Cape Cod Copes - Part 2
by Multiple contributors
The MainSheet would like to encourage anyone with something to say about their experience during this time to submit their writing to [email protected] for review for this column. We’re all in this together!
Sanity Savior
“During this pandemic I have personally been practicing social distancing to a bit of an extreme. I interact with the family members that I share a house with, friends online, and classmates in Zoom classes. I only leave the house to help my mom at her place of work, and even then, I don’t interact with anyone but her, until recently.
Due to the towns (great) decision to get a lot of road work done while traffic is lower, the section of road directly in front of my house has been blocked off for a week. Initially this concerned me as I had to leave and come multiple days in a row. I knew I would have to circumvent the cones and awkwardly explain to the cop watching that I just wanted to go home. Luckily this turned into a brief yet enjoyable conversation with the cop. I have learned his name and he has learned mine. He is a good man. By now I have had three separate conversations with him and have enjoyed every single one. This slight interaction with someone new is helping my sanity stay intact and for that I am grateful.”
—Garrett Spagone
Board Game Bonding
“Because we are serving time at home due to quarantine, we have a lot of time with our family. We are in a time of crisis where we are stuck at home with the closest people in our lives. For some people we like being with the family, and others cannot wait until this finally ends. People are finding different activities for the family atmosphere. Anywhere from chess, Scrabble, Monopoly, etc. Anything that the family can do together, parents will buy without hesitation.
At this time, my family and I are partaking in a family chess tournament. It is something that can bring us together and at the same time achieve a family bond like no other. It gets pretty intense at times, having to hold family members back from killing each other. But there is nothing better than to spend time with the people that love you and that have the competitive drive like you do. It is never a dull moment in the Duran house.”
—Jhteneck Duran
Not So Social Distancing
“Something that I’ve sadly seen a lot, thanks to social media, is people not social distancing whatsoever. Posting Snapchats of them and their friends together as if none of the COVID-19 pandemic is going on in the world right now. It’s as if people seem to think just because it’s their friend that it makes it ok. I think most people including myself want to get back to socializing with others but a lot of us realize that in order to get that back sooner we to need social distance.
Unfortunately, we cannot completely control what others do. All of us are suffering, but on the bright side, there are still ways to communicate and have fun with friends. A lot of people have been having meetups or cocktail parties on Zoom. For birthdays, they even have all their friends and family drive by beeping their horns to celebrate. It might not seem like that big of a deal to meetup with a friend or two, but a bunch of people doing the same thing adds up and then we realize we’re not doing that much social distancing at all.”
—Naia Fermino
Movies and Memories
“Being stuck in quarantine has led me to watch a lot of different things. One thing I’ve noticed is that many TV channels have been playing well known and iconic movies, so I’ve started tuning into them. One movie I’ve gone back and re-watched is Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.
I first watched Jaws when I was about six years old. I can’t remember if I was allowed to or not, but my grandfather let me stay in the room when it was on one morning. I don’t remember if I had been scared, but something that crossed my child mind was how my parents would react if they learned that I watched it.
Fast forward to 2020, and Jaws has become a personal favorite of mine. It’s a film that I always watch with my dad every summer. When my younger sister got her first hamster, we named him Brody, after the movie’s protagonist Chief Martin Brody.
Now that I’m older, I’m able to appreciate the scenery of the movie more, and it blows me away when I realize that the whole place was filmed in the area where I grew up. Most of the movie was filmed on Martha’s Vineyard, and some shots are recognizable areas in my hometown of Falmouth. In the scenes where the characters are out on the ocean, I always remind myself that I’ve been on those waters before. I’ve walked the streets of the Vineyard, where the cast stood during production. I’ve stood on the bridge where the robotic shark swam and attacked people. If someone asks me if I’ve seen the movie, I respond with ‘Seen it? I’ve lived it.’”
—Reece Roth
Keeping Connections
“A little boy balances on a ladder, peering into a window, excited to see who is on the other side. Looking at a picture that her coworker had sent of her son, my mom explained that the boy’s 90-year-old great grandfather was on the receiving end of the conversation, very happy to see his granddaughter and great grandson. This interaction happened towards the end of March and was a sign of hope. We are all people who crave socialization so we will take measures to still do that safely. Although visiting through a window was a little strange and not ideal, that moment shared between a 9-year old and 90-year-old will be forever cherished.
