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Mirielle Baluyot

History 101-60

Dr. Gibson

26 May, 2021

Research Paper #2: COVID Journal

In this research paper I will be writing about my daily life during this modern global

pandemic, my struggles, and things that happened around me relating to how I lived my life

during this time.

April 15, 2021:

6:45pm I finally made an appointment to get vaccinated, and convinced my best friend to

also get the vaccine at the same time as I was. I was really hesitant at first because of the

experiences I would hear from family and friends. Since my mom is a nurse, she got the vaccine

right away once it was available for the frontliners. When she came home from the first dose, she

mentioned that her arm was really sore and it was hard for her to move her arm around. My aunt

who also works in the medical field recommended to premedicate before our appointments.

April 20, 2021:

7:30pm My older cousins got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine a few weeks ago, and

then a few days later I heard on the news that the Johnson & Johnson vaccinations were put on

pause after rare clotting cases emerged. I would ask her every other day if she was feeling okay,

and she was.

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4:30pm I babysit my baby cousin from 7am-4:15pm. I try to get some of my homework

done, but it’s hard because a baby needs that constant attention, but when I put him to sleep I am

able to get a few assignments done.

April 21, 2021:

5:37pm I don’t really have anything interesting going on today except for a discussion

for my Political Science class that’s due today. I have to provide a reasoning why I do or do not

support a “no knock and announce warning” be given when officers are conducting a search

pursuant to a search warrant. I shared that I do not support the “no knock and announce warning”

because entering an individual's house without knocking and notifying them of their reason why

the police are outside wanting to come inside is considered to be an invasion of privacy. There

are many cases when police arrive unannounced without a search warrant and act aggressive just

because they think that they have the authority. As long as a police officer has a search warrant it

should be legal for them to enter a house and search through it. In my research I read that, “the

knock and announce rule requires police to announce their presence and purpose before

executing a search warrant, and then they must wait a reasonable amount of time before forcing

their way in.” (Dee, M. 2020). This rule keeps police from barging into homes, and also

acknowledges the right of the individual to be aware when police are trying to enter their home.

The police have to instruct the resident that they have a search warrant or an arrest warrant

because they have to abide by the law in order to proceed with the search/arrest warrant,

otherwise the police would perform an illegal action. The only time a police is allowed to

proceed with the “no knock and announce warning” is when it is an exigent circumstance. I’m
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very nervous for my first dose because I'm afraid of needles and tend to pass out. I hope that it

won't be that bad.

8:39pm I am really excited for the semester to be finally over, but at the same time really

overwhelmed with the amount of work that I have to do within one week. I try to do my

assignments in advance, but lately I've been pushing “easy” assignments until the actual due

date.

April 22, 2021:

4:15pm Today I received the first dose of Moderna. Before the nurse was about to give

me my shot, I told her how I was really nervous and I felt like passing out. No matter how many

times I would look away, it wouldn’t help. I remember once she poked me with the injection, I

almost passed out but they gave me water to drink right away. After my shot, I had to wait 15

minutes in the waiting area.

5:37pm I’m currently laying in bed because I have a really bad headache. I planned on

doing some homework, but I know I wouldn't be able to focus. I’m also trying to make myself

eat. I haven’t been able to eat properly because the thought of food makes me feel sick.

April 23, 2021:

07:45am: My uncle and I decided to go on a hike to Cowels Mountain. My arm feels

really sore and I have a hard time moving it around. He wanted to take the harder route and not

the walking trail. The mountain was really steep, and I somewhat had a hard time to keep going.

I tried my best to not take any breaks, but apparently when you start to see black spots in your

vision it’s a sign of passing out.

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09:30am: We finally reached the top of the mountain. I took off my mask for a while

because I kept it on the whole time trying to get to the top. There were a lot of people without

masks, which made me really uncomfortable.

6:45pm: I forgot that I had a speech due for my communications class. I think now that

we’re reaching the end of the semester, we’ve been getting dumped with a lot of homework. I am

beyond thankful for this class because it doesn’t add on to my stress. I remember telling Dr.

Gibson, how history is my weakest subject, but of all the classes I'm taking right now this class is

my favorite and also interesting.

10:45pm My arm is super itchy and very sore, I'm having a hard time falling asleep.

April 24, 2021:

7:28am My arm is sort of feeling much better. It’s no longer itchy, just very sore. I am

trying to force myself to keep moving my arm around. Later on in the afternoon, I'm excited to

work with my partner for ASL. We have a partner assignment that’s due by tonight. Regardless

of how stressful and how difficult sign language could get, he never fails to make me laugh and

forget how the class is somewhat hard. It’s always fun working with him, I'm glad that I

convinced him to take this class with me. We’ve taken a couple of classes together now, and I'm

sad that I won’t be able to take any classes next semester because I'm transferring to another

school. At the same time, I know there’s a high chance that he’ll be attending the same school as

I am so I just have to wait a year.

