As our car pulled up to the Gary & Mary West Senior Center, a feeling of Déjà vu swept over me.
At the age of ten I started going to work with my mom where she provided enriched services to an affordable senior living facility in the Los Angeles area. I was very timid at first during the events, staying close to my mom and engaging in minimal conversation with the residents. My grandparents passed away when I was very young and we did not grow up with many older family member as they all resided across the country. I couldn’t tell if they were annoyed with my presence or were seeking to get to know more about me. It didn’t take very long for me to realize it was the latter.
I soon began to put down my walls and join in on the fun. The monthly pot lucks became an activity I looked forward to at the end of the month. I could not wait to show everyone what I had learned in school that week and how my dance competitions were going. I even gathered the courage to put on performances for the residents and became a daily talking point between them and my mother.
When I entered through the doors of the Gary and Mary West Senior Center, I was brought straight back to being a ten year old girl eating the most delicious home-made meals in the community room. The center was full of commotion and I was eager to talk to people. After our tour of the center, I asked our guide about the accessibility for community members to acquire groceries and other supplies they may need. She went on the explain that while they were located between many affordable housing cites, the nearest grocery store was blocks away and would require many to take the bus. I found this troubling as food is an incredible universal language that can bring so many people together.
As our tour came to a conclusion, I entered the hall and made my way to a table. Sitting alone towards the back of the hall was a woman with amazing style. She was hand a fashionable hand bag and a bandana around her neck that looked to have skulls and cross bones. I introduced myself and found our this incredible woman’s name was Colette.
Our conversation seemed to never end. We talked about our families, love of rock and roll, and how we ended up in San Diego. I asked Colette how she was able to get around the city and if she liked living in San Diego. She went on to tell me that she has a car, however, driving in the city was difficult due to its layout and the lack of street parking. The nearest grocery store for her to find produce at was a 10-15 minute drive.
We later discussed our love of the Disney television show, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “Hannah Montana”. I did not expect her to say those were her favorite TV shows as I myself was born during the later seasons of the shows running times. When she first posed the question my mind was racing through television shows I could say that we could both connect with, but never did I expect her answer to be shows that hit so close to home.
Talking to Colette made me realize that we had more in common than not. We both love channel surfing on the radio and if a song comes on that we can’t dance to, we switch it right away. A character quality that both of our families sometimes find a bot frustrating. Going into our conversation, I thought that striking up a conversation was going to be difficult and there were going to be moments of awkward silence, and yet, we talked all the way until we had to leave the center.
In my conversations with Colette I was taken straight back to Pisgah Village, the living facility I went to with my mom as a child. As our conversation grew, so did our compassion and aw of one another. My conversation with Colette is one I will remember for a long time, as her openers, humor, and passion was refreshing and inspiring.
At the age of ten I started going to work with my mom where she provided enriched services to an affordable senior living facility in the Los Angeles area. I was very timid at first during the events, staying close to my mom and engaging in minimal conversation with the residents. My grandparents passed away when I was very young and we did not grow up with many older family member as they all resided across the country. I couldn’t tell if they were annoyed with my presence or were seeking to get to know more about me. It didn’t take very long for me to realize it was the latter.
I soon began to put down my walls and join in on the fun. The monthly pot lucks became an activity I looked forward to at the end of the month. I could not wait to show everyone what I had learned in school that week and how my dance competitions were going. I even gathered the courage to put on performances for the residents and became a daily talking point between them and my mother.
When I entered through the doors of the Gary and Mary West Senior Center, I was brought straight back to being a ten year old girl eating the most delicious home-made meals in the community room. The center was full of commotion and I was eager to talk to people. After our tour of the center, I asked our guide about the accessibility for community members to acquire groceries and other supplies they may need. She went on the explain that while they were located between many affordable housing cites, the nearest grocery store was blocks away and would require many to take the bus. I found this troubling as food is an incredible universal language that can bring so many people together.
As our tour came to a conclusion, I entered the hall and made my way to a table. Sitting alone towards the back of the hall was a woman with amazing style. She was hand a fashionable hand bag and a bandana around her neck that looked to have skulls and cross bones. I introduced myself and found our this incredible woman’s name was Colette.
Our conversation seemed to never end. We talked about our families, love of rock and roll, and how we ended up in San Diego. I asked Colette how she was able to get around the city and if she liked living in San Diego. She went on to tell me that she has a car, however, driving in the city was difficult due to its layout and the lack of street parking. The nearest grocery store for her to find produce at was a 10-15 minute drive.
We later discussed our love of the Disney television show, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “Hannah Montana”. I did not expect her to say those were her favorite TV shows as I myself was born during the later seasons of the shows running times. When she first posed the question my mind was racing through television shows I could say that we could both connect with, but never did I expect her answer to be shows that hit so close to home.
Talking to Colette made me realize that we had more in common than not. We both love channel surfing on the radio and if a song comes on that we can’t dance to, we switch it right away. A character quality that both of our families sometimes find a bot frustrating. Going into our conversation, I thought that striking up a conversation was going to be difficult and there were going to be moments of awkward silence, and yet, we talked all the way until we had to leave the center.
In my conversations with Colette I was taken straight back to Pisgah Village, the living facility I went to with my mom as a child. As our conversation grew, so did our compassion and aw of one another. My conversation with Colette is one I will remember for a long time, as her openers, humor, and passion was refreshing and inspiring.