[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]
Zaria Richardson
Narrator
Josalyn Baldwin
Interviewer
April 20, 2022
Greenville, North Carolina
JB: (00:00)
Okay, it's it's on I think okay, so this is an oral interview about your time during COVID. Would you like to enter introduce yourself and your affiliation with the university, you know?
ZR: (00:22)
Zaria Richardson, I am an art student here in design and I am a graphic design student. And I'm also a creative writing minor here. And what else?
JB: (00:44)
I mean I feel like that checks the boxes
ZR: (00:49)
[unintelligible]
JB: (00:54)
Hey, it's okay, so do I. Let's See. Next one. Um, how was the pandemic discussed and are handled in the classes, extracurriculars, and work? I'm guessing around the time it came out or just in general whichever one
ZR: (01:17)
I guess in emails or some teachers like, you can discuss how you felt about the pandemic. Sometimes if they asked us to write something for them. Like in a letter to the teacher, like just the email when it started. I remember YouTube at some point, it was forbidden to say COVID or something. Or they thought this because they thought we're like demonetized so the one says COVID usually on a lot of deals I watch
JB: (01:50)
they still don't do it on some of the ones I see.
ZR: (01:56)
But a lot of people who are serious and are like wear a mask or you die
JB: (02:06)
the next one, how did you learn of the decision to close campus or work and cancel activities? Like How'd you learn about LockDown
ZR: (02:15)
lockdown. through email I think actually, because I don't think they had started lockdown, they did not have it before that spring. Because that spring break I went to Virginia in the Air and Space Center nothing had happened yet. When I got back home that's when everything's like here you're gonna have an extra week of spring break. move from the dorm or else
JB: (02:48)
I ended up coming back at the end Yeah, I must have gotten here first. And then what was your experience of actually leaving campus? What kind of help did you have? What were your thoughts and emotions as you were leaving?
ZR: (03:21)
move out kind of as I just said before, I didn't get back in and go with that first time because I had pretty much everything I needed already. Like my art supplies, I brought the giant toolbox of art stuff home. So I didn't really need to go back up there. Everything I had was at my house. But I don't know I'd say it being a bad time; it was definitely weird because I just end up being home. And that was just another thing itself. I do remember before we left I saw the light on we were we had left and I thought I saw the light on for our dorm because you know you and I roomed together and so we turned back around just to go back up to the dorm and check if there's anything left in there. And we were like ooh blessing from God because there was like, that was when I went back up there just to check and then after that was Spring Break and spring break part two, so it was almost like if I needed to get anything else that was then
JB: (04:27)
that was unbelievably lucky.
ZR: (04:29)
Yeah, [unintelligible] next to us.
JB: (04:32)
Makes sense. Trying to remember where exactly we were. Are we still in?
ZR: (04:36)
We were in Garrett.
JB: (04:37)
Yeah, we were still in Garrett.
ZR: (04:39)
Couldn't tell whose room it was. I thought it was mine. So like ours, so [unintelligible]
JB: (04:48)
yeah, I left first. Okay. Well, where are you living now?
ZR: (04:55)
I am not living off campus. I'm just back on campus. for one thing they kind of needed me to and art classes need me to so still in the same state and all that
JB: (05:12)
your dorm though
ZR: (05:13)
Oh yeah I forgot new dorm I like it more than Garrett was. I liked those side rooms
JB: (05:27)
You've got a really nice big window
ZR: (05:33)
on the side
JB: (05:34)
I know
ZR: (05:35)
and then this one you do have this the central one but it's not the same.
JB: (05:39)
Yeah it kind of ain't
ZR: (05:41)
close to Jenkins but [James?] is not far walk from here
JB: (05:44)
yes not technically but it was kind of nice to just step out there you can literally just sleep in almost to the minute
ZR: (05:51)
I've gone ran back to the room for something and went back
JB: (05:55)
me too.
