21 10 239 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Days of the Pandemic Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Description An account of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fall 2020 Archiving COVID-19 class, students and instructors Language A language of the resource English Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Can Eker Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Alara Demirag Location The location of the interview Istanbul, Turkey Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound An Oral History Interview with Alara Demirag Can Eker: Hello! I am here today with Alara Demirag, an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Department of Architecture. Today I will be asking her questions regarding her first days of the pandemic. Alara hello! Alara: Hello Can Eker: How are you? Alara Demirag: Good! thank you. Can Eker: Please tell me about your first days experiences. What did you think of when this outbreak started to circulate in the news what was your initial reaction? Alara Demirag: At first I didn't care that much. I assumed that it was going to be similar to a cold. I had a flight scheduled in mid-March and during the first week of March I had classes, and than afterwards things started to change as classes surprisingly became online. Can Eker: You mentioned to me that you took a flight from Toronto to Istanbul. Can you please tell me about your flight experience? How was it like? Please also tell us about the level of your paranoia. Alara Demirag: In general, I am an anxious person. When I first heard about the virus my parents called me and said "you need to come back to Turkey, you need to be with us. We will support you emotionally." I thought it would be better for me to stay here(Toronto) because there were less cases in Toronto. I was not sure what to expect in Turkey. My roommate said that she was going to go back and that I said to myself that I will go back as well. So we booked a flight with her immediately. First we had to find masks, so I went to the pharmacy but I was not able to find masks and than I asked my friend and she brought me a spare surgical mask and gave it to me. Can Eker: What about your experience in the airport prior to your departure and upon your arrival? Were you afraid to stand to close to other passengers with the fear of contracting a virus that was unknown to you at the time. Please tell us about your experience in both airports. Alara Demirag: I wore two masks to make it overprotective. One was a white surgical mask and the other was a black one. I disinfected my hands all the time with a pocket size hand sanitizer. Of course we had to eat something in the plane because it was a long fight. It was an 8-9 hour flight but I was paranoid. I didn't know what to do. Some people were coughing. I kept worrying over and over again. I started to meditate. Can Eker: Did you pray? Alara Demirag: I didn't but I meditated. I closed my eyes for 20 minutes and repeated it over and over again. I was scared because we were breathing the same air inside the plane and there were a-lot of people. Can Eker Now please tell me about what happened when you came home. Did you stay home? Were you following the advices that the tv channels were giving you? Did you step out? If so what was your reaction to seeing people with surgical masks? Alara Demirag: So my flight was in March 12, in the next day there was a flight to Istanbul but the thing is the government announced the 14-day quarantine rule. New arrivers had to isolate themselves. I did not come across to that situation because I was lucky enough to arrive a day early than the enacted rule. There was a direct message sent to my phone which explained that it would be best to isolate myself for at least a week. When I arrived home I was trying to stay distant from my parents. I tried the best. The next day, when I heard about my friends experience I was scared. She was taken in for quarantine. Can Eker: I want to know about your view on how the government responded to this situation. When you were in Canada how did your government take actions to battle agains this virus? How would you compare that to the actions that the government of Turkey made? What are some of the similarities and differences? Alara Demirag: In Canada they closed the borders. Canada wanted its traveling citizens to return home immediately so that they were well protected. Canada wanted its citizens to stay safe. The isolation period was longer in Canada. Everything went online as the Canadian government acted faster to tackle the coronavirus. Can Eker How did the virus effect your studies? Was the virtual education helpful to you? Was it non-efficient when compared to actual in person learning? What are your observations? Alara Demirag: It is my last term before graduation. So I said I can get over it. As classes are remote, it can definitely be an advantage for me. I was more worried about the severity of the virus as I kept thinking about it. Online learning was easier for me because everything was prepared in my computer. However, if I wanted to talk with my professor it was hard. I also had difficulties communicating with my friends. Can Eker: Tell me about your research. When you first started to hear about this virus. Where did you consult the information from and also what were the first things you heard about this virus Alara Demirag: So I talked with my family doctor. She is a very nice lady and she attends tv shows regularly. She is deeply concerned with the emotional effects of the virus. When I talked with her she said that this virus is genetically coded. First it effects the sinus area. It than effects the way you breathe as it becomes harder. Its important to maintain a string immune system. I was always talking with her . She said that the media makes a major deal about it. Can Eker: I want to ask you about the misperceptions that you might have had regarding the virus. Obviously when the news were initially circulating about this virus there were also rumors and untrue statements about the virus. What did you think? What expectations did you have from the virus depending on what you heard from other people and news? Alara Demirag: There were a lot of misperceptions. It seemed like a conspiracy theory. I was not sure. I started to care about my health more. There were even rumors claiming that Bill Gates started the virus. There was another rumor in which the virus was purposefully created to decrease the excessive population and it was a project of major countries. Can Eker: With all honesty, I want to know if you were more cautious to the virus in your initial phases or now, as you know more about the virus, and its deadly effects. Alara Demirag. Before as I said I was not cautious about the virus. I panicked after places started to close. Now I am more stressed. Because I am more aware of the health defects. A lot of information about the symptoms are clear. Can Eker: Alara I want to thank you for the interview and I hope you stay safe. Alara Demirag: You too! stay safe as well. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Interview with Alara Demirag, an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Description An account of the resource Alara Demirag is an undergraduate student in the architectural department of the University of Toronto. I interviewed her on October 2, via phone. She was in her internship office, and I was visiting her. I verbally asked her questions to which she answered rapidly. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Can Eker Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Days of the Pandemic Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Description An account of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fall 2020 Archiving COVID-19 class, students and instructors Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Small Business: Downtown Jersey City Italian Restaurant On, Wednesday, September 23rd, I met with Elena Cartagena, owner of an Italian restaurant located in downtown Jersey City. We met for lunch at another local restaurant, DOMODOMO. Sushi is her favorite, and I decide it’s worth checking out based on her review. I’ve known Elena since the fourth grade. Life has taken many twists and turns since then. Although we’ve compared notes throughout the pandemic, I’ve asked her to share her experience as a restaurant owner during the first days of the pandemic. To start, her primary concern is exposing her mother, a senior citizen, with whom she shares a multi-family home. She explains that they each have a floor. But, on top of age considerations, her mother was healing from a recent surgery in the early days of the pandemic. The week of Sunday, March 8th is a rough one. Although she recently bought a liquor license, she can’t use it. “I found out from my lawyer that my neighbor, the Jehovah Witness temple, still hadn’t signed off.” She can’t serve alcohol until they respond. According to Elena, New Jersey requires establishments to seek out permission to serve alcohol from their immediate non-competitor neighbors. The restaurant has been a BYOB (“bring your own booze”) spot since it opened for dine-in service in Fall 2015. Despite encroachment of two well-funded Italian restaurants with bar service, traffic was steady. The fresh pasta counter and dinner service sustained the business. But serving alcohol would position the restaurant to attract more customers and better profit margins. So, when a liquor license became available for purchase