I immediately thought of my grandfather who is living in a nursing home right now. We can’t visit him in his room like we used to, and with his mental state he’d be a bit confused if we showed up at his window. Fortunately, the staff at his facility were able to set up a video call for him and my dad. Seeing the smile on my dad’s face as he talked to my grandfather made me realize how important it is to stay in touch during these times. It wasn’t quite the same as going in to visit, but it gave us some relief to hear his voice again.
Social distancing has taken a toll on everyone, but we can still find ways to connect with those we love. The future is uncertain, but we are all figuring it out together.”
—Virginia Johnston
Searching for Sunlight
“Sunshine, we don’t belong here. We got no flowers to grow.” – When You Know (Neck Deep)
“Seasonal depression is very real and very scary. I’ve dealt with it most of my adult life and I can tell you from experience, it is no easy problem to fix. It is especially hard because the weather is something that we simply have no control over.
Normally, once winter comes around, I start to get a little panicky. I’m waiting for the snow, the rain, the lack of sunlight as the darkness approaches quicker and quicker each night. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
While it is now spring, it certainly has not felt like it. The Cape has been peppered with rain and even hail as clouds block out the sun and make most days pretty dreary.
Sunlight is so important to everyone, for a multitude of reasons. It provides vitamin D, which is a key ingredient to feeling healthy and feeling good. I’m trying my best each day to find the sunlight, even if the skies are dark.
While literal sunlight would be ideal, we have no control over sunshine. We do have control over our mindset, however. You can try to find the sunlight in your life each day, whatever that means to you. We just need to keep reaching out for a little bit of hope in a world that gets darker and darker each day.”
—Mike Kehoe
Essential Journey
“Staring down Main Street in Falmouth, I had to recognize that familiar vacancy again. By now, there should be clusters of people preparing for the highlights of this spring weather and the gatherings to come. There is an everlasting yearning for this daze to pass and now the keeping of time is important. The successive tick of days and weeks until this havoc stops wrenching vitality out of lives.
My dog pops up from his seat near the rear of the car to gaze at the occasional cyclist or jogger, but there are so few. His brown eyes are the sweetest as that internal warmth for life starts to glow again, those spontaneous recognitions of positivity. The predictability in rushing to the car every Thursday to drive is essential.
Nobska Lighthouse and the other gems in Falmouth are brighter than ever before. During these relaxing drives around my hometown, I realize that the flickers of positive moments are all that anyone has, especially now. On these rides, the destination is irrelevant and the journey to collecting ourselves is all that matters.”
—Alexandria Zine
Bad Hair Day
“We have let ourselves go in regard to the virus. Due to everybody having to stay inside, we cannot go to the barber shop or hair salon. There have been memes spread throughout social media about guys not being able to get a haircut due to the quarantine, and when we are finally able to go outside every guy will look like Neanderthals. But some guys have put matters into their own hands, shaving their entire head because they are sick of having a bad hair day. Personally, I will never do that because, to me, my hair is sacred. I would not want to wake up bald because I do not know what I would do. I have been going crazy because my hair has never been this long since I was six years old. It has been hard not being able to get a fresh haircut but at the same time it is nice to think that every guy is going through the same thing, waking up every day with crazy hair, having to wear hats to cover up the bad hair and having to comb your hair backwards so that it looks semi nice.
The one thing that this virus has taught me is patience — having to wait to get a haircut and having the optimism that everything will become normal soon, and that we will all be living our normal lives again.”
—Jhteneck Duran
Date Nights
“Anyone who is in a long-distance relationship can testify that it’s not easy at most times. However, add a pandemic into the mix and it makes it 100 times harder. Having a boyfriend in the military means that I don’t get to see him most of the time anyways, as he’s on the complete opposite side of the country. The only thing now is I couldn’t even see him if I wanted to because of COVID-19. In fact, the plan was to go see him for the whole week of spring break. I did end up going but only got to see him for about 3 days since the trip was cut short because of the current pandemic.
