Right now, I genuinely wish to defeat COVID-19 and stop such social injustice by recording and spreading my experiences, and feelings to others.

Yuange Zhou is a senior at UC Irvine who is majoring in Psychological Science and Economics. As an international student, Yuange self-quarantined herself at her apartment homes during the pandemic outbreak in California from March to late June, accompanied by her cat, Connor. In the summer of 2020, she flew back to China. Yuange Zhou personal experiences and reflections capture poignant moments during both Chinese and American history. She hopes to share her stories and insights as a foreigner in the U.S. to encourage others during the pandemic.            

As international students at UC Irvine, most of us had to take the flight back to home counties before the fall quarter because our F-1 Visa forbids us to stay in the U.S when all our courses are taking place remotely. Also, according to the Chinese Epidemic Prevention Department, all international travelers have to take two nucleic acid tests and a 14-day quarantine session at assigned hotels once they arrive in China during the COVID-19 pandemic season. However, thanks to the Chinese Epidemic Prevention Department and all these safety measures it implemented, most people in China returned to their normal life to a huge degree. For instance, except wearing face covers in public areas, we are able to take all the public transportations, eat in restaurants, and watch movies in cinemas without worrying too much about getting infected.

Zhou, October 14th, 2020, “Hang out with a friend who recently came out from a 14-day quarantine”

When the COVID-19 first spread in the United States and Europe, there was much news reported about Asians assaulted in the public because of their race and appearance. Those attackers may not even know the people they just attacked—attackers only did this because they believed Asian people were the cause of COVID-19 transmission… Right now, I genuinely wish to defeat COVID-19 and stop such social injustice by recording and spreading my experiences, and feelings to others.

Zhou, November 13th, 2020, “Social Justice Issue”

From my personal experiences, I would say a remote interview is extremely awkward and may fail to represent the real characteristics and qualities of the applicants. During an in-person interview, the interviewer has the chance to observe more details of the applicant directly, for instance, body movements, facial expressions, personal manner, and his/her strain capacity when facing an unexpected question. During a remote interview, both the interviewer and the applicant only show their face to the camera, which cuts down the sense of being in a formal interview to a great degree. During a few of my job interviews, the interviewers did not even turn on their cameras, so I had no clue how the people behind the screen were like, and I completely felt those interviews lack interactions, which might become a disadvantage for some applicants.

Zhou, December 1st, 2020, “Job Interview during the pandemic”

“With a physical artform such as dance, I have realized how critical it is to share and exchange energy with each other, to pull inspiration from one another and facilitate an unspoken means of communication through our bodily craft.”

Alice Myung is a fourth-year student double-majoring in Dance at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, and Psychological Sciences under the School of Social Ecology. She is also an Assistant Artistic Director for a Kaba Modern, a dance team located in Irvine, California. Kaba Modern is a hip hop dance organization founded in 1992 by Arnel Calvario, as an extension of the cultural Filipinx cultural and heritage club called Kababayan. After her undergraduate studies, Alice plans to attend graduate school for Occupational Therapy, utilizing movement and health care/rehabilitative services to serve communities while pursuing her passions.

Outside of this Zoom call and speaking more generally in terms of practice rehearsals online, something that I’ve observed throughout the course of my directorship this year was that learning to direct and conduct Zoom dance practices over online modalities is a big challenge for me as a leader, as it is difficult to receive feedback and engagement from our members when we are not existing in the same physical space. With a physical artform such as dance, I have realized how critical it is to share and exchange energy with each other, to pull inspiration from one another and facilitate an unspoken means of communication through our bodily craft. I am very excited to share the same space again with these dancers after this COVID-19 pandemic, and I look forward to rekindling a new passion for dance and this family when we meet in person again.

Myung, September 2020, “To New Beginnings”

It was very difficult to adapt to living at home – all of my obligations felt purposeless because I felt a sense of detachment from the world and almost equivalent to nonexistence. I slowly worked to build up routines that made it easier to get by day to day at home. I’ve grown to love it now and have developed a sense of peace with living at home, introspecting, and enjoying the unique time I have at home with family and my roommates.