last winter, she and her sister collaborated to purchase it – the equivalent of a house mortgage. But, by Friday, March 13th, the impending nationwide shutdown had significant consequences. “Means, we never got a chance to even make money with it AND we don’t know if or when we will. It’s a big investment and we don’t know what’s going to happen next.” The official declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic is a hard pivot point for all public-facing enterprises. According to Wired contributor, Joe Ray, by late March even wealthy restaurateurs worried about shuttered doors: Across the country, restaurant sales took a nosedive. Shifts were shortened, and then cut. And then the layoffs and closings began, each day bringing a new disaster. Tom Douglas, one of Seattle's best-known chefs, temporarily shut 12 of his 13 restaurants in the city and laid off almost all his staff. New York restaurateur Danny Meyer laid off 80 percent of his workers at his Union Square Hospitality Group in New York. After a March 17 White House meeting with representatives of national chains like Domino's and McDonald's, which largely ignored independent restaurant owners, Momofuku chef David Chang tweeted "We are so fucked." [1] Restaurants scrambled to adapt to legal restrictions while patrons disappeared. No diners, no income. Initially, patrons were reluctant to venture out for pick-up or to trust delivery. Remember, at this point, people are circulating videos about washing hands and disinfecting groceries. Although she had previous contracts with UberEats and DoorDash, these online apps ate up significant profits. For this reason, this restaurant, like so many others, depended on dine-in service. For example, on our ride-along tour of downtown restaurants, Elena points out an expensive steakhouse with a large dining room: “Their whole setup is designed to attract people to sit down, inside! There is no outdoor patio – they can’t even improvise one [the sidewalk is too narrow]. Plus, their clientele is not paying those prices to sit on a parklet.” Likewise, Elena uses the steakhouse to illustrate the main reason why she thinks her restaurant has survived: adaptability. Still, adaptability is expensive. She tells me that Sunday, March 15th was the last day for dine-in service. That was the last day for all but one of her staff – the chef! Although Elena cut down overhead costs, her confidence in the future was shaken by the massive layoff. Similarly, two Washington, D.C. restaurateurs described their experience firing staff this way: "Trying to explain to your staff that they have to be laid off is like something that you feel in your heart,” Vázquez-Ger said. Limardo, meanwhile, called it “probably the worst day of my life." [2] Of those first few days, Elena was also afraid of concentrated exposure as she managed the shift to order pick-ups by customers and delivery drivers (UberEats / DoorDash). I mention to Elena reports [3] of diners not tipping, being rude, or leaving nasty reviews – all behaviors noted for their lack of grace, patience, and empathy during a pandemic. She responds by adding, “Yea, I’m sure the isolation doesn’t help. People forget they’re dealing with real humans – not autobots.” [4] [1] Joe Ray, “While Many Restaurants Struggle, Here’s How One Is Thriving,” Wired, March 24, 2020, accessed September 30, 2020, https://www.wired.com/story/restaurants-struggling-pandemic-eric-rivera-addo/ [2] Anneke Ball and Amelia Kosciulek, “40% of restaurants have closed because of the coronavirus – but one DC hotspot managed to turn a profit and rehire its staff,” Business Insider, April 24, 2020, accessed September 30, 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/washington-dc-restaurant-seven-reasons-delivery-takeout-2020-4 [3] Jessica Cater, “Working in restaurants after lockdown is a living hell,” Wired: UK, September 6, 2020, accessed September 30, 2020, https://www.wired.co.uk/article/restaurants-eat-out-scheme-coronavirus [4] Autobots makes reference to the animated cartoon series turned live-action blockbuster movie, Transformers. Further, autobots are robots from another planet. They represent the “good guys” that come to Earth to save the humans from the aggressive takeover by the bad robots, Decepticons. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Small Business: Downtown Jersey City Italian Restaurant Subject The topic of the resource Business Description An account of the resource Operating a small business, a restaurant, during a pandemic Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource A. Paprika Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Wednesday, September 23, 2020 economy food New Jersey Oral History restaurant Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Days Records from Rutgers Students and Instructor Subject The topic of the resource Material Related to the experiences of students and their professor during the Early Days of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly in March 2020. Description An account of the resource Material Related to the experiences of students and their professor during the Early Days of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly in March 2020. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Today, Tuesday, March 10th The threat of Covid-19 has landed. My Supervisor at the art gallery in Newark directed me to cancel all upcoming public programs. This means it’s officially a crisis, and I have no groceries in my apartment. I usually shop on Thursdays. But, I’m hearing reports of crowded stores and panic shopping. So, I’ve gotta go TONIGHT, after work – which is the worst time to shop in a crisis. Otherwise, shopping in a densely populated city is ideal between 8pm-10pm. My experience bunkering in South Florida during multiple hurricane seasons taught me how to weather the storm. In my mind, we’ll be okay as long as this virus isn’t airborne and the electrical grid stays in tact. I’m tired before I even leave the office. Because I rely on mass-transit, I know this is gonna be a long night in Jersey City. I only have three days to find everything I need for quarantine. Friday needs to be my last day out and about. So, if I don’t find supplies tonight at least I’ll have three more days to try. This way, I’ll have ample opportunity to visit numerous stores in several neighborhoods before the end of the week. My first stop is the herbal teashop in my neighborhood to stock up on tea, raw honey, and herbs for immune support. The chatter in here is dense as the naturalists debate the benefits of elderberry syrup versus oregano oil to stave off or quickly recover from a virus. My second stop is the pharmacy: 8:27PM. When I talked to Papa earlier in the day, he said he was all set for quarantine – he just needed to pickup his prescriptions. I volunteered. I hadn't stopped by this past weekend for my weekly visit. I was busy working on a project. I want Papa to know that I’ve got his back. There’s already speculation his demographic is especially vulnerable. He lives in a senior citizen building. Not sure if they will impose a no-visitor rule like in New York City. Either way, with the impending nationwide lockdown, I have the vague notion that I won’t see him for a while. My third stop is Shop-Rite supermarket to stock up on red lentils. I just need two bags to get me through four weeks. But, the bean aisle has been raided. Uh-oh… This first warning-signal registers. Beans are the cornerstone of my strategy. This aisle is always fully loaded. This means non-vegetarians are preparing to part with their Standard American Diet (SAD). Next stop, BJ’s Wholesale Shopping Club next door. Although I usually shop for groceries once per week, I’m planning for fourteen days. The gallery is telling staff to prepare to work from home for two weeks. If that’s the case, I don’t want to deal with leaving my apartment at all for that time too. Even though BJ’s inventory is still recovering from the routine weekend shoppers, I’m still optimistic that I can find the staples around the perimeter. Nope! These shelves have been raided too. Now, like Whoopi Goldberg’s character Oda Mae told Sam’s girlfriend in Ghost (1990): “Molly, you in danger girl…” Gotta leave here with something. New strategy: 4 bags/ 16 pounds of frozen vegetables, 2 bags/ 10 pounds of apples, 2 containers/ 2 pounds of Planter’s Pecan Lovers Mix nuts. Not confident these perishables are gonna hold me over for two weeks. Check Out: 9:33pm. This place is deserted… in every way. I walk 8 minutes to my last bus stop for the night. Made it just in time for the NJTransit #80 pickup at 9:45pm. I wrestle with my heavy bulky bags down the center aisle to the back row so I can spread out and not share airspace. Free-floating funky aromas predate Dr. Fauci’s social distancing advice. It takes 25 minutes to ride 1.2 miles. I’m home before 10:30pm. Exhausted. But, the search for red lentils and other non-perishables continues tomorrow… Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Round & Round I Go… Subject The topic of the resource Personal account of the first day of the official COVID-19 pandemic. Description An account of the resource A short, personal account of first day of official COVID-19 pandemic Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource A. Paprika Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource essay Language A language of the resource English food Medicine New Jersey pharmacy shortages Travel Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Nicole Arena Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Paula A. Location The location of the interview Over the phone Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound <p><em>The following is an interview in which I ask my grandmother, Paula A, about her experience during her first days of the pandemic. My grandmother is in her late 70’s, and has been to the hospital during this pandemic (not covid-19), as well as lived during the time of the AIDS/HIV epidemic. The interview took place over a phone call, in the beginning of October. I, Nicole Arena, am indicated by the non-italicized portions and my grandmother is indicated by the italicized below. </em></p> <p> </p> <p>Hi Gigi!