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The Stories

W.B., 29, a mechanical engineer in Missoula, MT

“As the shelter-in-place orders were issued across most of the US, and the dire news about shortages of PPE and ventilators started hitting mainstream media, many of my designer and engineer friends tried to put their professional skills to work to try and solve these problems. Some of my coworkers started designing face shields and face masks, teaming up with local manufacturers to help fight the shortage…”

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D.G., 60, a business owner in Olympia, WA

“I read recently that during this Pandemic we have all been in the same storm but not necessarily in the same boat. For this reason I quickly realized that I needed to give space to each person in whatever place they found themselves in. The Bible says, ‘My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.’…”

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C.R.W., 22, a student in Hangzhou, China

“我因为在机上写论文头脑发热,测出一次37.6导致61A被划为活人禁止靠近区域 […] 我在一路上被太多医护人员(全都全副武装,看上去一个个都一样)照顾过。[…] 他们精疲力竭,他们懒得告知要把你送到哪去,但他们对同胞有关爱有公心,你可以看出来他们不只是在完成任务。[…] 如今我已经出院,体温多次测试均正常,核酸检测两次均为阴性,转移至酒店继续12天隔离。”

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A., 26, from a location in the United States

“…They say no man is a island. But I sure feel like one. And im surprisingly ok with it. At work ive always pretty much been in my own little corner and now, im actually alone in my little corner . it feels nice to have some peace and quiet for once. But of course i would be lying if i said i didn’t feel lonely at times…”

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D.S., 67, a retired lawyer in Missoula, MT

“It’s odd, though, as the days roll by with sunshine, the full arrival of Spring, and a seeming “normalcy” except for quieter streets and sidewalks not to occasionally be struck hard with a sense that some dark beast is silently slouching our way–that this seeming normalcy is utterly superficial and spurious, a fool’s paradise, and that all over the country and around the world something truly dark and terrible is occurring.”

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T.S., 65, a retired librarian in Missoula, MT

“…It is difficult coming to terms with the realization that the world I knew has significantly changed. I remember hearing my grandmother talk about about the changes in her life brought about by the influenza epidemic in 1918. I’ll try to learn as much as I can while undergoing this experience so I will have something to relate to my future grandchildren.”

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E.R., 18, a student in Seoul, South Korea

“Being extremely vulnerable to the pressure to feel productive, I forced myself to follow my friends and “make the most of” my quarantine. Without a reason to be busy, I was left alone to ruminate repeatedly over self-destructive thoughts. It was not fun.”

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Y.W.C., 23, a student in New York, NY

“其实真正完全在家隔离更加容易浪费时间,在家工作学习要求的自制力反而变高了,与我之前想象的不同。加上开始隔离后每天自己做饭,从prep到完成再收拾俩小时有时候都不止。生活变得琐碎了许多,时间上的控制就更加难。”

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Z.I.H., 38, a service worker in Shishou, China

“很幸运,我处在一个低风险地区,但是国家管控很严,小区封闭,不允许串门 […] 身在湖北,虽然不是武汉疫区,但是需要非常多证明,这也是中国特色,比如复工接收证明,健康证明,社区通行证等等,即使证明齐全,到了目的地也需要隔离14天”

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Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic is an initiative sponsored by the Poetic Media Lab and the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis at Stanford University.

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