I can’t believe it’s already Week 8! This quarter has passed by much too quickly, and I’m excited for summer but I’m sad that I only have a couple more weeks as a Life Course Scholar. This week in class, we shared our debunking age-ism stereotypes project. I really enjoyed everyone’s creativity-- from the infographics, videos, brochures, games, to the websites my classmates made were all so well done. I made a blog for this project because I wanted to highlight a couple of inspiring seniors around the world who debunk the myth that: as we get older, our creativity declines. This project was inspired by these 77 year old instagram stars that I stumbled upon while scrolling through my facebook feed, and I thought they were amazing because these grandparents learned how to use instagram to share paintings and stories to their grandchildren who live across the world. (instagram: @drawings_for_my_grandchildren) While working on the project, I also found articles about seniors who attend workshops to learn street art, and seniors who continue to foster their love for dance performance with intergenerational dance groups. While listening to my classmates’ projects I gained a greater sense of appreciation for our seniors and became more motivated to teach others the “truths” of aging. Seniors are capable of doing so much more than society perceives them to be capable of.
In class this week, Shivani, Jayson, and Maria did an awesome job presenting the second part of John Leland’s book, Happiness Is a Choice You Make. In my opinion, I enjoyed the second part of the book more because I was able to delve deeper into the background of each senior, and gain a deeper understanding of why they believe in the words of wisdom they shared with the author. A quote from Jonas resonated well with me: “Farmers cultivate different things. I cultivate poetry and the saints, history, beauty, art. That’s what I chose” (202). I thought that it was such a powerful thought to have because he recognizes that while everyone chooses to focus on aspects of life, he is unique because he chooses to focus on growing the parts of his life that he feels most passionate about. He has a goal-directed life, which I believe keeps people grounded because having a purpose for whatever we do makes life meaningful. In the next part of class, Professor Bussell walked through how to make posters for our HAPs for the Healthy Aging Symposium we are presenting at next month. There are so many little things that make up a successful poster, and I am actually really excited to design a poster with my Walkathon group that will stand out! In terms of our project, we have all the materials ordered, the route determined, and collaborators secured. The next steps would just be day-of-event planning and more outreach!
The hustle and bustle of downtown San Diego, where Gary & Mary’s West Center was located, was a stark contrast from the quiet, slow-paced vibe of Casa de Manana and Bayside Centers. We walked in to the familiar room right next to the front entrance, where we set up tables in preparation for our conversations with the seniors. This time, it was different because we had to reach out and convince the seniors to come in and talk to us. After a while, all the seats were filled, snacks were passed out, and we started introducing ourselves to the seniors who kindly joined us. Cindy, the first senior I conversed with, was ushered in by her two friends who were so eager to get to know us. She is a woman with many interests-- she loves to skate, swim, write children’s books, play basketball, and most of all, eat food. We connected so well because we both love to eat (alot)! She used to live near UCSD, so she asked me what restaurants were still there, and if there are any great new places to eat. She loves Urban Plates, California Pizza Kitchen, and Sprinkles cupcakes. While I was also listing my favorite spots to eat, she told me it was like walking down memory lane because she also used to eat at all the places I love to eat when she was younger. She tells me that she’s one of the “newer” seniors because she has just entered her elder years and appreciates the wonderful work that West Center does to provide for people like her who needs affordable health care and support. I am always so glad and so grateful that our city provides a model senior center for other cities, with a plethora of services and a wonderful environment to support the elder members of our society.
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Katrina HungWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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