ZR: (05:56)
[unintelligible]
JB: (05:59)
okay
what is daily life like for you? How is it affected by current restrictions? What adjustments have you had to make to your usual routines?
ZR: (06:12)
[unintelligible] mandates so even if I don't wear a mask in class or something, I still have it on me because I'm still supposed to have it on me. And I might still wear outside when it gets cold and when I think there's way too many people in one space. So I still wear it around but it's something like having his hand sanitizer I was always a bit my mom say Germ, My mom would say a germaphobe throughout high school middle school in high school so I was always carrying some Germex I guess one thing that I kind of did different was that I used to have Germex was like not attached to my keys. Although my mom was concerned I would lose my mask and I felt in my pocket I knew the one thing I would lose was Germex because I've lost like two or three small bottles from that so now since is attached to my keys I never lose them
JB: (07:14)
that's one way to do it
ZR: (07:24)
[unintelligible]
JB: (07:25)
do you say is way too many people?
ZR: (07:27)
[unintelligible] from class or to class and there's like just a giant wave of people going in one direction.
JB: (07:37)
Oh yeah.
ZR: (07:39)
Walking
JB: (07:40)
maybe like in front of Joyner
ZR: (07:42)
or maybe lunch rush in the cafeteria I don't know if that counts was exactly but when it was like there's just a lot of people moving around at once in a small space I would not really like that
JB: (08:02)
how has technology played a role in your life during the pandemic either in classes as a way to get and share information or for entertainment?
That is nice.
ZR: (08:42)
sharing you know email and text and then videos share and then all of the Webexs and [unintelligible] whatever is Window's you know like and Zoom is like it wasn't the same but you can really still see people and have screenshare that's really good for [unintelligible]
like mixed up anymore and I guess it had like identified pots or whatever it was different.
JB: (09:18)
I had metals right about then. there wasn't really a good way to continue that class.
ZR: (09:28)
[unintelligible] already kind of on my phone anyway. But I guess I got even deeper into social media and when I say social media it's really been Tumblr,
JB: (09:39)
That's social
ZR: (09:40)
Yeah. There's my kind of place even though it doesn't make itself as to help site so yeah. [unintelligible] compared to like years ago
JB: (09:59)
I'm just gonna scroll this up a little bit. let's see um, how are your classes going? What kinds of messages have you received from professors? How are other students handling the changes? Wow, they did not make this for people going two years into this. just in general any of that
ZR: (10:31)
work stuff, in people person stuff is now in person. [unintelligible] stuff where we do workshop, which is we kind of talk about each other's work to that one person, it's a lot better now since it's in person, I had workshop online before and all I could do was "look read your story and write a letter to him" and then you know, from being in a workshop class, the letter's only like a part of what you might want to say them because you might express it differently in words. here because you'll want to write all what you want to say. So that is different. Then like get the vaccine or be careful. The ones that I've had like [unintelligible], there's some that say if you're sick, stay home and they're kind of positive. They don't want you to get sick. Other students are pretty much that, seeing pretty much [unintelligible] no more like no and then I didn't wear it or anything. They've been wanting me to follow the CDC stuff whenever [unintelligible]
it's kind of old hat at this point. I've gotten used to it you know, still seeing plexiglass or whatever in all places still being up which is probably just fine in general but there's something I thought where we couldn't stand as close anymore while in the dining hall was a bit different.
JB: (12:26)
A little spots that were roughly six feet apart.
ZR: (12:29)
Yeah, no one follows the rules anyway.
JB: (12:33)
Yeah.
ZR: (12:35)
You can make your own burner and like you could get the toppings a lot more easily than what they have now. [unintelligible] they had to get that stuff for you like the fries
JB: (12:51)
Oh yeah, I remember that. But
ZR: (12:54)
the burgers are definitely fine now because you can just ask for but now they kind of automatically for people so people who are lactose intolerant and definitely cannot handle cheese have to wait for a new one to be made so
JB: (13:08)
I think you can also ask for one without but I mean they probably do have to make those demand
ZR: (13:16)
well so that that is not the fun part but pretty much stuff has gotten a lot gets back to normal as much as it can at this point. some people still wear a mask. some people don't. I do like masks as a fashion statement. And then I have [unintelligible]. I kinda like masks.
