[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]

Brooke Kawas
Interviewer

Paige West
Interviewee

April 18, 2022
Greenville, North Carolina

BK: (00:02)
Hello, my name is Brooke Kawas. And I'm here interviewing my friend and roommate, Paige West. So for the first question, I'm going to ask you what is your affiliation with the university, if you're a student, please tell us your year and your major.

PW: (00:20)
Okay, I am a student at ECU, and I'm a senior studying Business Marketing.

BK: (00:32)
Okay, and next, I'm going to ask you, um, what was your experience of actually leaving campus? And what were your thoughts and emotions as you were leaving,

PW: (00:45)
um, when, at first, when we left, I was excited to be able to stay home more and not having to go back to class. And I was happy to, like, stay with my mom and dad a little bit more and spend more time with them. But then, as the weeks went on, and like we weren't, I wasn't seeing any of my friends. I wasn't in person learning. It was all kind of online. My Grades. Kind of were Yeah. I can talk to you. Okay. My grades were bad. And yeah, I was really sad. Not being up with all my friends.

BK: (01:33)
Yeah, I think everyone was going a little stir crazy. Yeah, definitely. Because we went home for spring break thinking it would only be like two weeks. And then it was like, Wait, two months? Two years. Okay. What was like daily life kind of looking like for you? Like, I know, I wasn't doing like that much. Because you couldn't Yeah, keep doing what I did. I took a lot of walks with my dog. Um, I spent a lot of time outside, and like kind of sunbathing, and tanning. Um, then then I started working out some more. And then I also did a lot of arts and crafts, like I painted so much, which was actually like, kind of nice to be able to do so many different arts and crafts, get your mind to be happy, often negative stuff we're seeing on the news every day. I'm also like, I know, for me, I felt like it was I was grateful for all the time I got to spend like with my family. Like because you know, when we're at school, we don't see him as much, but it was like two months to do nothing but kind of just like bond with them. So I felt like closer than ever with my family during that time. Because it's so negative that you're like, I don't know, you're supporting each other. Absolutely. Okay, for the next question. How has technology played a role in your life during the pandemic, and that could be either in classes are as a way to get in share information, or just for entertainment purposes?

PW: (03:24)
Well, for classes, it was really difficult, like transitioning from in person and seeing my professor every day to then just being online and unlike a lot of my teachers didn't even post the lectures. So it was like, no contact, no zooms. But then I kind of like teaching yourself Yes, teaching myself which was really hard. And then Tik Tok kind of blew up. So that was actually really fun. That was a really very entertaining.

BK: (03:58)
Yeah, making them watching.

PW: (04:01)
I learned a lot of different like, like, like recipe packs. Yeah, from that, which was cool. And then also, I got like, we have like all the streaming platforms now. So I was watching so much TV, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Like spending too much time watching TV.

BK: (04:24)
There's nothing else to do that past the

PW: (04:26)
time. So it was nice to see so many different movies.

BK: (04:30)
Yeah, I did the same thing. So for a next question, what seemed normal before that seems strange to you now like things we used to do, pre pandemic that now are considered like growths are just like it's part of your habits. Um,

PW: (04:52)
a lot of like public things like touching different surfaces like in the back bathroom at a public place and or like not

BK: (05:08)
I know you mean like it kind of made everyone more like germaphobes Yeah. And being gas. Yeah.

PW: (05:15)
Or just like not using hands hand sanitizer like after every single place I go, right. What else?

BK: (05:27)
Like blowing out candles at someone's birthday party like spitting all over the king cake.

PW: (05:32)
That's

BK: (05:35)
nobody thought about that before. You're just like, touching people in general sharing drinks. Yeah, stuff like that.

PW: (05:45)
Honestly, just being in public, sometimes I'll get like a little. I'm like, Oh, wow, we all are like so close to each other, sharing all of our germs. Right.

