Michelle
Covid-History Item Type Metadata
Age
53
Date
05/27/2020
Location
Saratoga Springs, New York
When did the impact of COVID-19 first occur to you? How did your reaction to COVID-19 change between then and the first case in your town?
My first noticeable change came about the second week of February, when the news began talking about the outbreak in China. Due to the severity, we have many personal family members in the "at risk" category, including myself. We started paying more close attention to who we came in contact with, washing hands even more than usual, and at work, we were more cognizant with washing counters and touched items.
How is your life different now than it was before the pandemic?
First and foremost, our place of work was closed down and we are still not back in the building. My youngest in high school was now home, trying to complete her senior year online. My husband was laid off and we were figuring out how to use different items no longer available in the grocery store.
How are you feeling? What are you doing to relieve stress?
The anxiety and fear of the unknown has definitely caused some sleepless nights, but we are learning how to limit the "news" for a more necessity based information gathering. We have been meditating and exercising in our home gym.
Are you working from home? What adjustments or challenges are you experiencing?
I am working from home, continuing to participate in programming through Zoom online platform, and taking online classes during the down time.
Do you have children at home? How’s it going?
Yes, my high school senior. The sadness is real, but we are keeping a positive atmosphere, and when we need to cry, we do. I am watching for any hidden signs of deep depression with her, but she seems to be handling the situation much better than most of the parents. She is an essential worker at our local Target, so the stress of safety has been a lot.
Did you have to postpone any major life events? (e.g. Graduation, wedding, major birthday) What did you do instead?
We are holding out hope that a small even streamed graduation will occur for my high school senior.
If you lost someone during the pandemic, how did you celebrate their lives?
We lost 3 people in our family due to COVID-19. One older gentleman, and two young people under 50. The immediate family celebrated with a virtual wake, and we will gather for the others when it is safe.
What do you wish you knew before the pandemic began?
I wish I knew to purchase a few cans of Lysol spray and a case of wipes.
What would you want future generations to know about the 2020 pandemic? How would you recommend they prepare for it?
I believe the first thing is to begin hygienic practices before they are needed. It may prevent such drastic contact spread of the disease. Second, I have stocked more necessity items that have a safer shelf life for food and cleaning. Also learning how to prepare foods at home rather than depending on grocery items.
How do you think this pandemic will change how we behave going forward? What will the “new normal” look like?
There will be many new online learning opportunities, more work from home and a different education process. Maybe less waste and overhead for organizations able to have more people working from home, even part time.
Is there anything else you would like to add that hasn't already been asked above?
During the pandemic, "mother nature" had her own issues as well. We were hit by a tornado that ripped through our yard, but very luckily, did no severe damage.
Dublin Core
Title
Michelle
Subject
COVID-19 (Disease)
Publisher
Southern Adirondack Library System
Contributor
Southern Adirondack Library System
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Language
English
Type
Covid History
Identifier
11641997109
Coverage
Coronavirus Pandemic
Collection
Citation
“Michelle,” Leaving Our Fingerprints on History, accessed December 22, 2024, https://fingerprints.sals.edu/omeka/items/show/161.