</p> <p><em>Hi Nik, how are you?</em></p> <p>Good, how are you?</p> <p><em>I’m good.</em></p> <p>Okay, so first off I just to need to get your consent for the interview. Do you give consent to be interviewed for inclusion in an online archive, including Rutgers Libraries and, possibly, the Humanities Action Lab?</p> <p><em>Yes, you have my permission</em>.</p> <p>Okay, good. Well, actually, I just realized that because this is over the phone and not in person I’m not getting, like, a physical signature. You know what, just to be safe I am going to-can you write it out on a piece of paper and then sign it and send me a picture just so I have it?</p> <p><em>Yes, that’s fine. I can do that. </em></p> <p>Okay, thanks. So for when I write the interview up, how do you want to be identified? You can do your full name, first name only…whatever you’re comfortable with.</p> <p><em>Paula A. Paula A is good</em>.</p> <p>Okay. Paula A. So, I want to ask you about your very first days of the pandemic, around the time the World Health Organization announced officially that this was a pandemic. This was March 11^th. So, I was wondering if you knew what you were doing around then, give or take a few days? I know it was a long time ago, but is there anything that stands out to you around that time about what you were doing? Maybe you remember going to the store for something, or just generally remembering watching the news a lot, anything you remember?  It’s okay if you don’t remember exactly what you were physically doing too much.</p> <p><em>Well…I do remember watching CNN quite a bit and keeping up with the latest news about what was happening in New York. Did it concern me? Not too much about it becoming widespread in the United States. It really did not concern me too much in the beginning, because I figured we’re in America, and we can get most things under control. We have great medicine, doctors, and we’d know how to control things. I thought we’d do much better than other countries. </em></p> <p>Do you remember how you were feeling when you heard that this was a global pandemic? Were you anxious, scared, or didn’t really give it much thought?</p> <p><em>Not at the very beginning. I wasn’t too much concerned in the beginning. </em></p> <p>Did you think at the time that it would be as large scale as it has become?</p> <p><em>No, I did not think it was going to be this large scale. When I really became concerned was in the middle of march when Jen (her daughter) told me Rutgers was going to go online. Then I really changed my mind and I became very concerned. It (my concern) progressed very rapidly. When I heard that I thought wow, this is very serious, because school never closes down. And the churches. Never in my lifetime did church close, so that was, you know, really big. And that was in the middle of March, so it progressed rapidly. </em></p> <p>You made homemade masks during the pandemic. How early on did you make them, and why? Did someone tell you to make them, did you hear the news saying they should be made, or did you just make them to be safe?</p> <p><em>I heard on tv that there was a shortage of masks for healthcare workers, so I donated material and elastic, because I was a seamstress and had the materials, to an organization that made masks for healthcare workers. Then, at the very beginning, they were telling the public that we did not need to be concerned, but then I thought, “Well I can sew, so I’ll make for some for myself and my family also just to be on the safe side.”</em></p> <p>Do you remember when you actually started making the masks?</p> <p><em>Oh yeah, it was really pretty early on, in March. I donated as soon as I heard about the shortage and then I started making them for my family, the homemade masks. I made them even though they had fairies and flamingos on the material (laughs). I still thought it would be better than nothing. </em></p> <p>I actually uploaded a picture of the mask you made me to the website we’re using for class last Tuesday! The woman helping us learn about the website asked me about it, and I told her mine was really girly with fairies.</p> <p><em>Oh how funny! You know I was actually thinking about this the other day after I had my dream. I was thinking you know you only have that one mask that I made you, and you need another one. So next time you come over you take another one as a backup, alright?</em></p> <p>Well I mostly wear this one and just wash it, but Thank you! Um, speaking of masks, what do you think about people who refuse to wear masks in public?</p> <p><em>You know. I should have mentioned this before. This was actually another one of my big concerns at the beginning. When I realized the severity of the pandemic, and the fact that our president downplayed it, it was a big force of anger for me! Wait, I’m sorry, what was your question again? </em></p> <p>That’s okay. I just asked how you felt about those who refuse to wear masks in public.</p> <p><em>Selfish, starting from our president down. I think they are self-centered and have total disregard for other people. They should have more consideration for other people. Truthfully, I think they are ignorant of reality. </em></p> <p>Mmm, Yes. Okay, so next question. Kind of a longer one. When the WHO announced we were in a pandemic, what was your sense of government response? Did you think they were not cautious enough? Too cautious? How do you think the government has handled the pandemic up until this point?</p> <p><em>Federal or state? Well, for state I think the Governor handles it very well, because he follows scientific guidelines and the recommendations of the CDC. And New York too. Federal government though handled it so poorly, and with total disregard to the scientific recommendations of the CDC. That’s the distinction between the two. I had the news on and listened to reports from Governor Cuomo and Murphy every day in the beginning, because they followed scientific guidelines. But I totally disregarded the President, except when Dr. Fauci was on. Then I would watch. </em></p> <p> </p> <p>Right. So, you experienced the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 80’s. Do you recall the beginning of that epidemic, and how you felt? Was it similar to how you felt in March, or did one or the other have more of a sense of urgency than the other?</p> <p><em>This pandemic had more of a sense of urgency, because covid affects every single human being. I considered my family and myself safe during the AIDS epidemic, because we were not candidates for AIDS at that point. This pandemic now involves the whole population, whereas AIDS was a targeted population. When I heard about this pandemic, it had a much greater impact… Although I did have compassion for people suffering with AIDS, and it was definitely worrisome… but not as much as this one. </em></p> <p> </p> <p>Okay, so you’re a part of the age group that’s more susceptible to the coronavirus. How has this impacted your experience with the pandemic? Do you think you’re more cautious than others because of this? Do you think you have a little bit more worry than other people?</p> <p><em>Well…uh… I don’t know how to answer that. I’m not as cautious as my daughter, even though she is younger than me and I’m older and was hospitalized because I had a fever and couldn’t breathe in early June. They said it wasn’t covid. I’m not as cautious as the two people that live with me, my son and daughter. I mean I am cautious, but not as cautious as they are. I don’t know, it’s for some reason I’m just not as worried as they are…and they’re very cautious so I know they won’t bring it into the house. Maybe if they were going out or going to parties or went here and there maybe I’d be more worried then, but I am just not that worried about myself. I also don’t go out myself. I do have worries about others though. Like people who are going to school, and young people who need to socialize, and those who go to work like Joey (my brother, her grandson), you know the essential workers, and healthcare workers. I’m more concerned about them than myself. </em></p> <p> </p> <p>You were in the hospital over the summer. Can you tell me how that experience was? What did you go there for, what was the atmosphere/ general feeling in the hospital? How long were you there? Were you scared you had covid-19, or scared in general?</p> <p><em>I thought I could have covid, because it had been years since I had a fever and I did have trouble breathing… even though I tested negative for covid. I felt I had excellent care in the hospital and that I was really was getting the best care. The atmosphere- well to tell you the truth… it was like a morgue. Nobody was there, the halls were all empty because there were no visitors allowed, and I think there were not too many covid patients in the hospital at that time. That was in early June. It was actually very scary at one point, because for one day and one night I couldn’t breathe. I was in the ICU on oxygen then, and that’s when I got worried-when they transported me to the ICU unit. Fortunately, I recovered quickly. The doctors say it was a miracle. They still don’t know what it was. </em></p> <p>I thought they said you had pneumonia?