On this truly gorgeous day at the ever scenic cliffs of downtown La Jolla, we trooped back to the ever elegant Casa de Manana for a LEG with some of the fantastic folk who resided there. Our small group had the privilege to speak with Ed, a former Navy reconnaissance pilot with an extensive list of previous careers and an equally rich library of stories to accompany his resume. Ed recalled that his life at twenty was turbulent, but exciting - his love of photography led him to be one of the photographers operating on the fateful night of the Attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. His years in the Naval Academy trained him to operate patrol aircraft for the Navy and allowed him to land these large, unwieldy propellor-driven contraptions on moving naval aircraft carriers - a feat that I find so utterly impressive. Ed was especially interested in our group’s fields of study and future career paths. He laughed along with us when all but two students replied with the major of Public Health but later agreed that health promotion and public initiatives were important, citing his own experiences illness and recovery. I think what I enjoyed most about talking to Ed was that I could easily see myself being friends with him - a lot of our interests align and his sense of humor is lighthearted and easygoing. It reminded me of a chapter in our class reading that talked about how the segregation of age groups makes it extremely unlikely to have friends outside of your own age group and what a waste of potential comradery and memories that presents. There are a multitude of opportunities and resources that I can explore to perhaps buck this trend in my own life - it is a matter of my own resolve and determination to make it a reality.
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Andrew NguyenWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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