VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 149
AIR DATE 11 20 2020
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Oyster Life
((SOT))
((Aaron Hemmila, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Once COVID came along, we had basically zero sales. Hopefully
you guys like big oysters because they're still there. They're still
growing.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Stay at Home School
((SOT))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay at Home Dad))
We try to treat it like a normal school day and when school starts,
I’ve got one child is downstairs in the basement and one child on
the top floor.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
When Home Disappears
((SOT))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
At this moment, I am literally waiting for the sheriffs to show up at
my front door to remove me. Every night I go to sleep, I'm
thinking ugh, tomorrow is the day.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) OYSTER FARMING
((Banner: The World is Their Oyster))
((Reporter: Aaron Fedor))
((Camera: Aaron Fedor, Scott Stevens))
((Writer/Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Director of Photography: Scott Stevens))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Map: Barnstable, Massachusetts))
((Main characters: 2 male))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((NATS))
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
When we were kids, our dad would take us to work with him and it
was hard work. I basically spent my whole life saying I'd do
anything but this, working, you know, on the oyster farm. I
worked in HR for a while. I was a corporate trainer. And I just
didn't really find it very fulfilling. So, sometimes what you're
looking for is under your nose the whole time.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Hi. I'm Aaron Hemmila and I work at Barnstable Sea Farms.
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
I'm Jared Hemmila. I'm the general manager of Barnstable Sea
Farms and I coordinate basically what we're going to be doing for
the day, whether it's harvesting or doing maintenance work. And I
do a lot of the deliveries myself.
So, after college, I was working at a bank for a couple of years.
((Courtesy: Jared Hemmila))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Then I went to Indonesia and I was teaching English for several
years. I met my wife there. And my dad was thinking about
selling the business and
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
I thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So, I came
over and basically took over and I've been doing it for, I think,
seven or so years now. And it's great. I love it.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
What I love about farming oysters is that every day is different,
you know. We work both sides of the Cape. We're on the north
side and the south side. You know, sometimes we're diving up
oysters or raking up oysters or using our drag to dredge up
oysters. But every day is different, and we get to work outside
and we have flexible schedules and we get to work with our
family. So altogether, it's a home run.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
So, working with your brother, it can be trying sometimes but we
have a great relationship and he's always making me think a little
harder and being more careful. And he takes care of a lot of the
paperwork and I do a lot of more of the physical stuff. So, I think
we work great as a team.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
So, we partner with the Audubon Society and we do about a
dozen tours a year in the summer on our smaller site and we
don't really make a whole lot of money doing them but it's more of
an outreach program and a lot of people are really interested in it.
((NATS))
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
And you can see what I was talking about with the sand buildup.
You get the sand that's building up and that's what's creating this
black mud in here.
((NATS))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Yeah, super sharp. So, be careful.
((Speaker 3))
Okay.
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
So, yeah. These are about a year and a half, beautiful looking
oyster right there.
((Speaker 3))
Yes, they are.
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Yeah. All oysters will taste a little bit different depending on, you
know, growing conditions and what they're growing on. If they're
growing in cages or bags or on the bottom. And it would also
affect their shell. Shells on these oysters because it's so dynamic
here, they're always getting tumbled and moved around by the
water current, so, the oyster shell is a bit thicker here. And so, it
makes for a nice pretty oyster, but it's also makes for a good
oyster. Would you like to try one?
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Once COVID came along, we lost all our sales for at least a
month, maybe about two months, we had basically zero sales.
Sales are starting to come back but, you know, this was supposed
to be our banner year. And we got a lot of oysters and, you know,
hopefully you guys like big oysters, because they're still there.
They're still growing.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
But I like going out on the boat.
((Courtesy: Jared Hemmila))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
I like, you know, just being outside. Sometimes in February,
when we're dragging and we have to cut through ice, that's fun.
You know, there was this one year where it was like about a foot
[30 cm] thick and Scott is just hammering away at this chunk of
ice just to try and free the boat. And it was fun, you know, just
being able to, you know, go out there and try different things just
to try and stay afloat.
((NATS))
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Jared's pulling up one of these bags of seed. We keep it on these
lines to keep them out of the mud. So, we'll crack this open and
take a look at it.
((NATS))
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Yeah, so that one's grown quite a bit.
Do you want me topping these off?
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Sure. Probably good.
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Okay.
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
I think that's fine.
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
What have we got? Seven, 14, 19. Some of them are like half
full, but…..
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
That'll give us the…..