</p> <p><em>Yes, I did. But they don’t know what caused the pneumonia or what brough it on. It really came on very quickly, but I was out in seven days. </em></p> <p> </p> <p>Do you know anyone who has passed or been affected by covid-19, and what were your feelings when you heard about it?</p> <p><em>Your Dad’s friend Gary. He suffered for more than thirty days before he passed, and we got daily updates on his progress. Daddy was very concerned. And then the man down the block your Dad spoke to. He passed away in one weeks time. When I heard that, I thought it was really getting close to home. And now Jason (grandson, nineteen years old) has the coronavirus. I was sort of not surprised, because I understand how young people, especially with the summer and being cooped up in the house for so long, wanting to get out and hang out with friends and everything. I wasn’t really that concerned in the beginning of the pandemic about younger people. I still worried about it then, but when I heard covid was really starting to spread around to younger people I got concerned. Jason was hanging out with his friends, so I wasn’t that surprised when he got it. Still, I’m not as concerned, because they say the strain going around now is not as virulent as the strain in the beginning of the pandemic. And younger people have a much stronger constitution, so I’m not as worried about younger people than I am older people… They say the strain is not as potent. That’s why I think the president might have a strong constitution and the strain that he has is not as potent. I have a feeling he’ll recover, but I do have doubts. There are lasting effects for people who have had the virus, even if they had a mild case. If he continues to be our president, I find that very worrisome because I don’t think he’s that brilliant and we don’t know the lasting effects of the virus. I’m concerned about the future of the country for that reason and many other reasons than the president; our economy, people’s jobs, young people in school and the psychological impact-it’s horrible. The lasting effects of covid-19 are almost as worrisome as the disease itself. </em></p> <p> </p> <p>Well, I don’t think I have any other questions. Is there anything that we haven’t talked about that you want to share about your experience or your thoughts on anything that relates to the pandemic?</p> <p><em>I don’t think so, except for I consider myself very fortunate, especially that I still get to see and spend time with our family. Our family is VERY cautious, but we still are able to get together-we wear masks and social distance as much as possible. This is on a personal level. On a broader level, my big concern is the fallout effects of the disease itself, the effect on society and the economy…This is a big, big, big, big worry. Where is this all headed to? And, I don’t know when are we going to see level ground. I think it’ll take years for things to get back to normal, and it’s going a be a new normal, a different normal…and I have no idea what it’ll be and I don’t think anyone has any idea what it’ll be. </em></p> Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Word Document Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Interview with Paula A. Description An account of the resource The following is an interview in which I ask my grandmother, Paula A, about her experience during her first days of the pandemic. My grandmother is in her late 70’s, and has been to the hospital during this pandemic (not covid-19), as well as lived during the time of the AIDS/HIV epidemic. The interview took place over a phone call, in the beginning of October. I, Nicole Arena, am indicated by the non-italicized portions and my grandmother is indicated by the italicized below. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nicole Arena Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paula A. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Nicole Arena Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Early October 2020 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Paula A. has given permission to be interviewed and published in this archive verbally and through a handwritten note. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Interview First Days homemade hospital Mask Media New Jersey New York City PPEs Trump WHO Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Days Records from Rutgers Students and Instructor Subject The topic of the resource Material Related to the experiences of students and their professor during the Early Days of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly in March 2020. Description An account of the resource Material Related to the experiences of students and their professor during the Early Days of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly in March 2020. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Wednesday, March 11, 2020 My Wednesday’s this semester are always super busy, so like any other Wednesday morning I roll out of bed half asleep and start getting ready for my day. Yesterday we got the email from President Barchi that classes at Rutgers would be cancelled due to covid-19 risks starting tomorrow and through spring break, which ends on March 22nd. Honestly, we have hit the point in the semester where I am exhausted all the time, so I do not mind having an extra two days of break. All I need to do is show up today, and then hopefully I can relax a little bit. I woke up ten minutes before I had to leave to be able to avoid the heavy morning Newark traffic and to make it to my 8:30 A.M. Genetics class on time. I was rushing, so I threw on some blue jeans and a sweater, grabbed a Belvita breakfast bar, and ran out the door. I had an assessment during first period, and then immediately after I had my Literature and Medicine class at 10 A.M. My professor made class optional today for people who did not feel comfortable going to class with the virus risk, and there were not many people in class. We did have a paper due, however our professor told us we could submit the work remotely at a later date as our safety and well-being were more important than a deadline. President Barchi also stated in his email that from March 23rd to April 3rd we would be doing classes from home or remotely. In class we went over an updated syllabus and what the upcoming weeks of remote schooling would be like. I feel very grateful that my professor is so understanding, and I feel relieved that she is willing to work with my class given that we are trying to transition from in person to online learning, at least until the beginning of April. I know that remote learning is not what many teachers or students are used to, so I am interested to see how this is all going to work out. I also feel bad for professors who are old school and do not really use technology that much. Our professor asked us if there was anything we wanted to talk about or if we were having any anxieties during this time. Honestly, I was not really worried that much. Professors kept asking if we were fearful, and some people had such grim looks on their faces. I do not know why, but this virus is just not really worrying me. I commute, so I had not thought about this, but a couple of students in my class live on campus and were frustrated that they had to leave campus so quickly. The email stating that those in the residence halls should leave within a couple days came out yesterday, and many were stressed that they needed to leave on such short notice. They did not know if they should take all of their belongings with them, or even how they were going to get their things home as some did not have cars as well as other family members might not be able to help them move due to work. My cousin goes to a different university and dorms out of state, and it made me think about the complications for other students who might be living out of state. I think if I were in this situation I would be frustrated too. After my Literature and Medicine class, I had a meeting for a course I was taking in the Honors College at 11:30 A.M. The course helped students come up with a topic for a senior thesis project, and I ended up changing my topic so that now it would relate to covid-19. I thought it would be interesting to focus on a subject that was affecting people very presently. The meeting was short, and I had time before my next class. Being that I had time to spare and was recommended a book for my potential thesis topic, I went to the library and checked it out. I still had some time, so I went to the History Department where I work. During work I went to the bathroom, and someone did not wash their hands! I was so grossed out! It is nasty to not wash your hands after using the bathroom in the first place, but it makes it even worse that there is a virus spreading! I could not even tell them to wash their hands because they left the bathroom as soon as I was stepping out of the stall. People really are unbelievable sometimes. I made sure to Lysol many of the surfaces in the office. At 12:55 P.M. I headed to my 1 P.M. Physics class. My instructor informed us that the Physics Department was working hard on coming up with a plan for remote learning, and that she would be