a lot of people from Canada who are members of my tennis club. As soon as this started happening, I’d say around February, they left quickly to return to Canada because they were afraid that the borders would be closed down. This year almose none of them have come back, and the composition of our membership is greatly reduced and very changed. There is one Canadian couple who did fly down, quarantined for two weeks and had their car shipped down, which they’d never done before. Around here, a lot of the women are middle aged, fifty or older, and I am considerably older. Some of them didn’t even feel comfortable visiting each other’s homes, but some were so bored and needed socialization since they couldn’t do their regular activities that they were willing to go to somebody else’s house here in the neighborhood. I have a couple of friends who come over once a week to play Rummikub or Scrabble. One of my good friends has been volunteering for eleven years as an usher for the McCallum Theatre. They get top entertainment for very short runs, maybe only a weekend or an evening, but they have top entertainers like Rhonda Fleming, for example. She is dreadfully missing the wonderful entertainment that she got to see, and misses the people with whom she used to work as an usher. There’s still no idea of when they will be able to resume, since entertainment contracts like those are created at least a year ahead of time. That’s been a big loss for her to not have that. She’s someone who comes over and plays Rummikub or Scrabble with me. IN: It seems quite valuable to have a close circle of friends that you can get together with. Our social lives are very important and have a significant impact on our mental health. JK: And especially as you get older, they say that socialization is very important to help maintain your psychological health. I feel very fortunate that I can do this, and am very happy that there are some women in the area willing to go out and go to somebody else’s house. But I know there are a few who still don’t feel comfortable leaving their own homes, and it must be very difficult to them. IN: I’m interested in your perspective on the relative levels of safety and comfort that people have around protecting themselves from the virus. From what I’ve heard, the virus is more dangerous to people who are immunocompromised or older. I’ve seen a few submissions to the Journal of the Plague Year that center around older people who have a lot of apprehension of the virus, and many of them have taken drastic measures to protect themselves. As someone who is older, do you consider yourself to be vulnerable to COVID, and what is your attitude towards the virus? JK: Well age-wise of course I am vulnerable, but fortunately I do not have any underlying immune problems and am grateful for having such good health. I realize how difficult this pandemic has been for so many American families- parents are trying to keep an income stream, many of them have school-aged children at home and have to supervise their schoolwork, and try to keep the family engaged in outdoor activities. It’s almost too much to expect of a great many families, especially when it’s gone on since February or March and accompanied by harsh lockdown measures. A lot of people that I talk to are not certain that the advice they were given at the beginning [of the pandemic] has been accurate. They feel that a lot of the advice handed down by government bodies has been inaccurate. But you can’t blame them, since this is the first time such a thing has happened in our lifetimes, and everybody is having to go carefully and listen to what is advised. If you are a responsible person you listen to the advice, since these are the people who are in the NHI and the CDC and we should listen to what they think is best. A lot of people say, “We’ve been misled and don’t know what to believe”. I think with the mask thing there’s been a lot of resistance, and of course when you have your president so often appearing in public without his mask, that sends a poor message. I think that wearing a mask is a very small thing to ask of a person, whether it’s going to help other people or yourself- it’s such an easy thing and we should all be willing to do it. IN: I think so too, and on that note would like to bring up how the virus has been politicized, especially as it’s occurred during an election year, and how our governmental bodies have taken strategic stances on it. If you recall, back in March there were conflicting news articles about the subject of wearing a mask- some of then claimed that wearing one would increase your chances of getting it, or make it harder for medical workers to get the masks they needed. There was so much conflicting advice in the news, and I think that really impacted people’s perception of the virus and made it much harder to for them to know how to respond. Living in a community where people are from different areas and backgrounds must have given you an interesting view into the different ways that people perceive the virus. JK: I do hope that we can have this vaccine soon, but even with that there are many people who say that they won’t get the vaccine until its proven to be safe and effective. And I do understand that, but am glad that it will be made available first to healthcare workers and elderly people in nursing homes. IN: On that topic, some of the stories coming from nursing homes are heartbreaking, especially since they’ve had to be strict about limiting visitors. Living in isolation is hard for anyone, but living in a community away from your friends and family must make it a level of magnitude more difficult. JK: Oh yes. I have one of my friends whose husband is- was- in an Alzheimer’s care facility, and she would visit him every Tuesday and Thursday for over a year. When COVID-19 hit, the facility would not allow any visitors, even family. That was very hard for her, but they were able to arrange telephone and Zoom visits so she could actually see him. He passed away before I was abel to come down for the season, and I was very, very saddened for her. IN: The amount of suffering that people have had to endure is astonishing, and I hope that having a record of people’s experiences during the pandemic can help us to remember what people went through and maybe help us do better in the future. I sincerely appreciate that you’ve participated in this interview to share with the Journal of the Plague Year, and thank you so much for having this conversation with me.
• 2020-12-01

