This past Tuesday we had our senior prom at Casa de Manana. I had a blast helping with setting up decorations and the photo booth backdrop. I was surprised by the turn out because I did not expect so many seniors to show up. Most of the seniors were reluctant to go to the dance floor and I noticed that whenever a senior did go up, they brought their partner with them. There were a couple of seniors in particular that were very lively and were dancing with the students or by themselves and it was refreshing to see everyone still having fun either watching others dance or dancing themselves. The seniors especially liked getting the raffle prizes. Their expressions were priceless and you can tell that these people still enjoyed the gifts. It will be interesting to compare how the West Center Prom will turn out. The next day, we had class. We spent most of the time listening to other people’s oral presentation on their extraordinary person. After thinking back to all of our oral presentations, I noticed that we all have extraordinary people who have gone through a lot in their lifetime as immigrants to create a future for themselves one way or another. I learned a lot more things about my dad’s aspirations and it gives me a newfound respect and love that I have for my dad. He is always a family oriented guy and he is constantly working hard to provide for my family to give me and my siblings a future. I see this same family-oriented person in all the other EP and it was nice to see that despite our differences and where we live, we still have similar stories.
I liked how we started the class with breathing exercises and mindful reflection and processing of the disparities and challenges that elders experience in the many places we have visited. So far this class has helped me be more understanding, critical, and cognizant of aging and the negative social construct of older people created by societal norms. I am glad that this class exists because no matter what career we all end up going into, we will have encounters with older people. To be better at our job, it is always important to have an understanding and be inclusive to different people regardless of age and ability. Afterwards, a few more students presented their oral presentation and ended with the group presentation on This Chair Rocks.
This week my NAP group finished our two site visits to Barrio Logan. It was my first time at Barrio and I am glad that I chose this location because it is rich in culture. However, from the houses and street conditions, it is clear that the location is slowly becoming gentrified with high end apartments/ bars near Chicano Park while there are still parts of the area and houses that are poorly maintained. Barrio Logan is near an industrial shipyard and underneath a highway 5. We visited around 2 pm when a lot of the industrial workers were going home. We noticed how much emission and air pollution that occur in this area and I am sure that these toxic emissions from the industry and highway can and probably do affect the health of the residents that live in Barrio Logan. On a lighter note, I noticed that there were quite a lot of resources and a couple of low income apartments that offer healthcare, food, and affordable housing (really cheap prices ~$1300 at most for a 4 bedroom apartment!!). We found a library near Barrio Logan in Logan Heights that provides a lot of recreational activities catered to seniors like meditation/yoga, Zumba classes, tax information assistance, memory and alzheimer's recognition, and adult guitar lessons! This library has a lot of resources and they said that they reach out to the community by tabling at events. The librarian we talked to told us that a lot of seniors go to the yoga class. This was a pretty cool location that we found! We started out class with current event presentations and the presenters’ articles were about intergenerational housemates for seniors. I think that idea can have many benefits like combating loneliness for everyone involved and having someone keep an eye on a senior’s wellbeing. Overall this can help seniors age healthy. I thought about my grandma when I heard these articles. Even though my grandma lives downstairs in the same house as my uncle and his family, I still feel like my grandma is lonely sometimes because my grandpa leaves early and comes back late from collecting aluminum cans to keep himself busy. I wish that there were more programs and events in my neighborhood that teach seniors new skills to encourage socialization among other seniors and stimulate their brains. Afterwards, my group presented on Selling the Fountain of Youth. This book helped me see that people are just afraid to grow old and lose their ability and strength. It is amazing how the anti aging industry is making millions off of people’s insecurities even though these cosmetic products do not have to show efficacy before going onto the market. When the class was discussing how this fear was created by media portrayal, I began to see how it is interconnected with other isms. After the discussion, a couple of students presented their EP’s oral history. It was nice to hear about the adventures and life experiences that these EPs had and how they were able to overcome a lot of adversity and still make the most of what they had and persevered.
Today was our first full day in class and we had a lot of discussion. We first debriefed on our experience at Casa de Manana. I agree with a lot of what the others have said about Casa not being representative of the older population and that discussion helped me see how privilege can determine how well you age and experience life. Afterwards, three groups presented their current event presentations that opened the discussion on loneliness as a disease, elders and driving, and caretakers. It is crazy that loneliness, a feeling that we all have probably felt at least in one point of our lives, can lead to many physical and mental problems if experienced long term. Elders living alone with limited access to transportation are at higher risk of feeling isolated and lonely. This makes me think of my grandma who knows no English and stays at home by herself most of the time. I appreciate the infrastructure and public transportation in San Francisco because the transit is reliable and convenient for my grandma and it allows her freedom and independence to travel to places After the discussions, we brainstormed and grouped into our NAP groups. My group and I will be going to Barrio Logan and I am excited to check out the Chicano park and a different part of the city with a rich history and art. I hope Barrio Logan will have many activities or community centers for its residents and I cannot wait to explore the location with the other scholars.
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Amena NgWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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