What did I learn through this experience? To be grateful for having the financial resources to have a stable roof over my head, to not worry about food, to have the time to work on myself instead of the constant worry of obtaining basic necessities, to have the opportunity to listen to these people’s lived experiences. I realize that while worrying about getting an internship over the summer or whether I can qualify for study abroad opportunities, I take having a place to call home for granted. I’ve been reflecting on that in my daily journal entries and I hope that I can appreciate what I have more instead of what’s next.
Week 4 is the primary week that I am working on my Oral History Project. Combined with the field trips that I went on over the past weeks, I realized the cultural difference in how people view older adults. From what I gathered, since independence is a highly valued trait to have, older adults are expected to fend for themselves. In my culture, older adults are valued members of the community. Each family is expected to care for their older adults, many of which live in the same house as their children and grandchildren. My grandparents are the same, my paternal grandmother lives with my family, while my maternal grandparents live in their own home about half an hour away from my family and my cousin’s family. They are very much connected with family and considered assets in terms of wisdom. I think this class serves as a reminder for me to appreciate the older adults in my life more as I grow up, because I don’t often realize it, but as I grow older, so do the previous generations in my family. So, I want to make sure that they feel appreciated and loved.