This past Wednesday, the LCS cohort has been able to catch up with both old and new EPs for an oral history extension on a crisis that has affected them. During our recap of all the amazing stories from each EP, there were some prevalent themes and generational wisdom in each story. A key lesson that stood out to me was that it’s important to persevere and as Professor Lewis stated to “soldier on.” This especially rang true from the personal crisis that my grandmother shared with me. The crisis that she shared with me was in regards to the largest move of her life in May 1993 when she moved from Quang Ngai, Vietnam to New York. This move meant leaving behind family, friends, and everything she’s ever known. All of her momentos and belongings were reduced into a single luggage because that was all that was allowed. Not only was this the first time that she moved, but it was also her first time on a plane moving across the globe. Despite all this, my grandmother felt nothing but excitement for her new start as well as better opportunities for her children. While bittersweet at what she had lost leaving Vietnam behind, she was hopeful for what her future would hold. Now after about 27 years in America, she is facing a totally different crisis that affects us all which is the coronavirus. While my grandma is scared for her family and friends’ wellbeing, she has two words of wisdom for us which is, “cố gắng.” “Cố gắng” while directly translated from Google is “trying”, but it’s true connotation meaning to always continue to persevere. To simply keep going.
It has already been 3 weeks into spring quarter with its transition to online Zoom lectures and meetings. Honestly, it has been a rough transition from normal lecture halls to now learning remotely due to things like technological difficulties on all ends, finding motivation to do work while in the comfort of your home, and etc. However, as time passes it has become more of a routine logging into Zoom. It is especially nice to hear and see familiar faces every Wednesday morning for our LCS check-ins and book club! I am excited to dive into Leland’s book this quarter due to its interesting story-tellling of the older adult experts. The book itself and the book club discussions have already allowed me to think about varying topics such as how and why wisdom comes with age, how love can still be found no matter the age, and to ponder over many types of perspectives to take on now and later on in life. Additionally, now more than ever considering this pandemic I feel like the current events have been useful in highlighting the older adults experiences during these challenging times, and calls into light the importance of greater representation for this population. This is especially demonstrated in Sophia’s current event today when discussing about the 86 year old women who unfortunately died due to neglect and social distancing stigmas in regards to COVID-19. Lastly, another major effect of this pandemic is on our HAPs, the “So Tell Me…” project where we are unable to utilize past sites to reach out to other seniors. However, my group has adapted to expanding our interviews to our EPs and other older adults around us. I am excited to see the changes and how as a class we will adapt during these times to continue our endeavor in learning the aging perspective.
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Katie HuynhArchives
June 2020
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