And then, also, if you’re a working parent, you’re afraid to go to work because you don’t know. Your kids are home, now, from school to be safe. But you go out, still you have to work, so you don’t know what you bring in to your kids.
Fatiya Adam
My name is Fatiya Adam. I was originally from Ethiopia. So I was born in Ethiopia.
Mark Munger
What year?
Fatiya Adam
Oh, I was born in 1988.
Mark Munger
And what do you do now?
Fatiya Adam
I work for Lutheran Services in Iowa as a case manager, or caseworker, for refugee and immigrant service here in Sioux City.
Mark Munger
So you help resettle refugees and immigrants coming to Sioux City?
Fatiya Adam
Yes. Yes. Correct. Yep.
Mark Munger
That is a very complex job.
Fatiya Adam
It is.
Mark Munger
Finding housing...
Fatiya Adam
Yeah, we sometimes, just not having enough time to prepare for the family arrival is a little bit tough. Finding a house and, even for people who live here, it's hard to find a house in this area. But I love what I do, so it doesn't matter how hard it is. You try hard and just finally make sure everything's ready before the family arrived. Yeah.
Mark Munger
Well, to begin the story, if we could turn back to 2019, a few years ago now, I guess, four years ago, now that we've entered 2023, which is amazing. What was life like for you? Back then? before? Before the pandemic?
Fatiya Adam
Before? Okay. I would say I mean, I can't say life’s simple, but it is way simpler. One, not to worry about, you know, if you go somewhere that limit how many people and that limitation or taking your kid somewhere just freely, open and just without any worrying or carrying mask or, you know, just maybe people not letting you come in or close to because the place you go now you don't know. So just basically free without worrying, just enjoying the life with your family. And
Mark Munger
Would you take your kids out a lot?
Fatiya Adam
Yes.
Mark Munger
Where would you go? What would you do?
Fatiya Adam
I tried to kind of look for if there is any event going on in town or park for kids, especially at the museum, because they have, like, sometime event put up for kids. I'll go there on a weekend. I'll take the kids at Launchpad. And then Drop Zone. What else? And then a lot of time just playtime at the park.
Mark Munger
Oh, yeah. So, I mean, that's a lot of places you guys were really out and about. You were not staying home.
Fatiya Adam
If you have a lot of little kids, so you look for them to be active. I mean, if you stay home. I avoid staying home, too. Just because the kids tend to, if they're home, spend time watching TV or being on the phone, so to be just more active and spend time out and
Mark Munger
Yeah,
Fatiya Adam
Yep.
Mark Munger
And did they like going out?
Fatiya Adam
Yep. They do actually. They did.
Mark Munger
What age were your kids at that time?
Fatiya Adam
I... one of them's not even born. So, one of... seven, five, three. And then, my oldest one, I mean , I don’t know, fourteen, fifteen, something like that.
Mark Munger
Was she also going out with you? Your fifteen-year-old?
Fatiya Adam
It depends on. She plays basketball, so, I mean, she’s a lot of time she’s at school, you know, practicing. Whenever she has free time, she always make she part of it is involved. So, it goes back and forth. It depends on when she’s free. But, yes, she does go with me.
Mark Munger
And you weren’t at Lutheran Services at that time?
Fatiya Adam
No, I was with Mary J Terglia Community House. I love that place.
Mark Munger
And what was life like there at that time?
Fatiya Adam
Working there? Amazing. I wake up every day excited to get to work. You know, Mary J Treglia is open to the community, and you don’t know who you help and who you see every day. Just go there, surprised, helping people. Anybody who walk and, you know? It may be simple thing what I do, but you put a smile on somebody, and that just makes my day helping a client. It doesn’t matter what kind of a situation they’re in.
Mark Munger
So, the life you're describing at the time, it's really open and free. I mean, people just walking in, coming and going,
Fatiya Adam
Yes.
Mark Munger
you know, going places with your kids. So you're really enjoying that?
Fatiya Adam
Yes.
Mark Munger
Just the openness of that time?
Fatiya Adam
Yes. As long as I have the time, just go and just figure out what to do and enjoy my time with the kids or at work helping others.
Mark Munger
Do you remember when you first heard about COVID-19? When it first, kind of, entered your life? Whether it was in your thoughts or?