  Having a Baby in a Pandemic

  Having a baby is always a joyful, if not stressful, time, and having a baby in the middle of a global pandemic simply amplifies both of these emotions. My son was born on September 30, 2020, which means we found out about the pregnancy at the same time we found out about the COVID-19 global pandemic. Going through the initial lockdown, all of the information and misinformation, while knowing that we had a baby on the way made everything that much scarier. The joyful part came when he was born, a couple of weeks early, but a totally healthy baby boy. The joy of a new baby joining the family allowed us to take a break from the daily grind of living through a pandemic. And while no one was able to visit at the hospital, or meet him until quarantining for 14 days, and all had to hold him while wearing a mask, the joy definitely outweighed the stress. Our covid baby, and the journey to him joining our family, will be a bright spot in our family in an otherwise very dark year.
• 
  2020-06-25

  ISAVELIVES

  This is an image taken by Bournemouth Pier in England of a busy summer’s day despite the restrictions in place. People had grown tired of the rules and were just wanting to have some normality back in their lives. People from all around the country had flocked to Bournemouth for an especially hot day and because of most centres for entertainment still being closed, half a million people were pushed onto the beach where it got so busy that a major incident was called by the council.
• 
  2020-11-19

  Warning Signs

  Since this semester is all online, I have been living at home in NH instead of at school in Boston. Since this is the case, I am able to continue working where I was at over the summer in VT. At the beginning of the pandemic when you would cross into VT you would see one of those big orange construction signs stating that if you come to visit VT you should quarantine for fourteen days at home. Alongside the sign would be someone in a DOT truck watching the traffic. Sometime between yesterday, November 17th, 2020, and today, November 18th, 2020, the state of Vermont added these permanent signs at all the crossings in and out of the state. It really brings together how much of a lasting impact this virus has had on the world and that this is something that is not going anywhere anytime soon.
• 
  2020-12-02

  Ethiopian Cafe Roxbury

  My dad had taken a long trip from his home to come visit me, the college student who lives in Boston. The tradition of eating at our favorite restaurant in town was soon to be. The 2019 red Toyota Tacoma was freshly cleaned and ready for another trip down to Roxbury, Massachusetts. I was picked up from my campus at Wentworth Institute of Technology on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon. It was about 75 degrees with a slight breeze on this beautiful July day. As we started driving down towards Roxbury, we could see nobody was outside. Usually Boston is full of people exploring the city and enjoying the downtown on a Saturday. Even at the Ethiopian Café there was no one in sight. We could see a mailman walking door to door dropping off mail but that was about it. There was hardly any traffic and no noise as most businesses were shut down. The birds chirping and the wind blowing was the only noise around. This looked like a ghost town. Inside the restaurant there was no one inside. There was a sign at the door that stated, “mask required to get inside”. The only business they were accepting was pickup or delivery. This was the “new normal” now for everybody. What was once an upbeat and social place to dine, is now a quiet empty restaurant running off a few customers at a time. I could not sit down with my dad and eat the food we had ordered. They would not allow anyone to dine inside or outside. Everyone had to just get their food and eat it somewhere else.
• 
  2020-08-15