We have always tried to make the best out of our situation, and we FaceTime just about every day. Something we’ve done in the past is have movie nights, where even though we’re not together we still watch the same movie or tv show. During quarantine, we both decided to spice things up a little and we’ve both been eating popcorn or certain other snacks and drinks while we watch. For about the past 3 weekends we’ve been doing this, and I have to say it’s been a big “pick me up” in all of this. It’s something that I greatly appreciated before but has been one of the small things that has helped a lot during this time.
Living through a pandemic is by no means easy for anyone. I think that it is important in all of this to find the light in even the little things because it can be easy to focus only on the negative.”
—Naia Fermino
Home-Cooked Love
“For as long as I can remember my grandmother has made my family delicious home cooked meals. Every week on Sunday we go over to her house for dinner and it’s frankly one of my favorite days of the week because of it. Sadly, like COVID-19 has done for a lot of things, it’s taken away this long-loved family tradition. Someone might ask “Well why aren’t you still doing it? You can still go over for dinner.” This is true but rather than put a loved one at risk we decided staying at home would be best.
My grandmother sure still found a way that we get our food though. She calls us up and simply just says, “I’ve made some food, stop on by and pick it up.” This has happened about 4 times since quarantine, and trust me, I am not complaining. Think of it as picking up take out. My grandmother would see us pull up, put the food out on the front step for us to take and voila! We’ve had apple pie, chili, tacos, you name it. It’s not the same, but still enjoyable for both my family and my grandmother.”
—Naia Fermino
No Escape
“Shortly before I completely locked myself indoors, due to social distancing, was when concerns about this pandemic were at an all-time high. I was starting to get tired of hearing about nothing but the virus. After eating breakfast and aimlessly driving around for a while I stopped at a gas station to fill my tank and grab a bottle of sweet tea. The lady behind the counter rang up my drink then said, “Good luck out there, you don’t want to get sick with whatever this thing is!” I remember having the thought, ‘Man, I can’t even stop at a gas station without hearing about this darned virus.’
Later that same day, I decided to go for a walk through the woods behind my house. There’s no way I would have to think about a rising pandemic out there, right? Evidently that was false. After being alone in nature for a while I was finally starting to forget about the worries of the world when suddenly a friendly stranger approached, also on a nature walk of her own. Her dog was very excited to see me, but before I could say anything to her or her beautiful companion she blurted out, “I sure hope animals can’t catch this virus, I wouldn’t want Brody here to get sick, now would I?” I was fuming internally after that one.
I thought to myself, ‘I can’t get away from it! I can’t even walk through the woods to get away!’”
—Garrett Spagone
Church Outreach
“I have continually seen a lot of compassionate acts being portrayed as the virus continues to roam and people continue to be isolated. Life is full of unsure outcomes and uncertainties, but this is the time to reach out. Supporting the ones who need it and giving a hand to those in need is becoming more popular as times get harder.
Churches across the Cape have vastly grown in popularity as a means of comfort in distress. Because they cannot meet in person under the circumstances, they have resorted to social media platforms that have increased their audiences and given more opportunity than ever before to give hope to those who feel uneasy. Churches that only had a few hundred members are increasing to a thousand listeners that feel their lives are being changed because of it.
The churches that have been giving back to the community in any way they can by recording their messages and giving easier access to them has made a great impact on others’ feelings towards their current situations. I am more than happy to see this is the case and I hope for more opportunities to give security and comfort.”
—Victoria Chiaramonte
Mask Invasion
“Everyone is taking precautions with this virus. When you walk into any establishment or store you will find people with masks on. Every employee and customer both have their masks on talking to each other. If you didn’t know why they were wearing them you would think that the world is coming to an end. It is a scary sight to see. Children, adults, elderly wearing these masks. It’s like something out of The Walking Dead. People are really trying to not catch the virus; they will do whatever it takes to not catch it. Everything from keeping hand sanitizer in their pocket, walking outside with the mask on, wearing gloves, and giving elbow handshakes. I went to my CVS near me to pick up some ice cream and the minute I walked in, it felt like I was at the doctor’s office, everyone wearing their gloves and mask. I felt like the odd man out because I wasn’t, but the whole time I was thinking to myself, “Where do I find those masks?” It is not uncommon to see people with these kinds of masks on. We are all just watching out for ourselves and others and making the world just a little safer.”
