I thoroughly enjoyed the retreat this past weekend. I thought it was a really nice way to get introduced both to the concepts of the class as well as my peers in a fun and relaxing way. Although I’m generally not a huge fan of icebreaker-type exercises, I thought the ones chosen for the retreat were pretty enjoyable and didn’t put too much pressure on us to act outgoing.
I also really appreciated the lecturettes by both professors. They broadly covered some of the basics of aging in the US (and globally). I went away from the lectures feeling inspired and excited to move forward with the class and learn more. The lecture later on in the day from Trish was also really fascinating. I appreciated how she walked through some of the basic steps of the mini memoir process, because she brought up some issues we may face in interviewing our EP that I may not have thought of myself; it helped me feel more prepared. I also appreciated that she included the photos of our EPs as well as some of the reasons we chose them, because it was nice to get a sense of what my peers are doing with the project as well.
The last two components of the retreat, the coastal walk and thought exercise, were my favorite parts of the day. Taking some of the ideas discussed earlier in the day, I found it really interesting to think forward to when I’m older, both in terms of navigating the world physically and mentally. I don’t think that many 21-year-olds have the opportunity to think so far in the future in such an intentional and guided way, so I feel really lucky to have gotten to do those exercises, as well as to be in the class in general where I know I will learn so much more.
I also really appreciated the lecturettes by both professors. They broadly covered some of the basics of aging in the US (and globally). I went away from the lectures feeling inspired and excited to move forward with the class and learn more. The lecture later on in the day from Trish was also really fascinating. I appreciated how she walked through some of the basic steps of the mini memoir process, because she brought up some issues we may face in interviewing our EP that I may not have thought of myself; it helped me feel more prepared. I also appreciated that she included the photos of our EPs as well as some of the reasons we chose them, because it was nice to get a sense of what my peers are doing with the project as well.
The last two components of the retreat, the coastal walk and thought exercise, were my favorite parts of the day. Taking some of the ideas discussed earlier in the day, I found it really interesting to think forward to when I’m older, both in terms of navigating the world physically and mentally. I don’t think that many 21-year-olds have the opportunity to think so far in the future in such an intentional and guided way, so I feel really lucky to have gotten to do those exercises, as well as to be in the class in general where I know I will learn so much more.