Shoes, Santa Ana, CA, 2022
Annie Phan
Growing up as a second-generation Vietnamese American, having more than 20 pairs of shoes outside a relative’s house was a common sight on the weekend. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these weekend parties were put to a stop to prioritize our health and follow the safety guidelines put in place. With the surge of COVID-19 cases, the Orange County Health Agency released directives prohibiting all public and private gatherings. The order was effective at the end of March 2020. These guidelines were difficult to understand due to the language barrier and lack of accessible information that many older Vietnamese community members faced. Local community organizations took on the responsibility to translate both linguistically and culturally. Luckily with the COVID-19 vaccines, guidelines slowly became more lenient as more people were getting vaccinated. The ban on gatherings was lifted soon after. During this phase of reopening, the extended family dynamic that was previously changed changed once again.