JB: (13:47)
I've got one for almost every outfit. Okay, see? Um, are you involved in student organizations, sports or clubs? And well, how did the pandemic affect any of those if you were?
ZR: (14:06)
learning design, we call ourselves the design associates. The Guild is basically a club but since we are the art building, we're going to be cool about it. Now it's also part of animation guild. And I thought there was a video production or whatnot film guild, filmmakers, film makers guild
JB: (14:32)
did you do board game stuff too? Or
ZR: (14:34)
I wasn't
JB: (14:35)
or you weren't officially part
ZR: (14:36)
I wasn't officially part of the board game club. No.
JB: (14:38)
Okay.
ZR: (14:43)
This year
JB: (14:44)
yeah.
ZR: (14:46)
For the animation guild, the pandemic kinda of did hit it, especially if you didn't have an internet connection. So not. We didn't all meeet all the time. And it's not like we could do what we usually did all the time. I mean, we could watch movies but not exactly through legal means because Disney Plus did not want you to share over Discord
JB: (15:09)
I mean we're called the Pirates for Pete's sakes
ZR: (15:25)
because those Film Video thingy streaming services would not let you share.
JB: (15:32)
I mean
ZR: (15:33)
sometimes
JB: (15:33)
technically it's they're not actually losing money they just didn't get as much as they wanted the greedy little people
ZR: (15:40)
among which are Discord it's like a black screen for Disney Plus I think. maybe we if we hear audio we might hear that but we can't see the screen so I'm gonna shoot for Discord. He didn't want that to work, then what kind of work. we interviewed, no, we talked to somebody who did make a film that's sound waves, or something like that, there was some of sound music movies, so that was cool. Because, well, we didn't do much for graphic design honestly doesn't do much. But for another way, I don't know if that's counts for another class or like graphic design stuff, we were able to get to talk to people like graphic designers from around the country because all they had to do is just go up on Webex so someone was like in Detroit and we could still talk to them. That was really cool.
JB: (15:41)
Hopefully they don't take that away again.
ZR: (15:59)
How good it is.
JB: (16:44)
Yeah, that was a really nice things come out of it. See, did you have a job on or off campus? If so, what kind of work did you do and how did, how was that affected by the pandemic lockdowns and quarantine?
ZR: (17:04)
[unintelligible] Want me to discuss that here or not?
JB: (17:15)
Well, I guess just the parts that impact you since this is about you and your experiences. Oh, you're the Star.
ZR: (17:33)
[unintelligible]
JB: (17:44)
How are your friends family partner or other people in your life? I think cats are included.
ZR: (17:49)
oh I have 3 at home. one's about 12 years old at this point. Are all females. just good, old. One's drooling. One was peeing everywhere. You can't control it so it's just old age at this point to be honest for them [unintelligible]
trouble jumping so maybe at some point we'll have to get cat pet stairs so she can get on the couch.
JB: (18:31)
I think they sell them pretty cheap now.
ZR: (18:33)
I've seen them that's why I'm like I know what those are.
JB: (18:37)
I think my grandma had some for older dog
ZR: (18:40)
and we don't do that my dad probably would make one he made them a little stand put in from the window so they can sit in there and look out the window
JB: (18:47)
my mom used to have steps to get into her bed before they put it on the ground
ZR: (18:57)
my brother's doing fine. So he's 25 [unintelligible]
JB: (19:11)
is a quarter of a century
ZR: (19:12)
well [unintelligible] this semester with a different thing and whatever happened is he didn't graduate yet so he has like one more semester left [unintelligible] wish and stuff already. Before you learn that you like a credit short
JB: (19:46)
Oh, that's gotta be the worst thing to be like one credit short.
