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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Looking back at my previous journals, it seems that I often wrote about how uncertain COVID-19 has made the future. Shifting regulations, new variants, and the possibility of lockdowns constantly loom at the back of my mind. Accordingly, this past week reminded me of how variable things are. Because [our college] community has been experiencing a spike in cases, all of campus has had to go back to masking indoors with protective KN95s through the end of classes. We almost made it to four mask-free weeks, but the inevitability that cases would keep increasing made that impossible. While reactions around campus are mixed, I do not have strong feelings one way or another. Honestly, I knew indoor masking could be a possibility again, and while I am a bit annoyed at having to readjust to breathing through a mask, I can handle a couple weeks of mask wearing if it means other campus activities, like outdoor festivals, remain open. One thing different this time around is the weather. Spring is here, which means days have been sunnier and temperatures have been warmer. Last week, I spent a lot of my time searching for new outdoor study spots and soaking up some sun for the first time since October. I even had a couple classes outside (hint: the anthropology class I am writing this journal for) and felt so much more mentally refreshed than I usually do after spending my time sitting indoors. Being able to spend more time outdoors, I also think it will be easier to adjust to mask wearing. During the winter, I felt like we all curled up into our own little bubbles and hid behind our hats, coats, and masks, so hopefully now we can use the warmer weather as an opportunity to maintain connections with others despite having to mask. I am eager to see how we all practice mask wearing in a new seasonal context, especially having already experienced waves of regulations in the past. Below is a picture I took last week while sitting under a tree and writing an essay for class; this was a day before the new mask regulations were announced.
May 5, 2022
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Are you in touch with family or friends in other parts of the country, or other parts of the world? If so, talk about how the pandemic has been affecting them.
I have friends and/or family in LA and SF and it has been hard this year - first the fires and then the pandemic. Two of my old friends in LA that I used to work with when I lived there got COVID but both recovered thank goodness. One of them lost her father to the disease and that was very sad. My stepmom (90 years young) is in IL living with her son and his wife - they are fine. Also have a friend in Tucson - she's fine. My son and his family live in VT and they are OK - quite rural where they live. His father, my ex, lives in NM in rural area and is ok. My sister and her husband are in ME and she got her first dose of the vaccine this week. She's a nurse at a longterm care facility. Stepson and partner in OR are OK and stepdaughter is now in CT but splits time between CT and NY - she may need to return to OK for the coming semester unless it's still remote classes. Also have good friends in PA - they are OK and in France, Ecuador, and Britain - they all seem ok so far. I think about the toll all the quarantining is taking on our mental health and social selves. I sometimes wonder how I will interact with others in person again after this is all over. It's been so long. What I miss most is being able to see my grand girls and their parents and giving them hugs and doing stuff with them... hoping for summer but it's not a sure thing yet. This is the longest I've gone without seeing them in person - we do virtual but it's not the same thing. Last time in person was in August. Re grad students (our other "children") - we have one in China - he's pretty much stuck there, but the upside is that his Chinese is improving and he got a dog for company. Another was going to go to India for her dissertation research, but Fulbright shut that down for now - maybe in the summer 2021 - she's doing what she can online. This whole thing is taking a year from all those who have MA or PhD plans for research abroad - UConn has extended times to graduate for them thank goodness. So, I really miss the ability to see my family and friends in person.
January 10, 2021