[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]
Nick Perkins
Interviewer
Jamie Britt
Interviewee
April 19, 2022
Goldsboro, North Carolina
NP: (00:00)
My name is Nick Perkins. I'm in American folklore. This is the oral history assignment. Choosing to interview my mom, I originally didn't want to, but she has a very unique outlook and very unique experiences throughout COVID If she decides to go into 'em. Let me go get her real quick
NP: (00:32)
hello.
JB: (00:33)
Yeah.
NP: (00:34)
you ready?
JB: (00:35)
Yeah.
NP: (00:36)
All right.
NP: (00:37)
Pick through some of these questions we'll start back off with what is your affiliation with the university?
JB: (00:58)
My son goes there.
NP: (00:59)
Okay
NP: (01:12)
I'm looking through the question,
JB: (01:15)
just ask em, I'll come up with something.
NP: (01:17)
ok, you not gotta come up with nothing, just say what you're gonna say. i'm just I'm trying to find the questions I mostly like relate to you and that you can answer without, you know, short responses. What are some of those, I'll start from the bottom because they're more COVID related. Did you ever get COVID?
JB: (01:46)
Yes.
NP: (01:47)
Okay. What was your experience like?
JB: (01:53)
It wasn't real bad, but it wasn't real good.
NP: (01:56)
So you didn't get
JB: (01:57)
I had symptoms, all the symptoms, but it wasn't to the point where I had to be hospitalized.
NP: (02:03)
Okay, so you didn't get like long COVID, right. You just got like, you got like,
JB: (02:08)
I had it for six days.
NP: (02:11)
So [unintelligible] but I guess not. Did you get a vaccine?
JB: (02:18)
No.
NP: (02:19)
you did not.
JB: (02:20)
I did not.
NP: (02:21)
how do you feel about the vaccine?
JB: (02:24)
I will not get a vaccine.
NP: (02:25)
you will not get a vaccine.
JB: (02:27)
Nope.
NP: (02:28)
Would you like to explain why? would, you just don't trust, you don't, you have no. Would you like to explain why?
JB: (02:34)
Because the vaccines are man made not by God. And I'm not injecting nothing into my body that was not made from God.
NP: (02:43)
Okay, I can understand that. um, how do you feel about wearing masks? How do you feel about the mask first? Well, go ahead and answer that, Mom. Sorry.
JB: (02:59)
I feel it's your right to wear it or not, if you want to wear it, wear it. if you don't want to wear it don't. But if you are sick, or you know, you have symptoms, and you want to be in public then out of respect for others you should wear it.
NP: (03:12)
okay. How do you feel about the mask mandates like them, like trying to enforce like people who like you said it was their right? Like, how do you feel about those who tried to enforce it on others who didn't?
JB: (03:23)
I"ll say this. I don't think you should be able to do that. Up to you if you want to wear it or not.
NP: (03:31)
Okay, same question with the vaccine. Like how do you feel, How would you feel about like them, like do you agree with them like promoting it? Or like, most
JB: (03:40)
they can promote it all they want, but they shouldn't force it on people. Making people say they gonna get it or they they going to lose their job. That's against their rights. That shouldn't be allowed.
NP: (03:51)
Okay. Yeah, that's all I'm asking. Like, it's alright to promote it, but like forcing it and like, changing people.
JB: (03:57)
They want to promote it for other people, they are interested in it, then fine, but people that are not interested in it shouldn't be forced on them.
NP: (04:06)
Okay. Do you feel like it was forced on them to any extent? Well,
JB: (04:12)
no, I didn't personally experience it. But some people like some hospitals and military and [unintelligible] it was forced on those people. Yes.
NP: (04:23)
Yeah, anyone whose job really forced them to have it was kind of forced, but um, let me find another question. How do you rate the government's response to the pandemic, like you can go you can start from like, within Goldsboro to like North Carolina is to like just the whole, like, America as a whole as a response for the world as a whole as a response to COVID not to just COVID the pandemic
JB: (04:53)
In the beginning I don't think they were prepared for it and they made a lot of mistakes and but once they realized what was going on, I think they kind of got a handle on it and did the best they could do with it.
