2020 - Page 4 of 5 - Neighborhood View

Oven On: Baking during a time of stress

June 11, 2020 Sandra Ndengue 0

By Sandra G. Ndengue As Malden and the rest of the state shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I sought comfort in baking. I’m not alone. A story posted by CNBC declares that “everyone is #quarantinebaking their way through the coronavirus pandemic.” My adventures in quarantine baking has not only taught me a lot about how to bake the perfect loaf of banana bread, but has emphasized the importance of family connections and that there’s one source I can always count on – my mom. Let me explain that banana bread has become an obsession of mine. Last year I decided to opt for a healthier diet so banana bread became my daily bread. Two slices of bread accompanied with low fat vanilla yogurt and oat fruit cereal serve as my breakfast. I usually bought the banana bread at my local grocery. But then came the stay-at-home recommendations. I reduced my trips to the grocery store and the few times I have been there, banana bread has always been sold out. So, I made the decision to make […]

Isolation and togetherness: The COVID-19 impact on family life

June 5, 2020 NeighborhoodView 1

By Antonia Sheel and Amanda HurleyEdited by Stephanie Schorow and Anne D’Urso Rose Long-time Malden resident Karen Yates, a mother of two, makes it a point to wake up early and start the day with a cup of coffee, a little news, and quiet reflection. This helps her maintain a routine and sense of normalcy at a time when so many things are not normal. “Everything requires so much more energy,” she says. Her family has moved from the “auto-pilot” pace of everyday life to a new slower, ever-changing version. “It’s like moving through molasses.” The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting quarantines have had a profound impact on all of American society, not least of which is the American family. Children are out of school, parents working at home, or laid off from jobs, and extended families have either grouped together or stayed separate under social distancing guidelines. The citizen journalists of Neighborhood View reached out to several Malden families to chronicle their lives during the pandemic quarantine. While the families talked about uncertainty and […]

Teens bridge time, culture and language through film

May 29, 2020 Ose Schwab 1

By Ose Schwab It’s 1:30 a.m. in Chile and Malden and 1:30 p.m. in Shanghai. Fourteen-year-old Finn Sedan in Malden, Javiera Paz Valenzuela Rodríguez, 15, in Santiago, Chile, Isabella Zhu, 14, in Southborough, and Anny Wang, 13, in Shanghai, are laughing nonstop while making final editing touches to a short film that they have been working on together all week. “We were up late – well, not for me because it was 1:30 p.m.,” said Anny. “I guess we did not start editing until that last day. We worked for five hours on Zoom. But it was not painful. It was chill. We were joking, editing, and talking about ourselves. Our mentors, Avion and Sophie, made us feel so comfortable and we had become friends. I was sad this was the last working session together.” The teenagers’ short film titled “Isolation” would be screened later that day (the next morning for Anny) as part of an international filmbuilding workshop for 13 teens from China, Chile, and the United States, sponsored by MATV (UMA) and Zoom-In Zoom-Out, an […]

Part Three: A defining moment for a generation

May 16, 2020 sschorow 1

Generations are often defined by key moments in history. How will the global pandemic we are now experiencing shape this young generation? What will they – and the rest of us – remember in the decades to come? With the help of an energetic group of interns, Neighborhood View embarked on a project to interview young Malden residents about their life during the pandemic. These citizen journalists interviewed residents in their late teens, 20s and 30s, and collected stories that crystalize this moment in time, from the mundane to the momentous. Here is part three of an ongoing series. Read part one here and part two here. Matthew Mijares: Graduation by parade By Masio Dotson and Kamila Rodrigues For Matthew Mijares, May 31st was to be the day he walked across a stage and celebrated completing high school with his fellow classmates. Due to COVID-19, May 31st will look a bit different. Seniors will put on their caps and gowns, stand outside their homes, and wave to their teachers as a parade passes through the streets […]

Malden small businesses cope with financial hardship during pandemic

May 4, 2020 ditikohli 0

By Diti Kohli No one goes in or out of Mystic Station now except owners Bryan and Nicole Palazzo. The couple closed their restaurant — widely known for its craft beer, burgers, and trivia nights — on March 14 when coronavirus thundered through the state. That means there’s no raucous groups circling the bar, no servers floating about, and most importantly, no revenue. “There’s a lot of unknowns going around health-wise,” said Bryan Palazzo via phone. “We felt that, out of concern for the safety of our employees and our customers, closing entirely was the best idea.” The people behind Mystic Station, like those from hundreds of Malden businesses, are counting down the days until they can welcome customers again. Some restaurants have continued takeout and delivery in self-isolation, while other businesses explore temporary virtual services in the hopes of holding out until the pandemic subsides. But scientists and government officials are unsure when it will be safe to reopen. As of May 3, there are more than 68,000 recorded cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts, […]