I think we'll be all right. See that's probably about, what would
you say? Like 20 bags? So, about 2,000 oysters, maybe. 2,000
saleable oysters.
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Yeah. There's you know about 250, 300 oysters per box. What
have we got here? 20 boxes. So, 250 times 20. So, it's, you
know, 500, 5,000.
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Okay. About 5,000 oysters. Not all are saleable. So, we'll go
through them.
((Aaron Hemmila, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Yeah.
((NATS))
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
Yeah. So, what I'm doing, I'm knocking all the barnacles off,
sorting through and finding all the good oysters. A lot of these are
just either too small or too ugly to sell. My favorite way to eat an
oyster raw, I like with a little mignonette on it, vinegar, shallots,
black pepper. Barnstable oysters, I know are real briny and
depending on the time of year, they can be real sweet and they
have a good, good crunch to them.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Scott Stevens, Oyster Farmer, Barnstable Sea Farms))
There is a saying that you should only eat oysters in months that
end in “er” [cooler months]. You might enjoy an oyster more in a
month that ends in “er”, but I think they're actually, you know,
they're perfectly good to eat every month, every week, every day.
((Jared Hemmila, General Manager, Barnstable Sea Farms))
What's for lunch? Oysters.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Artist and Teacher’s Aid
((SOT))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay at Home Dad))
I use wood truly as my medium. I’ve studied everything from
spoons to bowl making to furniture making to sculpture.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) STAY AT HOME DAD / WOOD ARTIST
((Banner: A Balancing Act))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Vienna, Virginia))
((Main Characters: 1 male))
((Sub Characters: 1 male; 1 female))
((NATS))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
My name is Ron Johnson. I grew up all over the world.
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
My dad was in the military. I spent 25 years in the military myself.
After getting out of the military, I decided to start working with
wood and it was about 10 years ago. I transitioned from working
with wood to make furniture to making pieces of art.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
I use wood truly as my medium. I’ve studied everything from
spoons to bowl making to furniture making to sculpture. The
peace I find when I’m carving, I really do go to a different place.
Wood really kind of talks back to you. It really speaks to you
when you’re working on it and you get to have this one-on-one
communication with the tree.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
10/10:45 says math, whole group meet link. So, there’s a small
group schedule.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
I’m a stay-at-home dad, in addition to being an artist. I have a
first grader and a kindergartner.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
Daddy tax.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
When COVID kicked off, I wasn’t really prepared to having both of
my children home throughout the day. I had to really balance
that.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
We try to treat it like a normal school day, like they’re going to be
heading out to school. So, I get them up. They get their clothes
on. They’re not in their night night clothes, for example. Then,
when school starts, I’ve got one child is downstairs in the
basement and one child on the top floor.
((NATS:
What is the time?))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
This is my work area. I tend to sit here and listen to both the
downstairs classroom and the upstairs classroom, with a little bit
of an ear on both classrooms, because the kids get into a, a little
bit of, you know, their pattern. But the classes don’t match except
lunch time is pretty close together. Their breaks are different. So,
I have to send one outside on a break and one, you know, stays
inside during their class. My son, who’s younger in kindergarten,
he generally tends to be, he’ll turn his computer off and he’ll just
say, “Oh, I think I’m done.” And so, I have to refocus him back
down to the classroom. Also, I go and look at their class schedule
each day and I update it very quickly to see what’s going to come
up, because it changes periodically. And both kids try to stay on
track, but honestly, it’s tough for me to keep up and these folks,
you know, little kids trying to keep track.
((NATS:
Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
Having them both online and the attention span really is the issue.
They don’t want to be staring at a screen.
((NATS: Ron Johnson and daughter
Look all these people are in there. Why are they in there?
I’m not supposed to be in there.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
To understand and to navigate technology for a five and six-year
old is pretty daunting. Trying to figure out how to get them
comfortable with technology, so they can navigate to their
classrooms correctly. It’s a lot we’re asking of the teachers and
it’s a lot we’re asking of our children for sure. And parents.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
I made you a nice sandwich.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
The positives about having our children home with me throughout
the day is how close we’ve become as a family. One thing we get
to do is we get to schedule out our time really well. We eat lunch
together. We eat breakfast together. We eat dinner together.
And all those meals just add that communication and you build a
really decent relationship with your children.
((NATS))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
So that’s one positive. The other positive is, I’m spending time
with them in their classrooms and understanding what they’re
learning, so I get to, I get to affect what they’re learning too. I get
to understand that.
((NATS: Ron Johnson and teacher
Ms. Jacoby. Hello.
