Last class session, we learned more about what to do for our healthy aging project and split up into three different neighborhoods to do our neighborhood assessment project on. Many of the alumni came to speak about their own projects, and I thought it was interesting to learn that most of them took part in more than one project. The one spoken about most was the senior prom, since we will be doing that this quarter. We split into three committees: decoration, food, and activities, for that specific event. Learning from the alumni is interesting because they experience obstacles that we otherwise never would have thought of. For instance, some of them had very ambitious projects, which was not bad, but they were also difficult and improbable. When making timelines for our projects, we must be mindful of our own schedule and make sure to include down time to account for school. For my project, I want to do something related to music. Because I personally am in an a cappella group and I also teach fellow student proper singing techniques, I feel that I can do something similar with the elders. I learned that some centers have a choir already, so I can try to use that to my advantage. Jackie also said that she wanted to do an open mic, which interested me. At the end of the class, we all added each other on Facebook and created a group page so that we can contact each other quickly
Visiting a senior home for the first time was an exciting experience for me. I was a bit scared because I did not know what to do or what to talk about, but it ended up being really fun and heartwarming. When we first arrived, Paul explained to us in great detail the many difficulties that the elderly face. I knew that many seniors lived in poverty, but I was unaware of the vicious cycle of not being able to get money or housing. It shocked me to learn that it takes 11 years to get a voucher that allows a senior to live somewhere, but even that voucher does not guarantee housing. Before we served lunch to the seniors, we spoke in our respective languages to show the elderly which of us they can communicate with comfortably. I do not speak Tagalog fluently, I only understand it well. However, I tried my best to talk to a few Filipino women and they were understanding. They could tell that I was trying hard to speak in Tagalog, so they spoke half Tagalog and half English. Being in that setting made me realize how important it is for me to actually learn how to speak Tagalog. It was okay because the women knew English as well, but if they didn’t the situation would have been different. Serving lunches was also fun, the elderly appreciated us helping out. While waiting in line to serve lunch, I was able to talk to my fellow classmates and get to know a few of them better.
The retreat on Saturday was fun and not what I expected. We did many activities that helped us learn more about each other, and they also helped us understand the big picture of the LCS program. I was able to get to know my classmates better and get a feel for most of the different personalities in the cohort. It was inspiring to witness Trish talk about her book and have her show us up close how much information can be held in one picture. I shared with my partner a picture of my friend group and I from back home, and how we always take pictures of us in a polaroid picture, with a number 6 somewhere in the picture. From that picture, I told my partner more about my friends and the story of how we became friends and how we split, but then came back together. Trish was able to conclude from that picture that I am a leader. I thought it was amazing to see that from that small glimpse of my life, Trish could tell what kind of person I am. At the end of the retreat, everyone shared what they would be doing when they turn 80. I liked listening to everyone’s perspectives and taking a bit from each person’s and adding it to my own. I realized that the class is full of people who all truly care about other people, whether it be their family or people that they just want to help. Everyone is very inspiring and I hope to grow and mature while taking this class with them.
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Micah BanawisArchives
June 2018
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