Growing up one of my biggest role models was my grandmother, these last few field experiences have reminded me so much of her and my childhood. For a little background my grandmother was a real estate agent who was also active in our local community being on many boards and committees. As I stayed with my grandparents often, she would come home from a day of being gone and tell me all the work that needs to be done to better our city and the surrounding area. While I never really put much thought into what she was saying or what these changes would mean for our community, during this class all I can hear are all these lessons that she was trying to teach me all along finally “click” within my head. She taught me to advocate for myself and those around me as our voices are powerful so long as we use them.
Our affordable housing tour was a very eye opening experience for me. One of the first places we visited was the Sara Frances Hotel, this is not your typical hotel and not like anything I had seen before. Sara Frances is a single room occupancy hotel that provides some housing for low income seniors in the San Diego area. We were fortunate enough to tour one of the rooms that consisted only of a small room with necessities and a shower room available for the floor to share down the hall. While touring I also learned that many of the occupants are also formerly homeless. After learning that they are finally somewhere that they have a shelter, it was shocking when I then was told that some people do not do well in these types of transitional housing. These people find that living on the streets has more to offer for them socially in some aspects. To find comfort many people attempt to recreate the same environment that they lived in on the streets in their new found shelter yet feel a sense of isolation. This left me to reflect on how we can address issues like these as a community to better serve those who are actively experiencing these issues. The other few communities that we visited had more resources to draw residents out of the isolation of their own spaces such as shared rooms, lounges, gardens, and class or event offerings that allowed them to see higher rates of interaction and lower levels of isolation.
Finally, I would like to share a little bit about one of the residents that I met at the North Park Senior Apartments. As we ate our lunch I learned a lot from Jim and his life experiences. Originally being from New Zealand, Jim has lived in many places like New York, Florida, and now San Diego. He taught me that it's never too late to follow your dreams and that you never need an excuse to start over. It is important to stay true to yourself and when you feel that your life is taking a turn that leads you to someone you don't want to be, you are not stuck there. We talked about the healthcare system here in the United States compared to what he had been used to with universal healthcare in New Zealand. As I want to pursue a career in this industry his perspective interested me. I took away that both have their ups and downs. For example, in New Zealand public hospitals are overcrowded and if you are thinking about getting elective surgery without paying out of pocket you better expect a waitlist years long. Depending on insurance in the United States, it is frequent that it's hard to get into see your doctor or get something approved and covered before your symptoms start to escalate. Unfortunately Jim had been facing some medical issues that pushed him out of his home and into this new community in North Park. Our life path is always shifting and changing but more importantly life is what we make out of it.
Our affordable housing tour was a very eye opening experience for me. One of the first places we visited was the Sara Frances Hotel, this is not your typical hotel and not like anything I had seen before. Sara Frances is a single room occupancy hotel that provides some housing for low income seniors in the San Diego area. We were fortunate enough to tour one of the rooms that consisted only of a small room with necessities and a shower room available for the floor to share down the hall. While touring I also learned that many of the occupants are also formerly homeless. After learning that they are finally somewhere that they have a shelter, it was shocking when I then was told that some people do not do well in these types of transitional housing. These people find that living on the streets has more to offer for them socially in some aspects. To find comfort many people attempt to recreate the same environment that they lived in on the streets in their new found shelter yet feel a sense of isolation. This left me to reflect on how we can address issues like these as a community to better serve those who are actively experiencing these issues. The other few communities that we visited had more resources to draw residents out of the isolation of their own spaces such as shared rooms, lounges, gardens, and class or event offerings that allowed them to see higher rates of interaction and lower levels of isolation.
Finally, I would like to share a little bit about one of the residents that I met at the North Park Senior Apartments. As we ate our lunch I learned a lot from Jim and his life experiences. Originally being from New Zealand, Jim has lived in many places like New York, Florida, and now San Diego. He taught me that it's never too late to follow your dreams and that you never need an excuse to start over. It is important to stay true to yourself and when you feel that your life is taking a turn that leads you to someone you don't want to be, you are not stuck there. We talked about the healthcare system here in the United States compared to what he had been used to with universal healthcare in New Zealand. As I want to pursue a career in this industry his perspective interested me. I took away that both have their ups and downs. For example, in New Zealand public hospitals are overcrowded and if you are thinking about getting elective surgery without paying out of pocket you better expect a waitlist years long. Depending on insurance in the United States, it is frequent that it's hard to get into see your doctor or get something approved and covered before your symptoms start to escalate. Unfortunately Jim had been facing some medical issues that pushed him out of his home and into this new community in North Park. Our life path is always shifting and changing but more importantly life is what we make out of it.