Interview 19

1-2 S: Okay, so first, I will briefly read the introduction of our interview protocol and this is a semi-structured interview, so most of the questions are already planned. S: But based on your unique responses, there will be some, you know, deviate questions we will give to you. So let’s start. S: So we appreciate your willingness to participate in this interview, and which should take about 45 min, and once we finish the interview you will receive a $40, Amazon gift card. And our goal is to understand your experiences, living and working in the San Joaquin Valley. S: And we would like to learn about your perspective on air quality quality around our community. S: So your insight will be valuable and your help S: will bring us how we understand. S: The impact of air quality on our our community. S: So let’s talk about your employment and daily life first. S: So P19, can you tell us about your current role in your job? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I currently work as a benefits coordinator at [Firm name]. I mostly spend my time in the office, so I don’t really spend a lot of time outside, but I work Monday to Friday. I work full time, so I work 40 hours a week. I do work from home 2 days out of the week. S: Hmm. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: That’s roughly my daily work schedules just working in the office. S: Oh, that’s great! So you work 2 days. But can you choose which day you want to work at your home? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I I work from home Tuesdays and Fridays. So I’m in the office Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. S: Oh, you have a long weekend. S: Kinda. S: okay. So can you walk us through a typical day for you, including your work, and after your work. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, when I’m going to the office, I usually, you know, just wake up early in the morning. Get ready head to work. I’m in the office pretty much all the 8 hours I take my lunch, so I don’t have to go out, and you know, waste time and gas, you know, getting my food. So I just make food from my house, and I just bring it. And then I clock out like at 5 pm. And that’s when I go outside. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: It hasn’t really been much of an issue. But lately, because it’s getting hot, now, I can definitely feel my car just kind of it gets really hot outside, especially here in Bakersfield. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I get home around like 5, 10 ish. I don’t live far from where I work so thankfully, it’s not like a really long drive. And then recently, I started going out on walks with my friend. So this week we’ve just been going on walks usually like around 6 pm. Just so that the sun is not out, you know, too bright outside, just because, you know, with the summer coming up it gets really really hot here in Bakersfield. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: But that’s typically what I do when I’m in the office. And then when I work from home. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I actually don’t really go out much. I just stay at home. I do my work hours, and then just go out on walks with my friends, and that’s pretty much it. S: Okay, but P19. I forgot to introduce my colleague. Here’s SungHyoun Hong from Georgia State University, and here’s Dr. Sang-Hoon Lee from Loyola Marymount University. H: Hello! Nice to meet you guys. Sung Hyoun Hong: Nice to see you. S: Yeah, sorry. Honga and Hoon, do you have any questions to P19? S: If not, I will continue to ask about your connection to the San Joaquin Valley. S: So, P19! How long have you lived in San Joaquin Valley? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I live here for about like 20 years I live pretty much here like my whole life since I was P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: a child, so I think roughly, around 20 years. S: Hmm, okay. So you are almost, you know, born and raised here in San Joaquin Valley. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I was raised here. I was born actually in Denver, Colorado, and then my family. We migrated over to Mexico for probably like around 3 years. So when I was 3 years old I came here, and ever since then I haven’t really like moved out of Bakersfield, so I pretty much known Bakersfield, for, like almost my entire life. S: Oh, yeah, I now remember that you were born in Denver, Colorado. I relate to your city. You had born in my 1st class in my class. S: Okay, how do you feel about the air quality here? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Well, it’s definitely not the greatest. I feel like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: you can definitely see it a lot, especially in the summer, because I think I mentioned it before here in Bakersfield it gets really, really hot. So going outside sometimes, and you know, feeling the heat. And on top of that, like the air quality is not the greatest. Sometimes it can be a little bit unbearable. That’s why I don’t really like going out a lot, especially in the daytime. I try to mostly just go out later in the afternoon, when the sun is hitting that way. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I don’t really feel much of the effects of the heat, and on top of that with P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: the air quality. But I did do a little bit of research, and I seen that the air quality here in Kern County has actually been improving just a little bit, but it’s definitely not the best. S: you know your parents had experienced air quality of different city S: definitely in Mexico, and also Colorado and Bakersfield. S: can you please share how they feel about the air quality in San Joaquin Valley, they might definitely share it with you. