Jaime J. Godinez Oral History, 2022/05/10

Jaime Godinez is a high school U.S. history teacher in Yuma, Arizona, and an ASU graduate student being interviewed for a class assignment. Jaime gives some background on his life, including the fact that he was born in Arizona, but raised in Mexico. He discusses how his feelings have changed about COVID before the world was shut down and everyone was forced into remote work, but also more recently. Still, Jaime endured when he became unemployed and began to study at Arizona State University. However, Jaime was disappointed by the fact that he could not coach basketball. Finally, Jaime tells us how he and his family dealt with living together during the COVID-19 lockdown, including when he bought dumbbells online so he could work out at home. Jaime would have preferred to work out in a gym, much like many others, but this was a compromise that he had to make. Jaime reminds us that we must listen to medical professionals in the future and we must be socially responsible when interacting with the public.

May 10, 2022

Emily Borup

HST580

Arizona State University

oral history

English Education--Universities

English Home & Family Life

basketball

unemployment

lockdown

family

medical professionals

gym

dumbbells

coaching

work

Working Students

Teleworking

05/30/2022

05/30/2022

06/04/2022

08/02/2022

05/30/2022

Emily Borup

Jaime Godinez

Yuma

Arizona

United States of America

audio

English

00:12:48

Jaime Godinez is a high school U.S. history teacher in Yuma, Arizona, and an ASU graduate student being interviewed for a class assignment. Jaime gives some background on his life, including the fact that he was born in Arizona, but raised in Mexico. He discusses how his feelings have changed about COVID before the world was shut down and everyone was forced into remote work, but also more recently. Still, Jaime endured when he became unemployed and began to study at Arizona State University. However, Jaime was disappointed by the fact that he could not coach basketball. Finally, Jaime tells us how he and his family dealt with living together during the COVID-19 lockdown, including when he bought dumbbells online so he could work out at home. Jaime would have preferred to work out in a gym, much like many others, but this was a compromise that he had to make. Jaime reminds us that we must listen to medical professionals in the future and we must be socially responsible when interacting with the public.

Emily Borup 00:00
Recording again... there we go, I think. [nervous laughter] All right. So I guess we'll just go ahead and start. Jaime! State the time and date and the location.

Jaime Godinez 00:19
Yes, I'm currently in Yuma [Arizona]. The time, it's 4:03 pm and it's May 10th. Fun fact, it's Mexican Mother's Day.

Emily Borup 00:34
That is...

Jaime Godinez 00:35
The U.S. Yeah. That explains something to you?

Emily Borup 00:39
Yeah. I've been seeing like people with like stands where they've got like little baskets of like teddy bears, like pink teddy bears and and other pink little things. And I'm just like, it's not Valentine's Day. What's going on? [Both laugh] I don't know.

Jaime Godinez 00:53
Yeah, its a huge thing Mexican Mother's Day. It's always the tenth. So, for the U.S., it's the first Sunday right?

Emily Borup 00:59
Yeah, yeah. Just - Just this past Sunday. Yeah. (Jaime laughs) All right. You already said your name. So I suppose we can do the next question. What are the primary things you do on a day to day basis?

Jaime Godinez 01:14
Yes, good question. Um, I'm a teacher. So I teach US history, high school students, specifically sophomores here in the state of Arizona. And that's basically what I do all day. I mean, from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm, the classroom session, planning time, and some grading, assignments, quizzes, activity, essays, all the good stuff and try to present the historical narrative of the US to high school students. Um, yeah, I think that's about it. [laughs]

Emily Borup 01:48
All right. Nothing outside of your work? Like what do you do when you get home?

Jaime Godinez 01:52
Yes, so I have a golden retriever. As soon as I get home, she's really needy. Her name is Leah. Just take her for a walk. And after that, probably get a meal, go to the gym, get some weights, get back and focus, focus in grad school too, right? And not only that, but I also coach basketball, right now we're not during the season. We're about to get started on offseason conditioning and conditioning, get some tournaments and games for student-athletes. So during November slash, all the way through January, February, it's a challenge because I have to navigate a full-time job and then coaching and then school. So, it's demanding. That's a little bit about what I do extracurricular activities.

Emily Borup 02:41
Okay...Now, next one is where do you live and what? What is it like to live there?

Jaime Godinez 02:50
Fun fact, I was born in Yuma, Arizona, but I never lived here. I just moved back. Probably like a year ago. I was raised in Mexico. Specifically Mexicali its just an hour away. So fun fact, Yuma's 30 minutes, we get the border, and you have San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, that's the state of Sonora, Mexico and one hour away from Yuma. You have another border town city, which is called Calexico and then Mexicali of the state of Baja got really famous in last couple years. I don't know why. Anyways, so we get then given names try to Mexicali and Calexico, California, and Mexico starts Mexico and California starts so and Yuma. I don't know, I just experienced living here for the past four months. I just purchased a home. And it's really interesting. I mean, because I come from a border town in Yuma, it's 30 minutes away from the border. But at the same time, you don't see that. Huge. I mean, yes, we have a huge amount of percentage of Hispanic population. But I see it more in San Luis, the border town isn't actually Yuma. So, I don't know. I think it's fun. It's about 100,000 people. Two hours away from Phoenix, Arizona. And it's been good. I'm really appreciate the time here.

Emily Borup 04:13
All right, um, when did you first learn about COVID-19? And what were your thoughts about it?