NP: (05:06)
Okay
NP: (05:11)
what are your impressions of the media coverage of the pandemic, not what the government doing but what you see on TV? How they're portraying it, like, you know, like,
JB: (05:20)
They really got it, they really made sure they got it out and kept you aware of it and all the different ones and even like, locally, they even like let you know, in a closings and you know, when it first happened, and everything was closed and cases you couldn't couldn't go and restrictions and curfews and all that they really made sure you knew all what was going on with that, especially in your local area.
NP: (05:48)
Yeah. Um, how about like the severe illness or like the how, like, originally, when I was hearing COVID, I thought it was like, the worst thing since I don't know, like, I thought it was way worse than what they were portraying it to be. Or it was not as worse as what they, not as bad.
JB: (06:11)
I didn't think it was gonna turn out to be nothing. And then as it got worse, and it's spreading so fast, I realized that it was something a little bit more serious than what I thought it was.
NP: (06:30)
How are your friends, families, partners, any important people in your life doing throughout the pandemic or just in life in general? Like, I guess that's a lot of people.
JB: (06:41)
I think now people are starting to do better but in the last over the last year and a half them a lot of people that I know family members have been struggling because they couldn't work. A lot of restrictions on work and not having babysitters as far as couldn't take kids to school and all that. But now that's moving out. Yeah, it's getting better because all the restrictions have been lifted. And [unintelligible]
NP: (07:07)
how do you feel
JB: (07:08)
activity restrictions
NP: (07:09)
How do you feel about the restrictions being lifted? Like they kind of just got lifted after? Like, no,
JB: (07:15)
probably should have been lifted a while back. They they drug it out a little bit too long.
NP: (07:20)
I know. But you think they should have been lifted because they weren't working? Or were they like, like? That's I mean,
JB: (07:30)
it was I think it was clearing up. And they should have said lifted them up a little bit earlier. But I guess they were trying to make sure it was all the way cleared.
NP: (07:41)
I don't think we're all the way cleared.
JB: (07:44)
Well, we're getting there.
NP: (07:46)
Okay.
NP: (07:48)
I mean, I
JB: (07:49)
haven't had as much as
NP: (07:51)
I'll just say,
JB: (07:52)
if we're not getting clear, they're not letting us know, making us awaren that it's not clear, as making it seem like it's clear.
NP: (07:59)
Yeah, exactly.
JB: (08:00)
Not making it they're not making it seem as serious as they did at one time.
NP: (08:04)
Exactly. That's what I was saying. Like I haven't really seen as much like originally it was like numbers saying like all these numbers who's been infected infected and who died from it. But yeah, I haven't seen much media coverage. So I don't we don't really know how much how bad, where we're at
JB: (08:27)
they was at one time so it's making people think and it is not quite as serious.
NP: (08:31)
Yeah, so like, actively go look for the numbers and those who don't want to see the numbers aren't looking for him. So my guess like, they don't know how bad or if it's still as bad as it's ever been. But let me see.
NP: (08:50)
[unintelligible]
NP: (08:53)
Has technology played any role in your life during the pandemic either, Well, I guess we were just talking about like how you got information, how to pass time during the pandemic, especially through when we were locked down in our houses.
JB: (09:09)
You know, you still had a TV, you had your phone and all that so you could you know, basically carry on as far as technology really wasn't affected at all by it actually helped because it kept you aware of everything that was going on.
NP: (09:29)
Okay, these questions let me see
NP: (09:42)
can you remember any plans you had coming into COVID? Like right before COVID Like before even knowing or hearing or COVID period, like what were your previous plans going into it? If you can remember.
JB: (09:58)
I was really focusing on trying to move away from Goldsboro and getting to Raleigh, but when the pandemic hit, all that got put on hold.
NP: (10:06)
Yeah, for sure. What are your plans now that we're coming out of the pandemic?
JB: (10:14)
Trying to move and relocate but maybe not Raleigh, maybe our of state once everything clears all the way out.
NP: (10:25)
Okay.
NP: (10:29)
You're going you're about to have that surgery do you find Do you know when what day you're having that surgery? The weight loss surgery?