ZR: (19:50)
like a credit short. It's just that we think the pandemic kind of threw him off so he'd goingto plan to continue his studies to like next, Not next year, next semester. So he's going to do it. He was living in an apartment because he was going to UNC-W So University of North Carolina Wilmington for history because that's his major.
I think listed in history for his master's or whatever comes after his bachelor.
JB: (20:27)
I don't know what's next
ZR: (20:28)
[unintelligible] things maybe either research, but. I guess my mom is doing well. She can be just been home more now she's just doing stuff at the preschool trying to keep no kiddos from getting sick sometimes. No, I think she was just home. Oh, my dad used to go off to the office. Because he had two jobs a day and the night job. His day job was at an office doing [unintelligible] for myself, something with grades in schools and who knows, but now they moved them out of the office. So he's been at home and they haven't moved him back into the office. So he just works from home and he's been doing that for I guess it's been over a year now.
JB: (21:23)
My mom does that. they never never asked her to come back in. She still has a job. she's still employed but she does from home also.
ZR: (21:33)
Be done like completely virtually.
JB: (21:36)
It's nice that they could do it remote. Yeah.
ZR: (21:38)
And the cats has someone for company because my brother is home now but he's not a fan of the cat by living with them for like 12 years, but he doesn't want them, they're better, he cares for them. But he's not that close
JB: (21:54)
he's like the cat, has boundaries.
ZR: (21:59)
asking you what do you think so-in-so's doing? What do you think this cat's doing? So he cares for them even if he doesn't want them on his bed
JB: (22:11)
see here Ah Do you think we have to do all of them are just Well, I guess we can do a few more. Do you want to do a few more? We want to keep an order or do you want to skip to one of the juicier ones?
ZR: (22:31)
before that seems strange to me now. [unintelligible] closeness [unintelligible] it feels like I know what this is at this moment. I can't remember. But like I said before a while and now I can't because it's just not fair. Or just be able to walk around willy nilly not worry about if I get a virus it's a longer I'm out in a room or something. But changed some stuff that was for no library I think because it just seems like everything is just put up things to keep people from breathing on you. And so it was just different. More of a feeling of stay away from me than it used to be
JB: (23:45)
How have your plans changed? What did you maybe miss out on? what were you planning to do that is now uncertain?
ZR: (24:05)
graphic design since I can still do it virtually. I can still go do it in person. Do it not in person [unintelligible]. Be good. Um, what do you plan to do? I don't know, I guess work. Well, I know the pandemic has set a light on my own mental health issues. At one point during the semester. It was hard. The semester was hard because boy there was a lot of work and there was no Spring Break I don't think
JB: (24:44)
Oh yeah, that was the one where they crammed it all together.
ZR: (24:47)
Yeah. We started late, I guess to compensate. Like we started before Thanksgiving, I did Enjoy that
JB: (25:00)
oh that was nice
ZR: (25:01)
[unintelligible] horrible especially online because if you had to do something when you show your face on the screen feels like you had to be more attentive than you usually have to be you know to just sit there and watch instead of like being in your in person feeling everybody in the room you're just there you had to pay attention
JB: (25:22)
was that last spring semester?
ZR: (25:24)
Yeah, it was last spring
JB: (25:25)
Oh yeah, I was on campus that was so isolating
ZR: (25:29)
[unintelligible] had anxiety which is actually led to depression so it was anxiety and depression so it doesn't really change what I do for work [unintelligible] more open to me because a lot of them have remote stuff now.
JB: (25:59)
So that's true I never thought about that
ZR: (26:05)
remote
my job searches we make sure they follow I think it's called E E O or something which includes you know no discrimination and also like following the ADA American with Disabilities Act so I find a place that will respect if [unintelligle] because in college [unintelligible] pounded on me which I understand which is college but I was want to have a place that will respect that I might not get stuff done on time. So I guess because that that the depression the pandemic kind of taught me that I cannot slow down sometime. Like once I get depressed I can't do much so it's like a moment to just rest, I can't work that hard
JB: (27:07)
hmm wow, the last of these are real big hitters. Which one you want to talk about? You want to talk about the government? You want to talk about having COVID? masks?