—Jhteneck Duran
Toilet Paper Wipe Out
“I had heard so much about it. Ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, so much was being said about how there was no toilet paper in any of the stores. Shelves were bare and people were leaving with an entire shopping cart full of it. Seeing these pictures and videos, I thought it was crazy, but I didn’t realize how serious it was until I saw it for myself.
It was a warm Saturday afternoon. My family was having a fire in the yard, burning old branches and sticks. On behalf of our mother, my little sister and I made a quick run to Stop & Shop to get supplies for hot dogs and s’mores. While looking through the aisles as quickly as possible, a thought came into my head. I turned to my sister and said, “Hey Casey, do you think the shelves of toilet paper are empty?”
The two of us walked to the other end of the store, stopping at the aisle that had toilet paper featured on its sign. I stood there in complete awe at the sight of it, realizing that everything I had been seeing online was in fact real. There was a sign on the shelf that limits two packages to a customer, and I wondered how many people actually followed that rule.
I told my sister that we should get home, so we walked away, paid for our stuff, and then left. I’m still surprised at what I saw, and I do hope that everyone is able to get the supplies they need during these times.”
—Reece Roth
Rainbow Art
“The other day, my mom dragged me outside for a walk. I was a bit reluctant when I first felt the chilly air but was ultimately grateful to get a little freedom from the house. She had already gone on her neighborhood walk but she saw something that she really wanted to show me, so I was there by her side. She brought me a few streets away from our house, where she had passed some of the neighborhood kids earlier.
Displayed on the street were beautiful chalk rainbows sitting in front of each house. The kids had taken it upon themselves to bring some cheer to the street. One main rainbow sat in the middle with the message “Thank you first responders, nurses, and doctors!” The smaller rainbows in front of the houses spread messages like “Stay strong!” and “Wash your hands!” Upon closer inspection, a few of the houses also had hand drawn rainbows in their windows. My mom and I couldn’t stop saying how thoughtful this was.
Apparently, they were taking part in a more global project to spread love and joy during this tough time. Instagram is full of similar messages. It is a way for kids to get involved in thanking the workers on the front line of this pandemic. “
—Virginia Johnston
Finding the Insight
“Life during a global emergency can be hard to adjust to, but I always find a way to make the best of it. It is interesting how I felt a lot more motivated to get things done when I have less time to accomplish them, whereas now I have a lot more time, yet a lot less motivation. Sometimes it’s frustrating to have all the time in the world and no mental strength to accomplish what I need to accomplish, but I am learning the rewards of resisting procrastination.
As an extroverted person, it is very hard for me to be away from people. I often feel drained by the lack of socialization and face to face conversation, but this has taught me to entertain myself in different ways other than talking or socializing with others.
Writing my thoughts down really helps me understand my mental processes and how to handle them. Being outside really helps me get a feel for the outside world and gives me the right head space to understand that this isn’t forever. It’s easy to get let down by the seclusion, but I have learned so much already about myself, which has given me more insight then I ever would have if I wasn’t put in this situation.”
—Victoria Chiaramonte
Trapped
“Staying in the house for days at a time and not stepping foot out the door to socialize with people is generally not seen as the epitome of mental health for anyone. However, in the past weeks this has become the best thing you can do for your health and the health of others. I am a non-essential worker, which means that besides one or two days of the week when I might go grab groceries, I am not leaving my house to go out into the public at all. I am fortunate enough to have other family members in my household to talk to and keep me entertained, but personally that isn’t my struggle. The biggest struggle for me is feeling like I’m trapped in a room all the time and in a jail of some sort.