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean my dad. He’s actually he’s a foreman. So he has more experience working like outside and like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: in the weather. And for him, what he likes to do is like he likes to wear kind of like a handmade mask of some type, just because he knows that, like working outside for like a really long time. It’s not good to like breathe in like the bad air quality that we have. So it’s just he just wears that just to kind of protect himself. But I know, like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: for him, it’s definitely affecting him more since he’s working in like outside for longer hours, whereas my mom, she’s mostly like a stay at home mom. So she hasn’t really complained about much about like the air quality, just because she doesn’t really spend a lot of her time outside. But it’s definitely my dad who has, you know, just kind of told me how he protects himself from P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: the quality from the air outside, just because he spends most of his time outside. S: Hmm. S: thank you. And you shared that, you know, air quality in San Joaquin Valley has been improved, and you had learned from S: by looking at some news articles or other places you can read. But when you experience the air quality by yourself, do you think that air quality has been changed? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I think it has been changed has changed a little bit P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: more, just because I feel like comparing P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: the seasons to like last year. I feel like this time. It’s been a little bit more breathable if that makes sense, I know, like I spent probably like a couple of months back in like early 2020s. Just kind of wearing a mask. So now that I don’t wear a mask anymore, I can definitely feel like there’s definitely been some changes to how it feels to be outside and just comparing, like the seasons now to then, it’s definitely a little bit much better. S: Hmm, yeah, I remember that you wore a mask in my the very first class I met you, and were that was that mask for the COVID, or because of the air quality? Maybe both. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, it was actually a little bit of both. I did it just P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: mostly, you know, for COVID, and just taking the precautions. But I also did it just because I kind of found that I got a little bit comfortable wearing the mask. I feel like when I was wearing the mask, it felt comfortable just P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: wearing it. So I just P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: used it in my daily life. It’s just I kind of got used to it. Just kind of became like a daily habit. But you know it kind of it definitely helped when it came to P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: being outside and not having to like breathe in all of that. S: Hmm, okay, thank you. Sung Hyoun Hong: Curious. You mentioned that you have moved to Bakersfield with your family when you were three right? Sung Hyoun Hong: Since then have you ever lived outside of Bakersfield, or outside of San Joaquin Valley? Any like any place in the States? Just for a few years, or a few months. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Unfortunately, no. I haven’t lived like for a couple of weeks or months outside of Bakersfield. I’ve been to other places outside of Bakersfield. I recently went to Mexico with my family, but, like lived, I haven’t really lived anywhere else besides, here. Sung Hyoun Hong: Gotcha. Thank you for sharing. S: So P19, when you visit Mexico, then can you distinguish the difference S: and the air quality between the two different places? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: So I went to this, which is like the main city there in Mexico. That’s where I went to, it was only for a couple of days, but it was really nice, like the weather over there. It wasn’t like so like, what is the word? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: It didn’t feel like it was like suffocating me. It felt really nice. It was very breathable. I like the weather there, even though it was like it wasn’t like super hot, but it was like a little bit hot. It still felt much better being there than over here in Bakersfield. That’s why I don’t really like going out much over here in town, so like the difference, was honestly astonishing. S: Hmm! S: So when you visit other cities in Mexico, do those experiences influence S: the change of your perspective in the air quality in Bakersfield? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I I mostly, I definitely think that is P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: one of the factors into it, just because over there in Mexico there’s, I think something that plays into it is that over there in Mexico there’s a lot of places that you can just walk to. You actually don’t even have to use your car. You can just take a walk, and you can like meet like a lot of stores and everything, whereas here in Bakersfield I feel like, because we have a lot of P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: transportation that revolves around, you know, fuels and like gas and diesel like, it’s just P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: there’s definitely like a difference going to a country in a city where they don’t really have to use a lot of car like you don’t have to use like their cars a lot. They can just walk. So you can see, like the difference in like the air, and like the quality of it, compared to a city where transportation is basically kind of like a need. So you have to go from point A to point D with like a car, or using some type of like gas transportation vehicle. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: So you can kind of see, like the difference there, and also taking into like how people go on with their daily lives, if that makes sense. S: Yeah, thank you. And you know, our views on our quality issues can change over time. S: But other than visiting S: other countries, did you have any specific moment or events or coversation with your friends that really caused a change in your thoughts on air quality issue here in Bakersfield? Some of the my previous interviewees said some of the illness of their family members influenced their perspective, but I just wanted to S: know you have any experiences. You have got which influence your perspective. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Let’s see. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I will say. Fortunately I haven’t encountered any family members or friends that have suffered from any type of you know illnesses that would affect them due to like the air quality. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: But I can definitely say something about like the environment. So, for example, like the sky, one of my friends actually recently pointed out. When we were outside, we were just hanging out. She pointed out how, when we were younger, if you stare up into the sky at nighttime, you can actually see, like the thousands of stars that they were. But if you do it now, and you look at the sky. There’s like, barely anything. So that just kind of made me like, Oh, wow! Like that is true, like, I haven’t realized how much P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: the air quality, and like the pollution that revolves around it has affected, even like our environment that we used to like. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Like. You know, when we used to like when we were younger we used to see, like all of the stars in the sky. Now we can’t even do that. But that’s just something that I recently noticed, because my friend pointed out, but in regards to like illnesses, I haven’t really encountered any family members or P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: friends that suffer from it. S: Okay, that’s good. And S: we talked about the air quality issue. And let’s shift gear. How the, this air quality in Bakersfield S: influence your daily life at work and home. S: So, like, you know, the air quality varies time to time. Sometime when there’s a windy day, there’s dust everywhere, and sometimes the ozone level is quite high when the weather is really hot. So how those kind of bad air quality time to time affect your daily life S: around you. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: usually what I like to do. Is just kind of use, like the resources that I have near me. So like, for example, if you have, like any Apple products, so like I have an iPhone. So I like to check the weather before I go out that way. I can also prepare in case anything is needed, because if you check on the weather app, it actually tells you like how the air quality is. So if I were to check right now, I can tell you that the air quality for today is P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: is on a level of 66, which is moderate. And it was actually lower, because I was checking it earlier at work. And I can see like, Oh, maybe I need to wear like a mask if it’s going to be very dusty, and I believe it even gives you a warning, so if you’re someone who’s part of like more like the sensitive group, so like if you suffer from asthma, or you have, like a pretty weak, immune system, it actually gives you a warning and lets you know that it’s a. It’s not a good day for you to be outside. So that’s P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: what I do. I just kind of take precautions and just kind of prepare for the weather that it’s outside P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: so thankfully I haven’t really encountered anything like too severe when it comes to the bad air quality, but I’ve seen like the warnings in the app before when it’s got into like a S: Hmm P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: high Level. Sung Hyoun Hong: That’s really useful and clever strategy. How often do you personally check it for yourself? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I check it Sung Hyoun Hong: In a typical day. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I check it pretty much every single day, and like a couple of times. So like, if I know that I’m going to be going out that specific day, I make sure to plan it, or even sometimes the night before. So like, if I have plans, let’s say, you know, tomorrow. I check it like the night before, because it kind of gives you kind of like an estimate on, like how the weather it’s going to be. That’s usually what I like to do is just kind of check it like randomly. And then sometimes throughout the day, I might check it like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: around five times, just because I like to see like, oh, how hot is it going to be when I get out of work like, or how how hot is it going to be when I, when I go on a walk? If that makes sense. Sung Hyoun Hong: Have you changed your plan to schedule because of the warning you saw, or the based on the information about your quality, on the app? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I’ve done it a couple of times, mostly when it comes to doing like physical activities. So if, for example, if I have. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: because usually my friend and I, we like to plan our walks, and we have like a specific time. So lately we’ve been doing like 6:00, 6:30-ish. So if I see around the time that that the air quality is not great, and that it’s most likely better to just do it later. Then usually we just change it around that. So it’s mostly just for like physical activities, you just kind of want to avoid going outside if the quality is not the greatest. S: Hmm. Sung Hyoun Hong: Interesting. S: So sometimes. S: when we have a there’s a time when the air quality is really bad, like, you know, heavy wind with heavy dust that could, you know, hide our eyesights. But S: oftentimes there’s a time we need to get to the workplace. S: Were there any case, you tried to avoid those situation, to go outside in that typical day. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I think lately, because I haven’t been working that long. I recently graduated. I think P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: it kind of relates to like me when I went to classes I had to like leave just because of how bad the air was, and because where I attended. So I attended CSUB, and it’s roughly like around 25 min from where I live. Sometimes I would just leave earlier before my class in order to avoid their quality. So I think that’s something that kind of relates to the question that you were asking. S: Hmm, okay, alright. So we talked about how you S: overcome those challenges related to air quality. Have you noticed any case where S: your your acquaintance around you or your colleagues around you deal with the air quality issue? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: If anything I seem like like my friends. I think like they have like a pretty similar stance with me, and like we take, like the similar precautions like I don’t know if you remember Dr. Pak. My friends, [friend name] and [friend name] how they would also P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: wear a mask, I think. In that terms. We kind of saw how P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: you know, sometimes it’s needed. It was needed to wear a mask, so we just wore it. But I haven’t really encountered P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: a lot of those type of situations. S: Hmm! S: So you have. You haven’t found your colleagues, how they dealt with the air quality issue. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: No, not really. S: Okay. S: Hmm, have you ever shared personal or family concerns or issues related to air quality with your colleagues? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, sometimes. I I do have those conversations with them, and just kind of like, ask them like, Oh, like how do you feel or like? What do you think about it? Just because P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: for me at least P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I just kind of like to have those conversations with my colleagues just to see what their stance is and like what type of precautions they take like, but P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: yeah, like, recently, I haven’t really had much conversation with my college, only because I’ve been working there since, like around wintertime, and I feel like it’s usually at its height when it’s like summertime. So like right now, it’s when like there’s like a lot of allergy like allergy seasons, and there’s like a lot of like dust just kind of going all over the air. But as of now, like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I don’t know. I yeah, I can’t really think of anything else. S: Hmm. S: How about your colleagues? Did your colleagues share their personal or family concerns or issues related to air quality with you? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I do have one friend who has a lot of younger nieces and nephews. I think she’s told me that one of them kind of has P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: asthma. So with him, they like to just take precautions and like make sure that he’s not spending too much time outside, if not needed, just because I believe with him they just like to have that kind of precaution. So she kind of tells me stories about them, and how P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: just like to be more careful when it comes to being outside. S: Is that story came from your colleagues? S: Okay. S: So you know, S: when I saw you wearing mask in my class, I feel like there are some folks who’s also carrying their health related to air quality issue because I thought that I’m only the one who’s, you know, sensitive with the air quality, because I just moved to Bakersfield from Pittsburgh. S: So sometimes people feel connected with others when facing common challenges, like dealing with air quality. And how did it feel to realize that your colleagues are also experiencing similar challenges with air quality S: and to also have an open conversation about it? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I mean, it felt nice that I wasn’t like the only one. I think that was something that was a little bit worried that, oh, I’ll probably just gonna look like a little silly, just being like the only one wearing a mask. But seeing that there was other people that were, you know, taking the same precautions as me. It made me feel like I wasn’t like alone in that instance. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: But yeah, like, it just felt nice, like. I wasn’t like the only one I didn’t feel like like the only one left out. S: You said S: You felt a little bit you know, silly, that when you’re the only one who wears a mask. Why do you think you’re you feel silly because S: Is there a choice to wear any anything’s. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I think it’s probably because it’s not like a common sight to see here in Bakersfield, especially like way before Covid. No one really like wore any like masks, and even then afterwards, like it wasn’t like a big thing. So that’s why I felt like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I felt silly because I was thinking like, oh, I might be like the only one wearing it. So people are just going to think like, why is she wearing it? Just because here in Bakersfield like it wasn’t like a common thing, and it still really isn’t a common thing to see people wearing like masks for protection. S: Hmm, yeah, I also S: I feel a little bit pressure, because I’m the only two or three who’s wearing a mask among like fifty person in the event where there’s a heavy wind with the dust, and S: in Korea maybe all of the people will wear a mask, but S: very uniquely here in Bakersfield people less likely to wear masks. So just wonder S: if you can explain. Can you guess? Why do you think people are S: hesitant to wearing masks in this community? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I think it’s probably just because it’s not something that people are like educated on. I feel like a lot of people just think like, oh, you just have to wear a mask. The only one that would wear a mask is just probably doctors like there’s no need for us to wear it. But I know, like in other countries like you mentioned like in Asian countries P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: you know, people wear masks just because of like the air quality. But here in Bakersfield we’re like, we’re pretty top on like the list for, like bad air quality. It’s not really like a common thing. So I think it’s probably just because people are not really educated on that matter, or they just don’t see the need to wear one, because they don’t really like take into consideration like how much the air quality has like, how bad it’s gotten over the years. