Elizabeth Kuwada
Current city, state, country: Oakland, CA, USA
My profession: Affordable Housing Developer
Describe your daily routine before the pandemic and during: Before the pandemic, my daily routine was fairly consistent: going to the gym, heading to BART to go to work in San Francisco, seeing friends a few times a week, cooking dinner or going out, etc.
Now, I guess I have a routine, but it doesn't feel like it. I sleep, wake up, try to go on a run or walk while it is still early (and the sidewalks are still empty), make some breakfast and then log-on to my computer to start the work day. The construction of affordable housing is considered an "Essential Activity" by the public health order, so work is still busy, but of course my day-to-day is not the same. My job is fairly collaborative, so there are a lot of conference calls and I appreciate my computer's video camera more and more. On days with no meetings, I miss the human interaction. I tend to lose focus in the late afternoon, often getting distracted by reading the news. I sometimes get a second wind later than usual now and work for an hour or two more before shutting down for the day. If I haven't yet gone outside, I'll make sure to go for a walk to get some fresh air and clear my head. I live near the popular Lake Merritt and the sidewalks there are too crowded for comfort in the evening, so I wander through the empty streets of Chinatown and downtown, where I find myself noticing new things each time, despite living here for nearly four years. Then I return home, make dinner (or sometimes order in) and settle into an evening routine of eating, TV, reading (hopefully a book and not the news) and sleeping.
This pandemic makes me feel like: This pandemic makes me feel anxious. And sad. And scared. And angry about our federal government's response and the huge inequalities in our country.
This pandemic makes me think: This pandemic makes me think that we shouldn't take anything for granted. I am thankful for my partner Manos, my family, my job, my health, my apartment.
This pandemic makes me hope/pray for: I hope that we will persevere and come out of this with a greater sense of community, solidarity, and compassion.
If I had Three Wishes: 1. For the worst of this to end soon and with as little loss as possible, 2. For this to prompt real political change, 3. Universal health care
What I think of the government’s response: I am thankful for the strong leadership of my local and state government. As for the federal government response, it is abysmal. I've found myself watching Angela Merkel and Queen Elizabeth's speeches, in the absence of any rational, unifying message from our federal government here in the US.
Recommendations for TV shows, movies, books or podcasts: Hmmm. I listen to The Daily podcast most mornings. As for TV, we just watched Escape at Dannemora and found it super engrossing. I appreciate lighter shows, too, like High Maintenance and cooking/travel shows like Ugly Delicious.
Before this pandemic, my plans for the next 6 months were: Well, Manos and I were going to get married this June in Greece. This was definitely the biggest plan! We're going to postpone for a year.
Predictions for when this will get better/end: I hope we are through the worst of it soon, maybe by the end of May? But I don't know when we will truly be "back to normal" if ever.
What I have in my fridge/freezer and pantry: Dark chocolate. We finished our last bar recently, so I've been going for the chocolate baking chips in the pantry until we can replenish.
Ways I’m coping: Running, cooking, talking more with friends and family.
General advice/thoughts/anxieties to share with others: We will get through this and we must all count on each other to do so.