True Colors in Dark Times

I've always heard that hard times can reveal one's true character. This pandemic proved just that.

I've mentioned before just how wonderful my community was with supporting me during my senior year. They showered us in gifts, came out to watch a big parade we were in, and made sure an in-person graduation happened. The support and love that I received from complete strangers in my town was shocking and amazing. 

My community was not the only group that stepped up when things got hard. Most of my teachers also demonstrated outstanding support. My AP Literature teacher immediately gave us his personal cellphone and made sure to let us know that we are able to talk to him about anything at any time. Despite having to work tirelessly to move lessons to online, my teachers still checked up on us to make sure we were okay and they graded assignments with empathy. Since we were under the presumption that the virus would only last a few weeks, we never expected our senior year to end with online classes. When the news broke in April that our governor was canceling school for the rest of the year, I was in the middle of Spanish class. My teacher stopped the lesson and let us all cry together. It was a powerful moment in my life that I will never forget. Teachers like that made the quarantine so much easier to handle and I appreciate all they did for us when they themselves had no idea what would happen either.

However, not every teacher showed who they truly are for the better. There was one teacher who completely gave up on us when the pandemic hit. We had an AP test just months away and he assigned us to read from the textbook and nothing else. He never checked on our mental health, helped us study for the exam, or even produce lectures so we could continue learning from him. Everything we learned for the AP exam was from the textbook which was very difficult during such a trying time.

Some people gave it their all and rallied as many people as possible to make the best for as many people as possible while others isolated themselves, cutting off contact. As a whole, I am so proud of everyone's efforts during the pandemic. Even on a national scale, the dedication of essential workers did not go unnoticed. Sometimes it takes adversity to learn who is truly there for you and who is not. Dark times reveal true colors.

Discrimination & Economic Collapse

I wasn't born yet when 9/11 happened, but from what I heard, it brought Americans together like they never have before while simultaneously seeking a greater separation from Muslims. I've heard horror stories of Muslims who had to quit their jobs, stop wearing turbans and hijabs, and take a break from flying to avoid comments and looks from people who associated the entire religion of Islam with the terrorist attack.

The Covid-19 outbreak was no different. 

Because the virus emerged in China, Americans began fearing Chinese-Americans. They stopped ordering from Chinese restaurants, causing many restaurants to have to shut down. Moreover, many rude comments were made to Asians, some that were not even of Chinese descent. Asian-Americans were told that the virus was their fault and they were told to leave before they spread the virus in stores. These unwarranted and inappropriate comments were extremely hurtful and caused the Asian food economy to suffer a major collapse. There are still Chinese restaurants to this day that have not reopened, due in part to a major loss of business because of the stigma surrounding their race.

Chinese and Asian restaurants have also had to spend more money than other restaurants to implement safety precautions like plexiglass to give people more confidence in their restaurant. My local Chinese take-out place created an entire wall of plexiglass of separation between the employees and me. The employees placed my order into a box and after they closed their door to it, I could open my door so we never risked hand-to-hand contact. This contraption was a bit extreme in my opinion but it was necessary for them to implement because of the discrimination they would experience otherwise.

I feel very sorry for every Asian who experienced hate because of their race. It deeply saddens me to see Chinese restaurants and businesses permanently closed, especially since money was already tight enough for everyone during the pandemic.

We as Americans can do better for groups who have a negative association with them. Not all Muslims took part in 9/11 and not all Asians contracted Covid. Discrimination and racism cannot have a place in 21st century America. We can do better. We must do better.

Impacts on Mental Health

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the quarantine was a great way to spend more time with family and cook more. Unfortunately, not everybody had the great experience of being stuck at home that I did. Domestic violence has risen dramatically, and suicides have increased as well. We have also seen an increase in opioid overdoses too. This is all due to one common thing: an increase in isolation and more time at home. The image of a family playing board games and baking zucchini bread together is the one that we want to imagine, but there is also the image of those suffering from mental illness, living alone, and unable to see anybody. There are domestic abuse victims trapped with their abusers.

I have no idea how horrible it had to have been for those suffering. I could never compare myself to them and I will never say that what I felt during quarantine is at all equivalent to the pain they went through. What I will say, is that I felt some strain with being quarantined as well. I think most people agree that it was difficult to completely reshape their lives around. I feel horrible for those who lost their battles during this already hard time. I wish they could’ve got the help they so greatly deserved.

I have always considered myself an extreme introvert. I tend to be a homebody and not interact with people much. I didn’t realize that being stuck at home for months would be upsetting for me…but it was.

