Category: Field Diaries

A collection of student diaries documenting the pandemic, social justice issues, and/or remote learning. You can read select quotes and excerpts of field note entries below. The entirety of the field diary collection will be available in the UCI Libraries School of Social Ecology Pandemic Histories Archive.

Field diary by Anonymous, Spring 2021

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A student who works at UCI’s Amazon Hub Locker+ at the University Town Center kept a field diary during the quarter to document important events and his work experience during the pandemic. One of his entries described how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had announced that in most public spaces, vaccinated people no longer needed a face covering.

I feel like today may be a monumental moment in this ongoing pandemic battle. The CDC has seemed to release the restriction of social distancing and masks for people who have been vaccinated. Now in this entry I feel like I should talk about what I think and feel about it, and to be honest, I am really excited. The thought that regular day life seems to be already getting closer gets me super excited. I feel like it has been forever since I have been outside without a mask and now that I’m vaccinated it makes me think about how I technically am allowed to not wear a mask. However, with even all of the things I listed I know that there is a grain of salt that comes with that. Almost all businesses seem to still say masks are mandatory and it seems that Governor Gavin Newsome still has not said much about it in the first place so I don’t know where California stands in this. Even at my job at Amazon the guidelines are still in place and won’t be actually lifted till June. This makes me think when did the CDC decide it was the right time to get rid of masks. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the president, stated that those with vaccines were good to go. This also makes me question how they plan to know what people have vaccines for. Who is stopping people from just saying that they got the vaccine and never wearing a mask. This can only lead to more issues down the road as this new lifting of restrictions creates this “honor” system that I feel like most people will not follow. How will we even know who has the vaccine in the future as even when this whole thing blows over what will be the point where most people have the vaccine. It still feels like most people today have negative conceptions on the vaccine and are unwilling to take it. While I am excited by this new news of no longer being needed to wear a mask in public I feel I will still find myself wearing out of respect for others and the fear of people who still have not gotten it.

Anonymous, May 14th, 2021, “The CDC and Masks”

Field diary by Nadia Mansouri, Spring 2021

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Nadia Mansouri is a transfer student from Saddleback College who has attended UCI since 2019. She is originally from Iran, and moved to the United States in 2015. Nadia is married and has an 11 year son, who she interviewed as part of her field diary. She also describes her experience receiving the 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Today on April fifth, I got my second dose of the COVID vaccine. My appointment was at CVS pharmacy, there was a short line, and only two people were before me. People’s appointments were 30 minutes long, so not too crowded. For 15 minutes, people were sitting in chairs to make sure there weren’t any side effects, and people looked anxious, and I could tell they were scared. They were looking at each other, and they were wearing masks and seemed worried sick. The doctor that gave me the shot was amazing, and I didn’t feel the shot at all. They gave me a coupon that said “Thank you for trusting us,” and it was 20% off anything in CVS pharmacy. There was a lady there in the line that, with the body signs, asked me if my arms hurt, and I said no. We are all really tired of quarantine and are all scared of getting the virus and cannot wait until it’s over. And we hope it’s soon and not in 2022, and that we can go back to our old ways. I just want to say how impressed I am with CVS. I took CVS so organized we were in, got shots, a two-minute wait, did their 15-minute stay to make sure there was no reaction, and we were on our way. Dr. said common side effects could be Pain, Redness, Swelling, Tiredness, Headache, Muscle pain, Chills, Fever, Nausea. To reduce pain and possible discomfort where I got the shot, I can apply a clean, cool, wet washcloth over the area or use or exercise my arm. So far, I feel okay, and I hope everybody gets their vaccine and everything back to normal.

Mansouri, April 5th, 2021

Nadia interviewed her son Nick, who was at his room when he got called to do the interview and was casually dressed in a hoodie with shorts. He seemed calm and with a smile because the interviewer was his mom and it was hard for him to stay serious. Nick said that he missed some things from in person school including seeing friends, field trips and playing during their breaks. However, he thought that virtual studies made it easier to complete school work. Although Nick worries about COVID-19, he is “not super worried” because he thinks that children have a low chance to be infected, according to the news. He really wants to go back to normal school and believes it will be safe because news reports have said that everything is going to be a lot safer by June 15th.

