Article 2 – COVID-19: Adjusting to the New Normal
Katlyn Nelson-Whitehead
The ongoing COVID-19 experience has impacted me mentally, emotionally, and financially, especially as I continue to struggle each day to adjust to our new routine/schedule for hockey, family gatherings/celebrations, school/daycare, and work.
When news of the COVID-19 virus hit our end of the woods, I was finishing up the five BA/BN courses that I was enrolled in for in winter Term 2. We had to switch from having our lectures in-class to online within a week. During this time, I had to push through school, and I remain focused, while being at home with my children and homeschooling my son. There was a lot of stress on my part. It was tough because my son wasn’t motivated to finish up his school work, and there were many distractions at home for the two of us. I had a constant worry and an unsettling feeling whenever I thought of them returning back to school because my daughter is still so young, and my son is asthmatic. On the bright side, the COVID-19 situation served as a motivating factor for me to prepare to take on another full-time course load for this academic school year.
My family has had a couple difficult of years leading up to 2020, which finally culminated in the passing of my nephew, Ryder. Until his death in January 2020, Ryder was one of the most promising young hockey players in our town of The Pas. We were already looking forward to returning back to our routine after the sad episode. My son, who was very close to his late cousin, had only just found the strength to tie up his skates and to play on a team that represented his departed cousin, Ryder in a hockey tournament. My son, Mason, played well in a tournament, and got scouted to play on a Portage La Prairie hockey team in two tournaments, one in Portage La Prairie, and the other in Regina. We had plans to finish the academic year, Mason and me, and to start travelling with our little hockey player. It made me emotional that hockey season was cancelled because that’s just what our family enjoys doing from winter to late spring every year. This was our way of keeping busy, and keeping our minds off things.
Family celebrations such as birthdays, memorials, etc., were also much different for us this year. My son was the first person in our household to celebrate a socially-distant birthday party. His 9th birthday was in April, 2020, after the first province-wide lockdown went into effect. He understood what was happening with the COVID-19 pandemic and was fine that we celebrated with just our immediate family members. We had a small dinner at home, with cakes and gifts. It was a truly toned-down celebration for my family because we are used to having huge birthday celebrations in which family members from far and wide gather to celebrate. Anyway, Mason was truly excited to see our family members drive by our home with different birthday placards, balloons, and more goodies which they left on our doorsteps. At first, I felt anxious because I thought that he should have spent his day filled with fun and friends, but everything worked out when our family made his day extra special. He was just so thankful that we all celebrated with him the best way we could during these challenging times.
During this pandemic, it was tough on both my partner and me as well. Before I decided to return back to work, my partner was the only one with an income, and that left us in financial straits. However, my going back to work also had its own challenges. I worked as a waitress, and that had its own set of worries for my family because I served a lot of people during my shifts. As I went about serving tables, I continuously had the depressing feeling that I was putting my family and me at risk. Of course, we did sanitize and wore masks, but personally, running around the restaurant with a mask made my job feel more difficult. Some people have hearing problems; so, they are only able to communicate by reading lips. I also had an anxiety issue whenever I wear a mask because I’m claustrophobic. As more cases of the virus were announced each day, I worried because people were protesting against the measures that were put in place by the government to help curb the spread of the virus, especially the requirement of isolating oneself, and being apart from one’s family and friends. The restaurant where I worked was busier than before the pandemic, and it only had limited seating accommodations. I had mixed emotions about having to work while the pandemic raged on because of the fear of catching the virus and infecting my family. There was also the fear of being jobless and unable to support my family together with my partner. I concluded that there was no winning with this COVID-19 pandemic; everything has to be planned and thought through. To do otherwise would be putting oneself and family in difficult situations.
In conclusion, I continue to encourage my family members to follow the COVID-19 safety precautions. I find it a hassle making sure everyone is sanitizing, practicing social distancing, and making sure that we all have our masks ready for public places. I am horrible at remembering to always bring masks to the skating rink. Thank goodness that there are always backup masks at the venue. We have stopped travelling for hockey tournaments and shopping for now, until we feel that it is safe to do so again. All of our shopping is done online these days. I hope things will go back to the way they were soon. This is my personal reflection of how COVID-19 impacted my family and me. I hope the rest of this school year continues to be great!
Author’s Bio: Katlyn Nelson-Whitehead was born and raised in The Pas and Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Manitoba. Her university career at UCN started in 2015 when she completed the Law Enforcement Program, and she has recently been inspired to return to school. Katlyn is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts program. While attending her classes, she wrote the reflective essay, “COVID-19: Adjusting to the New Normal,” on how COVID-19 has impacted herself and her family as they overcome the loss of her nephew and older sister Alyssa’s son, Ryder.
Katlyn notes, “We come from a close-knit family. Our sons referred to each other as brothers. My sister is only two years older than I am, so we remind ourselves a lot of how the boys grew up together. Our loss has impacted our lives deeply. Our boys always led us on adventures daily. Ryder was always a go-getter and inspired us all to never give up. His bravery, determination, and fighting spirit is what keeps us going. Although Mason shut himself out for a while, he always looked up to his brother and continues to do what they loved to do most, including playing hockey, gaming, and fishing. Mason is finding himself as an individual and always continues to make his brother from up above proud. We are so proud of them.”
Instructor’s Remarks: Kaitlyn was my student in the Composition and Creativity class in fall of 2020. I truly enjoyed reading her essay “COVID-19: Adjusting to the New Normal” which she submitted as part of the writing requirements in the course. It is quite interesting to read about a hockey-mum’s challenges too in the midst of a disruptive pandemic such COVID-19. I am certain that the reader will find Kaitlyn’s essay stimulating – Dr. Joseph Atoyebi.