April 28, 2021:

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7:45am I woke up motivated to go out for a morning walk/run. For the first time in a

while, I came across a deaf couple. They greeted me in ASL, and I was so happy that I was able

to respond back in ASL and to also let them know I'm a beginner. We signed to each other for a

while and they asked me in sign language why I was taking sign language classes. I then signed

that I was taking ASL because I've always been interested in ASL and to bring more awareness

to the deaf community and make them feel appreciated when they see someone else who can

sign because I know that a language barrier can make you feel left out and let alone not being

able to hear can make someone feel more lonely. I've always considered learning ASL and I

firmly believe that knowing a second language, such as ASL, can help with my communication

skills bridging gaps between people and boost my awareness in Deaf culture.

7:25pm I had a talk with my dad about the vaccine. I told him how I really want him to

get vaccinated already, but he’s all the way in Alaska.

April 29, 2021:

5:24pm Another interesting discussion that I had to do for Political Science was about

ways we could improve our democracy. I believe that mail in voting should be an available

option to all voters. Utilizing mail in voting can help increase voter turnout, provides the people

with information on the issues, and has been proven to be no more fraudulent than in person

voting. When you sign up for mail-in ballots, you automatically receive a ballot in the mail

during an election period. Everyday citizens can be unaware of voting periods and having the

ballot come straight to them can increase voter turnout. Also, mail-in ballots usually come with a

pamphlet about the issues at hand and provide information to the voter to help them make an

informed decision. With mail-in voting, you are also given a return envelope which is typically
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prepaid, so you are able to send back with your mail at no charge or drop it off at any ballot

collection location. Having these options for returning mail-in ballots can also increase in-person

voter turnout by lessening the amount of people at polling places on election day for those who

do not want to use mail-in ballots. Most of the criticism of mail-in voting deals with supposed

increases in voting fraud but this has been proven to be false. Mail-in ballots are only sent to

those who either request a mail-in ballot or who are in a state where mail-in voting is the

standard and they are a registered voter. The ballots used in these elections are also changed

every voting period and the machines used to read the ballots are calibrated to only read the

current ballot design. Ballots also have a unique identification number for each registered voter

so any discrepancies on the name or signature will not be counted in the election.

Mail in voting should be available to all as of right now and in future as it is a more convenient

way for people to vote so they wouldn't have to go to the polls and wait in long lines. Due to the

pandemic it provides a safer option for people to vote and in turn would create a greater voter

turnout as we have seen in this past presidential election. It is also convenient that with their

ballot they also receive information on these pamphlets as it will serve them as a guide to see

what they decide to vote on. Lastly, I think that mail in ballots are susceptible to a small chance

of fraud but as for the majority as you mentioned they do have a unique identification that is

different for every voting period and they are delivered to the voter so the chances seem to be

very low in terms of fraudulent voting.

9:45pm I can’t believe we’re already reaching May that quickly, it seems like it was just

yesterday it was January.

May 3, 2021:
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2:45pm I was able to put my baby cousin to sleep, read through my communications

textbook and learned about one of the many reasons why many people do not listen well. One

reason why people do not listen well is because of selective listening. Selective listening is when

you’re able to filter certain information. Your brain chooses what to listen to based on what

you’re trying to do. It is like a conscious strategy that you choose to do or not to do. Selective

listeners respond only to the parts of a speaker's remarks that interest them. In the textbook, it

mentioned that we are all selective listeners from time to time, but it's a habit that can lead to

confusion, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings. Selective listening is a listening style in which

the receiver responds only to messages that interest him or her. A way that selective listening

could influence a communication situation is when you’re told important information, and end

up forgetting about it. For example my cousin told me that her professor was giving her ideas for

an art project she is currently working on, but out of all the things that she was told she only

remembered the non-important things and when it came to doing her homework it led to

confusion. We are bombarded by so much information every day. On top of that, many of us

have many obligations beyond school. With so much to juggle, humans will naturally lean

towards selective listening. The trick is to train ourselves to focus, break out of selective

listening, during important times when we're required to gather and retain information.

May 5, 2021:

6:24pm For one of my psychology classes I had to write about a dream that I vividly

remember. I remember almost every dream I have, but one dream that I vividly remember

involved traveling to different galaxies. I remember taking an astronomy class with my best

friend and brother where every time our classes met, we would travel to a different galaxy and
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explore with our entire class- it wasn’t a traditional classroom with a sit-down lecture. We got

into a spaceship that was pre-programmed to a different galaxy before we began each “class”.

During this one trip, in particular, our spaceship was programmed to a galaxy that was different

from the rest of our peers- we ended up on a planet very similar to Earth. We stayed for what felt

like only a couple of days until we were able to reach our professor through the spaceship

communication system and be routed to our home base. My dream was brief but felt long and

surreal, even though some details in between were fuzzy. As for the latent content, I believe

Sigmund Freud would have said that dreaming about anything space-related would symbolize a

yearning for exploring the unknown, or seeing the bigger picture. Another way of interpreting it

is not feeling grounded or not living in everyday reality, and having my best friend and brother

present in my dream could’ve been a sign to reconnect with them. The possibilities are endless.