Field diary by Hanh (Hayley) Hoang, Spring 2021

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…my head hurt, my body felt numb but I had to finish my second mid-term.

Hanh Hoang transferred to UCI from Orange Coast College and is currently a behavioral technician. She lives with her family in Westminster, which has a large Vietnamese community. Hanh is fluent in Vietnamese and English, as she was raised in Vietnam and moved to the United State about 7 years ago. Hanh enjoys sharing things about her culture and spreading awareness about mental health. She kept a field diary during the Spring quarter to record her observations of the pandemic, including receiving her 2nd COVID-19 vaccination and fears of Asian hate crime.

6th April 2021: I am trying to get out of the house more. Walking around the neighbourhood today, it was a bit more noisy than yesterday. There was a tragic accident in the neighborhood. A house was on fire the previous night, nobody knew what had happened. While I was walking past, I can see people were thinking about it a lot. Some young Asian female adults were saying things about “Asian hate crime” and some just think it was an accident. Nonetheless, the house looks horrible, burned from the inside out, with yellow tape surrounding it.

7th April 2021: I had a walk for about an hour in the neighborhood. There were chrysanthemum bouquets all over the house. In Vietnamese, chrysanthemum represents rebirth and sympathy. A kind lady gave me one, and I was able to pray for their losses. The wife died, the husband was severely injured, their kid had moved away due to work and was unable to return due to COVID. So the whole thing happened due to an electrical issue, that was what was reported by the newsletter.

8th April 2021: My brother and I went to get some dessert today. We sat at the store to enjoy the desserts. There was a group of friends, talking about the rise of “Asian Hate Crime,” they were saying that some people they knew had been yelled at randomly, and their car had been targeted at night. They were expressing the unfairness that they were being targeted for something they can not control. They were agreeing on purchasing pepper spray to protect themselves. From hearing their conversation, it made me purchase the pepper spray right away. Since lately the “Asian hate crime” has been making some of my friends and I feel anxious to walk without any protection.

Hoang, April 6-8th, 2021, “My mobile home neighborhood during Pandemic”

14th April 2021: Today, I have to get my second dose of COVID vaccination. I drove myself to Disney where the vaccination location was located. I am super nervous because I am going by myself for the vaccine shot that many people said has horrible side effects. I got to the location at around 11:30 and I got my shot around 12:30, then waited 15 minutes to see if there is any side effect. I rushed home around 12:45 because my house is under electric construction and my dad will be leaving for work soon. I am starting to feel the headache but I think it might just be a small headache from the vaccine.

15th April 2021: Since one house in my area was on fire, my mom immediately hired a person to look over all the electrical wires in the house to prevent burning or over electrical usage. I have two midterms today and the house does not have Wi-Fi, I am having a fever. I drove to my friend’s house at 10:30am and did my first mid-term over there… At 12:30pm, I had to rush back home to look over electric constructors, my head hurt, my body felt numb but I had to finish my second mid-term. I can not eat, the moment I eat, I puke and I can not sleep cause my head hurt and my body is in pain. Around 1:45pm, I decided to call off work for the following day and ask my night professor for a day off.

Hoang, April 14-15th, 2021, “My experience after second vaccine shot”

I went for a walk around my neighborhood, and two senior Vietnamese women were walking and talking about how they are going back to Vietnam for travelling. They mentioned the vaccine passport. One of them talked about how Vietnam required every traveler to quarantine for about three weeks in a rural area. They added that during that time, one needs to take three separate times to test for COVID, in order to go out to the public. They mentioned whether it is truly worth it to go back to Vietnam or not since the ticket price had gone up to about $5000/round trip.

Hoang, May 3rd, 2021, “Anonymous interview week”

Photographs and Field Diary by Kayla Han, Spring 2021

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Kayla Han captured multiple photographs to accompany the field diary she wrote in Shenzhen, China. Kayla is an international student who returned to China for her Winter break in 2019. She was unable to take a flight back to the United States because of the travel ban in February 2020. Despite not being on campus for a year, Kayla considers herself lucky that she isn’t alone, and is grateful to be staying with her family. The U.S. Embassy recently informed her that student visa holders will be able to fly back in August. Kayla is very excited about her time at UCI and plans to cherish her last year.