giving us specific instructions next week. She gave us advice on not touching our faces, washing hands frequently, and following the CDC’s guidelines. Also, she told us she would miss us and that she was going to try her very best to make remote schooling interactive as possible so that we would still be learning. I was grateful for her understanding as well, and I was thinking about the extra risks posed to her as she was pregnant. She seemed calm, but I imagine now that this time might have been stressful for women who were pregnant. When class was finished I was going to leave Rutgers, but my sister was coming to campus for her 4 P.M. class and wanted to take my parking spot. Being that Rutgers-Newark is a city school and is made up of a majority of commuters, parking is essentially never available. I leave my house hours before my classes to be able to get a parking spot, so I understood my sister wanting me to wait. To kill some time, I went to the Starbucks on campus and ordered myself an iced tea and her a caramel macchiato. I had a nice conversation with the barista, and then waited in my car until my sister came to the parking lot. After talking to my sister a little bit, I drove home and relaxed. I was getting a snack to eat, and I realized we had so much food in the house! My aunt was going on about stocking up on groceries just in case. I personally thought she was being a bit batty, but I was glad I had tons of options for my snack. I was so glad the week was over, and I was excited to have some time to sleep and see my friends and family over break. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Not Concerned Subject The topic of the resource Personal Account of March 11, 2020, the day the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic Description An account of the resource The World Health Organization announced on March 11, 2020 that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. The following is an account of what I was doing, thinking, and feeling on that day. My opinions and actions currently are drastically different from this day, because I, like many others I am sure, did not anticipate how serious, fatal, and devastating covid-19 would prove to be. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nicole Arena Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Nicole Arena Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Nicole Arena Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 11, 2020 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nicole Arena Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource I own this document and allow it to be used freely in this archive. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text converted from a word document Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Personal Narrative Account college First Days handwashing Newark Rutgers WHO https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/244c79729f0940ae769358c305302a52.m4a 428ed22e0f64dbecb29d145c72095585 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Working From Home Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19, Home Life, Professional Life Description An account of the resource Oral history accounts of the experiences of transitioning from a traditional work environment to working from home. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Donald Koger Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rutgers University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall Semester, 2020 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Language A language of the resource English Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Donald Koger Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Wanda Koger Location The location of the interview Piscataway, New Jersey Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound <p>An Oral History Interview</p> <p>With Wanda Koger</p> <p>Interviewed by Donald Koger</p> <p>3 October, 2020</p> <p>Piscataway, New Jersey</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Wanda Koger is a 62 year old resident of Piscataway, New Jersey.  She lives with her husband, her younger son, and two of her nephews.  On October 3^rd, 2020, she was interviewed by her younger son, Donald Koger to document her memories of the days surrounding the March 11, 2020 declaration by the World Health Organization that COVID-19 had become a pandemic.</em></p> <p> </p> <p>Donald Koger:  Today is October 3^rd, 2020 and my name is Donald Koger.  This begins an Oral History Interview with.</p> <p>Wanda Koger:  Wanda Koger.</p> <p>DK:  Do we have your permission, first of all, to record this conversation?</p> <p>WK:  Yes, you do.</p> <p>DK:  I am going to use the contents of this interview for a class on documenting the [COVID-19] epidemic.  Beyond that, I would like it to be your donation to the library for their safekeeping and maybe future scholars might use it.  I would like to make sure you’re okay with making this donation of the information from your oral history.</p> <p>WK:  Yes, yes I agree to that.</p> <p>DK:  Okay.  So we are going to record our conversation today and then I’m going to type up a transcript and then that will be put in the library going forward.</p> <p>WK:  Okay.</p> <p>DK:  I’d like to talk to you about the COVID-19 Pandemic which has been going for some time now.  The World Health Organization officially [declared] the pandemic on March 11^th, [2020].  Living in New Jersey, I’d like to hear about what your experiences were.  What do you remember first about the pandemic?</p> <p>WK:  I guess just hearing about how it was affecting everything.  In the beginning, some places were starting to close down.  You heard that it came from China.  I think as far as letting the public know what was going on, they misled us or whatever.  My feeling in the beginning was that this was going to get worse.  It wasn’t going to just stay here for a little bit and go away.  That it was just going to spread and get worse and worse.  As far as my thinking, that it was going to last possibly up to a year.  The way that it was spreading, and things were up in the air whether or not, at that point, rumors that things were [going to be] closing down, companies [would be] having people work from home.  So, it was just like the beginning of things starting [to get ready] to shut down.</p> <p>DK:  Did you feel, at the time, that you were being intentionally mis-led or do you think that people just weren’t sure what was going on?</p> <p>WK:  Well, I don’t know.  Maybe they weren’t just saying certain things so that people wouldn’t panic.  They really had the brains to know that China was lying to them and things were way worse than what they said they were.  You’re hoping maybe they were more on trying to keep people calmer than actually not knowing, or blindly believing some of these other countries were saying about things that were going on;  that there’s no way to verify exactly what was going on in their country and now it was spreading all over.</p> <p>DK:  What are some of the things that you felt changed right away?</p> <p>WK:  I guess maybe I’m a little bit luckier than some other people.  I happen to be retired.  So, as far as things starting to close down: stores, bars, and people working from home and all that, it didn’t have that much of an impact on me in the beginning.  The main thing was grocery shopping, food shopping.  That’s something that you had to do.  Otherwise, it’s not like I had to go anywhere.  You do have to get the food, so that’s maybe in the beginning, something that changed.  It wasn’t like “oh gee, I’m out of milk, let me run over and get milk.”  Sometimes, you go to the store to get milk and bread and you come home and you forgot the bread.  So you turn round and go right back.  Now that this is starting, things like that were not, … you just couldn’t do that.  You weren’t really that comfortable doing that.  You had to make sure that you had your list and you were going to get everything that you needed at one time.</p> <p>DK:  So it sounds like you were trying to limit the number of trips that you made to the store.</p> <p>WK:  Yes.  Even as far as myself limiting and the whole family at that point started to curtail activities.  You know, going here or there.  And then even starting to question at that point, “gee, you’re invited to this function and it’s a very good friend of yours and you want to go but you’re like do I go, do I not go?  What’s going on here?”  Deciding “at this point I’ll go, but I just wont stand near anybody and I won’t shake anybody’s hand or give them a hug or anything else.  I’ll just stay away from them and that should keep me safe.”</p> <p>DK:  So, you were spending more time in the house?</p> <p>WK:  Yes, spending more time in the house.  Everyone else in the house at that point started staying home more.</p> <p>DK:  How many bodies are in your household?</p> <p>WK:  At the beginning, we had four of us in the household. </p> <p>DK:  I assume that some of them were spending more time outside of the house, working, going to social things?</p> <p>WK:  Yes. [interposed].</p> <p>DK:  Did that change quickly?</p> <p>WK:  I want to say. …  It’s kind of hard to remember the beginning, because it was so long ago and the new norm has been everything locked down, everybody home for such a long time.  It’s hard to remember exactly when that started, but I think in the beginning, people started staying home more.  My husband was starting to work from home and so that kind of had more of an impact than with the schools closing.  