Item
Jacob Giering Oral History, 2020/09/19
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
Jacob Giering Oral History, 2020/09/19
Description (Dublin Core)
I interviewed Jacob about his experience from December 2019-present (September 2020)
Recording Date (Dublin Core)
09/19/2020
Creator (Dublin Core)
Jacob Frisch
Jacob Giering
Partner (Dublin Core)
Northeastern University
Type (Dublin Core)
Audio File (story), Made in review
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Education--K12
English
Education--Universities
English
Government State
English
Social Distance
English
Emotion
English
Home & Family Life
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Zoom
graduation
online learning
Northeastern University
Vermont
Governor Phil Scott
quarantine
Collection (Dublin Core)
Lost Graduations
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
09/19/2020
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
10/29/2020
10/30/2020
11/13/2020
03/08/2021
03/07/2023
07/18/2023
Date Created (Dublin Core)
09/19/2020
Interviewer (Bibliographic Ontology)
Jacob Frisch
Interviewee (Bibliographic Ontology)
Jacob Giering
Location (Omeka Classic)
Vermont
United States of America
Format (Dublin Core)
M4A Audio
Language (Dublin Core)
English
Duration (Omeka Classic)
00:06:50
abstract (Bibliographic Ontology)
I interviewed Jacob about his experience from December 2019-present (September 2020)
Transcription (Omeka Classic)
Jacob Frisch 0:01
Hello, Jake. I'm Jacob. And I'll be asking you some questions about your quarantine today. Do I have your consent to interview you for the COVID-19 archive project?
Jake Giering 0:09
Yes, you do.
Jacob Frisch 0:10
Can you please state the date and time?
Jake Giering 0:12
It is September 19th, 3:14pm.
Jacob Frisch 0:15
Thank you. What were your initial thoughts of the Coronavirus in December in January of 2020?
Jake Giering 0:22
My initial thoughts of the virus were that it wouldn't be something that would affect us, I thought it was something that was just going to be contained in China. Much like the Ebola outbreak we experienced back in middle school, where it was didn't really affect us. I thought it would be a similar situation. But obviously, that was not the case.
Jacob Frisch 0:47
How did you react when you realize it would be much more long term and it would affect you personally unlike Ebola.
Jake Giering 0:52
I was definitely upset at first that I wasn't going to get my senior year with my friends. And I was looking forward to a lot of things – prom, senior skip day, etc. But I kind of got over that and realized that school became super simple and easy. And I was still able to hang out with the people I really cared about. So honestly, in the end, I was fine.
Jacob Frisch 1:19
Right. And speaking of school, when did your school close? And how did you feel initially?
Jake Giering 1:24
My school closed early March. I was not excited for online classes, it seemed like such a drag. A lot of the teachers were not good with the Zoom calls. And they didn't really know what they were doing. Some of the classes were really awkward. But some of the classes were really great as well. And it kind of became an easy way to finish senior year, which I almost appreciated, kind of at the end.
Jacob Frisch 1:56
Right. And how did your teachers transition to online learning? And how did, did some do better than others in that regard?
Jake Giering 2:03
Absolutely. We had designated Zoom times every day for classes, much like Northeastern does. And some teachers were really, really well. We talked about you know, real life situations and how, how the pandemic would affect us and had really meaningful conversations and then class. Other teachers, it was kind of like everyone kept their camera off. No one said anything. And it was almost like they were talking to a wall, which was kind of awkward, and then not really beneficial.
Jacob Frisch 2:38
So it impacted the social structure of the classroom?
Jake Giering 2:40
Definitely.
Jacob Frisch 2:42
And as an end to senior year, were you able to have an in person graduation?
Jake Giering 2:47
We were. We had a parade through town. And then we had like, individual ceremonies where you could do it with one or two close friends. So I went with my two closest friends, Shepard and Liam. We had that kind of ceremony together. And then the commencement speeches were in a parking lot on the Bromley ski mountain where everyone parked their cars kind of six feet apart. But it was nice because they didn't really enforce it. So I got to stand with all my friends and enjoy the commencement, enjoy the speech, the speeches.