Yes.
Hi, yeah. Quick question. We had some computer issues. Now
we’re on iPad for a few minutes. Just wondering, what are they
supposed to be doing right now?
Oh, we just did letters. We found objects that begin with….))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
We do bike rides almost every day, just to relieve some of that
frustration and that built up pressure.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
How this has impacted my personal flow as an artist? It’s been
the seven hours I may grab throughout the day when my children
are both in school to that right brain shift, to become creative. It’s
not something that you can just, it’s not a light switch. You have
to find that peaceful moment. You start moving yourself forward.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
So, really to manage between the kids’ online school, spending all
day in and out of the house, I have to really grab time. And I have
to make that time for myself, which means get up earlier in the
morning, create and carve out time in the evening when they’re
kind of calming down and winding down from the day.
Sometimes, I just walk outside and work on a very small piece
and then walk back inside, because it’s in my head and I want to
make sure I can put it into the piece I’m working on. So, I’m
thinking about that, the piece I’m currently working on, all the
time, throughout the day. It’s my, it’s my timeout spot for myself
on a stressful day.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
Some pieces I’ve made. One is ‘Dreams’. A lot of people have
been having these just amazing dreams or, you know, chaotic
dreams. And I created a piece specifically from COVID, the
influence on the dreams that I’ve been having. And I thought,
well, this is something that other people are having. So, I thought
I’d make a piece to, to represent that. And another one was,
trying to find center in my own life as everyone else is, with this
new world we’re, we’re experiencing.
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist; Stay-at-Home Dad))
I made one piece called ‘Finding Center’ and it really is, it’s also, I
created the chaos all around. There’s only two pieces that marry
up in the entire piece and that’s finding it right dead in the center.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Popup Banner:
Following the interview, ‘Dreams’ was selected to be in the 2020
Virginia Arts Juried Show))
((PKG)) ANIMAL ADOPTIONS
((Banner: Adopting New Friends))
((Previously aired May 2020))
((Reporter: Lesia Bakalets))
((Camera: Sergii Dogotar, Vladimir Badikov, Max Avloshenko))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York, New York; Washington, DC; San Francisco,
California))
((Main characters: 3 female))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((NATS))
((Stephanie Lombardo, City Dog Rescue, Washington D.C.))
We bring dogs and cats from our partner shelters to D.C., place
them with foster families or people who are looking to adopt them.
So, the dogs and cats that are here, are actually going to homes
but this is part of our normal practice. We have a lot of different
protocols because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
((NATS))
((Stephanie Lombardo, City Dog Rescue, Washington D.C.))
You know, there's enhanced safety procedures. We're using
social distancing protocols, masks, making sure that we are
practicing in absolutely the safest way possible.
((NATS))
((Skype Logo))
((Sherri Franklin, Founder, Muttville Rescue, San Francisco))
When we had the lockdown, we had to get in touch with as many
foster families as we could, to close down the shelter and move
every single dog into a foster home because we wanted to close
the shelter because we didn’t want to have to have our
employees come to work. So, within 48 hours, we found foster
homes for every single dog.
((NATS))
((Skype Logo))
((Katy Hansen, Volunteer, Animal Care Centers, New York))
On March 13, we put a call out to New York City because we
knew that we would be facing some tough times ahead and we
asked for fosters and adopters. And we thought we would get
about 200 applications and we ended up getting 5,000
applications.
((NATS))
((Stephanie Lombardo, City Dog Rescue, Washington D.C.))
Because of COVID-19, we have seen a high number of adoption
applications being submitted and an equal interest in people
fostering. People are working from home and their children are
also home, so the rationale is we have time, we have energy to
bring a dog into our lives. We are working with people to make
sure that once this crisis is over, they have the same commitment
and a strategy to provide care for a dog for his or her entire life.
So, we look for forever homes for our animals.
((NATS))
((Marissa, Foster Dog Parent))
We’re both at home a lot right now and we have another dog at
home and we thought she might be able to use some doggy
friendship, another buddy in the house.
((NATS))
((Bob, Dog Owner))
Happiness, the ability to go outside and walk around and not be
harassed or anything, plus just general companionship.