Fatiya Adam
First... Yeah, I mean, first. I mean, I don't take, as soon as I hear as, unless we have a proof of it, seriously. But the more when we hear about this sickness and people talking, everything shutting down. Yes. Kids not going to school?
Mark Munger
How are you hearing about it? Where were you? Where were you getting information? What was…
Fatiya Adam
First, of course, the news. I watch news a lot. So everybody's different. But I do watch news every day. My favorite news channel is ABC. So I watch that a lot, mostly. Just to want to know what's going on in our town. I heard on the news, of course, are, and then where I work at. Also, we start getting calls from schools.
Mark Munger
What were they saying when the schools would call?
Fatiya Adam
Um, I honestly, I don't know how the school start, if we got warning about, like, if kids are sick or have a fever to just kind of, you know, stay home. And incidentally, of course, the school they cut down, like, divided because they don't want too many kids at the same classroom. So two kids, one day they have school, the other day they don't have school. And so they
Mark Munger
Oh they were alternating?
Fatiya Adam
Yes.
Mark Munger
Were all... So you had three kids in school?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah.
Mark Munger
And so were they all going on the same days?
Fatiya Adam
No, that's the tough part.
Mark Munger
They weren't going on the same days?
Fatiya Adam
So that's what another thing is. Then two of them were in the same day, one of them different days. So if we have to find a solution how to do that. So it was tough, actually. Especially when the kids thing broke down, like the school start shutting down or changing the time because, for one person, if you have just one child, it's easy. When you have, like, three in a school?
Mark Munger
Did your kids handle it differently? Did they cope with it in different ways?
Fatiya Adam
Yes, the only issue probably that kids don’t understand why they're not going to go out, or why they're not going to school every day, or how come we don't go out to play, or go take them to the park. But it takes time for them to finally understand and, you know, accept it. But at first it was hard and tough to.
Mark Munger
What kinds of questions were they asking?
Fatiya Adam
They, first of all, they just start, like, "Why?" Everything, like, "Why we don't go to school anymore? Why my teachers say this? Why?" Just like not understanding the whole virus thing and how it passed through. And then the more explaining it just that now they're actually afraid to go. They just think they're gonna die or something. But I guess I don't, just explain in more detail on talking to them. Explain how the virus, you know, passed down to the sneezing, through coughing, through having many people in the classroom breathing, using the same air. So once you explain that, you know, the less people in the classroom, the less virus you have, and they tend to understand what virus means.
Mark Munger
Yeah. Was that hard for you to explain to them?
Fatiya Adam
Maybe it's hard more for me to explain to them than them understanding what the virus is. But finally come to down [...]. They understand, and they're actually excited to be home more.
Mark Munger
Oh really?
Fatiya Adam
Because they spend time more with the other thing, but it was more tough on the parent, I think.
Mark Munger
Is it hard on you?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah, I mean with the job. And then you have to figure out who's going to be with the other child. When the other child to go to school, the other one will be home. And find a way to, kind of, manage that with working as well. We then find out the job also starts cutting down. But, a little bit tough. And then the school shut down. I don’t know for how many months the school was closed. We’re doing from home, schooling then.
Mark Munger
So jobs also were stopping? Were you? Fewer hours?
Fatiya Adam
Fewer hours and then, um, fewer people that you help. Plus if there’s one person affected in the job, you know, we all have to be, not show up to work. Kind of protecting each other. So you don’t know where you run to every day, you may be protecting yourself from the virus, but there’s other people around you not. And because of that, you also get infected. You have to stay home for several, I don’t know, five days or some how many days, and get back to work again. It’s just that you don’t know where you wake up and go to. So it’s a little bit scary, in a way. And then, also, if you’re a working parent, you’re afraid to go to work because, you don’t know. Your kids are home, now, from school to be safe. But you go out, still you have to work, so you don’t know what you bring in to your kids. Also that's another extra hard to manage everyday like, walk in the door. Make sure you don't touch the kids before, you know, when they're running to you, wait for them to, patiently, until you change and wash up and they finally...
Mark Munger
That must have been so hard.