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: So I think that’s like a big thing is just that people are not really educated on how to take precautions, or even about like how bad it’s gotten like this. If they look at the statistics, they don’t P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: really educate themselves on that matter. Sung Hyoun Hong: I’m just curious. Have you ever felt any like pressure not to wear a mask? And more than that, not to talk about too much about the challenges or the problems related to the air quality like it might be seen as like like necessarily, but overreacting or making a big deal out of it something like that. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, sometimes, like, I feel like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I felt like I was just overreacting by wearing a mask. So I just kind of like started not to wear it anymore. So like, towards the end of like my college years, I towards the end of the college months, I haven’t really, I didn’t really wear my mask anymore. Just because, kind of like you mentioned, I just felt like I was just like an overreaction. And no one was really wearing it anymore. So I thought, like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Well, I’m just like the only one wearing it. Why should I wear it now? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: That’s just kind of how I felt. S: Hmm! S: But you wanted to wear a mask S: in the last semester of your college year. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, probably just because I kind of got used to it and like it didn’t feel uncomfortable. It felt like pretty nice. Maybe just because I got used to wearing it almost every single day, but because a lot of people were not wearing it, including my friends. I was like, oh, well, probably I shouldn’t wear it either. S: So when you meet person S: who also wear mask, then do you also feel more connected with them? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, it’s a it’s a nice connection to see someone else wearing a mask, because it kinda makes me feel like, you know just like a little less silly. And it’s also nice to see other people wearing a mask. So it’s nice having that conversation with them to see, like, you know, why they’re wearing a mask. And you know how it feels to wear a mask when a lot of people don’t really wear it anymore, so it’s definitely like a nice connection to see other people wear it besides myself. S: Hmm. S: Related to that. Do you think that sharing your experiences with air quality has helped you feel more connected with your colleagues? S: Or your friends. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, definitely, I feel like it makes me feel like I’m not going crazy and see other people actually care about like the environment and like their community. So it’s nice having those type of like educational conversations with, like other peers. S: Okay, this this case happened to me as well, but S: I tried sharing some experiences with the air pollution in Bakersfield, and some of the folks said, I don’t care about the valley fever, I’ve lived here for more than 34 years, but I’ve never thought about it, and my family members also good with the air quality issue. So do you also experience those kind of S: case where, when you start sharing experiences with air pollution or quality issue. The respondents did not quite follow, followed up, or you know S: or having compassion with your story. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Thankfully. I haven’t gotten like a lot of negative connotations around like when I speak about like air quality. And if anything, I’ve gotten mostly just like positive, or some people just don’t really mind it, but I haven’t heard like any like harsh words or any negativity around it. S: Yeah, not negative negative response, but S: sensitivity on air quality issue might be different across people. S: I feel like, like me, you have a S: You you are concerned with the air quality in Bakersfield, but when you talk about that matter, have you ever experienced the people S: who said, S: they does not think that air quality here is not that bad? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I, yeah, I haven’t really P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: gotten those type of comments before. So only like, when I speak about it, it’s mostly like, just P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Or are people understanding it? S: Okay, got it. Sung Hyoun Hong: I don’t want to ask too much, but not a negativity. But have you ever experienced anything beyond your expectation? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Not. Really. It’s probably because I like to surround myself with people have like the same views as me, so like when I talk with my friends like a lot of them, actually contribute to the conversation. So it’s not just me like rambling about it like they actually like talk about like their insights, and like what they think about it so thankfully. I haven’t really like experienced like any of that. It’s mostly just been positive. Sung Hyoun Hong: Thank you. S: So you told us that you are feeling more connected with others. If they have the same thoughts about the air quality issues. And can you please, you know, share some specific example of that case? