These past two weeks have been very stressful. The quarter started to pick-up with studying for midterms, preparing for presentations, and planning for essays. One of those presentations, was last week for the class on the book Selling the Fountain of Youth: How the Anti-aging Industry Made a Disease Out of Getting Old--and Made Billions by Arlene Weintraub. To prepare, my group and I met during the weekend to discuss the book and how we were going to present. It was really nice to talk to other people even though it was about schoolwork. On the day of the presentation, I felt really nervous. We practiced multiple times, but it is not the same as presenting on Zoom. Fortunately, it went better than I thought. Yes, I stumbled on a few words, but we were able to convey what we wanted to, to the class. Later on, in the class, we were separated into small groups talking about ideas for our Healthy Aging Projects (HAPs). I am really excited to carry out my idea of creating a dating circle for seniors. Not only would we plan speed dating like environment for them but also have presentations on how to be safe in quarantine. Crossing my fingers that we are able to do it! Also, Professors Lewis and Rabinowitz-Bussell reminded us about making Valentine’s Bags for the folxs who are homeless and folxs in senior homes, which I was really excited for.
On the day we made the bags, I was so excited that I woke up before my alarm. Not only was I excited to make the bags but also meet some of the people I had been working over Zoom with. As I was walking to Warren Mall, where we were to meet for the bag making, I blasted so many bops that I had not listened to in a while, and I knew it was going to be a great day. When I first got to Warren, I thought I was in the wrong place because I didn’t see anyone there. On second glance, I saw Professors Lewis and Rabinowitz-Bussell with a warm welcome. Even though, we were all wearing masks, I could tell it was a warm welcome. More and more students came prompting us to get the stuff we going to put in the bags from Professor Rabinowitz-Bussell’s car. More and more students started coming from both classes, and we started to go into different groups doing different tasks. In my first group, we started cutting ribbon. It started as one ribbon at a time, soon we were cutting multiple ribbons at a time by one person wrapping the whole spool around one person’s two fingers and the same person cutting the ribbon in the places the ribbon was folded. Then, the same group and I went to tie the ribbon on letters making scrolls. We created an assembly line where I wrapped the letters for two groups that had someone who held the letter as the other tied the ribbon. Finally, when all the letters were wrapped, and all the supplies organized we were ready to make the bags.
As we were filling bags, the bags that were open kept getting less and less; so, I moved from the line to helping folxs open the bags. At first, I didn’t recognize the other folxs because of their masks, so I assumed they were part of the class, asking them questions. They responded they were part of the Life Course Scholars, taking me back a bit. It seems like a lot has gone over my head lately and felt bad. The last bag was stuffed, and the last box was put in Professor Lewis’s car, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I can’t wait to see the faces of folxs (if we are able to) as they open the bags.
On the day we made the bags, I was so excited that I woke up before my alarm. Not only was I excited to make the bags but also meet some of the people I had been working over Zoom with. As I was walking to Warren Mall, where we were to meet for the bag making, I blasted so many bops that I had not listened to in a while, and I knew it was going to be a great day. When I first got to Warren, I thought I was in the wrong place because I didn’t see anyone there. On second glance, I saw Professors Lewis and Rabinowitz-Bussell with a warm welcome. Even though, we were all wearing masks, I could tell it was a warm welcome. More and more students came prompting us to get the stuff we going to put in the bags from Professor Rabinowitz-Bussell’s car. More and more students started coming from both classes, and we started to go into different groups doing different tasks. In my first group, we started cutting ribbon. It started as one ribbon at a time, soon we were cutting multiple ribbons at a time by one person wrapping the whole spool around one person’s two fingers and the same person cutting the ribbon in the places the ribbon was folded. Then, the same group and I went to tie the ribbon on letters making scrolls. We created an assembly line where I wrapped the letters for two groups that had someone who held the letter as the other tied the ribbon. Finally, when all the letters were wrapped, and all the supplies organized we were ready to make the bags.
As we were filling bags, the bags that were open kept getting less and less; so, I moved from the line to helping folxs open the bags. At first, I didn’t recognize the other folxs because of their masks, so I assumed they were part of the class, asking them questions. They responded they were part of the Life Course Scholars, taking me back a bit. It seems like a lot has gone over my head lately and felt bad. The last bag was stuffed, and the last box was put in Professor Lewis’s car, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I can’t wait to see the faces of folxs (if we are able to) as they open the bags.