I'm an older Asian-American female so you'd think I would feel trepidation about walking around lately, given all the publicity about violence against older Asian-American females. But though I live in New Mexico, a state which has the worst property and violent crime rate in the country according to some measures, I don't feel any more threatened than usual. When we started to hear that wearing face masks could prevent transmitting Covid-19, I resisted at first. I felt like I stood out because I was used to thinking of face masks as an urban Japanese thing. Now that wearing face masks is de rigueur, I feel like wearing a face mask makes me slightly anonymous. Which is laughable, because several times now I've run into friends in stores who have no problem recognizing me with a mask on! Early on in the pandemic, my mom, aunt, and cousin all sent me face masks they sewed themselves. Each piece of fabric has a story attached, and when I wear them I feel protected and loved. Being an older Asian-American woman is splendid! More positives than negatives. 10/10 would do it again.
April 18, 2021
Luckily, I was able to acquire financial assistance from my state in the form of Pandemic Insurance through the department of unemployment benefits. Thankfully I do not have any children to provide for, but I did help my family around the house, namely my mother, by purchasing things they needed and providing some financial relief. I would not like to go into specifics of where or how the money was used within the household, yet I am very grateful for the financial assistance. Work was hard to come by, and having this source of income was very beneficial. However, I am excited to get back into the workforce once the pandemic has come and gone, and earn money the way I've always known how: hard work.
November 5, 2020