My husband working from had an impact on my daily life because I was so used to being home alone and you could blast your music all you wanted all day long and you just had the house to yourself.  Now, all of the sudden, you have two other people there that have to have some type of a quiet, they’re working.  The conference calls still go on, they still need to have their business meetings.  Life didn’t stop, it just kind of adjusted.</p> <p>DK:  What’s that like?  To go from having the house just between you and the dogs all day, to now, having working adults in the house trying to create mini office spaces?  What was that like?</p> <p>WK:  In the beginning, my husband used the kitchen table.  That only lasted for like a day or so, and then I kicked him upstairs, up to our bedroom to use as an office.  Because down here, I couldn’t have the TV on, you couldn’t vacuum, you couldn’t do the dishes, you couldn’t do the wash, he’s trying to concentrate and trying to work, trying to have business meetings.  I have this whole great big house that now I can just sit, because there’s two other people here that are in spaces that are more open, that are trying to do their stuff.  So, it was a bit of a change.</p> <p>DK:  How did your grocery buying habits change?  Did you take advantage of any online shopping?</p> <p>WK:  It changed.  I would say, it changed dramatically.  Before, you would just go to the store.  If you had to go two or three times a week, no big deal.  If you needed to go, you just went.  Now, in the beginning, I was a little bit more leery.  Some of the stores offered senior hours.  Or if they didn’t, I would go right in the morning at like 6 o’clock when they would open up and get your groceries there.  The stores had already started to put up the safety guards for the cashiers, some of them had the lines going down the aisles so everybody was going one way so you weren’t running into each other and in certain areas they spaces, especially checking out, they had things on the floor that would keep you six feet away from everybody else.  Then, finding that things just were not in the stores.  The first thing, of course, that went was the toilet paper.  Toilet paper and then all your paper products and your hand sanitizers, all of your cleaning things, anything that had bleach in it.  It just disappeared.  You’d go down the aisle, they would be completely empty.  We were lucky in that case, as far as we did have some that we usually keep on a regular basis.  But still, wherever you could get it, you would go and get it.  Even if you got a roll, that was fine.  We didn’t go to the point of trying to hoard it, if we did find some.  I would buy my one package and that would be it.  Even in the beginning, the hoarding with the toilet paper was something completely new.  Usually, in the past there’s a storm, there’s something going on, people go to the store and buy milk, eggs, and bread.  But this time, for some odd reason, people bought toilet paper.  You can do without milk, you can do without your eggs, your bread, but toilet paper is something that’s very essential.  You do need it.  So hoarding of that started right in the beginning.</p> <p>Then, using the online, I’m not computer savvy.  I don’t shop online, I don’t understand it, I don’t like going through the apps and having to do all the little things that you have to do.   Scheduling, even in the beginning, it seemed like if you did find something and you got through a site you were able to order the things that you wanted, there were no delivery dates.  The delivery dates would be, for the whole month, they were gone.  So you had to find a store that actually had a date you could have delivered.  Or you wouldn’t even be able to go and pick it up.  So we did work with my son who lives about a half an hour away as far as as if he could get online get something, he would have my list and I would have his list just in case we were able to find things.  Then we would go over and you would drop the groceries on the doorstep and wave to the grandkids through the window because there was no physical contact.</p> <p>One of the things that changed too, right away, was if you did bring groceries home, or anything that came to the house, you wiped it down.  You had the sanitizing wipes and everything, everything got wiped down.  If a box came and it wasn’t perishable, you’d actually let the box sit there for a day or so.  And you’d even wipe the box down before you brough it in the house.  We started right away.  We went as far as we had a sign on the door:  “We have people with compromised immune systems, please do not knock on the door.  If you need to contact us please,” and we left a phone number there.  We started doing that.</p> <p>The social stopping didn’t start right from the beginning.  You still went some places, but you were starting to curtail, quickly, where you were going and what you were doing.  In the beginning, I know that I didn’t wear masks, not right in the beginning.  Even starting a little bit later on, at the end of the beginning, to get masks to be able to wear them, it was hard.  You could not find someplace that was selling them.  To order them online, it would take three to four weeks.  So, in the beginning, you saw some people wearing them and some people not wearing them.  In the beginning, it was like “okay, you don’t have one on, then I won’t stand next to you.”  Or, if you’d go to the grocery store and you were walking down the aisle and you see someone without a mask, I would turn around.  Or you’d go into a line and the cashier happened to have her mask down to her chin, even with the splash guard on, I would not go to her aisle.  Thinking that, “yeah I don’t have my mask on, but I am going to at least keep my distance.”</p> <p>DK:  You adopted physical distance from others even before the masks were normal?</p> <p>WK:  Yes.</p> <p>DK:  More personal space?</p> <p>WK:  Yes that was the first thing because that was the easiest thing to do.  You stay away from people.  They’ve always done the sneeze thing, how far your sneeze will go.  It was cheap, it was free.  Easily accessible, you just didn’t go near anybody and you didn’t touch anybody.  That was the first part of trying to protect yourself and other people.</p> <p>DK:  You mentioned that some products became harder and harder to get.  Was it gradual, or was it abrupt?</p> <p>WK:  The oddest thing, the toilet paper was abrupt.  Boom.  The toilet paper disappeared.</p> <p>DK:  You lived through a number of floods, so how would you compare?  In the early days of this, you saw that it was going to get worse.  How does that compare to when the floods happened?</p> <p>WK:  With the floods happening, that was surreal.  We have lived a couple of floods.  Your house was completely gutted.  You had the National Guard walking down your street giving out water, the area where you lived, you could only get in through [showing] ID.  In your area, it was like a little war zone there.  But you would go outside your area, like up over the hill and it was perfectly normal.  The world went on, everything as normal.  With this, in your little world, things have changed.  When you go outside your little world, they’re not better.  They’re the same.  It’s not like when you have a disaster like that, it’s more confined.  It’s happening in that area and it’s gonna affect that area.  When you have something like this, you can’t go someplace where it was “normal,” where you didn’t have the fear of standing too close to someone.</p> <p>DK:  Were there product shortages?</p> <p>WK:  In the beginning, the only product shortage, and I can only do this from a personal thing.  The only products, like the first couple weeks in March, were the toilet paper.</p> <p>DK:  I mean with the floods?</p> <p>WK:  With the floods, yes there were shortages.  There was, in my little town,  I remember they opened up the Drug Fair.  They really didn’t have everything going on there, so they would only let like five people go in the store at a time.  But, at the same time, if I wanted to,  I could get in my car and I could drive over to the next town or the next town that wasn’t affected by the flood and buy everything I wanted.  There wasn’t a shortage there.  It was more confined to the area, and of course this is just my experience, just confined to the area where there was the flooding that had happened.  It wasn’t like I couldn’t drive a half an hour or an hour and get whatever I wanted.  Everything was normal an hour away.  During this, it seems like it seems like it was all over.  It wasn’t necessarily confined to a certain area.  Every place was seeing, I think the whole United States’ toilet paper was bought out.  I don’t know who had it in their basement but somebody did.  [laughter]</p> <p>DK:  I still want to know where it all went.</p> <p>WK:  Yes, I want to know where it all went.  [laughter]</p> <p>DK:  What was the moment, if you can remember, where this became real to you?  Where it wasn’t just something on the news but it was, this is real; this is happening?</p> <p>WK:  In the beginning, of course my older son was like, for the protection of his children, we could go and see them through the window and wave.  No personal contact, which I totally understand because that’s your parental protective mode:  to protect your children by all means.  That was understandable and I was okay with that because he was doing something that I would have done to protect.  