The thing I missed the most was my schedule. I had just finally gotten into the rhythm of a new semester and going to classes. Track season had started one week before the lockdown and I was excited to finally get in shape. I was kept on task from when I woke up at 6:30am to when I went to bed at 10:30pm. Yes, I was a stressed-out high school senior, but I loved my schedule and having the right balance of exercise, education, and time for friends automatically built-in. When I was told that all the senior events that I waited four years for were canceled, I was devastated. I was disappointed that my senior track season was taken away from me and I was sad that I wasn’t allowed to see my boyfriend anymore. I soon lost contact with friends and I felt extremely alone. Faced at home with nothing but boredom and time to think to myself was dangerous. I became very sad and doing even small homework assignments felt overwhelming. I was frustrated at myself for gaining weight and every time I went for a run at the park, it felt increasingly more difficult to keep running.

I was feeling what my brother called “the COVID-19 blues.” I simply wanted to go back to school. I wanted to say goodbye. I wanted closure. It was hard as a senior to have things end the way they shouldn’t have. I was angry at the world.

It was a very depressing time and I know that I wasn’t the only one who felt it. My spirits finally lifted when outdoor, socially-distanced senior events were planned and I could finally have graduation and attend graduation parties. Social connection is necessary. The impact of suddenly taking that away is scientifically proven as being detrimental to the brain. I know that this post is not lighthearted and uplifting, but it tells the dark side and truth to the often overlooked part of quarantine. Yes, I enjoyed spending time with family and making soups, but I also suffered.

Mental health resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline: 1-877-726-4727

Testing: What's it's Like and the Tests Available

Last week, President Donald Trump had a positive coronavirus test. It was a huge shock to the nation and caused a lot of panic by the American people. There was talk about what would happen if he were to get too sick to continue working and news channels reviewed the line of succession. He appears to be fine and on a smooth path to recovery now, but I still think it’s important to examine the protocols in place to keep us healthy and keep positive cases to a minimum.

One thing that is particularly frustrating to me is the use of rapid tests and self-tests. My sister goes to the University of Alabama and she were asked to give the nasal swab to herself. Of course, she barely stuck it up her nose and certainly did not collect all of the material necessary. Now, UA is a campus with one of the highest cases. Rapid testing also bothers me. While it is great for weeding out those who test positive under a time crunch, the tests are found to be extremely inaccurate. Taking a PCR test that takes roughly 48 hours to get results mixed with getting the test done by a trained professional is the only way to keep Americans safe.

I have gotten tested two times (the proper way) and I am getting my third test done in two days. The first test was an initial one required for all students coming to campus. For more information, you can see my post about Being a College Student The second test was a random selection by the University of Kentucky. Since I got selected, I had three days to complete this mandatory test. I expect to be asked to get retested at least once more randomly by the end of the semester. The final test that I am getting in two days is a test that I am taking by choice. I want to go home and see my family so I am doing what is responsible and getting tested two days before I leave to make sure that I am safe to see them. Of course, there is the risk that I contracted it during those two days but I figured that going 48 hours without a test is better than two weeks and there’s not much I can do about it.

So, what is getting tested really like? I was told horror stories that it feels like getting your brain poked at. In reality, it was not that bad. It was certainly uncomfortable having a long Q-Tip up my nose so far, but I would compare it to the feeling of getting water up your nose and just having a lot of pressure built up. My eyes have watered each time I got tested, but other than that, all was well. It also goes by extremely quickly having it placed up my nostrils for 5 seconds each. Below is a video describing the tests that can be done and how they are performed:

*Note: This video contains some information that does not pertain to the U.S. While generally, the tests are the same, there are some slight modifications for what my experience was like.

Getting tested is just one of the many ways we’ve tried to get this virus under control and do our part to keep others safe. While it is not the most comfortable test, it is nothing to be afraid of, and is crucial that it gets done. I’m extremely thankful that I can get tested whenever I want for free and that I’m spending my time during the pandemic at a place that cares about my health.

Maintaining Relationships and the Strain of the Pandemic

One of the issues with this pandemic being so politicized is that there has created an entire spectrum of emotions regarding opinions on mask-wearing, social distancing, and reopening the country. On one side (the one that President Trump supports), we have anti-maskers who rely almost entirely on social distancing, although they rarely do that, and believe that this pandemic will all go away soon. They really emphasize the importance of the fallen economy and getting back to work. On the other side, despite the economy hitting an extremely low point, those people still want businesses to stay closed, have travel restricted, and take all the precautions until this is gone for sure.