Fatiya Adam
It is. That's the tough part. I think I can think about it. It's that's the tough part. It’s just that when you get home to the kids, or just…. Your kids don't understand you, but you have to push them away until you change from these clothes and wash your hand. And... for actually, for me, my job is way, like, simple, I can say, like, we don't see that much client at that time. And then we have hour cut down. But for my husband, I mean, he has to actually afraid of the pandemic and he doesn't know what to bring home to the kids. So he has to quit his job.
Mark Munger
He had to quit his job?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah, at that time when he worked at Tyson. So that's when a lot of viruses spread, a lot. And Tyson, a lot happened. Everyday people get home and sick. So he have to decide, like, choose job or his family, and then he have to quit a job, so and then stay home it just...
Mark Munger
So then he was home?
Fatiya Adam
He was home, in a way make a little bit easier. So I can go to work. He can be home with the kids. But again, when you have this big family, you need to be able to work in the household in order to manage the life. Expensive for kids in house and every other thing, but yeah.
Mark Munger
So did that cause a lot of conflict between you? Was it hard?
Fatiya Adam
It's hard and, like, you know, you still, the life still goes on. You, you still have bills to pay, still have things to worry, but, I want, it doesn't cause between us. I understand why he did what he did. It’s was for safety of our kids. It's just that then one of us have to work more hours and more.... Like we have to choose him to not work, and I work more because with my job is way easier to protect myself from the pandemic than his job. Even though, I will say his job, that what makes, or brings more money in. But, yeah, just manage to But there was a tremendous outbreak at Tyson. Yeah. Yeah.
Mark Munger
It's understandable.
Fatiya Adam
Yeah. So I mean, once everything settled down, I mean, once you quit a job, it's hard to get back. Like they have rules, and you know you have to wait probably like what six months, I think, or more than that to get back. We chose that to save our kids where it was hard for him to get back to the job because he quit, but it's pandemic and so. I'm a wife, and I understand everybody's different, so I understand the situation and manage here and there. But we went by, and I guess it's okay. Yeah.
Mark Munger
And at your work, as you described it before, people would just come and go.
Fatiya Adam
Yeah.
Mark Munger
So how did that change?
Fatiya Adam
Well we did. There's a lot of change in one. Of course, we have protection mask, and we have the face shield when we meet with client, and, then, in our, where I used to work, they actually build the safety protected area, they call. That when you just see people through, you know, glass and you just even able to like communicate with them through that, see what they need. You don't physically be next to each other, but you can able to, the glass between us so that protects us more. And then only by appointment mostly, we started taking.
Mark Munger
Oh, really?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah.
Mark Munger
Did that change? Who came in? Or?
Fatiya Adam
Yes, yes, it changed, one, for this place with, like, what Mary J Treglia as we help, is open to everybody. But a lot of time, a lot of client that comes here, most people who doesn't speak the language or, you know, they need help, don't even understand about this pandemic. How it spread and how it’s easy to spread and what they need to do to protect themselves. They don't have access to the language explain more detail. So when they come here, and they just see the door closed, and, I mean, we actually always have a sign on the door what it says. But every time they come, they don't find anyone to help them, they kind of think that we close down, or there's no more hope anymore. And so they struggle. So that change just because of those, those people who doesn't know how to, I can’t say, they don't have easy access to the community because of a language barrier or culture or something. But when the the media, the radio’s channel, you guys do start doing the news about the pandemic with their own language. I know I was one of them doing that. It helped a lot every day, people are like willing to listen and know what's happening, how they protect themselves, and... But it didn't change. But again, they got to help in a different way. And now they just reach out to me directly through the phone. And even when I'm home, I always answer the call and explain to them how I think it is, and
Mark Munger
What were some of their major concerns at that time?