I have a good amount of homework from school and now spend the majority of my time sitting in a particular space in my house and completing it for hours. I do have some free time, but even then, I can feel a little trapped. That’s why the most important thing to me in all of this is getting outside, even if that’s just being on the deck in the back of my house for 15 minutes. I do prefer going for an actual walk in my neighborhood to get a change of scenery. It’s actually quite interesting, because before all of this I used to be quite the homebody and wasn’t the type to go and take a walk around the neighborhood. It’s the only thing you can really do outside your own house now, that and going to the beach making sure to keep your distance from others. We all must do what we can in these trying times in order to stay safe and healthy, both physically and mentally.”
—Naia Fermino
Full House
“I’ve always enjoyed my “me time”. Scratch that, I’ve always NEEDED my “me time”. As an adult, I’ve become a bit of an introvert and social anxiety is something that I deal with on a daily basis. You would think that with social distancing and self-quarantining, I would be in my element. You would be very wrong.
I’m riding out the proverbial storm, however long it may be, at my folks’ place in Falmouth. My Mom and Dad are great and they have two dogs named Riley and Charlie that I adore. However, I wasn’t the only Kehoe who had this idea. My brother, who lives in Boston’s North End, is now working from home and he decided that he would rather not spend his quarantine locked up in a tiny apartment. So, he came down to Falmouth as well, along with his dog, Mookie. But that’s not all folks. My Sister, who lives in Chicago, recently left her job and doesn’t have a new one yet, so it made no sense for her to stay in a hot-spot during this global pandemic. So, she flew in and is staying in Falmouth as well. It truly is a full house, and I’m not talking about life at the Tanner’s crib (though if I were, I would definitely be Uncle Joey).
So, with five humans and three dogs, it’s been getting a little cramped in here. I’ve had to be more creative when it comes to finding that oh so elusive “me time”. I’ll go for a drive; not going anywhere, not getting out of the car, just driving. It allows me to relax my mind, I can listen to music or a podcast and it really helps preserve my sanity. Self-care is extremely important, especially in scary times like we are living in now. Check in with yourself and don’t forget to do what you have to in order to get your own “me time”, whatever that means to you.”
—Mike Kehoe
Positive Posting
“Turning on the news during this crisis serves as a death wish to positive thinking. There are constant updates on our current pandemic, and it is so difficult to pull away. I think it is important to stay informed, but everyone has a limit to what we can handle. That is why I am so grateful that one of my (newly) online classes has started a discussion board exclusively for positivity.
The discussion board is open for all our classmates to comment. So far, we have seen some happy music videos, tips on positive thinking, and, of course, dog pictures. It is a place that offers a break from the constant flow of negative media. The classmate who started the discussion also linked us to the Good News Network (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/), a website dedicated to sharing uplifting stories.
By having a place for us to go when the negativity is hitting hard, I feel like a part of a community. We are all going through this together so let’s do what we can to bring in some light.”
—Virginia Johnston
Window Seat Thoughts
“Sitting on the window seat in my pastel blue bedroom, refractions of sunlight beam through the passing clouds. One blind is drawn while the other is not, like a pair of eyes. The tranquility of the world opposite my side of the window fails to reflect the instability of the actual world. This may be the only shortcoming I can, and will, ever be able to tolerate in my life.
In the periphery, I catch my cat threading the corner of the wall as he prepares for his leap to my window seat. My lap becomes his repose and the tufts of dusky fur glide through my hands; the luxurious softness of it instilling poise. Birds and words jet past my window; my cat’s eyes tail the birds while mine follow the news headlines. With a single swivel of my head– glancing at both of my cat’s chartreuse green eyes and the crushing news– I toss my phone onto the bed. That continual spur of concern fades and the fears brush past my mind as a brush untangles the minor knots in his fur coat.
Through the eye, rain plunges from the clouds to the earth and the peak of light trembles before the amorphous shrouding. The anguish envisions its spill out of everyone and a shove of light musings out of the mind. Tears may pass and touch the grass, but it cannot abash my hope. The warmer, heartening season is on its way. Yet, January, February and March have sobbed unduly. I thought April was the one for the weeping. Following April’s tears, the bustle of greenery and the popping of flowers out of it will have a mark. Maintaining a presence and basking in the company of family is all I need. Our progression is overturning every mistake and remorse. Now is the time, now is our time.”
