Today, Wednesday April 17th, the Life Course Scholars class went on our second LEG. This time, we revisited the seniors at the Casa De Manana retirement community. Before our LEG, we had the opportunity to discuss the status of our HAPs with the professors and IAs. My group was able to confirm a date for our HAP that morning with the West Center. There were only two seniors in the room when we arrived, both of whom were at our previous events. Two more arrived later into the morning. Much like our previous LEG, the intention of this activity was to talk with the seniors about their lives at 20 and discuss ours at 20. The senior woman my group spoke to had attended both of our previous events. This time our conversations began centered heavily around travel (she was an avid traveler). She talked about things like her adventures in Egypt and the experience of riding a camel or her trip to the Arctic and coming to the rescue of a sinking boat. Then, we went around in a big circle and each of the students discussed places they’ve traveled to or have plans to visit. Later in the conversations, we asked questions to learn more about her life at age 20. What was surprising to me is that at 20, she was much like us, in college and constantly studying. I’m not sure why this in particular surprising to me, but it was. Maybe, I thought things were different back then. Women didn’t have much opportunity to pursue higher education. But, this wasn’t the case for this senior. Overall, I really enjoyed doing this activity again.
Last Wednesday, April 10th, the Life Course Scholars class went on our first LEG. I wasn’t able to come to class the previous week, so it was also my first time seeing my classmates again. On this day, we revisited the seniors at the Bayside Community Center. This time, we met across the street at the Thrive building. The majority of the class got to the location at 10 am, but due to logistical issues we had to wait a bit longer before beginning our LEG. Unfortunately, we were not able to participate in Zumba this time around. We began the activity by splitting up into groups of 4-5 students with each senior (there were not many there). My group talked to a senior man who was originally from the Philippines. He told us a variety stories, from the adventures of his college years to his experience in the armed forces, and even how he met his wife (who was also in the room at the time). With each story, he explained the lessons he learned and wanted to pass along to us. An example that comes to mind is his decision to go into real estate despite being educated as an engineer. Real estate gave him more flexibility in life and he found value in that. He emphasized finding a career that you both enjoy and allows you to enjoy your life. My group didn’t get to share much about ourselves with him, but I don’t think anyone minded. We all enjoyed his stories and the lessons he paired with them.
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Nicolette Olivia LeWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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