The following is part of my series, Filipinos Coping with Covid.
Responding to my interview questions, Brian Ascalon Roley describes life in Ohio, USA, during the time of coronavirus. This was written on May 24, 2020.
Update July 10, 2020 by
Brian Roley: "Since I first
answered these questions, the lockdown ended, but now there’s been a surge in
my county and masks are required again. Not much has changed in terms of my
work patterns. But I am preparing my two undergraduate classes this fall
classes online. “
Brian Ascalon Roley has received fellowships
and awards from the National Endowment of the Arts, the University of
Cambridge, Cornell University, the Ohio Arts Council, the Association of Asian
American Studies, the Djerassi Foundation, Ragdale, the VCCA, and others. An English
Professor at Miami University of Ohio, his books include the widely taught
AMERICAN SON (W.W. Norton), a New York Times Notable Book, and THE LAST
MISTRESS OF JOSE RIZAL AND OTHER STORIES (Northwestern University Press). More
at: www.brianroley.com
Interview of Brian Ascalon Roley by Cecilia Brainard
Copyright 2020 by Cecilia Brainard
CECILIA BRAINARD:
Are you still in lockdown? Are you alone or with others? Do you see other people, and do you practice social distancing if so?
BRIAN ASCALON ROLEY: Here in Ohio we are still sort of in lockdown. That is, it’s now called something different, stores have partially opened up, and even restaurants are permitted to serve with conditions, though most are still tentative, mostly closed. My habit of getting out of the house with a laptop over coffee is sorely missed. A friend of mine joked that she’d never thought she’d miss Starbucks. So I keep to home, with my wife and two boys. My oldest son’s graduation was a ceremony of one; we followed him with a video camera.
CB:
Are you working? If yes, are you working from your home or do you have to go to your place of work?
BR: I write and teach. My university classes were abruptly made remote; we never had a chance to say goodbye in person. What made it most painful was that the in person rapport was especially good this semester. They never had a graduation. Some had jobs, now gone. I feel bad for them, feel their shock. I’ve camped out in my home office, with laptop, learned to make videos and hold remote meetings. My RSI has flared up from all the computer work.
CB:
Were you affected financially by the pandemic? Did you lose your job? Did you get assistance? BR: I didn’t lose a job, but I lost a leave. That was painful. I felt a book slip away.
CB:
Do you go out? To take walks? To see relatives or friends? For exercise? BR: Fortunately we’ve been able to go outside. My youngest son is learning to drive, so I’ve had him drive me to hiking. That’s been great time together. I know it wouldn’t have been possible in some other states. One painful thing is not being able to take our trips to see my elderly parents and in-laws in California. We don’t want to catch germs on a plane and give it to them, even now that flights are permitted. Precious together-time has been lost. Still is.
CB:
Do you wear a face mask? Do you practice social distancing? I wear a mask to the stores and distance whenever outside the house. But mostly life has been a quarantine of four.
CB: Please describe in a few sentences your daily routine.BR: In the morning: I retreat with coffee to my room above the garage, and write or read for inspiration. Currently it’s a novel-in-verse, Ludlow, by David Mason about a 1914 massacre in Colorado. I do yoga. Afternoons, I hike.
CB:
Do you go buy your own groceries? What precautions do you take? BR: We go to Kroger, Whole Foods. Everyone wears masks, and we do too. Whole Foods gives them away, so people pretend not to have one.
CB:
Do you order food to go? What precautions do you take?
BR: We tried in-car pickup from a restaurant. We waited thirty minutes in a hot, clicking car past the time it was supposed to be ready. That happened once. We eat in.
CB:
Do you shop online or do you go out to stores that are open? BR: Online, mostly.
