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Providence County, Rhode Island, USA (North America) — March 2020 –I am a student living in Providence, Rhode Island. Right now in Rhode Island we have 20 confirmed cases, but I’m sure the actual number is much higher than this. There simply is not enough testing to know what the actual numbers are. Students are concerned for their safety and the safety of their parents and families. My school has cancelled classes for the next week, and everyone is being asked to leave campus within the next few days. There are rumors that a student who is living on campus was diagnosed with Coronavirus, and people are rightfully worried about that. I think our governor has been doing a good job of keeping the city updated about new cases and steps that the local government is taking. However, the news from the federal government has been lacking, and I do not know if I can trust the information coming out of the White House right now. I feel that more drastic measures should be taken to prevent the spread of illness to those who are most vulnerable. Personally, I am very worried for the health and safety of myself and my loved ones. I do not think my university has done a good job of handling this crisis or communicating next steps to students
Providence County, Rhode Island, USA (North America) — April 2018 – Providence RI USA This is a friendly city – almost anyone you stop on the street will answer a question for you or strike up a conversation. The traffic is bad because of one-way streets and narrow streets, not built to handle the amount of cars on the road now (as opposed to when the roads were built). Traveling North-South is easy but there are fewer roads heading East-West. As a result people do not enjoy driving more than about 10 miles from home. Art and culture are easy to find. Dance, theatre, art galleries, music venues and museums are plentiful including national tours. The colleges provide further exposure to culture of various kinds. Residents support Boston sports teams and local college teams. There are four distinct seasons, with winter and summer bringing temperatures as high as 100 and as low as -10. Snow removal is less efficient than one would expect for a city in the Northeast. Everything closes down for a relatively small amount of snow.Many charter schools are available for those who would like to avoid a public school education for their kids. Many different ethnic backgrounds are represented especially Hispanic, Cape Verdean, Liberian and Laotian (in addition to Caucasian and African descendants typical of the USA). All kinds of diversity are present and appreciated. Neighborhoods vary from downtown lofts to mcmansions, farm houses, closely-spaced single family and multiplexes. Lots are typically small except for the least-populated areas outside the city, and large lots for real mansions. There are community gardens in several locations and many farmers markets.The southernmost towns are very popular due to their proximity to the ocean. Southbound morning traffic is often backed up for miles during the summer, especially on weekends; and northbound on those evenings. Residents are active on several bike/walking paths throughout the state and a downtown skating rink. Water sports are very popular. Many parks support baseball, football and basketball leagues. Residents flock to the plethora of beaches visit year-round.Shopping can be less-than-great. A large downtown mall has expensive stores (e.g. Nordstrom’s). Strip malls are sprinkled liberally all over the state; however stores tend to be the smaller versions with limited variety instead of the large versions of the same stores one might see in Boston or New York. Residents like to boast that they can eat at a nationally-rated restaurant after spending a day sailing on the open ocean. The Federal Hill area is known for Italian cuisine and many others are represented around the state. The largest employers are a hospital group, Hasbro and Brown University. Unemployment has been higher than most other states for many years. State government is actively recruiting big tech companies to locate here and a push to train more high-tech workers is ongoing. A significant amount of the state’s income is related to Narragansett Bay, especially the restaurant fish industry, real estate and recreation. The Bay has been cleaned of much of its past pollution so property values have increased. Some residents find housing prices in RI so economical that they live in RI and work in Boston.