Jacob Frisch 3:25
Right. And you were in Vermont during the pandemic, correct?
Jake Giering 3:29
That's correct.
Jacob Frisch 3:30
How do you believe your governor handled the pandemic in its entirety?
Jake Giering 3:34
Governor Scott, I think handled it really well. Our state had a really low case rate from the start and throughout my life, really wasn't affected a ton. In terms of socially, I was still able to hang out with people. He still, even though we had a low case rate, took precaution to enforce state mandates such as wearing masks, social distancing, making sure that businesses were doing the best they could to prevent the spread. So he definitely did a lot
Jacob Frisch 4:06
I'm glad to hear it. How do you think President Trump dealt with COVID in comparison to how your governor did?
Jake Giering 4:13
Definitely frustrating. A lot of doubt that he casts kind of and a lot of confusion, I think he definitely could have done a better job with enforcing laws. Wearing a mask himself, encouraging people to come up with real solutions to fight the pandemic instead of fictitious ones. So definitely could have done a better job there.
Jacob Frisch 4:42
Right. I totally agree with you. During the pandemic was spending time with your family more of a nuisance or a silver lining?
Jake Giering 4:50
In the end, I think it was a silver lining, it kind of brought us together, we cooked family dinners together. So it's stuff like that. Once my jobs kind of came in the summer, I didn't really see them as much, but during the initial quarantine period where no one was going out, it definitely brought us together.
Jacob Frisch 5:07
Very nice. And overall, what would you say were the best and worst things that resulted from the pandemic?
Jake Giering 5:15
The best thing I would say is it kind of solidified my friend group. There was a couple times where we hung out the first few times once we got over that initial quarantine, and it was just the best time like seeing each other again. And it really brought us together in a way that it sounds cliche, I know, but it really did bring us together. Worst thing is probably, probably right now, to be honest, like the way it's affecting my college experience, and it sucks. There's nothing you can do about it really, except for just being safe. But uh, yeah, it's really interesting, and it's definitely unfortunate, but we'll get there.
Jacob Frisch 5:58
And my last question for you today is, how will COVID impact the rest of our lives do you think?
Jake Giering 6:04
I think our country hopefully, will be more proactive about preventing pandemics in the future should there be an outbreak somewhere. I think shutting down the borders sooner, taking more precautions sooner about quarantining and forcing quarantining. I think that will definitely occur. And that will definitely prevent it in the future. I think people will be more sanitary in terms of just washing their hands, general hygiene. You kind of realize once there's a pandemic, like how much stuff you touch, walking through the city, especially on the subways, etc. So I think, yeah, that'll definitely have an impact.
Jacob Frisch 6:48
Exactly.
Hello, Jake. I'm Jacob. And I'll be asking you some questions about your quarantine today. Do I have your consent to interview you for the COVID-19 archive project?
Jake Giering 0:09
Yes, you do.
Jacob Frisch 0:10
Can you please state the date and time?
Jake Giering 0:12
It is September 19th, 3:14pm.
Jacob Frisch 0:15
Thank you. What were your initial thoughts of the Coronavirus in December in January of 2020?
Jake Giering 0:22
My initial thoughts of the virus were that it wouldn't be something that would affect us, I thought it was something that was just going to be contained in China. Much like the Ebola outbreak we experienced back in middle school, where it was didn't really affect us. I thought it would be a similar situation. But obviously, that was not the case.
Jacob Frisch 0:47
How did you react when you realize it would be much more long term and it would affect you personally unlike Ebola.
Jake Giering 0:52
I was definitely upset at first that I wasn't going to get my senior year with my friends. And I was looking forward to a lot of things – prom, senior skip day, etc. But I kind of got over that and realized that school became super simple and easy. And I was still able to hang out with the people I really cared about. So honestly, in the end, I was fine.
Jacob Frisch 1:19
Right. And speaking of school, when did your school close? And how did you feel initially?
Jake Giering 1:24
My school closed early March. I was not excited for online classes, it seemed like such a drag. A lot of the teachers were not good with the Zoom calls. And they didn't really know what they were doing. Some of the classes were really awkward. But some of the classes were really great as well. And it kind of became an easy way to finish senior year, which I almost appreciated, kind of at the end.