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah. So, for example, one of my friends who I like to take walks with, we actually been having, like a lot of conversations about like the weather, and like the air quality, especially now that we’re doing like physical activities. So I was just kind of telling her about P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: how like how it feels like to breathe outside, how sometimes it feels like a little bit suffocating. So like she would provide me with her input and she would actually like agree. And she would agree with my thoughts and provide more of her input. So I want to say, that’s definitely like a type of conversations that I enjoy having is the fact that we’re able to continue the conversation, and also like P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: we’re providing each other like different thoughts and different ideas. But at the end of the day, it’s still like having that great connection that we agree on the topic. If that makes sense. S: Hmm. S: very good. So let’s talk about how our organization, your company could help you to deal with the air quality issue. S: So can you, S: in your organization are there any practices or support S: that helps you to deal with the air quality issues? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Not that I’ve seen of. I don’t think there’s like any type of practices or P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: just like resources, I guess, available for helping like with the air quality. From what I’ve seen so far. S: You said, they provide some resources? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: No, there there isn’t, and. S: Okay. S: How about your remote, remote work schedule? So you said, you work at your home on Monday and Friday does that, you know, help you to deal with the air quality issue. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, most definitely it, it helps me avoid having to be outside in the P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: to, you know, to be outside especially. It’s pretty bad, mostly like in the afternoon I want to say, but you know, having that work from home, flexibility has definitely helped, you know, having me to go outside with the type of air quality that we’re currently going through. S: Hmm. S: In your organization do you have any autonomy to, S: You know, like not autonomy, but any control that you can ask to your manager S: to work at your home in specific days, especially when the weather is not good? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, thankfully, like, the team that I work with. They’re very nice, and they’re very understanding. So if I needed a day to work from home, and I were to ask them in advance I’m pretty confident to say that they would, you know, allow it. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: So they’re definitely very understanding they’re able to, and they’re more than happy to provide the help if needed. So I definitely feel like that. Accommodation is something that they would say yes to. S: Hmm, okay, you said, other than providing some S: flexibility and the work schedule, S: do you have any additional support or initiative S: your organization can support for you to deal with the air quality issue? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I say, maybe providing like masks if needed. So I feel like that’s something like that can be provided. As like support, is just to kind of encourage it like, Hey, if you want to wear a mask, you can, and then just kind of have it there, like in the break room for anyone to grab it. So I feel like that’s something that’s like small but definitely visible. S: Hmm, okay, so let’s talk about the your long-term plans. S: And we want to know how air quality issue in Bakersfield could impact your plans on long term plans. So, considering the current air quality issues, do you see yourself continuing to live and work in this area for a long term? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I think as of now, P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I wouldn’t want to make it like long term per se, like, I actually like, my dream goal is to P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: work outside of the country or outside of California. So Bakerfield is definitely not somewhere that I would want to stay in the long term, not only just because of like the bad air quality, but just like other factors that play into it. But the bad air quality is definitely one of them. So it’s P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: definitely somewhere that I wouldn’t want to stay here long term. S: So when you talk with your colleagues or your friends, do you S: recognize that the air quality issues could impact their long-term plans, like you? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, most definitely, especially P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: if you’re like sensitive to it, or if you have like asthma, or just any type of conditions, you probably wouldn’t want to be living somewhere where the air quality is pretty bad. So I’ve definitely heard it around. So I definitely think that is something. S: Hmm, okay. S: So one more question about some pressure not to wear a mask so S: as a female do you think that male S: receive more pressure to not wearing masks, even though S: they need to wear a mask because of the the dust everywhere. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Umm…I could see that happening just because I feel like what they might feel is that peer pressure of their friends probably making fun of them or telling asking them like, Why are you wearing a mask? So I definitely see that happening a little bit more when it comes to like the male audience compared to like the female. S: Female also received the pressure. But you’re saying that male receive more of those pressure peer pressure. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I feel like, peer pressure is definitely bigger when it comes to like when it comes to males compared to females, because at least for me, like I haven’t really felt it that much, at least with my friends. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: But I feel like as a guy. You would probably feel that your friends might make fun of you, or they might, you know, make those type of jokes because I kind of heard it. I’ve seen it happen where, like guys like in a guy friend group like sometimes, they’re like making fun of their friends for like the differences. So that’s where I’m just making that connection is that I can kind of see that happening. S: Okay, like, you know, having pressure not to wear a mask does male S: receive pressure not to disclose, you know, air quality issues with their colleagues or their peer? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, I I definitely see that happening with, like the friends like the guy friends that I had, I never really had like those type of conversations with them. So it’s mostly just happening with, like my female friends. S: Okay, do you think that disclosing their concern about the air quality would make them to show some S: you know, weakness of themself, S: or less productive person, or less attractive person to other people? S: Yeah, but especially for men. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: yeah, I mean, I feel like for men, it’s just definitely they’re, like more hesitant for it due to like the factors that you disclose, and I feel like maybe one of them could maybe just feel like they’re insecurity. Maybe that feel like they might be like the odd one out out of the group. S: Hmm. Sung Hyoun Hong: Beyond just not disclosing do you notice any differences in how? Your male and female friends talk about air quality issues like in terms of their attitude, thoughts, and also the way they approach the topics. And how seriously they really take it? P19: It’s. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I mean, when I have like the conversations with them, I feel like with my male friends. It was. It’s something that they don’t really take seriously. So they just kind of like brush it off, whereas, like with my female friends like, I’m able to have like longer conversations with them regarding them. And they’re actually like listening to what I’m saying. So I see like that difference right there, whereas one group they’re actually taking it seriously and actually considering it, whereas another one, they just kind of like brush it off. S: Hmm. Sung Hyoun Hong: Is that kind of different conversation have affect you differently, like in terms of like Sung Hyoun Hong: filling more closely with your friends, or something like that? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah, I mean, I’ve noticed that, like with people that I have like these kind of like deep thought, thoughts of conversations with them like, I definitely feel like a much bigger connection. And that’s because I’m able to like comfortably talk about serious topics. Whereas with other people where they don’t. Where I really have these type of conversations. The connection is not that big there. S: Hmm. Sung Hyoun Hong: Do you think what’s the main reason why their reactions are Sung Hyoun Hong: different? Not in terms of the gender but maybe, Sung Hyoun Hong: yeah, we talk about the social pressure. But. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Feel, social pressure. Sung Hyoun Hong: Yeah. But yeah, I’m just curious what, Sung Hyoun Hong: What do you think of the main reason behind those different reactions? P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Well, I definitely think it could be something relating to like social pressure like you mentioned. Just because P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: seeing, like the type of friends that I’ve had, and like the different friend groups when it comes to like my male friends. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: they’re P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: the type of conversations that I have with them is definitely very different. It’s like very unserious, and I feel like it can kind of contribute to the fact of that like peer pressure that I was talking about earlier, where they feel like they kind of have to be P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: more like, you know, like tough, or, you know, less silly, and, like, you know, wearing a mask, probably to them, is probably just like a very silly thing that there’s like. No need to it like I’ve seen. You know people make fun of other people for wearing masks, thankfully it hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve seen it happen so. A lot of people are also kind of scared of that, you know of being different, if that makes sense, and I see it definitely more when it comes to like my male friends than like with my female friends. Sung Hyoun Hong: Thank you for sharing. That was helpful. S: One last question, is there anything else you’d like to share about your experiences with air quality and S: any social connection with the San Joaquin Valley that we haven’t discussed. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Hmm. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: I just hope that hopefully, as the years goes on, it doesn’t get worse, and that a lot more people actually start to take it more seriously, just because I feel like to kind of tackle on a huge issue like this. It has to be done as a community, and not just individually, because there’s only so much that one person can do. S: Hmm, okay. But we believe that across people there are folks S: who are who are hesitant to share the air quality issue, maybe because of the peer pressure. S: Like you have, umm, you have mentioned. But I think the one of the purpose of this research is to make us to aware that the air quality here is not good, so we need to make an action. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Oh, yeah, sure. S: Okay, thank you very much. P19. And this is it for today’s interview. And after this interview I will send you the Amazon gift card. But P19, can you please share your personal email S: and can you send it to my email? When I, you know, report the reimbursement document? Our school wants personal email other than CSUB account, because they don’t reimburse for the CSUB student. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Yeah. Yeah. I I think the email that I sent you through Linkedin. That’s my personal one. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Okay, got it. Yeah, thank you very much. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: You’re welcome. Bye. S: Hope you have a great night. P19. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Thank you. You guys, too. H: Thank you so much. Thank you. Bye, thank you. Bye. P19 [Participant 19 Last Name]: Bye.