The first thing that struck me about the LGBT Community Center in Hillcrest was how beautiful the building was. The room in which we visited reminded me of a church! From the beginning, every elder who sat around me was very kind and willing to have conversation with me. The first person I spoke with was Nancy who was a past corrections officer in a prison. She told me about how the inmates respected her and viewed her as a mother figure. Additionally, Nancy shared her personal philosophy with me regarding how she views life and interactions with others. She believes that if you treat others well and with respect, you make a tremendous impact on them. Even a small compliment about an article of clothing they’re wearing can make a big difference. I admired how simple her philosophy was and recognized its value. While in line for the luncheon, I spoke with two other elders who lived in Hillcrest. They expressed how they love the community around them and how easy it is for them to walk places, including the LGBT Community Center. We talked about how great the Hillcrest farmer’s market is and the variety of businesses in the area. While eating, I had the opportunity to speak with Sarah who happens to have a son going to the same high school as my cousin in Chula Vista. She told me how proud she was of him for being a 4.0 student all throughout high school and his acceptance into UCLA to study meteorology. It was so sweet to see how much pride she had in her son and his goals to save lives by predicting the occurrence of natural disasters before they hit developing countries. Overall, I thoroughly appreciated all the conversations I had at the LGBT Community Center.
So far, I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to participate in Learning Exchange Groups at Casa de Manana and Bayside Community Center. I have been able to learn about valuable aspects regarding an ideal community from the perspective of seniors as well as my peers. I find that when I walk through various neighborhoods in San Diego, I am much more aware of the details around me. I notice cracks in the streets and sidewalks, areas that lack crosswalks, the flow of traffic, and the businesses that thrive in the community. One of the aspects that I cherish about this program is being able to apply what I learn and discuss to my everyday life. I enjoy being able to share my personal experiences and be impacted by thoughts I hear from others.
I am thrilled by the outcome of our Healthy Aging Project. It was such a fun experience being able to design the event and bring a group of seniors as well as adolescents together to express themselves through art. The details regarding the planning of the event went smoothly as we were able to divide up the tasks and work together to acquire an art instructor, purchase supplies, and coordinate with Bayside. Being able to paint alongside the seniors was a blast! It was so funny seeing how serious we all took the painting process and how proud each of us were of our products. My favorite moment was being able to speak with the seniors after the event to gather feedback about their various experiences. Participants expressed how much fun they had and how grateful they were for the experience, giving me the impression that it was a success! Participating in Zumba once again with the seniors was a blast! These have actually been my only experiences doing Zumba, but I always find myself having a fun time and really getting a good workout at the same time. After the session, I had the opportunity to speak with Sue who had been coming to the Bayside Community Center for Zumba for quite some time. She told me about how the ladies loved it so much that they requested to have the instructor host the class three times a week instead of just two. Sue told me about how she lived very close to the center, so it was convenient for her to come by and that she really enjoys it when we are able to join in on the fun too. During the lunch portion of the day, my group spoke to Sue and Fernando about community characteristics in Linda Vista and utilized these quirks to come up with an ideal city. We discussed various topics such as how vital it is that crossing times are sufficient enough for elders with walkers and canes to get across the road in time and that it is important to incorporate affordable housing. Fernando tied in his own experiences witnessing the dramatic increase in rent prices within his neighborhood and how he tries to offset this by renting out his condominiums at an extremely affordable rate. As a group, we utilized this background information to come up with our ideal community. We decided to incorporate green space, wide sidewalks, longer crossing times, benches and trees near walkways, community engagement, effective transportation, and quality infrastructure. It was eye-opening and wonderful to be able to see the love Fernando and Sue had for their community. They truly believe it’s an amazing place to live and that there are definitely improvements that can be made.
Reflecting back on our Learning Exchange Group, I had a worthwhile and intriguing experience speaking with the elders at our table. Alice, Billie, and Cecelia were excited to hear about our personal career goals and college experiences thus far. Alice brought up her recent attendance at an education-related panel that discussed various topics such as teaching adolescents in a way that encourages interactive learning in which students don’t even realize that they’re learning. She proceeded to ask if any of us had an interest in pursuing teaching, during which the whole group turned to look at me because just prior to this conversation, I was sharing with a few classmates that I have been offered a position at Johns Hopkins University to work as a teaching resident and transition to a full-time teaching position. It was interesting to hear Alice’s ideas about how to transform education in a way to have students utilize technology to benefit their learning. Moreover, the activity in which we imagined an ideal community for individuals of all ages was very engaging and eye-opening to be a part of. As a group, we learned that as students, we had similar desires as to what Alice, Billie, and Cecelia prioritized. We discussed the importance of having civil engagement, transportation, and green space in the community. We agreed that it was vital that those who live in the neighborhood have a community council in which they can participate or visit to voice their opinions on recommendations to improve the area. We also believed it would be meaningful for all residents to have relationships with one another encouraged through the ways in which homes were designed to have open balconies that face public areas or community events at local parks. After participating in the activity, I realized that there are many improvements we can make for the neighborhoods in San Diego and that adopting these changes is extremely worthwhile.
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Monique SimArchives
June 2018
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