Everybody in our little household was not going anywhere, starting to realize and use safety measures.  I think what really started to make it real was when I started to get frustrated, to get angry.  [throat catch] It may sound like a little stupid thing, I guess it was my nephew.  He was in Job Corps courses in Pennsylvania and we had just dropped him off there in, I think it was January.  Now, this was going on in the beginning of March and it was like, you hear these things going on.  At this point, of course, things were starting to close down.  The rumors of things closing down.  It was like, well now, I have my nephew there and I can’t, you couldn’t protect him.  You would call, and it was the only thing that really kind of hit me because everything else you could protect, or was being protected.  But this was something that was out of my control, I would call the school and ask: “are you closing, are you closing?”  Not being able to go there and say “you need to come under my umbrella.”  To protect.</p> <p>This thing was just, you knew that it was just going to get worse, and I knew deep down inside that there was no way in hell that this was not going to affect younger people.  I mean, that was just a ridiculous idea.  Being that, of course the cell phone reception there was terrible, so it’s not like you could call.  They weren’t giving any information because they didn’t have any information.  Other schools closer to the 10^th, 11^th, whenever, were already starting to close.  So here, this was not closing.  So that I think was, maybe not when it hit me, because I knew that it was going to happen, I knew it was going to go on, but I kind of figured we would be okay, but then I had somebody that was outside that I had no way to protect.  I think that was what really made you kind of angry.</p> <p>DK:  Right, because your older son and his household, they can lock the doors.</p> <p>WK:  Well, I know that he will protect his family.  He will protect his children to the end.</p> <p>DK:  Your younger son lives with you.</p> <p>WK:  Yes.</p> <p>DK:  And you have one other nephew living with you.</p> <p>WK:  Yes.</p> <p>DK:  And your husband.  And you have another nephew who had lived with you before going to school.  And so, at this point, March 10^th Rutgers decides they’re going to start spring break a couple days early.  Your other newphew’s school had closed around the same time.  So your son is now home, your one nephew is home.  So you, your husband, your son and your nephew are in the house.  So then, this other nephew, who lived with you is now. …</p> <p>WK:  Back home.</p> <p>DK:  He’s still in school on March 10^th?</p> <p>WK:  Right, right.</p> <p>DK:  So, March 10, he’s still in school and the school is not?</p> <p>WK:  They haven’t decided and it was crazy as far as, even when they were having the news conferences and stuff and they couldn’t say “yes, we’re going to close Friday.”  A lot of times it seemed like, in the beginning, now I can’t remember exactly when they started closing everything down, but I know when they did start, it was like “oh, tomorrow we start homeschooling.”  There really wasn’t a lot of warning as far as closings go.  They were just, all of the sudden:  “Guess what, it’s happening tomorrow?”</p> <p>DK:  Right, so your nephew, only because I have notes here, I’m cheating.  Your older nephew, who had been living with you and was now at school.  Then March 15, they’re telling him “hey, we’re probably going to close.”  And then March 16, you get the phone call from him saying “hey, come get me.”</p> <p>WK:  Yes.</p> <p>DK:  So that’s jumping a little ahead.  We want to stay in the early days, I don’t want to get too far ahead.</p> <p>WK:  Going to pick him up, and it was really odd.  I don’t recall, even at that point as things were closing, that I was wearing a mask.  I can not really say that, I know that definitely way in the beginning I wasn’t.  I think that in the beginning, I wasn’t out going all over the place, just going to the store.  At that point, just trying to keep a distance from people.  It was also that the masks were not available.</p> <p>DK:  I remember the masks being really really hard to get.  Even when people wanted them.</p> <p>WK:  Yes.  You had to order them and wait three or four weeks for them to come in.  So, even in the beginning, if you wanted to use them, a lot of people used the bandanas or just t-shirts or whatever to cover your mouth and your nose.</p> <p>DK:  If you could go back and have Wanda Koger from March 1^st sitting across the table from you, what advice would you have?</p> <p>WK:  Prep.  Get your essentials.  Start making, cooking is not one my things.  I would rather go out to eat.  So it would be, start making your meal plans with the basics.  Like what we did with my other son, we combined doing some online ordering together to be able to get things.  Prep, it’s going to be a long haul.  I have to knock wood on this [thumping sound], I mean, I am so so luck as far as financially.  My husband wasn’t laid-off.  He had to work from home and we didn’t have to worry, as far as losing that money, but at the same time just prepping because it’s going to be a longer time than you think.  Take advantage of the time of everybody being home.  It did have a benefit as far as being everybody eating dinner at the same time, at the same table.</p> <p>DK:  Was that not something, you didn’t do normal dinners before?</p> <p>WK:  We did, but this was a little bit different than the every day because sometimes we didn’t . Sometimes people had things to do, they had projects, classes, whatever to go to.  Scattered.  Now it was more that, now we have game night because everybody is together all the time.  Definitely take advantage of the time with everybody being together.  I should’ve exercised more.  Get your household in order while you have the time and you don’t have to rush anywhere.  You don’t have to be out of the house at this certain time and then going to work and coming home.  You’re home for the whole day.  When you’re off work at that time, it’s not like you have a half an hour drive home.  You walk down the stairs and you’re out of your office.  Take advantage of that time.</p> <p>It’s [been] more cooking than I ever want to see done in a house again.  Of course, it’s my experience, being that I’m retired and not having to go anywhere and been retired for the last couple of years.  So, it didn’t affect me, the lockdown, as much as it did other people.</p> <p>DK:  Are there any other changes that you remember from the early days?  Obviously people were in the house more.</p> <p>WK:  Yes, which had its good points and its bad points.  Very annoying when you’ve got the house to yourself.  Not annoying, but it’s just you’re used to having your own routine of you get up in the morning and you do this or that and you want to blast your music or have the TV on.  Three or four TVS, you walk through every room and there’s a different channel on every TV.  When you’ve got people home that are doing classes from home or working from home, you have to be quiet.  Those changes and just not being able to go over, you can’t go see the grandkids.  You really can’t go visit people and it’s frustrating that people want to see you or meet up with you and they’re like “Oh, I’m not sick, you know.”  Or they get slightly annoyed at you for not wanting to meet up with them but it was like, it’s not worth it.  You may not, but I don’t know who you’ve seen.  Maybe you went to a birthday party, maybe you did this or that.  You’re just not going to be able to get together in person for these people.  You know, keep a distance.</p> <p>DK:  Is there anything else you’d like to add about your experience, in the early days of the pandemic?</p> <p>WK:  I hope I’ve covered everything.  The beginning was such a short time.  It just seemed that you heard about it, maybe a little bit in the end of January, February and then all of the sudden in March, boom.  Things are closing down.  The beginning was short-lived.  I guess, looking forward, I wish I was more organized as far as having things done and also being able to be more able to just use the computer.   Because when you’re in the lockdown, things like that, there is no going to the store.  You have to do everything online or if you’d like to talk to people and things, a lot of it is online.  With the grandkids, they would call with the Facetime.  Those things were precious at the same time.</p> <p>DK:  Thank you very much for talking with me about your experiences in the early days of the pandemic.  I’m sure we’ll talk again about your later experiences, the longer period thus far of the pandemic.  Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with me and for allowing me to record this so that people in the future will have a better understanding of that people’s experiences were at this time.</p> <p>WK:  You’re very welcome, I hope I got enough information out there.  It’s just kind of hard because it all, after a while, runs together.  But thank you.</p> <p>DK:  Thank you very much.  So this is the end of our session.  This is the end of our session and I look forward to talking with you next time.</p> <p>WK:  Thank you.</p> <p>----------End of Recording-------------</p> <p> </p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Interview with Wanda Koger, a New Jersey Resident Description An account of the resource Wanda Koger is a 62 year old resident of Piscataway, New Jersey. She lives with her husband, her younger son, and two of her nephews. On October 3rd, 2020, she was interviewed by her younger son, Donald Koger to document her memories of the days surrounding the March 11, 2020 declaration by the World Health Organization that COVID-19 had become a pandemic. She remembers thinking that things would only get worse as time went on. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Donald Koger Subject The topic of the resource Working From Home #anxiety Adapting to live under lockdown anxiety Barchi beginnings college COVID Fears COVID-19 distance learning Introverts Media oal history Rutgers Self-Isolation Social Distancing Supply Distribution Failures Zoom Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Days of the Pandemic Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Description An account of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fall 2020 Archiving COVID-19 class, students and instructors Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document <p>3 October 2020 – Looking Back on the Oncoming Storm</p> <p><em>Wanda Koger is a 62 year old resident of Piscataway, New Jersey.  She lives with her husband, her younger son, and two of her nephews.  On October 3^rd, 2020, she was interviewed by her younger son, Donald Koger to document her memories of the days surrounding the March 11, 2020 declaration by the World Health Organization that COVID-19 had become a pandemic.  She remembers thinking that things would only get worse as time went on.</em></p> <p>From the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020, Wanda Koger experienced anxieties regarding the safety and security of her loved ones.  Even Before the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 health crises a pandemic, she worried that the virus would spread far and wide, and the world would struggle to face the health and economic effects of the damage it would inflict on an unprepared world.</p> <p>She recalls doubting the information that was released by the Chinese government, such as that children were essentially immune and how contagious the virus was believed to be.  Wanda remembers, “Maybe they weren’t just saying certain things so that people wouldn’t panic.  They really had the brains to know that China was lying to them and things were way worse than what they said they were.”<a href="#_ftn1"><span>[1]</span></a></p> <p>Her biggest concern was the safety of her family.  She remembers hanging a sign asking that people not ring the doorbell and instead call her on the phone.  While she says having her son and husband working from home changed the dynamic of the household, the time at home also provided for communal meals, which had often been skipped due to the hectic schedule of everyone in the household.  In early March onward, she says that she was not able to see her grandchildren in person.  Instead, while picking up or leaving groceries from her older son’s porch, she could wave at them through the windows.</p> <p>While the household was mostly secured early on, uncertainty involved the school that her older nephew, who had previously lived with her, was attending.  The school he was attending did not decide to close until March 16^th, and it was an abrupt change where she had to drive several hours to pick him up. </p> <p>Once the household was established, it was a matter of trying to keep pace with a changing landscape of obtaining household items and groceries.  She tried to limit her trips to the grocery store and used online shopping along with sharing shopping responsibilities with her older son’s household, which them involved exchanging groceries and supplies by leaving them outside each other’s houses without coming in direct contact.</p> <p>The strangest element of the early days of the pandemic was the shortage of toilet paper.  Having lived through natural disasters such as the floods from Hurricane Floyd, Hurricane Sandy, etc., she had expected that the normal staples of bread, milk, and eggs might experience some panic-buying, but the fact that folks elected to panic-buy toilet paper was astonishing.</p> <p></p> <p><a href="#_ftnref1"><span>[1]</span></a> Koger, Wanda, interview by Donald Koger, October 3, 2020, in Piscataway, New Jersey</p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summary of the Experiences of Wanda Koger, New Jersey Resident. Description An account of the resource Summary of the experiences of Wanda Koger, New Jersey resident, based on an oral history interview conducted on October 3, 2020. Wanda Koger is a 62 year old resident of Piscataway, New Jersey. She lives with her husband, her younger son, and two of her nephews. On October 3rd, 2020, she was interviewed by her younger son, Donald Koger to document her memories of the days surrounding the March 11, 2020 declaration by the World Health Organization that COVID-19 had become a pandemic. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Donald Koger #anxiety Adapting to live under lockdown COVID Fears COVID-19 early days https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/7be4af210b3fd49a5a9f2e6c9ad501db.pdf 5cb64d8db8d8d194c2714471303f125e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Days of the Pandemic Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Description An account of the resource Oral history accounts of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fall 2020 Archiving COVID-19 class, students and instructors Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Word Document. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Linda, who saw it coming before most. Subject The topic of the resource 76 year old women takes steps to minimize the danger of COVID-19. Description An account of the resource Experiences of a 76 year old women who became aware of the danger of COVID-19 several months before most of the US. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Linda Smith experiences as transcribed by Kyle Amadeo. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rutgers University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 10/16/2020 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kyle Amadeo with Linda Smiths permission. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Linda Smith verbally acquiesced to having her story shared in this format. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text. Language A language of the resource English. Type The nature or genre of the resource Interview. 2020 beginnings COVID-19 early days ignored people January New Jersey older generation pandemic pre-outbreak https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/daa3dd37ec8c01310a7ffa5a1157d653.pdf e5349903b02747823a5d2b29cdf87ae3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Days Records from Rutgers Students and Instructor Subject The topic of the resource Material Related to the experiences of students and their professor during the Early Days of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly in March 2020. Description An account of the resource Material Related to the experiences of students and their professor during the Early Days of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly in March 2020. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Word Document. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Early Recollections March 25 Subject The topic of the resource Early experiences during COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 Description An account of the resource Self reflection on my own experiences during the early days of the 2020 day pandemic. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kyle Amadeo Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rutgers University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 10/16/2020 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kyle Amadeo. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Rights Reserved. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text. Language A language of the resource English. Adapting to live under lockdown coronavirus COVID-19 isolation Living with COVID-19 Masks Quarantine Safety Self-Isolation virus protection https://archivingcovid19.libraries.rutgers.edu/files/original/1a76847c3e38217f7e7b0fa0be75641f.m4a 8509b0a40a9136461eb5a94a48cde445 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Tyler Jaik Dillon Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Paul Orlowicz Location The location of the interview East Rutherford, New Jersey Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Audio File Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 16:45 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History - Paul Orlowicz - Conducted By Tyler Jaik Dillon Subject The topic of the resource Covid-19 Pandemic Description An account of the resource An oral history taken from Paul Orlowicz by Tyler Jaik Dillon concerning the first days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Paul Orlowicz Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rutgers University - Newark Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Subject Matter: Mid January 2020 to Mid March 2020 / Interview Conducted: Early October 2020 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tyler Jaik Dillon Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource M4A File Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Audio File Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New York City / New Jersey 2020 Broadway China COVID-19 ESL First Days Hudson Yards Lockdown Manhattan Masks New Jersey New York City Oral History pandemic Quarantine Signature Theatre Teachers The Highline The Vessel WHO