Vanessa & Ryan
Vanessa: “As a couple, we have not gone out and we’ve limited our outings to just maybe for a snack sometimes -- and even then, we wear a mask -- so socially we’ve been a lot more isolated. For me personally, my social life has also been eliminated. But that’s perfectly fine.”
Ryan: “For me, I think I’ve tried to find things to do indoors. I’ve spent a lot more time with my family than I did before the pandemic. I actually quit my job at Amazon when this started getting out of hand, and only Vanessa knows this right now but I’ve been trying to start my own business, actually. I’m selling products on E-Bay and Amazon -- reselling stuff, basically -- trying to make money. It’s given me a whole new way of thinking of ways to make money. When I resell things, I don’t have a lot of human contact. I had a lot more time to make it happen now. I spent a lot of time sitting and watching YouTube videos to figure out how to do all of it.”
Vanessa: “Also, because my social life is gone, it’s helped me realize that I need to take a step back and really internalize what’s happening in the world. It’s made me a lot more politically aware, so the pandemic has actually helped me in that aspect. My life has also changed in that I really appreciate my family a lot more than I used to, now that I’m forced to spend a lot more time with them. I’m appreciating those family relationships more now. Like, I never expected that with my mom, but --”
Ryan: “Y’all go on walks like every day.”
V: “Yeah, so having to be with my mom constantly and always going on walks (I’ve wanted a way to still be active), it’s given me a lot more time to reflect on our relationship, and it’s given me human contact in different ways. I’ve realized that I need to appreciate those in my life before taking them for granted, in case something were to happen.”
V: “This sounds kind of negative, but I think the greatest challenge has been just being mindful that other people are allowed to live their lives the way they want. Everyone has their own free will, and they’re not going to align their views with mine. I’m just trying to be respectful but also being personally conscious and giving others the awareness that they need.”
R: “I think my biggest challenge is figuring out how to take everything seriously that’s going on. Not with the pandemic, but like, my parents are really conservative, and then my sister is on the opposite end. She’s super liberal, and she actually [holds a leading role in healthcare]. She has all these factual, insightful views on what’s happening in the world, but my parents are conservative and sometimes they don’t even believe the coronavirus is real. My sister has to convince them that it’s actually happening, people are dying, and they should wear a mask. She kept getting so mad. My biggest challenge has been finding a balance for myself between all the political views towards the coronavirus.”
V: “And at work, it’s been hard having to work with people who are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, between what they believe and what I believe. I think it’s like you said, finding a good balance and finding a respectful way to bring up your views, if needed. If not appropriate, obviously I won’t bring it up, but if an opportunity comes or if a guest comes up to me (or in any other situation where the person and I have opposite views on the pandemic), it’s been really hard finding a balance. Just trying to meet people in the middle and be as respectful as possible.”
V: “Very Gen Z of me, but I would say social media is honestly my go-to for finding hope. People with the same views as myself give me the same hope and the same drive that I need to continue on. It’s easy to ask, “How are you doing?” and both say, “Good,” but taking into consideration the actual circumstances of what’s going on, it’s been really rough. I’ve been going into conversations with my friends, or my peers, or my coworkers, and just understanding that others are in the same boat as me, others are struggling too, and it’s affecting everyone’s lives. I think that’s where I find the most comfort -- that other people have the same struggles that I do, and we can both communicate and find ways to help each other.”
R: “I think mine is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I’ve been trying to stay off social media, because I think I find the most comfort actually talking to other people. Like, I went to get my car serviced yesterday and it’s just talking to everyday people and seeing how they’re doing, taking it down to the most basic level again. Just communicating, being friendly, being kind, those interactions of the day-to-day. Being friendly is where I’m finding hope and comfort. In all those little places.”
V: “Having contact with Ryan has also given me a lot of hope and reassurance. I know it’s not in perfect code with quarantine and social distancing, but we’ve drawn the line past that. It’s been very meaningful having someone that I can rely on, a companion.”
R: “I like online learning, honestly. I know Vanessa doesn’t, though. I don’t know. I’m more on the antisocial side, and I like doing things by myself. I just learn easier when I teach myself things. In high school, I was the type of person to finish math class and go home and watch Youtube videos afterwards because I didn’t understand what the teacher taught us. I’m more of a self-taught person. I learn better that way.”
V: “Like Ryan said, I’m very tactile, I’m very in-person. I definitely learn best when I can hear others’ thoughts and others’ questions, because then it helps me answer my own. My biggest struggle with online learning is not having my questions answered live, or not having someone to ask for help. At UTA, the caliber of teaching and lessons went down a lot lower than what it would have been in person, because there’s such lower demand from students than there was before. All my classes were pre-recorded, also there wasn’t even that interaction of a video call. That added to the struggle of the transition for me -- I expected to have maybe at least one Zoom class, but all of them were pre-recorded. I had to email about questions, and the responses were passive or late. By the time I heard back, it was already irrelevant.”