ZR: (27:25)
COVID Did I have the vaccine? I don't think I had the vaccine at the time.
JB: (27:32)
Yeah, no, that came out more of this past summer.
ZR: (27:37)
COVID hit in March 2020. Like [unintelligible] in December 2020.
JB: (27:44)
Yeah, I got it too like yeah, actually it was in December
ZR: (27:48)
the middle of December
JB: (27:54)
Yeah. I almost didn't think we were gonna have Christmas. Everybody was all laid up except for my sister.
ZR: (28:02)
one thing COVID does do things with you like the symptom of not being able to taste that was weird. I was eating mint candy or something. A day or two and then like, or like that second day, Not tasted how many peppermint things I had. So I couldn't taste. I'm not sure about the smell but definitely couldn't taste
JB: (28:26)
oh yeah, I lost my sense of smell. And up until then I was so scared of losing it that I kept checking every every night when I was taking a shower. I tried to smell my shampoo and then the one day it didn't happen.
ZR: (28:38)
For me the taste just, my mom cooked chicken every night. we knew she knew how cooked it was and when he strayed we literally chugged on the like Tylenol and DayQuill, not DayQuill, NyQuil in the night oh my god we had boxes that were the day and the night.
JB: (29:02)
Oh geez
ZR: (29:12)
[unintelligible] one box was only day medicine and one box was filled with night medicine and we kept taking those because we did get tested. I think we thought one of us had it. And then we got tested and turns out all three of us had it, that was fun. Then when the only thing COVID equals death [unintelligible] back then.
JB: (29:35)
Was your brother not home?
ZR: (29:36)
No, he wasn't. he was in his apartment he stayed. [unintelligible]. Breathing he did have a lot of flem and stuff. And he would go on outside and I was literally worried he needed to go to a hospital at one point, I was playing a video game. So that kind of got me through it during the tough level. So I was doing that but I was looking at COVID symptoms every now and I'll send them to my mom because I was worried about my dad. That was very scary. He had the brunt of it. They took his temperature and made my mom they didn't even take my temperature they just just knew I was sick so I don't know how sick I got. There was kind of light, but yeah, that last it did last about two weeks. So see she was right. And then we couldn't really taste certain things afterwards. Were like Thanksgiving couldn't taste parts of the cheesecakes I couldn't tell exactly made right. But there's no eggs in it. So it's like, no, no,
JB: (30:46)
Thanksgiving come before. Alright, okay, I just I wonder if half a second I'm like wait a minute.
ZR: (30:53)
No. [unintelligible] Stuff That wasn't fun. Had to wear masks. Again we don't want to get my poor grandma sick.
JB: (31:06)
Oh, wait, so you guys went and visited them anyways?
ZR: (31:10)
Because it was like two weeks? Maybe like two and a half weeks afterward? Oh, we did go down. Oh no. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we did go down because we didn't spend Christmas by, I'm probably confusing with the Christmas before but yeah, we did. I don't my brother just stay where he was. Because that's I say he didn't want to get sick. I don't think my brother has been sick with covid yet. He's been lucky. stay isolated in his one person apartment.
JB: (31:41)
I know that is lucky.
ZR: (31:49)
Long COVID. I don't think any of us had long COVID
JB: (31:55)
that you know of
ZR: (31:59)
things when someone's not been able to breathe or something for like
JB: (32:03)
I mean, I've seen you come up the stairs.
