Items

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  2020-03

  Covid Time: Letters from Brooklyn March-May 2020.

  These are weekly emails I wrote to my brother Gil in Brewer, Maine and sister Barbara in Naperville, IL during the height of the 2020 pandemic lockdown, to describe to them our experiences. I am also enclosing a photo of my daughter, Olivia -- a screenshot from a Good Morning America broadcast showing her wheeling a patient into the emergency department at Maimonides Hospital.
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  2020-03

  Everyday Life During Lockdown

  March 2020 when the lockdown first started I was not aware of how big this pandemic was going to be. It was the second half of my senior year of high school and I remember we all thought that the school wasn’t going to close. Our principal was telling us a few days before everything was shut down that the school will not be closing and to not be worried. Next thing you know Spring 2022 is the first time back in person for most of my classes. It was a big change having school online in the beginning, it was difficult to fully concentrate in classes and harder to stay motivated. It is a weird thing to be slightly removed from the fact that I graduated high school and started college because I wasn’t able to do certain things in person. There was at least one positive experience throughout the pandemic though. My family and I would have dinner together every night then go into the living room and watch whatever show we were binge watching at the time. It was a time where we got really close and it was a nice routine to have. It was a way for us all to be together and bring some happiness in that sad time.
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  2020-03

  My experience with Covid-19

  The beginning of my story takes place at my old highschool which is Union Square Academy for Health sciences. The rest takes place at neighborhood which is Queens, Ridgewood.
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  2020-03

  The Pass

  summary
• 2020-03

  Family and Community Impacted by COVID

  Well to be honest the pandemic did not effect my family too much, no one caught COVID and most of us are vaccinated as well. No one lost their jobs or their homes, or their business so I believe we were pretty good. The only thing bad would be the isolation but, that's about it.
• 2020-03

  Unimaginable Grief

  [March 2020] A month in time no one would ever want to go back to. My friend and I were enjoying our day and suddenly got news that campus will be closed until further notice. It was a scary and confusing moment; before you knew it everyone was talking about the virus. We definitely underestimated the virus and saw it spread in the blink of an eye. Slowly but surely we all began to realize how serious this was and prayed day and night for it to end. Cities went on lockdown, thousands became unemployed, and families grieved the loss of loved ones suddenly taken by this evil virus. I am so fortunate enough to have my close family and friends here with me today, but that does not mean these last one and a half years did not take a toll on me mentally. We've lost many loving family friends whom we never expected to lose this early. One thing the pandemic, thankfully, taught me is to appreciate those who you love because you do not know when they can be taken away from you. As hard as this experience was, I am grateful for the ups and downs and pray for the beautiful souls lost. Rest In Peace <3
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  2020-03

  My 2020

  This is a story about how my life was during the pandemic in 2020. It tells the story of how isolated everyone was because of social distancing. A whole year just went by but I still felt like my life was a standing still. It was my first time being in the city since the lock down and it was scary to see how empty Times Square was.
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  2020-03

  Racism during COVID-19 for minorities

  The material presents racism during the Pandemic and how it has affected people from different racial communities like Hispanic Latinos, Asians, and African Americans.
• 2020-03

  The Rippling Effects of COVID-19

  COVID-19 came as a shock to everyone. No one could have predicted the rippling effects it has had in everyone's lives. This pandemic impacts all kinds of people- young, old, single, married, rich, and poor. It is the common thread among all of us. It is what binds us together during this difficult time. This time will never be forgotten. It will be written in textbooks and taught to future generations. Many families are going through a hard time. Who knew a virus could infiltrate people’s lives like this and flip them upside down? No one saw this coming. Many families are struggling financially including mine. We weren’t prepared for this. We thought it will all blow over soon enough. Unfortunately, we were wrong. First, my school closed. Then, my job place closed. Then, my gym closed. It seemed as if the whole world was shutting down right before my eyes, slowly stripping the things I love the most. The thought of being trapped in the house, all day, every day, for who knows how long, gave me anxiety. Slowly, life began to become very boring. Waking up knowing that you’re trapped in the house. Curfews were put up in my city. It’s like we were little kids and the Government was our parents trying to protect us from the monster- COVID 19. I suddenly had so much free time on my hands and didn’t know what to do with it. I decided to pick up some new hobbies. I tried everything. From painting to reading. It was a crazy time for all of us. When we were finally allowed out, I was so happy. Happy that everything will go back to normal, happy that I could get my old life back, happy that I could leave my house again. However, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. We had to wear masks, gloves, and maintain six feet apart between people. I remember the first time I went out in months. Everyone had covered faces and only eyes of sadness and fear were able to be seen. We all looked the same, yet on the inside we were different, each of us experiencing the impacts of the pandemic in a different way. I was shocked. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a virus, something that is not visible to the naked eye, has turned our lives upside down and forced us to deal with the consequences. As of now, September 2020, life is somewhat what it used to be, but it will never return back to the way we’ve known. The fact that this has become our new reality, is kind of scary. But we are not out of the clear yet, there’s still so much work to do. We have to cooperate with all the guidelines and stick together. Especially during these difficult times, together we are stronger. This is all my own interpretation of the times we live in now and how it has impacted me and changed our lives forever.
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  2020-03

  Finding Me.

  I know people have mostly negative stories that correlate to Covid-19 but I am choosing to write about one of the positive things that happened to me during these harsh times. Before Covid-19 I never really had time for myself, it was always wake up, go to work and then go to school, then go home, then homework, shower and finally sleep (eating multiple times throughout the day). But I never really had time to do anything I liked. Back then when someone asked what my hobbies were, I had none. But Covid-19 was low-key a blessing in disguise for me, with all this free time with work and school being closed, I found myself. I started watching tv, picking up new hobbies and finding things that I loved but never really had time for. And now of course that everything is opened again, I gained some time management skills and am able to manage everything that I love in life.
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  2020-03

  The Poster

  I am submitting my experience with learning about the truth behind environmental racism, how Covid 19 amplified these injustices, and how I got involved.