gale
Covid-History Item Type Metadata
Age
73
Date
12/14/2020
Location
Canajoharie, NY
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?
Middle of March 2020, traveling by plane from Atlanta GA to Wilmington NC, there were a few college students who were forced to leave campus. They were on our plane. They received a text message from the college and were not allowed to go back to their dorms so they had no belongings with them. I don't believe there has been a case reported from our town. However, I have become much more careful since that date in March when COVID-19 was just breaking out.
How is your life different now than it was before the pandemic?
Most important and missed is socializing. Also, I'm a teacher so classroom interaction has been really affected. I miss the closeness with the students that now is so difficult to have.
How are you feeling? What are you doing to relieve stress?
I am starting to get a bit depressed. But I try to stay positive and think that as bad as I have it, my life is so much easier than most. No money problems, no sickness, limitations on movement, but who cares.
What have you noticed has changed in your community since the outbreak? What has surprised you?
I feel my community has been so innovative about how to deal with the limitations and still experience life's events, i.e. graduation, halloween, holidays.
Are you a business owner who has had to close? If you are still open, how have you had to adjust how your business operates?
No I am not
Are you an essential employee? What do you do? What precautions are being taken at your workplace? What precautions are implementing at home?
I don't know if teachers are considered essential employees, but I do substitute teach when called. I told my school that after the first day I was coming in if I didn't feel safe I wouldn't be returning. But, I feel that they are doing a wonderful job and much impressed by the cooperation of all the students, especially the youngest. They just seem to roll with the flow.
Are you an employee who has been laid off or furloughed? Were you able to get unemployment? Were you able to retain your health insurance?
No I was not laid off or furloughed
Are you working from home? What adjustments or challenges are you experiencing?
No I am not working from home.
Do you have children at home? How’s it going?
No thank goodness, I don't have that responsibility.
If you’re a student, was school canceled? Were you able to complete your studies online? Do you think you’ll be back on campus in the fall?
No I am not a student
Did you have to postpone any major life events? (e.g. Graduation, wedding, major birthday) What did you do instead?
Yes, we were going to celebrate Christmas eve in NY City with a dinner at a restaurant my husband has always wanted to go to and also an 1.5 hour horse and carriage ride throughout the city to see the tree and Central Park, and Christmas Day mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. That's been put on hold, however, due to the city going into another lockdown.
Do you have animals? Did you adopt a pet? How have they impacted your day?
Yes, I have two wonderful doggies. They give me much pleasure and comfort
What positive things did you contribute to or notice take place?
Our school always provides food and gifts to village families i need during the holidays and I feel proud that we are continuing to do that, even more so.
Did you or someone you know contract COVID-19? What was it like?
Thankfully, I do not know anyone that has tested positive. My daughter's significant other had to quarantine because she had come into contact with someone that tested positive. She tested negative but had antibodies. Last March for about 2 weeks she was feeling unwell and she probably had COVID during that time but didn't realize it.
If you lost someone during the pandemic, how did you celebrate their lives?
Thankful that I have not lost anyone during this time.
What do you wish you knew before the pandemic began?
How much the present administration in Washington would downplay the dangers.
What would you want future generations to know about the 2020 pandemic? How would you recommend they prepare for it?
That with ignorance comes panic. The opposite of what we were told. Always listen to the science and the experts, rather than those who are unknowledgeable and are only interested in their own reputation.
How do you think this pandemic will change how we behave going forward? What will the “new normal” look like?
I think we've learned many ways to stay safer. It was always a good idea, I think, to wash hands, stay a little away from those we encounter, similar to what many do in Asian countries for years.
Is there anything else you would like to add that hasn't already been asked above?
Just my undying appreciation to all those essential workers who have kept me and my family safe and who have worked on the frontlines, putting themselves and their families in danger, all these long months.
Dublin Core
Title
gale
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
12256379000
Coverage
Coronavirus Pandemic
Collection
Citation
“gale,” Leaving Our Fingerprints on History, accessed April 28, 2024, https://fingerprints.sals.edu/omeka/items/show/283.