I honestly don’t think that any side is particularly wrong in their thinking. I certainly believe that keeping people safe is a priority but I also know that it’s hard to wear a mask all the time and that restoring the economy is a priority as well. There is a delicate balance between the two that is a thin line to walk. Coming from a rural farm town in New York, we are a very red area that always elects a Republican for our congressional district.

My parents have kept a very lax opinion on the whole pandemic. We were always compliant and wore masks everywhere we went, socially distanced, washed our hands, and disinfected our house regularly, but when it came to hanging out with a small group of friends, there was never a fear of getting sick from them.

But like I said, every family had a different way of doing things. My boyfriend’s stepmom that he lives with has health issues and immediately refused to let company over and I was no longer allowed to hang out with him. This caused a lot of friction in our relationship. He was still working as an essential worker at a grocery store with all his friends. I was angry that he was able to interact with multiple strangers every day and hang out with friends before and after work, but I was not allowed to see him. It especially frustrated me that my job was taking much greater precautions to keep us safe while he was more exposed yet could continue to work by her standards. It was difficult going months without seeing him and feeling like I was in a long-distance relationship when his house was a 20-minute drive away. Eventually, as things started to look better I was allowed to go to parks with him and hang out in public. By the time I left for college in August, five months after the pandemic started in March, I had gone to his house one time while she was visiting her dying brother in another state and he could come over to help me pack. Things got worse when I came to campus; I found out after about a month of being here that his older brother invites girls over to the house all the time and his stepmom doesn’t care. It’s hard to not take that personally even though we’ve always gotten along great.

Again, relationships were tested with this pandemic.

It wasn’t even just his stepmom; I also struggled to make friends. The dynamic is completely different on campus than back home – people really follow the rules here and lean towards the latter approach of using caution. I was scared to try and make friends even though it was my first semester of college and I knew no one. I worried about reaching out to people and overstepping their boundaries and I started to worry about my own health and the impacts of possibly contracting the virus here. Not only did I feel that coronavirus caused strain between my boyfriend’s stepmom and me, but also between all possible friends that I could’ve made, and even with my roommate when there was an exposure scare (I thought her sister contracted the virus but it was actually the babysitter that did and she ended up testing negative). The true character of those I know has come out during the pandemic and I’ve learned where people really stand. I’ve gained a great deal of disrespect for those who continue to hang out with large groups of friends maskless or host parties, while I’ve fostered a greater appreciation for those who genuinely stayed home and quarantined for months.

I’m sure everyone has their own stories about conflicting opinions on visitors and who they were allowed to see vs. who they weren’t allowed to. Despite any relationships that may have gone astray because of the pandemic, it’s important to remember who really means something to you and not take it personally like I did when they were trying to protect themselves. We all have our own boundaries. Now is the time to respect them and those around us. It is our job to keep each other safe.

Impacts on Education and Learning

Education during Covid can basically be summed up by this meme:

Students have been left to fend for themselves and teach themselves the material. Most of our learning is assignment-based with various things due at 11:59pm. Initially, teachers were completely unprepared to fully teach in an online setting so they scattered to make up lesson plans, give us work online, and teach amidst uncertainty about their own family’s health. I give teachers a lot of credit for the extensive work they had to do in order to do the best they could for us in the spring semester of 2020. With that being said, I did find that the quality of education was poor. There wasn’t a lot of work given to us and we felt as if we didn’t truly learn anything.

 

However, that all changed come fall. With teachers better prepared to teach their courses online, we immediately jumped in as if the class was the same as in person. That was a major flaw with our education I believe – you cannot expect students to focus on work when they’re doing it in their bedroom and surrounded my devices and loud family members. Moreover, learning is much more difficult when not placed in a setting that the brain associated with learning. The act of being in a classroom, and going to a separate one for each class, is important for the brain. We simply cannot learn the same way that we do online as we do in a classroom.

 

Furthermore, it can also be difficult to focus on learning when we are preoccupied with worry. Students have had to learn despite a family contracting the virus, or even themselves. How are we supposed to focus on our studies when we are worried about a global deadly pandemic surrounding us? Most professors have not adjusted for this and it shows with our GPA. We have in-person expectations with a virtual setting and many students are not able to keep their grades up. I know for me, learning calculus online has been a nightmare and while I feel like I haven’t learned much, I am still given extremely difficult exams. If there could be a program implemented where students could opt online classes out of their GPA or somehow get a hardship clause added, I would greatly appreciate that. I think all our grades need to be taken with a grain of salt right now and not every class should count towards our GPA. I would even suggest allowing students to retake classes for free in-person and replace the old grade with the new one if they improve. I don’t know what the solution is to be fair with grading but what I do know is that students should not be punished for putting an honest effort forward but still failing when they are trying to learn at this time. 