JB: (10:35)
No. It's looking like the end of May maybe
NP: (10:40)
end of May? Well, how much more do you have to get?
JB: (10:45)
I have to go to one more appointment. And then one more appointment. And on that appointment is when he makes all the decisions. And if they do the final approval, then after that, go on a three week liquid diet before surgery.
NP: (10:58)
Okay
JB: (10:59)
you're looking at least another month.
NP: (11:01)
Yeah. Okay, let me I was gonna I was gonna ask you a question about that. But I didn't know if you ever found out what day you were going. Well, how's COVID? How's COVID Like affected you getting into your appointments for the surgery? Just the overall experience of the surgery? How's COVID affected it, if it has at all?
JB: (11:23)
It hasn't really affected getting there, but as far as different procedures and protocols COVID I got to wear a mask. You can't bring nobody with you to the procedures and there's a lot of restrictions on like your appointments, what you can and can't do.
NP: (11:43)
Yeah, each one's kind of different, like on
JB: (11:45)
Yeah, each depends on where the appointment is and what kind of appointment is different, like when I had to have a procedure or just surgical procedure done, had to go two days prior to get a COVID test. And only one person could could come with me for the procedure Because of COVID
NP: (12:05)
Yeah. [unintelligible] How has like financially COVID affect you, affected you, you got two kids in college, Well, one kid in college now. One kid
JB: (12:29)
it affect it a lot because different couldn't people couldn't work and do things as they did before. And then, hey, they're just now starting getting back to normal, but what had to reach out and get a lot of resources and help throughout COVID.
NP: (12:48)
Okay, and how as a I guess this could be a good Tony, you got Tony, you got custody of Tony, you're getting him back and forth to school, through COVID. How has COVID affected just all aspects of Tony, I guess you can spend as long as you're . And that's all I'm saying
JB: (13:14)
When it comes to having a child in elementary school, or I guess maybe Middle School. The pandemic really has caused a lot of issues at first, when they first started going back to school, they had to wear masks. And they were only going part time. And then now they're going back full time. They don't have to wear a mask. But the first little symptom that they have, they have to come home and can't go back to school for five days until the have a COVID test. And as far as Tony she's missed 30 days of school this school year COVID related because of having symptoms that turned out none of them were COVID but they were COVID symptoms
JB: (13:14)
she never tested positive, right?
JB: (13:49)
She never tested positive not one time, but she's had seven COVID tests in the last six months because of symptoms related to COVID they will not allow her to go back to school without a COVID test.
NP: (14:14)
Okay, that's ridiculous and obviously not a good protocol that's going on like not an efficient protocol, I guess.
JB: (14:22)
But luckily she's smart enough to where it's not affecting her grades or what level she's on as far as she's where she needs to be on most stuff and above level on some subjects.
NP: (14:36)
Yeah, I guess that's good. I guess I'm not sure if they like are taking that into consideration like cuz there's no way you can miss 30 days
JB: (14:48)
my third child that I raised and I've never had a problem with attendance and I've been contacted by the school social worker twice because of her absences. But once you let them know that It's COVID Then they don't really take it no Farther as far as trying to take you to court or anything
NP: (15:06)
that could be kind of dangerous too
JB: (15:07)
But like she's still getting the calls and the letter letting you know that you could be took to court for your child missing school. But they're the reasons they're missing school because if they have a symptom They send them home and they can't come back until they're symptom free and have a COVID.
NP: (15:24)
What would you what solution would you provide? Do you think students the kids should be? Well, can kids even get vaccines? I know they just came out with like a vaccine.
JB: (15:37)
You can get, I think 12 and up can get I'm not sure if they did the 12 and under yet, I know for sure 12 and up. I don't know about unders 12
NP: (15:45)
What would you, I know what would you propose? Like the solution or a solution could be to having kids get their education and be free from risk of COVID or lower risk
JB: (16:01)
should have kept the masks on for the kids in school. That way, if they did have symptoms, they could just stay in school and not have to come home and have a COVID test if they will wear a mask unless they were obviously sick like all the symptoms that one but just for child coughing or a child running a fever
JB: (16:20)
or nose or runny nose
JB: (16:25)
then they have to come home now if the child has all these symptoms and is obviously sick I get that but just one symptom if they were wearing a mask that seemed to wouldn't even be a problem.