Jaime Godinez 04:23
Yes, I mean, like, I'm assuming as everyone right, it was like three years ago. We see all this news coming from China and Europe. And I was actually an AVID tutor back in the day, I was a senior in college, and we're just talking about and even the classroom session with students like they were all scared about "oh, you think COVID's gonna come to the States?" And I was like, "you never know it's an epidemic. We have a huge historical events of epidemic disease. I have traveled across the globe, so you never know what happened". And I was not really scared about it, but the moment you know They sent us all to work from home. I was like, "oh, things are getting serious now". And yeah, I was conducting tutoring online. Same thing with the high school students, but back in Calexico and it got to the point that this is gonna stay for a while. So we stay at home for like a year and we have to adapt and work from home remotely and gotta keep going. That's the way life is, fortunately or unfortunately. [Some noise in the background]

Emily Borup 05:32
And then I guess, have your thoughts about COVID changed since then?

Jaime Godinez 05:40
Yes, when we have to live with it, right? To try to avoid it. [Laughs] Things that we have vaccines, we're cleared to go back to work. Master, at least, here in the state of Arizona, and I'm assuming most of the US, masks are optional nowadays. And my perception is that we have to live with it. Unfortunately, it's just the way it is. And we got to keep going to work and we got to keep you know, living and throughout this epidemic disease its, welcome to the new reality, I guess.

Emily Borup 06:16
Fair enough. How has the COVID 19 outbreak affected how you associate and communicate with your friends and family? In what ways? Has? I think that's asking like twice, but basically, how does it affect your you communicating with your friends and your family?

Jaime Godinez 06:40
Well, back in the day was more difficult because of the pandemic, we had to sit at home and be socially responsible about it. But it right now at this moment, 2022. I think, at least for me, is a huge deal. I mean, I'm able to go to work and be with my students and represent in the classroom session. I'm able to coach sports and communicate with my family even my I mean, I don't know have grandfather, Grandma at the time, but I mean, my uncles are pretty old. They're like their 70s and 80s. And I can communicate with them, go to their house, see how they're doing and with family and friends. It's just like, not really that like COVID never really happened. But we're able to see each other again, physically, rather than have to do it online.

Emily Borup 07:34
All right. What were the biggest challenges that you faced during the COVID 19 outbreak?

Jaime Godinez 07:43
Well, the first will be that I was sent home to work remotely. And that was good till I mean, my position as an AVID tutor was temporary in the sense that it was just throughout that year. And unfortunately, like billions of people across the states, I lost my job. And I was in unemployment for like a year, I feel really upset. But that also gave me an opportunity to focus in grad school too. So I started right out of it, "okay, I'm not on a job run out full time or part time, but at least I'm focusing in school," and that kept me in the sense to be motivated, to accomplish a goal. And I'm almost done just need this class, another course, then I'll take the Capstone, yay! But going back to the question, I couldn't coach, I love coaching basketball, I coach for like, seven-eight years now. I think it's eight years now. But I've been coaching high school basketball, and we couldn't go back to school regularly, right? So I couldn't coach and see my former high school students, and that's another part-time job that I lost too. And yes, I mean, from an economic standpoint of view, it was difficult, but I survived, and I'm assuming millions of people in the US have survived and we are thankful for it. Right?

Emily Borup 09:18
Yeah. How did the people around you respond to the pandemic?

Jaime Godinez 09:24
Well, my parents [some laughter], not so well, in the sense that they're old. I mean, my dad is 71 years old. My mom is 63. So, excuse me, 64. So they were scared, right? Because they're considered seniors. And they didn't want me to go outside and, you know, get COVID because I was home with them, living with them. So, it was more about them, because I'm 25 so, It was to be a little more responsible. So in that sense, of taking care of my parents that are seniors, and, and yeah, try to sit at home, just go for necessities, grocery shopping and come back home, stay at home and be socially responsible.

Emily Borup 10:16
[A pause] I get that. Is there a specific pandemic-related memory that stands out to you? If so, could you share it with me?

Jaime Godinez 10:31
Yes, absolutely. So, I love working out, right? I mentioned I go to the gym and unfortunately, fitness facilities were closed. So, I mean, I purchased some dumbbells online and elastic bands to try to work out from home for at least an hour. So, I'm really huge on weightlifting, but unfortunately, I don't have access to those fitness facilities. And I didn't want all crazy purchase a lot of home equipment, but I think it was fun to workout at home and make like my little gym. My parents home health. So yeah, I think that's a cool memory about working out at home.

Emily Borup 11:18
So, I guess now looking too, into the distant future of post-2022. [Laughter] Knowing what you know, now, what do you think that individuals, communities, or governments need to keep in mind?

Jaime Godinez 11:36
We have to follow the rules and procedures from let's call them, oh damn, I've forgotten the word, medical professionals,

Emily Borup 11:47
Yes.

Jaime Godinez 11:47
And be on the lookout for whatever news, whatever information is coming out from those professionals to keep us healthy in the near future, because epidemics throughout history, come and go, right? And I'm pretty sure we're probably gonna have more in the I mean, I don't know the next couple years, but throughout the history of humanity, we'll have more so that will be something to really consider and practice, you know, all these rules and procedures from healthcare professionals.

Emily Borup 12:19
Sounds like a good idea to me. [Both laugh] Are there any other questions? I think it's your ask me or something. I can't remember. [More laughter]

Jaime Godinez 12:36
No, we're good, I think because pause and then start with you for the next interview.

Emily Borup 12:42
All right. Goodbye, everybody.

Jaime Godinez 12:45
Thank you. Bye-bye!