BK: (05:55)
And like before, it was normal than thought about it. Yeah. Before it was kind of normal to. Well, it's still like not not normal. And normal is a bad word. But before it was normal to like, sneeze or cough in public. Yeah, but now it's like strange people. Like if you can't just like sneeze or cough just because of like, a tickle in your throat or something. It's kinda like, if you sneeze or cough now you're sick. You have COVID Yeah, where it's like, did you forget there's like other sicknesses still? Yeah, like allergies.

PW: (06:30)
If I cough in public, I'm like, wait, no,

BK: (06:32)
you're embarrassed kind of? People are looking at us?

PW:
Yeah. That's for sure.

BK:
And then going off that. What are you doing now? That will seem strange to you later. Future?

PW: (06:55)
Well, like even right now, seeing people wearing masks? seems strange. Because it's been like, a few months of us not wearing masks in like the classroom or like out in public. And so when I do see someone wearing a mask, I'm like, oh, yeah, I kind of forgot that. We used to do that. Right? Like so much where we couldn't even go into a store without a mask on. And now it's like, kinda back to normal to where you can't do that stuff. So I've just kind of even forgotten a bit about that. Right. And social distancing. That is definitely gonna be weird

BK: (07:38)
concept, a super weird concept. And we stay six feet away from me.

PW: (07:43)
Yeah. And we probably won't be doing that, you know, in the future. So that's gonna be weird to think about, right? How we used to do that.

BK: (07:52)
Right? LIke, I think about like, when we have children, or people just in the future, kids will learn about it in class and everything, like the history, like seeing photos, like of everyone wearing the masks, and they're all gonna be separated, like, it's just gonna be weird for them to think about because they wouldn't have experienced it. Like, it's gonna seem really strange. Like we were all walking around with these cloth things on our faces. And literally every bed was

PW: (08:24)
definitely going to be strange.

BK: (08:28)
So next question, How have your plans changed? Like, what do you feel like you missed out on I missed out on at all during like quarantining in the pandemic in general, like with the mandates and restrictions on traveling and moving online with school?

PW: (08:50)
Um, yeah, I feel like I missed a lot of my college experience, not being able to live with my roommates for several months, not being on campus for several months and doing all the fun things that that involves. I was also supposed to go to Greece. And we had like, one already paid for it and everything. We lost a bunch of money on that. And that would have been super fun. But we never got to do that.

BK: (09:22)
Right? Because it all happened so fast. So like y'all had that planned. And then that changed, because all of a sudden, it's like, oh, you can't you can't fly here. Like, everyone's like, why, like, since when is this a thing?

PW: (09:37)
I know. Concerts. I think I was supposed to go to a few concerts. And those all got canceled. Right never rescheduled. What else? Just traveling to go see my sister who lives across the country, right? Like I I didn't get to see her that much during the pandemic because nobody wanted to. I couldn't just like fly out, right? See her and like, or like her telling the story, or she couldn't come to my brain. So I didn't get to see her as much, right? What a lot of us

BK: (10:23)
pretty much like the same things. Yeah. And we're roommates living together. Yeah. during all that time we're at home. I remember it was kind of weird. Going back home and living with my parents.

PW: (10:35)
Yeah, we were able to just like, do whatever we wanted, right?

BK: (10:39)
Like, in your living with your friends, like all the time. And then you didn't really get to see them at all. Yeah. And I just thought of something else. Like, just now about like, I remember when my parents would go grocery shopping, they were like, bring the groceries home. And, like, wipe everything down. Or they everyone started getting their groceries delivered. Yeah. And because like, even just going into the grocery store, like, I think at first, everyone was super scared because of all this information stuff. And nobody like it was kind of unknown. Everything still. But um, so going off of that. My next question, what was it like to return to campus? After you know, being online all that time, and

PW: (11:30)
it was a little weird, just like be able to walk on campus and like, go into the buildings, but it was figuring out your classes again? Yeah. Like, forget forgotten all the buildings. Yeah, is actually really nice. Like returning it felt like things were kind of going back to normal,

BK: (11:47)
right. But we still do wear masks and get tested weekly. But I mean, most people, I mean, everyone's different. But like, if you're a, like, better learner in person, yeah. Like, I guess I'd be visual learner, right? Like, having the teacher in front of you for like your teaching. Like,

PW: (12:13)
that was super important. Even just, like just this year or senior year. My grades have gone up, right?

