I have difficulty imagining this class outside of the virtual environment: meeting the people that wrote us the kind words seems like a foreign concept now. I wish we had the opportunity to actually visit the retirement homes. The virtual tour was the closest thing we could get, but nothing compares to real life. The same goes for the breakout rooms with residents of Casa -- it was nice to see them virtually, but would have been a different experience had it been in person. I’m hopeful that we can be in person soon with the vaccine being distributed, but it’ll be a while before it goes back to normal we remember (if ever).
Reading the messages from those who received our care packages was really eye-opening to our general response to the pandemic. Sure, we as students are missing out on dorm life, in-person classes, even going out to dinner. As it turns out, more than just students are having the same struggles during the pandemic. The responses we received were so thoughtful and sweet, and it made me realize just how much this pandemic has affected everyone, young and old. We’re all unable to see our friends and family, unable to go to any in person event. For me, my family has had to postpone 2 weddings and I haven’t been able to meet my new baby cousin, and that’s on top of missing the usual birthday celebrations and holiday dinners. The pandemic is a universal experience (at least for those of us living in the US) -- for almost a year, we’ve kept contact with the outside world to the absolute bare minimum. We’re all craving the normalcy that we remember before the virus.
I have difficulty imagining this class outside of the virtual environment: meeting the people that wrote us the kind words seems like a foreign concept now. I wish we had the opportunity to actually visit the retirement homes. The virtual tour was the closest thing we could get, but nothing compares to real life. The same goes for the breakout rooms with residents of Casa -- it was nice to see them virtually, but would have been a different experience had it been in person. I’m hopeful that we can be in person soon with the vaccine being distributed, but it’ll be a while before it goes back to normal we remember (if ever).
3 Comments
Allyn Reyes
3/12/2021 06:48:47 pm
Hi Ann, it's hard to believe that it's been a year since we all started to quarantine. I remember back in March, people thought that by October 2020, we'd be back on-campus. I'm sorry that your family had to postpone two weddings and that you haven't met your baby cousin yet, but when we are able to all get together again, it's going to be SO exciting! :,) I relate to you when you wrote that you found it hard to think of this class outside a virtual environment. While it was nice being able to have the virtual tours and meet the residents on Zoom, I also wish that we were able to do that in-person. Hopefully we can meet everyone soon!
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Martin Nguyen
3/14/2021 11:45:59 pm
Hey Ann! I also appreciated the kind responses that we received for the care packages. It really made the volunteer work feel more than just doing a job, as knowing that we improved someone's day made it much more worthwhile. It's also good that we did this during this time, as the pandemic surely hasn't been easy for anyone, especially older people dealing with loneliness. It's been hard accepting the missed opportunities to spend time with others, and it's hard to believe that it's been a full year now. At this point, I'm glad that there are at least signs of moving forwards with the vaccine, and I hope that we can return to safer and more personable meetings.
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Jenny Kim
3/20/2021 10:22:29 pm
Hey Ann!
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Ann PiermatteoAnn is a Global Health major from San Diego, CA. Fun fact, she helped do research for a COVID treatment over the summer! Archives
May 2021
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