Fatiya Adam
They just, they just feel like, like I say Mary J Treglia it's like, it's like a place to go for them when they struggle or what, like, they just feel home. There is not home. They born a race… they come from what when coming there, they see people, like, similar to them where they come from, and this Mary J Treglia willing to do… help them with anything. It doesn't matter what it is, you don't turn people back. And then, also a lot of service we do is you know, you don't have to pay really, they just come there, they feel ease on everything. You know, some people don't even know how to pay their bill, you just tell them where or how. It's that simple thing to them. It 's just like, it's a big thing. So when they have the pandemic, because of pandemic, everything closed down, they just feel like they, they will lose their family, they will lose their job, they will just they don't know where to go to get for help. They just scared, I guess, like just scared. But they still manage. You know, some people will still come every day, just pull that door and see if somehow somebody show up there. But, so most of the people worried about how to stay alive, but they don't have the access who explained to them what is even going on, how they can…. Why whatever is happening is happening. Basically not understanding. And Mary J Treglia's a place they go is asking for question or for help, and then the pandemic kind of shut down on them. But again, the radio did help them with the news media we have on the radio, you guys have helped a lot actually for specific, you know, for people that speak the language I speak, so
Mark Munger
And you are translating, to elucidate, you were translating to a Oromo.
Fatiya Adam
Oromo. Yes.
Mark Munger
Would you remember any specific conversations you had with anybody? Does anything stand out? Like, like somebody coming in or talking to you or a client that you had?
Fatiya Adam
About the pandemic?
Mark Munger
Yeah, just during that time, like any, any conversations that you really remember clearly that had an impact on you?
Fatiya Adam
Um, mostly, I mean… I will say this, honestly, people come in the job, like, “What we gonna do?” “Is there a place or an agency that will help will help us?” “We lose our job because of pandemic and that… get help to pay rent?” Like some people don't have money saved, but losing the job… they don’t lose, but the job just been on hold for temporary. Because of that income, just for a week, that stops, to them it’s, you know, they have a family, too. There is a living paying rent and raising a family. Some people still have a family back home that they need to support as well. So, even though it’s risky, some people just want to work to bring that income in to support their family. So they’re worried about how their family will survive if, because of pandemic, they’re not able to go to work. Like they’re worried about their children, their family, how they going to survive, how they’re going to buy food, or who’s going to help, or what agency can they go to get help from. Even just for a month if a place that they’re coming, asking, like, a place they can get, even applying for what the food benefit that people need? They don’t know who to reach or how to apply that. So, just people scared, basically, what to do if that job stop on them. Some people choose to stop working to protect their family. But some people don’t have option, but they have to face the danger to take care of their family.
Mark Munger
Was that a conversation that you heard a lot?
Fatiya Adam
Basically, yeah. They were afraid to stop working. They know that the pandemic’s dangerous. But a lot of places are shutting down because of that reason. But, they said, “Okay. It’s shutting down, but it’s also affect us. How are we going to pay our rent?” “Is there a place that will help us with that?” So that’s most of the conversation people come and ask. If we knew, or if there was an agency that will help them. Whether paying the rent and give them, giving them some food or a place to go.
Mark Munger
That’s a terrible problem. I mean, to choose being safe by not going to work, or to, you know… everything is sort of on the line.
Fatiya Adam
It goes both ways. You don’t want to go to work because you want to protect yourself for your family. But at the same time, if you don’t work, how are you going to support your family? So you’re stuck between… again, it’s not for everybody, but if most people, I seen, that’s the main question. They’re worried.
Mark Munger
What is the community or population that you’re primarily serving that’s facing these questions?
Fatiya Adam
Um, I would say the East African community, mostly.
Mark Munger
What were the places that did shut down? Where people were losing their jobs?
Fatiya Adam
Most of place, again, people from East Africa, a lot of them, work at Tyson.
Mark Munger
Was Tyson… Tyson was cutting back on…
Fatiya Adam
Tyson cutting back on people. Not hiring new people. Also if you just had headache, you know, you’re not allowed to go back to work. And people are afraid to call in sick, just if your sick just for another reason. They assume right away it’s because of, you know, pandemic. And your not allowed to come back to work for fourteen day or until you get tested. So people were forced to go to work, hide their pain, because they don’t want to miss work for another fourteen day. So mostly, actually, Tyson, you know, Seaboard, where I asked people I know that work… mostly Tyson. It’s just with the rules, if you feel sick, you’re not allowed to come back until you get tested. And getting tested, it was a lot hard. Yeah, I forgot that part. Getting an appointment at that time to get tested is a long waiting. They don’t have opening because it’s a lot of people are getting tested. And the result comes back within three/four days. You have to wait on that.
Mark Munger
Where were people getting tested at that point? Was that as Siouxland Community Health?