BK: (12:23)
Because you aren't teaching yourself. Yeah, cuz I can you can ask questions.

PW: (12:25)
Yeah. And it's just like something about being in the same room as your professor able to like knowing that bonus sessions. Yeah. And you're like, you set that's like, a certain time where you spend doing work on that class, right? Like, and when we're when Rose online, I kind of like went through the whole day and didn't do anything. And then kind of like, had to scramble to get everything done, because I had no set like structure or routine to do. Yeah, so that was nice. Yeah, go back.

BK: (12:59)
Like for me, like when you go into the classroom, you know, like, when you go into that room, that's what you do in there. Yeah. Whereas like, when we were at home online, like I would do my classes in zoom and everything, honestly, in my room, which is also where I slept, which is where sometimes I would do a workout, like you do a bunch of other things in that room. So it can be hard to focus. And it's like, you may have your pets around. Yeah. Like I know, some of my teachers, like they'll have their pets in the back or like a baby crying or something. And it's easily to get more I would like to sit in my bed and do my work. And then I'm tired. Yeah, take a nap and wake up seven hours later. Right? Right. Always have to be mom, dad or in class. Like,

BK: (13:43)
Let's be quiet. Really hard. So, next, did you ever get COVID? What was your experience like?

BK: (13:59)
And yeah, just went when did you get if you patent I got COVID.

PW: (14:05)
I didn't get COVID During the like, height of the pandemic. But when we first came back, I think it was in October, September of 2021. I got COVID with one of our other roommates. And I felt so sick. I remember I would I was going to get test random, right? It was like you got hit by a bus. I was like crying in the line to get tested because it was so long. And I was in so much pain. The line would take like two hours. Yeah, just to get it in your car. And I had to pee so bad. And so I it was just so terrible and having what was really bad was having to stay in my room for like 12 days. And I felt like I was going crazy. And oh, some of my friends were going out and have fun and I was just like sitting at home, like binge watching TV all by myself, which was really like kind of sad and depressing, right?

BK: (15:07)
And you feel like you can't even go out. Fresh air. Yeah. Go near someone. Yeah,

PW: (15:13)
I sat I sat on the porch which was nice to get a little bit of fresh air but like even like our neighbors and stuff when they would come over they were like stay really far away. Yeah, like, then you feel a little bad contact with people but like barely.

BK: (15:28)
distanced.

PW:
Yeah, barely anything.

BK: What were your like symptoms like for you? Like I know it's different for everybody

PW: (15:36)
I had body aches really badly. I

BK: (15:41)
think you said your headaches and your back like

PW:
yeah, my back

BK: back when you're waiting in line for the test.

PW: (15:46)
I literally was crying because it hurts so bad. I had a cough. Um, I'm trying to remember what else I had. I had a fever. I just felt really sick.

BK:
Yeah, very sick.

PW:
Right. But it only lasted for a few days. And then I started to feel better. But then, you know, I couldn't leave my room. Right? So it was like the whole

BK: (16:13)
that's the worst thing. You don't feel sick anymore. But you still gotta wait 14 days because it's like, well,

PW: (16:19)
I feel fine. So why can't I go back into life but

BK: (16:21)
Right. And I remember you saying you lost your taste and smell. So what was that like?

PW: (16:31)
That was super strange.

BK:
Or you had an aversion

PW:
I had, I think smelled and tasted. I had really bad versions to where I couldn't eat meat. Because it would make it it just would smell so bad. I would just get this random smell it would be in my room. It'd be in the bathroom in the kitchen. Chipotle Chipotle could not eat Chipotle for so long. I actually just had it for the first time in months. Yeah. It's crazy. Meat was really the main one that I couldn't eat. Right? Everything really would have eggs or no. Eggs. Were really bad. could not eat eggs.

