Deborah
Covid-History Item Type Metadata
Age
56
Date
05/26/2020
Location
Glenville, 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?
The impact first began in February when my youngest son, a freshman at Iona college in New Rochelle, texted that several cases of corona virus had been reported in New Rochelle. That in and of itself was not alarming. At that time , it was thought only to effect the elderly and frail. On March 10th, when the national guard moved into to New Rochelle to help contain the virus, fear set in.
How is your life different now than it was before the pandemic?
Before the pandemic I was a newly retired teacher and an empty nester enjoying the freedom of not being bound to taking care of anyone and my husband and I were enjoying traveling, dining out and frequenting theater. On 3/13/20, my three adult children ( who live and work in NYC) came for a weekend visit and are still staying at our home. Our 18 year old finished his freshman year at Iona via distance learning. Our oldest son (28) has been working from our home as a video editor . Our 25 year old daughter has been furloughed from her job with Clinique. My husband a Business banker for Key bank has been working form home. Most of his job has entailed securing PPP loans for his small business customers
How are you feeling? What are you doing to relieve stress?
My emotions range from anxiety, fear and disbelief to extreme gratitude that I still have an income, health and my family safe. I still worry about the future of my children .
What have you noticed has changed in your community since the outbreak? What has surprised you?
Overall people have been very kind and supportive of each other. I am surprised at the small number of people who do not seem to take social distancing practices seriously.
Do you have animals? Did you adopt a pet? How have they impacted your day?
Our dog is very confused as to why there are so many people living in his house.
What positive things did you contribute to or notice take place?
As a recently retired teacher , it was important to me to support and encourage the amazingly dedicated and talented teachers of the Schenectady City School District. These professionals left school on March 13th, not knowing anything about distance learning and just "figured it out" in the most caring and dedicated way. Distance learning cannot replace being in a classroom, but they way that teachers tried to connect with students everyday was amazing.
What do you wish you knew before the pandemic began?
Nothing would have prepared me for this. Life literally changed in a few days. It is still very hard to process.
What would you want future generations to know about the 2020 pandemic? How would you recommend they prepare for it?
I hope that the people realize that health and connections with others is what truly matters. When our world was frozen with fear with the threat of the virus, what mattered was our loved ones , our communities and supporting each other.
How do you think this pandemic will change how we behave going forward? What will the “new normal” look like?
I truly hope that when we get beyond mask wearing and social distancing that we reflect on the disparities in health care, income and educational inequities and the systemic racism that fuels these differences.
Dublin Core
Title
Deborah
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
11638840828
Coverage
Coronavirus Pandemic
Collection
Citation
“Deborah,” Leaving Our Fingerprints on History, accessed April 20, 2024, https://fingerprints.sals.edu/omeka/items/show/172.