Fatiya Adam
Siouxland Community Health. At that time, we don’t have this easy home access test. It was Siouxland Community. It’s hard to get the appointment booked. They’re busy and booked. And lines and lines, every day, constantly. And you have to get tested in order for you to even for you to go back to work. So people even afraid to call in sick, because once you call in sick, you’re not allowed to go back for fourteen days, or you have to get tested and have that result to get back in, so.
Mark Munger
Was that hard for you to hear all of those stories?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah.
Mark Munger
I mean, as a person listening to people coming in and talking to them?
Fatiya Adam
Yes, I mean, I’m… It’s hard because I’m always there in the community helping them, hearing their situation, figuring out where to help them and ease their days. But when you have no answer, you don’t know how to help, you don’t…. It’s hard. It’s hard on me to, like, I don’t have answers for them. There’s now way, like, I can change that. I just have to say, I just gotta do what you have to do. I mean, it is hard not having answer for them. But at the same time, we also having to run into that situation, so we just… yep, I don’t know.
Mark Munger
And then to go home. You’re just facing very different worlds. Now you’re going home and your having to quickly wash your hands before you see your kids. That’s an extremely stressful…
Fatiya Adam
Yeah, that’s a stressful… Come home, and your kids like, “Mom is here!” And you, like, put them on break. “Hold on.” It’s just they don’t understand. But it was a time we went through, and it was hard. But, for me, it was more hard than going to work and coming home without helping. Yes, I helped them, just giving them an answer, but it’s not the answer they’re looking for. It’s like, it’s out of my control. There’s nothing I can do. So I usually go home, just come home with, at least, I made somebody’s day happy, help somebody. At least one or two, it doesn’t matter how many. But you go to work, and there’s nothing you can do. It’s just the pandemic, so.
Mark Munger
How about your kids, did it… to not be able to go out and go to the park and go to school? Did you see changes in their behavior? Or in their personalities? Their interests?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah. They go to bed late, which is bad. Um. They, actually, want to spend time more with electronics, which is, that’s, I mean, true. My kids, I will say, that’s one thing. Spend more time watching TV or using a mini item. Mom, I’ll try not allow that happen, but, you know, I’m not home the whole time. To be watching TV. And, then, later on, now, it’s just take a time to even like, “Oh, let’s go out.” It’s just no the excitement that they used to have. Like, “Oh, can I just play game, or can I do that?” So staying home is a little bit, go them, got used to that home and just, I will say, lazy instead of being more active, going out.
Mark Munger
So life now is different in that way, too? You’re not going out as much? Because they’re not wanting to going out as much?
Fatiya Adam
It’s both way. I mean, they not excited as it is before. Just because they got used to before, stay home. Questioned, “Why?” “Why?” “Why, we not going?” And suddenly they got use to like, “Oh.” They’re comfy… comfortable at home, don’t want to go out. And then, too, still, I mean, yeah, the pandemic is over, but it’s still… you. A lot of change. A lot of things changed since the pandemic. Um, the limitations, how many people, there. And just generally. You know that pandemic’s over, but you know it’s still, somewhere, there. So you just, always, scared to be free like it was. I mean, if it’s just myself, it’s easy. But if you have kids with you, they running, they touching. People are afraid to be near each other. I mean, it’s getting better. But it’s still there. You can still see it. So just avoid that, avoid that. It’s just… you don’t look at, I don’t look too eager or as excited as I was before just going out somewhere. It’s just not the same, basically.
Mark Munger
Do you have a wish to go out? Or is even the wish to go out…
Fatiya Adam
I wish it is back what it was four years ago. Like, right now, I don’t wish to go out. I wish it was, the pandemic was never happened. It change your mentality, just the way you think, now, when you are in the crowd, near other people. It’s just not the same. Before you just enjoy freely without thinking, you just. But now you have to always, you know, think it’s not only you. You may be free. I can say in my brain, “Oh, the pandemic’s over. It’s nothing.” But other people may not be also worried about others, how they think of you. What they think of you. Or if they’re okay if your kid’s been playing with their kid. It’s just, it’s just two ways.
Mark Munger
Have you seen that? Where, like, people are more skeptical of your kids playing with their kids? Or if you’re going out to a public place, you seem to be viewed differently?