BK: (17:08)
I still don't so interesting. I know. So I did see a lot of people having that. Yeah. And they were like trying to figure out ways to you know, get rid of it and stuff.

PW: (17:19)
I had it for months. And finally, like it just went away on its own. Luckily, but it was it was really bad. Yeah, I could not eat anything.

BK: (17:29)
Right? Or like if you were eating and then you got a whiff of whatever. Yeah, it would just kill your appetite.

PW: (17:35)
finish it. It smelled like sewage in my nose all the time.

BK: (17:40)
Yeah, it was discussed in our other roommate Jordan had that as well. So, and I had COVID but I was pretty, I didn't really have a lot of symptoms. So luckily, but I didn't have that at all. But I thought that was really interesting. Other people were dealing with that. It affects your different senses. And yeah, it's kind of scary. Because I know some people dealt with that a long time. So that would be scary. Like not knowing like, when is it gonna go back to normal? Am I always gonna smell this weird smell or taste this weird? Yeah, I was so

PW: (18:16)
freaked out with my aversion. So I thought Yeah, never be able to eat meat again. Yeah.

BK: (18:24)
Okay, so, um, next question. What was your impressions like with the media coverage during the pandemic, the information that was being like given out to us to people.

PW: (18:41)
My view on that was, it really freaks me out because my mom would listen to Fox News every single night and it would be so scary. And I didn't know what was gonna happen and I felt like we were all going to like die and then but then also you would get on Tik Tok and see a lot of like, like CNN news, and it would be

BK: (19:09)
all negatives all from no matter what like a platform scary,

PW: (19:13)
like really everything. We're just like, freaked everybody out and like, we had no, like, tissue paper, or like toilet paper, because everybody out there was so funny. Like everybody was there so seriously, because it was I mean, I guess nobody really knew like what right and uh, happens so

BK: (19:32)
but it's like we're not having an apocalypse. Yeah.

PW:
The toilet paper is kind of unrelated because it's an upper respiratory infection super unrelated, but I don't know. I guess it made sense. If you're afraid you couldn't like leave your house for a while, like go to the grocery store.

PW: (19:46)
But toilet paper was like the last thing I would want to grab at the store

BK: (19:49)
right hand sanitizer. That was going out. Yeah. And then they started making hand sanitizer. That was like yucky

PW: (19:59)
Yeah, out of it was like made out of like, alcohol.

BK: (20:03)
I'm like, this reminds me of the shots from the bar.

PW: (20:07)
Yeah. Yeah. Not not a good one. So it was, it was just a lot of like, fear instilled in us, right?

BK: (20:17)
especially at first and then it was kind of like back and forth like stand six feet apart. Actually it doesn't matter. Yeah, it [inaudible]

PW: (20:26)
Don't work, right. I'm like, what is the real truth? I don't now

BK: (20:30)
yep

PW:
And then it was like, I remember everyone. Like I said, my parents were like wiping down groceries and stuff. And then all of a sudden it was like, actually, it doesn't live on surfaces. And then I was like, Wait, it does. Yeah, like just kind of back and forth. So no one really knew. Yeah. Like, yeah, what to believe, what was going on, what they should be cautious of.

BK:
So it was a real fruit. Right? I don't think anybody did. Even now some things like, I don't really know. But yeah. So I think we had a great discussion. Great interview. Thank you for letting me ask you some questions on COVID. Today and your experience during the pandemic. And I hope you had a great time discussing it as well, I'd say even though we don't want to relive that stuff. It's really interesting to still talk about to this day, where we haven't thought about a lot of those things in a while.

PW:
Yeah.

BK:
Pushing it out back out in the mind. Well, thank you.

PW:
You're welcome.

[End of Recording]