NP: (16:36)
Yeah, and it's like you can get tested as soon as you have the symptom and like until I guess if you keep coming to class until you find out you're spreading but it is a difficult solution I guess ain't found yet or they can't find. How has COVID or you can keep talking on Tony about how's COVID experiences and Tony and COVID Not just school but like that's another financial burden.
JB: (17:07)
She's gained over 35 pounds since the pandemic hit, mainly the first year that it hit when they were out of school and she was home a whole year and I when I talked to the doctor she said the average weight gain in a child since the pandemic has been around 30 pounds
NP: (17:28)
like other kids have been averaging that too
JB: (17:31)
been averaging around 30 pounds as far as weight gain during the pandemic because they were home for the whole first year not going to school and they develop bad eating habits and
NP: (17:43)
bad physical activity habits like not going outside and playing or
JB: (17:47)
not wanting to go outside wanting to lay on the phone and just eat snacks and play on the phone and internet and ecetera and she's getting back on track down slimming down but now that she's back in school and more active but she gained over 35 pounds
JB: (18:15)
she did she gained 35 fans
NP: (18:22)
keep saying excetera instead I said etc but not good let me look at some of these questions
NP: (18:31)
get this thing on the road now.
NP: (18:35)
We're at 18 minutes I need at least 20 to 23 minutes to negate the time be spent not talking Okay um anything else on Tony I'm feeling like there's more like when I was thinking about I chose you because I'm like you got me in college Noah just coming out of college you just got well you've been at Cassia Tony but it's like now is coming into like vision that we're most likely gonna have Tony until she graduated high school like till she's doing the same thing
JB: (19:10)
she's probably not going anywhere anytime soon and probably not going anywhere at all
NP: (19:15)
Yeah, that's
JB: (19:17)
not looking like she is what is your what she's probably going to be here be in this household so she's 18 or till She's old enough to
NP: (19:29)
like till she's grown
JB: (19:31)
Yeah
NP: (19:31)
you're raising I'm like you're raising I'm pretty much now like that's established okay I'm trying to think so has like that new like realization affected you and her in any way.
JB: (19:55)
It hasn't really affectd me because I've known for a while that she probably was going to be here until she's grown but as far as her, she probably has hopes that her mother would get herself together. At some point. I don't think she really wants to live with her mother. I think she's pretty much established her home here but she's torn because she's young and don't have her mother so she craves that attention from her mother
JB: (20:25)
yeah
NP: (20:29)
freakin Yeah, she I see on her mom's story when like I saw her she was on her story the other day, but
JB: (20:39)
yeah
NP: (20:58)
[unintelligible]
NP: (20:58)
what is daily life like for you today?
NP: (21:05)
Daily life
NP: (21:06)
yeah, daily routine
JB: (21:09)
daily routine since January, is doing basically exercise and monitoring my weight in preparation for the surgery.
NP: (21:21)
Oh, yeah, that too
JB: (21:22)
The whole diet changed life. It's more than just a diet it's a life change. You got to change lifestyle. the way you think.
NP: (21:30)
Yeah, it's a lifestyle change. Like all my classes,
JB: (21:33)
more than just a diet you got to think about what you eat, the things you eat, how you're going to eat them when you're going to eat them and different habits and its a whole life change
NP: (21:44)
not only even like only food is like how you live your life like what you do throughout the day.
JB: (21:51)
What time you get up in the morning. you got to get up early. You can't sleep all day. your exercise routine is different. You got to change everything because obviously if you want to be healthy and lose weight you can't sleep to 12 one o'clock in the daytime you got to change everything you got to change everything used to do and the more positive and more healthier things and more the more active
NP: (22:17)
how difficult has that I mean I'm assume it's been somewhat difficult
JB: (22:22)
it's been very difficult because the last 20 years you live your life a certain type of way and then you well I guess I've been gaining weight and been overweight for 20 years and all that developed over 20 years and got worse over 20 years obviously and then all of a sudden you stop it but it was easier for me because I I didn't have to lose weight to get the surgery but he recommended me, he gave me a goal to meet so once I knew I had a goal to meet and he was gonna be checking me to see that I made that goal and it motivated me to do right and to try to lose weight.