Jacob Frisch 1:56
Right. And how did your teachers transition to online learning? And how did, did some do better than others in that regard?
Jake Giering 2:03
Absolutely. We had designated Zoom times every day for classes, much like Northeastern does. And some teachers were really, really well. We talked about you know, real life situations and how, how the pandemic would affect us and had really meaningful conversations and then class. Other teachers, it was kind of like everyone kept their camera off. No one said anything. And it was almost like they were talking to a wall, which was kind of awkward, and then not really beneficial.
Jacob Frisch 2:38
So it impacted the social structure of the classroom?
Jake Giering 2:40
Definitely.
Jacob Frisch 2:42
And as an end to senior year, were you able to have an in person graduation?
Jake Giering 2:47
We were. We had a parade through town. And then we had like, individual ceremonies where you could do it with one or two close friends. So I went with my two closest friends, Shepard and Liam. We had that kind of ceremony together. And then the commencement speeches were in a parking lot on the Bromley ski mountain where everyone parked their cars kind of six feet apart. But it was nice because they didn't really enforce it. So I got to stand with all my friends and enjoy the commencement, enjoy the speech, the speeches.
Jacob Frisch 3:25
Right. And you were in Vermont during the pandemic, correct?
Jake Giering 3:29
That's correct.
Jacob Frisch 3:30
How do you believe your governor handled the pandemic in its entirety?
Jake Giering 3:34
Governor Scott, I think handled it really well. Our state had a really low case rate from the start and throughout my life, really wasn't affected a ton. In terms of socially, I was still able to hang out with people. He still, even though we had a low case rate, took precaution to enforce state mandates such as wearing masks, social distancing, making sure that businesses were doing the best they could to prevent the spread. So he definitely did a lot
Jacob Frisch 4:06
I'm glad to hear it. How do you think President Trump dealt with COVID in comparison to how your governor did?
Jake Giering 4:13
Definitely frustrating. A lot of doubt that he casts kind of and a lot of confusion, I think he definitely could have done a better job with enforcing laws. Wearing a mask himself, encouraging people to come up with real solutions to fight the pandemic instead of fictitious ones. So definitely could have done a better job there.
Jacob Frisch 4:42
Right. I totally agree with you. During the pandemic was spending time with your family more of a nuisance or a silver lining?
Jake Giering 4:50
In the end, I think it was a silver lining, it kind of brought us together, we cooked family dinners together. So it's stuff like that. Once my jobs kind of came in the summer, I didn't really see them as much, but during the initial quarantine period where no one was going out, it definitely brought us together.
Jacob Frisch 5:07
Very nice. And overall, what would you say were the best and worst things that resulted from the pandemic?
Jake Giering 5:15
The best thing I would say is it kind of solidified my friend group. There was a couple times where we hung out the first few times once we got over that initial quarantine, and it was just the best time like seeing each other again. And it really brought us together in a way that it sounds cliche, I know, but it really did bring us together. Worst thing is probably, probably right now, to be honest, like the way it's affecting my college experience, and it sucks. There's nothing you can do about it really, except for just being safe. But uh, yeah, it's really interesting, and it's definitely unfortunate, but we'll get there.
Jacob Frisch 5:58
And my last question for you today is, how will COVID impact the rest of our lives do you think?
Jake Giering 6:04
I think our country hopefully, will be more proactive about preventing pandemics in the future should there be an outbreak somewhere. I think shutting down the borders sooner, taking more precautions sooner about quarantining and forcing quarantining. I think that will definitely occur. And that will definitely prevent it in the future. I think people will be more sanitary in terms of just washing their hands, general hygiene. You kind of realize once there's a pandemic, like how much stuff you touch, walking through the city, especially on the subways, etc. So I think, yeah, that'll definitely have an impact.
Jacob Frisch 6:48
Exactly.
This item was submitted on September 19, 2020 by Jacob Frisch using the form “Share Your Story” on the site “A Journal of the Plague Year”: http://mail.covid-19archive.org/s/archive
Click here to view the collected data.