Part two: A defining moment for a generation

April 29, 2020 annedr 0

Generations are often defined by key moments in history. How will the global pandemic we are now experiencing shape this young generation? Will teens and twenty-somethings see this as the moment when everything changed? What will they – and the rest of us – remember in the decades to come? With the help of an energetic group of interns, Neighborhood View embarked on a project to interview young Malden residents about their life during the pandemic. These citizen journalists interviewed their generational peers and collected stories that crystalize this moment in time, from the mundane to the momentous. Here is part two of an ongoing series. Read part one here. David Kennedy: The more you read, the more fearful you get By Masio Dotson Twenty-seven year old David Kennedy, who grew up in Malden and has been a resident for over a decade, is an Audi car salesman, a father and now a teacher. Kennedy has transitioned to homeschooling his 5-year-old son, due to the closing of Salemwood School, using a homeschooling app called “IXL.” […]

For Malden artist, nature’s beauty endures even in a pandemic

April 25, 2020 escorsello 3

Another in a series of stories on how Malden residents are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. By Elizabeth Scorsello Malden artist, Peg, dreamed about spending a week in May in Turin, Northern Italy, at the International Center for Ceramics to mark the year of turning 80. She had planned to take classes with potters from all over the world. Now, she wonders when – or if – she will ever get to make this trip. Peg, a resident of Malden for 14 years, paints and draws, does ceramics and teaches art. She taught kindergarten in the Boston School System. Retired and living in senior housing, she was teaching ceramics. And then the coronavirus appeared. “About a month ago the management (of senior housing) tried to get on top of it,” Peg told Neighborhood View. “We received a mailing describing the virus and (tell us to start) washing hands, etc., to get ready for the coronavirus.” Two weeks ago a notice went up and a robo call started telling residents no visitors allowed except for family […]

Encounter Haiti, hope and love in multimedia exhibit by Nicolas Hyacinthe

April 21, 2020 joanneelie 1

“When I put a piece of art on the wall it’s no longer mine anymore. The viewer sees it and resonates with a truth within it and walks away with it. It is my kaleidoscope experience and their human experience colliding; and at that point it belongs to them,” says Hyacinthe. Hyacinthe was born in Haiti and immigrated to America at the age of 10. Bringing with him the cultural background and history of the island, he was then immersed in the new narrative of American culture. As he watched films and television, he developed a passion for photography and filmmaking, which he began to study at Emerson College, where he graduated in 2001 with a degree in Visual Media Arts. His experience of living in two countries revealed a universal truth about the world: pain and love. These truths unified the human experience to a young Hyacinthe, convincing him that pain and love transcend any surface differences among varying cultures. Hyacinthe expresses this truth through mediums such as photography, abstract paintings, and film. With […]

A defining moment for a generation: Malden’s younger residents confront the pandemic: Part One

April 12, 2020 NeighborhoodView 1

Generations are defined by key moments. For many it was the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, which propelled the United States into World War II. For baby boomers, it was the assassination of President John F. Kenney in Dallas in 1963. For others, it was the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. And now, as the world grinds to a halt from the coronavirus pandemic, another generational moment has been created. How will this period affect this generation? Will teens and twenty-somethings see this as the moment when everything changed? What will they – and the rest of us – remember in the decades to come? With the help of an energetic group of interns, Neighborhood View embarked on a project to interview younger Malden residents about their life during the pandemic. Citizen journalists interviewed residents and collected stories that crystalize this moment in time, from the mundane to the momentous. Here is part one of an ongoing series. Delilah Doleman: Baking in […]

Malden neighbors stepping up to help neighbors in face of pandemic

April 11, 2020 sschorow 0

By Stephanie Schorow In the second week of March, just as the nation began to shut down to halt the spread of COVID-19, paper fliers appeared on Malden streets with a simple message: “We are connecting volunteers with people in need.” This represented the start of Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a grassroots movement centered on a Facebook and web page, that has brought together residents who need help with those who can offer a helping hand. It’s part of a statewide neighbors-helping-neighbors push, but the local effort began with Malden residents concerned about the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of quarantine and social isolation on neighbors. “People in Malden stepped up and then connected with the other groups,” said Anna Geoffroy, one of the organizers. “It didn’t surprise me…I’ve seen this happen before. When things go sideways, we all have to pitch in.” Since the Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors Facebook page launched on March 14, Maldonians have helped to get food to the elderly, supply health workers with masks, and provided reassurance over the phone during […]