—Alexandria Zine
Seaside Chats
“Studying from home is a lot different than being on campus. There isn’t that separation that switches my focus from home life to schoolwork. I talked about this with my friend and found that she felt the same way. We came to the conclusion that if we could be together then we could motivate each other to get some work done. Unfortunately, meeting up at the library isn’t an option and video chatting isn’t quite the same.
To follow the rules of social distancing, we devised a plan to meet at the parking lot of a local beach. The guidelines we set included no rolling the windows down and no leaving our respective cars. We pulled in and I called her on the phone. The second of sound delay on our call was a bit annoying but finally seeing somebody new after being in quarantine felt like a breath of fresh air.
We chatted and laughed and caught up. We vented to each other about how we were getting through everything going on. Our original plan of doing schoolwork fell through a bit, but being able to get our feelings out I think was something we both really needed.”
—Virginia Johnston
Ghost Town
“On March 25, I took a ride down Route 28 and I was surprised that it didn’t take me very long to get to Hyannis, as traffic was very light. As I entered West Main street, I noticed that there were very few cars on the road leading to the hospital. As I drove further, I noticed that there were very few cars in parking lots. It reminded me of a ghost town of the old west.
I drove to Best Buy to see if they were open, as I do need a new computer, and they were closed. The parking lot was bare and there were no cars to be seen. From there, I drove to Cape Cod Community College (4Cs). I entered the college through the normal route and tried to park in parking lot A, but was turned back by security because they had set up a COVID-19 testing area. I drove to parking lot C and took a photograph of the empty spaces all around me. There were no students or staff around that I could see, and so I left.
Hyannis was like a ghost town. I have never seen it so quiet and I’ve lived here since I was a kid. I took several pictures to prove my point and really, like so many of you, I felt kind of lonely that day, seeing all the emptiness around town.”
—Bruce McDaniel
Stay Safe Out There
“The Coronavirus has taken over our daily lives and has everyone in frenzy. I don’t know about you, but I am over the Coronavirus. Before it became the virus that swept the nation and infected and killed people all over the world, we thought nothing of it. There were memes all across social media about the virus. I remember one was someone drinking a corona and the title saying, “When you don’t care about the virus”. We thought nothing of the virus. We all thought that it was something like the Zika virus, but we did not expect it to be this catastrophic. People buying enormous amounts of toilet paper, canned goods and water bottles because they do not know how long the nationwide quarantine will last.
This has become one of the most horrific and scariest situations in recent years. Everyone is taking precautions; closing down schools and having students do online classes, making people work from home, everyone staying six feet away from each other due this scary virus. People have a right to be scared, because in Italy alone the deaths due to the Coronavirus have surpassed 10,000, with new cases still being reported. In Europe, the death rate is 36,000 which is an outrageous amount. The Coronavirus is being compared to the Black Plague, and rightfully so. No one expected this virus to be so dangerous and horrific. The number of deaths would send chills down anyone’s spine. It is scary to think that this form of virus is killing people around the world, but when it hits your country, your state, your city and your home, it’s something that makes a person never leave their house, let alone open the front door.
This virus hits hard, not just because of the illness, but also because due to jobs being closed and people being laid off, people have no income to keep paying the bills. I was working the other night and a lady said to me that her daughter lost her job and is doing online classes. She cannot pay anything and when she applied for unemployment the people rejected her claim and her daughter is fighting for unemployment still today.
This virus has changed people’s lives for the worse. Everyone’s life has been affected by the virus. Kids can’t go outside and play, parents have no jobs and cannot pay for anything, the elderly are dying and the list goes on and on. This is a serious event and people need to take precaution. Personally, I would much rather stay at home and do online school rather than going outside and being afraid of catching the virus. Cape Cod Community College (4Cs) has done a great job of keeping all the students and faculty safe and making the online process easier. The precaution that the school had to take was the best and safest way of keeping students and faculty from catching the Coronavirus. Stay safe out there.”
—Jhteneck Duran
Categories: Editorials, People