Aw what a day! The moment I walked into the cafeteria, I was filled with joy. The whole room as filled with colors; colors I didn’t notice the last time. All the decorations and thought put into the Prom was just so heartwarming. It was heartwarming to see everyone work hard and offering a helping hand everywhere. The games, the photobooth, the food was all so wonderful, and I know the people loved them. I wanted to cry of joy when I saw people coming in with their fun, party clothes and just having such a huge positive attitude. Though everything went so quick, I enjoyed every moment. The announcing of the King and Queen filled me with joy especially when I saw the face of the Queen. She was so grateful and happy, oh how wonderful it was to see her smile. We know they may have been going through rough patches, so I really hope this brightened their day. AWW and then my friend Alisa was filled with joy when she crowned the Queen, I was so happy to see her reaction and to see the huge impact the crowning was for her and seeing Queen’s smile. Definitely a heartwarming experience! Then, I saw people dancing on their own and it just gave me joy that they were able to have this time to let go of their worries and emotions, and just dance everything away. I think what impacted me is watching them seize the moment to have fun and enjoy themselves. I can’t explain it, the pureness of them dancing and having a wholeheartedly good time just filled me with joy. I guess in college we forget to do that, so I miss seeing these joyful encounters. I’m glad this prom happened. Afterwards, when we were giving their goody bags, EVERYONE was so happy and so grateful to receive one. A lot of them kept saying “is this for me?” or “you all are so generous.” Also, on my way to another commitment, I saw a woman from the center was on the same bus as I was because I recognized her blanket (the ones we raffled). It amazed me how far she was coming from just to come to the center. She found a home and shelter there, so distance doesn’t stop her. It made me wonder “Wow, imagine how many other people are doing the same thing to be there?”
Today we all presented our NAPs to the class and I got to learn about so many areas in San Diego that promote healthy aging. We discussed about Little Italy, Sabre Springs, Barrio Logan, and Encinitas. It was amazing to see the diversity in each city and they all cater to the needs of its community. For example, in Little Italy the majority of people living there are pretty young-ish averaging around early 40s, so the central of Little Italy is all dining and entertainment. There is not much catering to people needs like a nearby grocery store or anything really crucial for home living nearby. Everything is far in walking distance, making it difficult for residents- more accessible for people with cars. In contrast, Sabre Springs was much age friendly and higher quality maintenance for the residents because it is such a high-class neighborhood, for the average household income was around $100,00 a year. Each place was so beautiful and expensive; San Diego always surprises me on how expensive it is. This project was definitely an eyeopener for me because as I go to a new city, I see the WHO checklist in my mind and compare them on my own time. I see through a different lens to determine how age friendly it is and how impactful the city is to its residents.
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MARICELA CANOWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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