Tuesday was the first day of Enumerator training, which was held in the Council chambers of a nearby City Hall. The room was filled with rows of six foot folding tables. Each table had one chair placed behind it. On Wednesday the training moved to the city's Community Room down the hall, but we still followed the same social distancing seating.
On my way home Wednesday I received a call from the Census office telling me that all operations throughout the country had been suspended until at least April 1st. The associate verified that I had submitted my time cards so I could be paid for my work, then said the Bureau would call when they had more information. Just like that my 2020 Census adventure came to a screeching halt.
Yesterday our household's official Census participation letter showed up in the mailbox. Today I filled it out. It seemed like the least I could do.
It is all so sudden, such is life. Stay safe Kathy.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't 'normal' seem like a lifetime ago?
DeleteOh gosh, I guess that's life. You would have been so good at it, too, I bet. My census report online went south when I stumbled onto the question of race where you have to choose white, Hispanic, non hispanic etc. and under white, you needed to write in your origin country or something like that. I had no idea what to put, and under the gun, sweating it out, like I was back in college, for some reason I put Welsh. Welsh? What? Oh gosh. After I pushed "submit", I panicked over it. I'm not Welsh and don't identify as Welsh, why'd I put that? would I get in trouble, I wondered. I heard long ago we had some welsh ancestors was all that had promted the choice as I have no idea our origins---mongrel. I tried calling the census number, to tell them I needed a redo, but was directed into a lengthy answering machine tree, and then waited a long time before giving up. Now I identify as Welsh I guess. So I better learn the language, history, myths, all of it.
ReplyDeleteWe discussed those during training. I thought that having people who identify as White list a country of origin was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard. Maybe if some was a first-generation American it would be appropriate, but not for someone whose family has been in the country for generations!
DeleteI wouldn't worry about it...unless you have free time to learn Welsh. I've heard it's a pretty complex language :-)
We did ours online and made a bit of an event of it (fresh hot cinnamon rolls). The mailed versions are going in my scrapbook - filled out, of course.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to save the mail correspondence! Knowing you they'll probably end up in some type of wonderful craft.
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