NP: (23:04)
And how
JB: (23:07)
I've lost 27 pounds since January 19
NP: (23:13)
Pretty good. How has and that's mostly been through diet or have you been
JB: (23:20)
changing my diet just changing the things I consume as far as liquids
NP: (23:26)
like drinking
JB: (23:30)
I haven't had a soda since January. I was drinking one cup of coffee a day but I haven't had any coffee in three weeks mainly just cut the carbs out the pasta the rice potatoes I mainly just been trying to eat like meat and vegetables and some fruit fruits are higher sugar but it's natural, its not as bad as eating sweets.
NP: (23:55)
Yeah.
JB: (23:56)
But you still have to limit them a little bit because they do have sugar in them
NP: (23:59)
or certain fruits but like really the benefit you're getting from your fruit rather than candy or whatever the sugar isn't like gonna hurt you that bad have normal sugar levels to begin with but have you like gone into like being more physically active? Thinking about
JB: (24:21)
yeah, I've got way more energy now that I'm not consuming as much bad stuff in my body. So I got way more energy and I DoorDash so that's being on your feet all day in and out. Moving around. Plus, I try to walk at least 30 minutes a day. And that no more is not as I used to give out way earlier than I do now. Because when you put bad stuff in your body weighs your body down and you're more tired and it
NP: (24:54)
It's not good fuel for your body.
JB: (24:57)
Yeah, as you get older that Sugar still sits on your bones and makes your body ache and you don't have the energy to do anything. But once you start putting good stuff in your body, you have more energy in your body start doesn't hurt as bad as it used to, if you have less aches and pains.
NP: (25:18)
Yeah, okay. I mean, keep it up. It's like that's basically like every class I'm taking right now besides the class that this is for, all my health and exercise classes. Like it's a repeat of the same thing. Like, kind of feel like I'm not wasting my degree, but they keep telling us the same thing. Like, I know, we need to eat better and be more physically I do. But
JB: (25:44)
you can't ever they can't ever tell you that enough.
NP: (25:47)
Because yeah, exactly.
JB: (25:49)
A lot of people don't get it. But once you get overweight and been so overweight, and you get fed up, you wish you would have started 10, 5, 20 years ago. But then it gets so out of control that now like me, I've got to resort to surgery, which I probably could do it on my own, but the last 20 years have not been successful so now I'm resorting to surgery. But if I would have changed back 15 years ago, before I got out of control, and I got severely obese, then I probably wouldn't have resorted to surgery.
NP: (26:23)
Yeah, I mean, when you look at it, like you get to that point, and there's so much to get off like I know now you're probably you have more of a mentality like his day to day thing like you focus one day at a time on bettering yourself. Versus like,
JB: (26:43)
when it first started, you think Oh, I got time, oh I got time, 'for you know, is that a control and you don't have time and can't do it on your own anymore. You feel like you can't do it on your own anymore. And then you lose 10 or 15 pounds and get off track, lose focus and gain 30 back and it's a cycle just repeats itself. For you know, you're so obese that you you can't you can't can't exercise. You don't have enough energy.
NP: (27:16)
I mean, we're at 27 minutes right now, is there anything else you would like people to know? Anything? You don't want them to end on a you doubt, not doubting yourself, but, I don't know.
JB: (27:30)
Put your health first while you're still young, because when you're young, you can eat these bad things and, and do all this and they don't really affect your body. But as you get older, you can't do the things you could do when you're young. So if I drink a soda right now I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck. But when I was 20 years old, I could drink two or three a day and it didn't affect my body at all so take care of your body while you're young. Because when you get older, it's way harder and way worse.
NP: (28:02)
Yeah
NP: (28:06)
I guess
JB: (28:08)
that's good, Nick.
JB: (28:09)
We're on 30 minutes.
NP: (28:10)
That's good. Sorry to
JB: (28:13)
know we didn't know what am I still being interviewed?
NP: (28:18)
No.
[End of Recording]