At noon, I chose to take the subway to the mall to meet my friends. Before taking the subway, the temperature measuring machine automatically measured my body temperature at the security checkpoint. Everyone in the subway wears a mask, and there are security guards patrolling. There is a QR code for the ride. It is provided for passengers to scan the code in each subway car (when there is a Covid-infected person, it is convenient for medical institutions to find other passengers to test their health).

Han, April 7th, 2021, “A Pandemic Day”

In the evening, before entering the restaurant, the front desk asked to scan the QR code for real-name authentication and show the health code. After disinfecting our hands, waiter led us into the restaurant. The waiter provided us with disposable mask bags for putting masks in to prevent cross-infection of the virus.

Han, April 7th, 2021, “A Pandemic Day”

Recently, the supply of vaccines has started to decrease, and the number of vaccines in the city is insufficient. I saw that I could make an appointment in the early morning and I chose to vaccinate at noon. I arrived on time at noon. There were a lot of people waiting in line for the vaccine, and there were many people sitting in the observation area at the door after vaccination. After the doctor asked if there was a history of allergies, I went directly to get the vaccine. The nurse scanned the vaccine barcode so that I could check the vaccine record on my mobile phone. Even if there are many people, the efficiency is high. It doesn’t take long for me to finish the vaccine and wait half Hours to see if there are any bad symptoms. On the way home, my arms felt very heavy like carrying ten pounds of groceries. I felt very thirsty and lethargic. After I got home, I slept for 12 hours. It didn’t take long for me to sleep for another seven hours. My throat also started to sore and I started to feel dizzy. According to the side effects after the vaccine, the symptoms that appeared on my body were normal. I was really relieved.

Han, April 14th, 2021, “A Vaccine Day”

Mayra Moreno’s Field Diary, Spring 2021

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During my first vaccination I barely felt the needle go through my skin, yet today I even felt the substance in the vaccination. Almost immediately I was able to tell that the substance was a lot stronger.

Mayra Moreno is a Criminology, Law, & Society student. Mayra lives in Perris, California. She has been living in the same house and city for about 18 years. Mayra is an active community member who volunteers with youth-oriented community organizations in Riverside county, and has served her local church, elementary school, and local community college. Mayra wrote three field diary entries about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

When the two members searching for appointments made it clear to the family that they were in search of an appointment, a variety of opinions and statements flooded the dinning room. Questions like “why are you getting it?” “you trust the government?” and comments such as “they made the vaccine to quick” “no one knows the long-term side effects yet” “you’ll be the first zombie case in the family” were made. Consequently, the difference in opinions steered up a heated debate and a conspiracy regarding the vaccine was brought up.

Moreno, April 6th, 2021, “Zombie Vaccine”

Perhaps after hearing all the conspiracies and estimates in line had an effect on me. When I sat down and waited for the nurse to give me my shot, I began to get nervous and thousands of questions ran through my head. “How will my body react this time?” “What if I suddenly have a reaction” my heart raced during the process but I can 100% say that I do not believe water was being injected onto me. I do not believe water would give me a headache and fever. I do wish people would stop spreading false information, it would be rather unfortunate if someone skipped out on the vaccination because they heard the vaccination was water. 

Moreno, May 12th, 2021, “2nd Dose”

Initially after getting the shot, I did not feel any extreme symptoms, however I will say that the second dose for me was a lot stronger than the first. During my first vaccination I barely felt the needle go through my skin, yet today I even felt the substance in the vaccination. Almost immediately I was able to tell that the substance was a lot stronger. I reflected on my past mistake with the first vaccine and began moving my arm so my arm wouldn’t be so sore tomorrow. Yet, at night I woke up to a sharp pain in my arm. I wasn’t even able to move my arm without wincing in pain. After trying to fall back asleep I soon felt extreme heat. The room felt very hot and as I turned to the side my sister that also got the shot was shivering. I asked if she was cold and when she said she was freezing I was wondering what was going on in the room. We were in two different extremes as I was sweating, she was gritting her teeth out of coldness. It was so hot how could she be so cold? Turns out we both had a fever.

Moreno, May 12th-13th, “Symptoms”

Yuange Zhou’s Field Diary, Fall 2020

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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”

Alice Myung’s Field Diary, Fall 2020

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“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”

Isaac Gilbert Rubalcava’s Field Diary, Fall 2020

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“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”

Field Diary by Joshua Agerton, Fall 2020

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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