ZR: (32:06)
Wow. Stuff's changed from COVID. they mentioned maybe brain fog but I might have that those with depression [unintelligible] but memory lapses it felt like that. It was like couldn't remember some stuff sometimes. Maybe my lungs Oh yeah, sometimes it's like couldn't get some good old breath in sometimes but I felt like my some small stuff like that has changed. Thankfully. [unintelligible] it just didn't smell smells bad to her now because of COVID just changed her sense of smell or something to it. So we don't really have pizza at home anymore because I can't take it
JB: (32:58)
never thought about that. Smells just smelled like really smelly not not like stinky but like extra now I did get my smell back eventually
ZR: (33:28)
until I mean to you it's like the moment you lost or we lost your sense of taste was like yeah, we have COVID This is nothing we can do nothing else nothing else will convince you that was just
JB: (33:46)
well um Is there anything else you'd like to let the lovely people know, lovely people might be reading this or not reading this listening with their ears not their eyes?
ZR: (34:11)
[unintelligible] backups of data, because they just might that might be just because they talk now. [unintelligible] the early to mid 2000s on like that, sure I had the internet but it's not like I was like talking to anybody on like, I don't know, MySpace or whatever.
JB: (34:39)
I think we were a little young for that.
ZR: (34:41)
But you know, there are still those commercials like email some by talking over email and they're like beware the other person might be an adult
JB: (34:50)
stranger danger things. I never got those. When I got the ads, I just never understood that and he's like that seems inappropriate
ZR: (35:02)
[unintelligible] but our generation when we install something like that next, hit yes, hit next and so we didn't read anything
JB: (35:20)
yeah that's kind of how I installed my end stuff yeah
ZR: (35:26)
there is no technology differently it's just always a part of our lives so it's very important you should not give the lease, not for everything. having people around is very nice and hobbies. I, aside during the depression I was making something with clay, so I had like a month or so long hobby and just routine but that was probably depression as well. Well routine just you know, I guess make every day special, walk outside, watch some bats around the afternoon.
JB:
I don't think they come out.
ZR:
They do. They did at my house. They fly so irradically.
JB: (36:10)
Yeah, I think a different sort of flight pattern mean they're doing jazz hands for Pete's sakes.
ZR: (36:21)
services like, well, like the TV we used to get used to saying used to could used to get so [unintelligible] was nothing new for the pandemic, but sometimes they're nice, you can just pick and choose although some people might, you know, just be like me and like it when it just comes on television.
JB: (36:49)
Yeah, it is nice to not have to like not audibly, like physically, not physically. Like purposefully pick what you want to watch because sometimes you can't come to a consensus
ZR: (37:15)
[unintelligible] OTV it's like almost on demand television for some things, but it's just still goes. So streaming services, on cable or whatnot. Very nice. Especially since you can watch it from anywhere watch with friends. It's all about connections. Like even though I was on Tumblr, everybody was still connected, making COVID Memes or whatever like using [unintelligible] instances that demonstrate COVID Like don't stand too close, do the standard six feet apart or As Nick said you got, on Nickelodeon [unintelligible] was talking about I want how I distancing long, long distance, What's it called? social distancing
JB:
that's the motto yes
ZR:
you still distance too, I think we got that too but okay one point is like yes we're doing it [unintelligible] so many so six feet which they were also saying is as tall as the rapper Drake, so there's like one whole Drake apart, the whole Drake apart
JB: (38:31)
so they'll measure with anything but metric system
ZR: (38:40)
there's a lot of commercials for washing your hands which is probably very good for children to learn how to do. [unintelligible] These towel places are sanitized in general like I don't think I've seen places washed and what not more before the pandemic
JB: (39:04)
oh yeah, the cleanliness was so nice.
ZR: (39:07)
Well, because kind of just wrong cleaning getting cleaner and cleaner here. Well, I just discuss getting even more
JB:
for two minutes now.
ZR:
Yeah, I guess you see people wearing masks. They're not for only like people in Asia, that was just using where I saw a masks. Masks are just
JB:
Makes sense
ZR:
With masks, some people are very afraid of COVID so wear that forever. Even indoors. I think I almost did that at some point. Yeah, while we're getting back to normal, there's just some changes and the continuing threat of COVID. And we're just still learning how to get along with.
[End of Recording]