INTERVIEW WITH EMILY
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Riya: What is your name?
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Emily: My name is Emily Robinson.
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Riya: What is your date of birth?
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Emily: I was born November 15, 2001.
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Riya: Where were you born? And where are you currently residing?
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Emily: Birmingham, Alabama, where I currently live.
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Riya: What notable changes have you noticed in your country because of the pandemic?
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Emily: I’ve noticed that since all of this has happened with COVID the spirits of the country have significantly gone down. I’ve noticed that people have become less friendly and not as open to talk or meet people, which I love doing. I believe that our country is now striving to make sure our citizens are healthy and safe which I greatly appreciate, maybe a little later than I would have liked but we are now making sure that our country stays safe.
Riya: What personal experience have you had with Covid-19?
Emily: In early June I was tested and it came back positive for COVID and I felt like my world was crumbling around me. I was so worried about my family, friends and most of all, my grandparents. I felt like if anything were to happen to them it would be all my fault. Not to mention the fact that I was stuck in my room a little shy of 2 weeks with no human interaction. I probably felt the most alone I’ve ever felt. I was in a horrible head space for most of that time. With the sudden end of my senior year, not being able to say goodbye to people I’ve known since I was 5, not being able to thank my teachers, having a very different and last minute graduation, and the possibility of not being able to go to my dream college. On top of that I lost a good friend in a horrible accident, in the middle of all of this. I needed the comfort of my family and friends at the lowest point in my life and I had no one to comfort me. I know it put so much heartache on my mom seeing me sob from the top of our stairs while she was at the bottom, not being able to hug me or give me any comfort. I was very fortunate that I did not have to be hospitalized or seek any further treatment other than over the counter pain medicine for headaches and congestion. My life after I was cleared to live normally again was hard also because many of my family and friends didn’t want to see me and were scared to get close to me, which added more heartache, but I understood that they needed to be careful for the people they loved.
Riya: How have you adapted to your new reality and “new normal”?
Emily: I’m really hoping that our “new normal” - I wouldn’t call it normal at all - will be over as soon as it can. I am a firm believer that people need connections and human interaction to better themselves, to be more educated and seek comfort in the world around them to live a full life.
Riya: What would you like others to take away from your experience?
Emily: I would want people to learn from my experiences that the only way to go from rock bottom is up. You have to have bad days and go through things to really appreciate what you have around you. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without my friends and family being able to call and check up on me. Spend time with the people you care about and tell them you love them no matter what.
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