It also isn't fair that some students may have had parents who lost their jobs so they have to work to keep their family afloat. Working long shifts and managing schoolwork is unfair. Coming from a family with financial stability as well as good health is a major advantage right now. Students who need to work or care for family members who may have fallen ill are preoccupied with more pressing concerns. There is no equality when it comes to education right now. Every student's experience is unique to them and cannot be used as a comparison to a student who may be more or less advantaged right now.

 

Additionally, with European and Asian nations implementing in-person classes, I feel as if I am at a disadvantage. They are getting a better education than me and it makes me worry about the future. Will they outcompete me in the job market? If I don’t feel like I’m leaning anything, will I actually be prepared to enter the workforce after college? These questions haunt me. I think that we will see a major educational and economic impact when students who received a virtual education are asked to apply their skills in-person even though they had not had the opportunity to practice that. As a chemistry major, I am supposed to be actively learning how to perform certain lab techniques, yet half of my labs are online where I just watch someone perform it. I am not truly learning what is being done and I will not be able to replicate in the future if asked. There are some jobs that simply need their graduates to have had an in-person education.

 

One thing is for sure: being a student during a pandemic is not fun. Hopefully, we will still get the education we need to be successful and the impacts are not as treacherous as they could be. We all are worthy of a good education and we should not have to sacrifice that on top of everything else we have to give up. My hope is that universities and employers show mercy to us because, after all, we’re all just trying to get our assignments in by 11:59pm.

UK Core Issue: How Do We Distribute Covid Vaccines?

With the possibility of a vaccine coming soon, plans for distributing it need to be implemented too. Vaccine manufacturers can only make so many vaccines each day and not all of the country will immediately have access to it. If I were tasked with choosing who in Fayette County, Kentucky could get the vaccine first, I would carefully consider my selection. 

First, I would want the people most exposed to the virus and at risk for it to go. I believe that healthcare workers, especially those who work in the Covid ward or conduct the tests, should be tested first. These essential workers do not have the option to stay home and quarantine and instead have to face the virus head on each day, sometimes even touching the patients or being coughed/sneezed on by them. Also, I think it’s important to the Lexington community to have an adequate number of healthcare workers that can support the sick; it’s certainly never good to have a tight hospital staff because many of the employees contracted Covid. 

Next, I would address those most at risk: the elderly. Since this area contains a large number of elderly folks, it’s important that they stay protected. Their immune systems are much weaker than young people’s and they are far more likely to die from contracting Covid. Old people have gone through enough having to quarantine, no longer see other senior citizen friends, be in nursing homes alone, and live in fear. I know that if a vaccine came out back home in New York, I would want my grandparents to be one of the first ones to get it so their quality of life can improve vastly. 

Following, those with preexisting conditions such as asthma and obesity, which are high risks, should get the vaccine next. After all, the essential and high-risk groups get the vaccine, I think it is important to shift to what accounts for where many of the Lexington cases are coming from – the University of Kentucky. As of October 9, 2020, nearly 15% of coronavirus cases in Fayette county were from UK. Athletes who play on sports teams next to each other every day should get it first, then those who live in communal spaces, and finally the rest of the campus. Students can be extremely dangerous asymptomatic carriers who tend to have a more carefree attitude towards mask-wearing and social distancing. I think that even though they are young and less likely to suffer serious consequences of contracting the virus, they are still doing horrible damage by hanging around in crowded areas, still partying, and going home to families like mine in different states. If students are no longer susceptible to the virus, Fayette county can take a sigh of relief and not worry about what irresponsible students might bring into their local grocery store. 

The last of those to get the vaccine should be babies, then low-risk adults and children. Babies tend to have a weaker immune system so they should go first but low-risk adults and children should have strong immune systems that could generally handle the virus and don’t need the vaccine immediately. 

Of course, this is all my opinion and I do not actually know a lot of the data that Fayette county may base their vaccine distribution on, but this is my take what I have gathered. Until then, I hope that we continue to wash our hands, wear our masks, and socially distance. It truly is a scary time to be alive and living without a vaccine for a pandemic that has killed millions is devastating.

Pandemic Pop Culture in America and Foreign Countries

 United States

As a member of Gen Z, dealing with a global pandemic is the most intense thing that has ever happened to us. Many of us were born after 9/11 and we never had any major wars that impacted our lives on a noticeable basis. Many of us didn’t know how to deal with it and turned to our excessive use of social media to make the most out of the situation with humor. Memes and TikToks immediately took the world by hand and kept us in good spirits. Below are a few examples:

This meme alludes to the possible start of the virus - bats in china - and 

how its eventual impacts on the U.S.