((NATS))
((Skype Logo))
((Katy Hansen, Volunteer, Animal Care Centers, New York))
I think in New York City, a lot of people work twelve hours a day
and so they feel that it's not great to have a pet because they're
not home enough. But now that they're home all day long, I think
they're more open to it.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Losing Home
((SOT))
((Landlord Representative))
I was raised, you pay your way. You don't pay your way, you pay
the price. That's it. But today, the people are so privileged.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) COVID EVICTION
((Banner: Eviction))
((Reporter: Julie Taboh))
((Camera: Jeremy Gossett, Wilson Vance))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Kansas City, Missouri))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub characters: 2 male; 1 female))
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
I never thought that me and my family would be displaced with the
uncertainty of where to go and what to do next. At this moment, I
am literally waiting for the sheriffs to show up at my front door to
remove me. So, every night I go to sleep, I'm thinking ugh,
tomorrow is the next, you know, tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow
is the day. And then I just go to work.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
The COVID happened. I was working for a mom-and-pop flooring
company that went under due to the COVID. That same week
that I found out that the company was closing, I immediately got a
job at Family Dollar down the street from here, causing me to take
a four dollar and 50 cent [per hour] decrease in my pay, leaving
me really short rent wise. I really don't have any other expenses
except home expenses, you know, my utilities. I don't have a
vehicle.
((NATS))
((Wilson Vance, Campaign Manager, KC Tenants))
Krisi is one of the thousands of tenants within Jackson County,
Missouri, that has been evicted since our eviction moratorium
expired.
((NATS))
((Wilson Vance, Campaign Manager, KC Tenants))
Krisi was trying to do everything right. She moved into this house
so that her kids could stay at the same school.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
This room was my bedroom. It did have a king-sized bed in it, my
dresser, everything I own. And now it's got nothing. It had a big
55-gallon [200 liter] fish tank that has now been minimized to a
bucket.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
It was probably within 45 days or so that I got my paperwork,
court, court again and then, now the ten days is up when am I like
ten days past the ten days. So, it's, I don't know if they can show
up, how long it takes or if they have like a cutoff date.
((SOTs))
I'm just here to change the lock.
You are just here to change the locks.
((Sheriff's Deputy, Jackson County))
The only thing I do is watch him change the locks. I leave. We
don't put anything out. We don't do anything but change the locks
on the door and leave.
((Landlord Representative))
I was raised, you pay your way. You don't pay your way, you pay
the price. That's it. But today, the people are so privileged.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
I'm just trying to make it as hard for them as possible, whether it
be me knowing that they're coming or being here until the very
last second because most people would already have all their
stuff moved out and done, moved into a new place or whatever,
and I'm choosing to kind of wait it out, I guess you would call that.
So, I don’t want to say I'm giving them a hard time but I kind of
am.
((NATS))
I got everything packed.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
My ex-husband has the kids as of right now. I mean they will be
returning home as soon as I have one. But, yes, I'm trying to
keep it as normal as possible for them considering everything
going on. So, they are just doing their regular old normal routine
as it would be any other day.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
I miss the kids laughing. I miss, you know, you take the little stuff
for granted
((Courtesy: Krisi Eiland))
whenever you do it every single day. I miss eating dinner at the
table every day. I miss everything: giving the kids a bath, the
giggling and laughing for sure. There's been no laughter at all in
this place over the last 15 days. Since the whole eviction thing
started and my kids not been with me like normal, I started a-
note-a-day-while-you're-away box. So, I write them a note every
night when I get home from work or after I sit down and I put it in
this box
((Courtesy: Krisi Eiland))
so that whenever this is all over and we have a new home, they
know that I thought about them every single day and every single
night, until we are reunited again.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
You know, my kids are safe. So, that's most important, you know,
that they don't have to be a part of the whole carrying our stuff out
of the house and all of that.
((NATS))
((Krisi Eiland, Evicted Tenant))
Being depressed and sad is just not going to get me any further
than trying to just stay positive in taking it one day at a time. And
I know this isn’t going to last forever. There will be another, you
know, there will be an uphill incline eventually. I can only go so
far down before it's got to go back up, right.
((NATS))
((Popup Banner:
A temporary, federal halt to evictions has protected many but not
all renters. After her eviction, Krisi Eiland has struggled to find
new housing.))
NEXT WEEK ((VO/NAT))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Banner))
In coming weeks…..
((SOT))
((David Ross))
The pandemic has really probably helped the business a little bit
because everybody went into their stock up their bunker mode in
the beginning. So, we sold a lot of cranberry juice initially. But in
a lot of ways, it hasn't affected the business much because the
cranberries don't care what's going on in the world. The beauty of
the crop and the natural world is, it's oblivious to what's going on
in the human world.
CLOSING ((ANIM))
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BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
CLOSING ((ANIM))
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SHOW ENDS