May 8, 2021:

3:43am Today I learned about a nonverbal communication style called substituting.

Substituting is when we use a nonverbal message instead of a verbal message we are

substituting. Shaking your head for "no" is nonverbal. Stating the word "no" is verbal.

Substituting most often uses emblems. Emblems are deliberate nonverbal behaviors with

commonly understood specific meanings so that the message is well understood. For instance, in

Zoom a "thumbs up" communicates "I agree." I’m a timid individual, so when someone I'm not

close with or a stranger asks me a question, my response would be a shrug, nod/shake my head,

or give a neutral expression. It could also be a face that means the person is confused, or unsure

of how to react. Almost like how many people say “oof” in an awkward situation. A popular

question that I’m always asked would be, “Why are you so quiet/shy?” Substitution could also
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work when texting through imessage. Imessage gives you the option to react to a message; when

you hold on the message bubble (thumbs up, thumbs down, exclamation point, question mark,

and a laughing option) instead of typing out a whole response.

12:45pm Today my baby cousin turns one years old and my aunty decided to host a small

birthday party. It was originally a drive-by type of party, but certain family members were able to

stay in the backyard for a few mins to eat.

5:27pm I’m not really a fan of cleaning up after a party, I am drained from all the helping

out. Right now I am relaxing at my uncle’s house. We are celebrating mother’s day for my

grandma in advance because some of my other uncle’s have work the next day.

May 18, 2021:

2:34pm My best friend asked me if I could read a page from one of her classes textbooks

about race. There was a question that asked what is a reason we should abandon the term “racial

identity”. From that one reading I did, a reason we should abandon the term “racial

identity” is because it reflects damage to the individual who holds a racial identity. The

author Jason Hill explained that when people claim a racial identity, they simply

assimilate the traits associated with that racial identity rather than developing their own

identity or interests. When people enter society, they’re characterized/judged by the racial

identity they hold instead for their own accomplishments. Since racial identities heavily

rely on one’s ancestors achievements and qualities, the individual trying to adapt to that

racial identity would end up claiming to have these certain qualities even though they

have not worked to gain those qualities. Hill asserts that by holding racial identities it
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eventually makes us morally lazy when it comes to molding our own identity and carving

our own paths in life.

May 20, 2021:

3:36pm I got my second dose of Moderna. It didn’t hurt as much compared to the first

time. I was expecting to feel sick a few hours after, but I felt fine. My arm was very itchy, and it

doesn’t feel sore at the moment. I have a feeling it’ll be sore later on or by tomorrow. Prior to my

appointment, I took my brother to get his second dose of pfizer at his high school's new gym. So

far he hasn’t said anything about his head hurting or his arm.

6:47pm My arm is starting to feel sore and bruised. My brother says he still doesn't feel

anything and feels perfectly fine.

May 21, 2021:

5:45am I woke up today with a bad headache, and I didn’t really pay too much attention

to it. It wasn’t until around lunch time when I knew I was experiencing a fever. My temperature

was 103°F. As much as I wanted to turn on my left side I couldn’t because of how sore my arm

was.

8:27am I’m actually laughing at myself because yesterday I was bragging about how I

felt fine and that I wasn’t going to feel sick.

9:48am I just woke up. I’ve been experiencing body chills and no matter how many

pillows I surround myself with to feel warm, I still feel cold. I’m really hungry right now and my

mom brought me soup, but I feel too weak to move. My cousin got the Pfizer shot and was only

sick for a day.

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6:29pm I was hoping to feel somewhat better, but I am still having body aches and experiencing

chills. I haven’t been able to eat as much because the thought of food makes me want to throw

up. I probably won't be able to write more in here later on and just catch up on plenty of rest.

May 24, 2021 (last entry before submitting) :

6:45am I hate feeling sick because I can’t really get anything done. I have a hard time

focusing on what I need to do because my body just wants to stay in bed and sleep, but I’m glad

that I don’t feel as bad compared to these past two days. I can’t believe this is the last week of

school. I have 3 finals this week for ASL, Political Science, and Communications. I’m excited

for the semester to end. I also cannot believe that I actually made it into SDSU, I am more than

thrilled to become an Aztec. However, I am also very nervous to start at a new school and I don’t

know what to expect.

12:56pm I really enjoyed doing this assignment as it did not add on to my list of things I

stress about. Being able to write about my day and what I do was relaxing. Ever since we

transitioned to distanced learning I've kept a journal to write about my feelings and other things.

I’m sad that I’m not able to physically see two of my best friends. Keeping a journal has helped

me get through this pandemic, but it could get really lonesome at times.