Fatiya Adam
I feel like it’s me more thinking that way. I just avoid it. Not to go so I don’t have to run through that. Avoid to go because, I mean, that when pandemic is, is still starting, when kids question, “Oh, Mommy, why they say, ‘You can’t touch me.’ ‘You can’t play like...’?” The kids will ask you the same question, again. I’m just worried. I don’t have to explain that to the kids, so we kind of…. It’s more, like, me.
Mark Munger
You just have more anxiety?
Fatiya Adam
Yes, basically. I feel like every parent’s like that. It’s just.
Mark Munger
What about the kids going back to school was that difficult?
Fatiya Adam
No, they're excited to go back. They're happy to go back? And including me, I'm happy to send them back. It took a time to adjust it back the way it is. But it is difficult, but in a way we're excited. Even if it difficult, actually we're looking forward to it. Um, it's not the same education-wise for the kids who are there in person and being home school. It's just that the kids involved more in person, I think, they will will get excited about school when they're there with the teacher, you know. When you're home, you're just in front of computer, and you do a lot assignment through the Zoom, and that's this.... Also that's another thing, I will say, I've actually been home from school affected the kids because they spent a lot of time in front of computer, through the Zoom class and everything. It was just that, I know it's for educational, but, still, it’s electronic. It's just, it's not the same, just different.
Mark Munger
It normalized being on the computer.
Fatiya Adam
Yep. Computer. Yeah. Yep.
Mark Munger
Yeah. Did you feel like the education? Did you feel like they fell behind in their education? Or do you feel like they kept up?
Fatiya Adam
I mean, I will say they did start falling behind, but I make sure when I get home, I try to catch up. It being… it’s double work for me. Also, like, catching them up, trying to catch them up. But I work extra hard to just make sure they don’t fall behind. But it does, it did make them fall behind.
Mark Munger
And then it sort of becomes your responsibility, you felt?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yeah. Struggling. Home schooling. Kids home and going out work, and avoiding pandemic, and choosing one parent to stay home, other to go out to work. So, yeah. Go back and forth.
Mark Munger
If you look back on this period of time, is there anything that really stands out as representing the pandemic to you? Any moment that you will reflect upon in ten years when you look back at this beginning of the pandemic?
Fatiya Adam.
In a way I’ll think on thing. The pandemic has brought our kids together, and brought a family together. When I say that, it's not only talking about my family, it's most of a lot of family. Before, everybody's running here and there, back and forth. With job and school, people never really have, like, time together that much. Because of the pandemic, you're stuck in one house. You kind of, like, spend a lot more time together. That's something you don't do before that much. You don't even realize you're missing it. So, pandemic brought family together. As for me, especially with me and my children, me and my children, spending time with me and their dad, me together as one, just do some fun activity. We always do, but we try to pick a day, or, like, let's take the kids somewhere this week and spend time with them. We plan ahead when all together, but because of pandemic, you don't even need to plan. You're all home together spending time. So, like, I'm not saying pandemic is good thing. One thing, if I talk about good that happened out of pandemic, is that, it's the kids really, actually, like happy the fact that me and their dad and all of us together pretty much most of all day spending time, watching some movie or playing games. It doesn't matter what it is, something. We didn't do everyday before that. We did.
Mark Munger
And you're taking that lesson forward?
Fatiya Adam
Yeah, yep. Yes. Maybe, I mean, I'm not, it's not only me. Other, a lot of other parents seen that? I don't know. But for me it's realized that the kids really really enjoy having us, you know. Sometimes they, they even talk, like, you know. So that kind of got my attention that, you know, I guess. I mean, I personally, I mean, I'm there with them every day, but it's not. What I'm saying is they don't see me their dad. Even my kids, all of them. So not just one. Because, especially my oldest, she's always out to play basketball practice. So maybe we’re probably home with other kids. But she's always not part of it, most of the time, because she's out gaming, busy with the school. But this brought everybody. So the whole kids and us. Even my parents. And like more other family member basically. So, yeah, a big lesson I took from it is that every day try as much as you can to spend together.
Mark Munger
Well, thank you so much. It's been really nice to talk to you and hear your story.
Fatiya Adam
Yeah. Thank you for having me
Mark Munger
It's January 10, 2023.