Myung, December 2020, “Living at Home”

“I hope that we beat this invisible foe now!”

Isaac wrote a field diary based on observations of his neighborhood, a construction site, a baby shower, a park, and other elements of daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The field diary also includes a reflection on the passing of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, 2020, and Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

I am kept animated by the fact that one day we will return to our collective normal. Do not confuse my hope for compliance. The normal we long for remains a system plagued with flaws. Sadly, as of today 216,000 Americans have lost the battle against COVID-19. I hope that we beat this invisible foe now!

Rubalcava, October 15th, 2020, “Stalled Construction Site”

By the will of the American People, there will be a new president on January 20, 2021 at 12:01 pm. These past years, especially this year, have drained my American pride and hope.

Rubalcava, November 2020, “A Newly Conservative Supreme Court”

Usually, my younger brother (also an undergraduate at UC IRVINE) and I usually turn to my father for haircuts: he insists on doing it for free instead of visiting a barber. With the pandemic raging, we no longer have a choice. However, in this pandemic my mother and younger sister have decided to try out the DIY haircuts for themselves. Today, my sister took up the challenge. For my father it was his first long-hair operation. After several online tutorials, we gathered outside for the moment. Outside of our daily remote work and school, a haircut can be a big deal…

My sister, describes the experience as an ‘exciting risk.’ She quotes the sound of the clippers as ‘zzzzzpzzpzpz’ and sounding as if they were ‘chewing’ through her hair. The result was brilliant! My father went the extra mile to fix the ends and ensure everything was even. You could tell from their smiles that they were both proud and happy. In fact, he also dyed her hair a deep auburn color same day. We usually joke that for an Account Manager my father has many other practical skills. He really does.

Rubalcava, November 13th, 2020, “D.I.Y. Haircuts”

Joshua is a a fourth-year Criminology, Law, and Society student. You can read the abstract for his field diary below, as well as select quotes and excerpts.

Abstract: The Field Diary acts as a record of my personal experiences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The first entry of the diary depicts my time during a household quarantine that lasted about four weeks. I explain how my parents and I responded to both of their COVID tests returning positive, specifically discussing the rules that we set and how the event changed our view of the coronavirus from a distant problem to an immediate threat. A majority of the other entries describe my experiences with celebrating holidays during the pandemic. Specifically, I discuss how my family celebrated the Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. I also describe my experience with the election during the pandemic. A continuous topic throughout each entry is the reactions that I observed from my family members and friends as well as myself. In this regard, comparisons are drawn among the reactions that I observed from my relatives, my close friends, myself, and occasionally the public reaction as I perceived it. The final entries, specifically entries seven and eight, involve my perception of possible future events and comparisons between the holiday season from 2019 to the holiday season of 2020. Ultimately, the entries each act as descriptions of how the pandemic directly or indirectly affected my life as well as the lives of those with whom I am familiar.

Keywords: field diary, pandemic, quarantine, holiday

Throughout the pandemic, holidays had always been a concern, especially in regards to family gatherings. The Fourth of July, for example, acted as a form of test for many people in my hometown of Bakersfield. We were all uncertain as to how we should celebrate while ensuring that none of us would contract COVID at the celebration.

Agerton, December 2020, Entry 2

Tonight, I was verbally able to speak to my friends first the first time since late October due to an increased amount of schoolwork as well as our inability to meet in person.

Agerton, December 2nd, 2020, Entry 7

I took a brief break from my work late in the day and watched some of the live recordings of the musicians’ performances. I enjoyed watching the musicians’ each masterfully play their instruments while shouting to the crowd to raise their excitement. In one particular video, the New York City skyline was visible across a body of water. I watched the packed crowd cheer and dance while listening to the upbeat music and began to feel excited as well. The video reminded me of a time when a packed crowd was common, especially near a populace city like New York. I thought about how I wished I could have been there, even before the pandemic began.

Agerton, December 8th, 2020, Entry 8