  The City That Never Sleeps Takes A Nap

  In late August of 2020, I traveled from Fort Myers, Florida, to New York City. The pandemic affected the economy and travel extensively. For everyone's safety and to prevent damage to the economy, travel was allowed but restricted. As a result, prices for flights dropped, and my brother and I took advantage to visit our father, whom we had not seen in over a year. The airport seemed empty; however, when we boarded, the plane was full of people. We received care packages before boarding that contained alcohol wipes and hand sanitizer. Luckily for us, when we arrived in New York City, restrictions for COVID-19 in the city began to die down. Business' began opening, but most of the people who left their homes only went to work. Aside from a few individuals, the streets seemed dead. The streets pre-pandemic was full of life and culture. COVID –19 appeared to have stolen all that made the city vibrant. New York City is infamous for its subway rats, but what my family and I saw on a walk-through Central Park one day changed our perspective on them forever. We saw many rats running around the park freely. Usually, they will not run away at the sight of a person; they mostly do not care. But this time, they tried to get closer, almost as if they were grateful to see people. The foot traffic dramatically decreasing in New York forced the rats to move. They had to find an area where they could live freely, have food, and drink sources. Therefore, subway rats made the abandoned streets and paths of Central Park their new home. The manufactured rivers at the park made an excellent water hole. People regularly come to the park to feed other animals; birds, ducks, turtles, and squirrels are just a few. Because of this convenient food source, rats took advantage. They began to crowd around other animals hoping to receive food as well. Nonetheless, it seemed their relationship evolved past survival. We witnessed the animals at play. One would chase the other and vice versa. At one point, we found birds, squirrels, and rats eating together at the hand of a generous woman. The animals, abandoned by humans, began to come together, and in silence, the city gleamed with beauty. My trip to New York City in the year 2020 post-COVID-19 was unforgettable. The effects of the virus were visible in more than just the individual. It affected the economy, the culture, and the way of life for many organisms. The city quickly adjusted to the circumstances in hopes of survival. The resilience animals have as a community, their survival tactics, and prevalence are admirable features historians will appreciate when studying the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on society. Personally, seeing how COVID-19 forced the city that never sleeps to take a nap is a once in a lifetime experience.
• 
  2020-08-26

  Mini COVID Vacation

  This video represents a small handful of times I got to hang out with a friend while attempting to distance myself during the pandemic over the summer. It was taken in August, between our Summer and Fall semesters, on a mini-vacation to get away and take our minds off the craziness happening around us. My friend, Marly, came up to my family’s small cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee and we got to spend a few days relaxing. At the time, things started to open up again under the guidelines, and we were able to safely visit attractions and explore the area. What I like about this looped video, which was taken at Castle in the Clouds, is that upon first glance you might think this was taken at any time pre-pandemic. When Marly is turned around, you cannot see the mask as she takes a photo of the lake, but when she turns around it comes into view. It immediately speaks to when this loop was taken, which I find interesting. In the future, people will instantly be able to place a photo or video that was taken during COVID just by what people are wearing and doing.
• 
  11/19/2020

  David McKenney Oral History, 2020/11/19

  David John McKenney lived in rural Michigan for most of his life. In this interview, David reflects upon the challenges that COVID-19 wrought on the rural school districts for which he works. He describes how he and his coworkers wrote code that helped transition students to remote learning and saved other districts countless hours of labor. David also touches upon his experience in Ukraine and the flu quarantine that occurred there seasonally. He contrasts this with the current American quarantine and highlights his concerns about freedoms of speech in reference to lockdowns. His concerns about freedoms of speech also extends to the future of Christianity and the church. He expresses his anger about the 2020 election season. In addition, David discusses his frustration with rioting in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. David remarks on the shift in real estate from urban areas to suburban areas and the rise in construction. Finally, David comments on his participation in pandemic trends (such as baking bread) and increased time spent with family.
• 
  2020-09-24

  Jayce, Tonia, and Keiwan tell their COVID stories

  Jayce, Tonia, and Keiwan tell their COVID stories as part of the LongIslandStories collection being done at the African American Museum of Nassau County