R: “Also, you just love being around people.”
V: “Yeah, my confidence is just so much higher and I feel like I have a better energy when I’m around people. I’d gotten into the routine of seeing so many familiar faces and hearing pieces of what’s going on in people’s lives. It goes back to the idea of appreciating the simple things in your life.”
V: “The extent of my activism prior to the current peak of Black Lives Matter included sitting down occasionally during the pledge and going to the protests during school. Before the pandemic, I had never gone out and actually been to a protest before. I think it was because I wasn’t able to drive myself, and I didn’t have other friends or family that were politically active. There wasn’t a role model for me to have for that, but now I’m at an age to be making my own decisions. The pandemic has really brought light to social and racial injustice in this country, and from that I’ve grown as a person and been able to stand my ground and have my own activism and have a platform.”
R: “I was not so knowledgeable before this. I’m going to be purely honest. I had never been to a protest -- I couldn’t fully grasp what was going on. I guess part of it was how I was brought up by my parents. I wasn’t exposed to a lot of the racial injustice that actually goes on, and they, being conservative, turned a blind eye. They didn’t really teach me, so this whole movement has opened my eyes so much. The protest [at Trinity HS], that was actually my first one. It was nothing like what I thought it was going to be. It was a lot more peaceful than the media has shown, with everything that’s happening. It’s really just opened my eyes to everything going on right now.”
V: “Prior to the pandemic, I was aware that there was racial injustice, but never to the extent that I’ve seen it now. Because there’s a pandemic, the world has slowed down a bit, and not everyone is doing their own thing right now. There’s no reason to not see the racial injustice right now. Everything else -- traveling, going out -- has either stopped or been limited. Because normal social lives have been limited, there’s a lot more time and space for the Black Lives Matter movement (and other movements for the elimination of oppression in our country) to really speak up now.”
R: “I don’t know if it’s true for me specifically, but I know a lot of people haven’t been at work, so there’s a lot more freedom and free time for people to speak out about what they’re passionate about. For me personally, it has definitely helped me find my voice by giving me that time to reflect on my thoughts and my own political views, and how that relates to even my spiritual views.”
V: “Yeah, one of the biggest blessings of the pandemic has been the aspect of time, and having personal time to do your own research and to really reflect on current events and the things that are happening. It leaves no room for excuses to not support the Black Lives Matter movement. I know we’ve found that within ourselves. Prior to this I was aware of the movement, but I couldn’t really grasp the severity of it and what it meant. It’s sad to say, but I’m really appreciative that I was able to ground myself and find a voice now, as opposed to realizing later and regretting not having supported such a revolutionary movement right now.”
R: “I also think the accessibility of the Internet and Twitter, and all of us being able to put out our beliefs and thoughts online of what’s actually happening, has greatly influenced how everyone looks at it as well. Especially how I look at it. It’s informed me so much more. I don’t think any of us would really know much about what’s actually going on if we didn’t have the Internet. I mean, we would, but it would be hard to get it to everyone.”
V: “In regards to the pandemic, I hope that sick people continue to wear a mask if they go out, and I hope that maybe the rule of wearing a mask stays longer -- during flu season and other times when people get sick at a higher rate than usual. I hope that sticks around. If we find a cure, I hope that travel becomes more accessible in the future. I really want to travel more later in the future, hopefully. But only if it’s super healthy and we have the highest safety standards possible.”
R: “I hope the love sticks around that I’ve experienced. Like, the love with my family. I see it a lot more. And not just in my family, but in other families. When we’re going on walks, they’re all walking together, laughing, having a good time, and spending quality time together. A lot of parents aren’t working and are able to spend more time with their kids, so I hope that carries over. I hope they take the time in the future (not just during a pandemic) to spend quality time with their kids. What I hope doesn’t stick around: the anger. In the restaurant setting, to be really specific, from what Vanessa has told me. At work, she always tells me about how people are so hostile now, like towards masks, so I hope they stop.”
V: “Yeah, I hope what doesn’t stick around is the hostility towards health standards. And I hope people start realizing that politicians are really the ones mandating these new rules and legislation. I hope they realize where these mandates are coming from, and I hope they realize that at the end of the day, it’s not just a business that tells you to wear a mask or not wear a mask. I hope people aren’t as politically ignorant in the future.”
V: “I’m pleasantly surprised at how well the younger generation has handled the pandemic, channeling their frustration with racial inequity into action. I just hope this translates into really high voter turnout when the time comes in November. I hope this energy now comes at the same level when it’s needed again.”
Quotes edited for clarity.
Vanessa and Ryan both tried their best to balance their college coursework with their activism this spring — Pamela, another Trinity HS graduate, is navigating a similar experience.
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