This user had a hilarious take on the increasing workload of young Americans 

and the possible financial problems their generation might run into.

Violinists playing the song that the Titanic did while it 

sunk in a grocery store aisle without toilet paper.

One thing that really stuck out to me though was music. Several artists made songs about what we were going through and how we were feeling. Music has always been a huge coping mechanism for people during times of distress, so I really appreciated the quick work of musicians to make music that we could relate to so quickly. This song is “Level of Concern” by 21 Pilots:

Overall, I think that America did a really great job of keeping us connected with social media. There were endless creative ideas to showcase our support and make the most out of a bad time. We rallied together to find positivity and humor from the darkness.

Globally

Another shame was the cancelation of many beloved events across the world. Disney Parks were shut down globally, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo was postponed, and Edinburgh, Scotland had its annual festival canceled for the first time since it started after World War II. It was a great tragedy to see so many events canceled that gave the world so much joy. People began to cope with those disappointments the same way that many of us did in the U.S.: with social media. Soon, dalgona coffee, known more commonly here as whipped coffee, sprung up in South Korea as a trend and captured the world’s attention. It is a mixture of milk and frothy, heaving mixed coffee. Below is a tutorial of how to make it:

As spread apart as the world may be, we all unified as one during this time of need. We all shared giggles on TikTok regardless of what language the videos are in and shed a tear when our favorite events got canceled. As much as we may feel disconnected from those across the globe, we were all on social media as one to cope with the stress of living through a global pandemic.

Food Accessibility, Health, and Employment

 

Time and time again, this pandemic has shown the true meaning of sacrifice. Luckily, my family did not have to make major adjustments because of the pandemic, but I know many families who did. Roughly 10 months before the pandemic, my dad found a new job. He is a regional vice president of a storage facility company so most of his job is managing business, but it is also required of him to travel across the country to meet with store managers, check on properties, and occasionally scope out areas where new facilities can be built. Roughly ¾ of the job was working from home while ¼ was traveling. When Covid first hit, my family was ecstatic that my dad would now be working from home 100% of the time and not have to travel every other week. He still had plenty of work to keep himself busy and it was not a huge adjustment from what he had already been doing.

 Furthermore, not long before the pandemic, my mom took up a job as a medical receptionist at a doctor’s office. She and I continued to work as healthcare workers at the frontline, leaving home every day as we normally would. For her, she saw fewer patients and therefore had less work because doctor’s offices started utilizing Telehealth appointments as much as possible. For me, I saw a surge in prescriptions (many people taking advantage of an old hydroxychloroquine prescription that they still had a refill on and wanted to have on hand in the event that it could help cure the virus). I had more work than ever, but I also brought in more money than ever. So, at least for my family, unemployment was not an issue and we did not have to worry about being able to afford food or even some extra luxury items.

 Still, we did see a major change in diet. Immediately, extra time at home for the family meant extra eating. My little sister who absolutely loves cooking and baking enjoyed making meals for the family several days a week. Food was, in a way, comforting during this time of uncertainty. A hearty meal was something that we looked forward to and kept us hopeful. It was often boring lounging around home and not being able to leave. Sometimes to cure the boredom we would cook or bake just because it gave us something to do. We saw a shift to more foods with carbohydrates and I gained five pounds. Social media soon coined the term “quarantine 15” – a play on the phrase “freshman 15” to fit these times.

 However, as lucky as we were to live through the pandemic without ever worrying about where our next meal would come from, we weren’t always able to access everything that we wanted to at the grocery store. The first things to go were toilet paper (why???), hand soap, cleaning supplies, and paper towels. There was an every-man-for-himself mentality at the grocery store where people would often argue as to why they needed a roll of toilet paper more than the other person. Grocery stores put limits on how much we could buy a certain item each day. As the pandemic raged on, we soon saw flour and bread run out next. The baking aisle was always wiped out every time we went. Everything came back in stock fairly quickly and there were only a few times we had to change our choice of bread or bake something that didn’t require certain ingredients.

 As new cases starting declining and things were starting to look better, we began eating healthier, seeing stores have items in stock, and we were finally able to enjoy a meal at a restaurant. It was relieving to finally see life go back to somewhat normal. But now, as the weather is starting to cool and positive cases are going up, grocery stores are struggling to keep items in stock and food accessibility is once again beginning to dwindle.

 Only time will tell how the virus ends up impacting me and my health. Until then, enjoy your stock of toilet paper at the grocery store; you never know when you’ll have to fight someone for the last roll.