Fourth LCS Blog Visit to the Casa de Manana Retirement Community Today the seventh cohort of the Life Course Scholars Program made a visit to Casa de Manana retirement community located in La Jolla, California. When arriving at Casa de Manana Retirement Community, I was welcomed to a fresh salty sea breeze of the ocean and a beautiful scenic view of a never ending horizon of the aqua blue ocean (seen in the right image). While visiting the Casa de Manana Retirement Community one can't help but be stimulated by the surrounding nature of the crashing waves, the warm sun, and the vibrant vegetation. Introduction About Casa de Manana Retirement Community During our visit, we were given a brief history of Casa de Manana Retirement Community. Prior to this facility becoming a retirement community for seniors, a woman known by the name, Isabel Hopkins, built this historical Spanish style resort by the coastal seaside in La Jolla during the mid 1920’s. This once thriving getaway for people is now an incredible community of senior retirees. Tour in Casa de Manana Retirement Community This day's experience demonstrated the care and unity of this vibrant community, where seniors were engaging and connecting among one another. Also, I was blown away with the resident’s library that provided quietness and relaxation. While escaping away through the pages of a book one can also enjoy a scenic view of the ocean through the arch windows; fully capturing the outside nature. In this designated area I captured a nice gentleman enjoying his time sorting out pieces of the puzzle onto color coordinated trays. Having an Opportunity to Meet Alice During our visit we had an opportunity to interact with a phenomenal group of people who live here at Casa de Manana Retirement Community. Each of them had a chance to introduce themselves and share a brief synopsis of themselves which was enlightening. There was one person in particular named Alice (seen in the photo holding the mic) who captured the attention of my cohorts and I. When paired into discussion groups, we quickly gravitated towards Alice seeking to hear her speak about herself, In doing so, I encounter such a rich soul seeking to know each of us on a personal level from topics of ambitions, education, challenges, and life. This was a nice experience to see someone investing their time with us students. As much as Alice sought questions from us, we soon began to learn more about her. She was born in the year of 1919, and was from the state of Washington. When her husband passed away she became a single mother to three children, yet it never stopped her from pursuing her education and receiving her masters as a counselor. She further shared that later on in her life she became a dean; which was a great accomplishment for a female stepping into a predominantly male role. While listening to Alice share things about her life, I would have never thought I would be speaking with a woman who one week ago was selected as a change maker nominee by us students at UCSD seventh cohort LCS program. It was revealed to us that she was the Alice we nominated when one of my cohort peers asked Alice if she participated in leading a woman's walk, which she stated yes. This blew me by surprise! I couldn't help but think what a privilege it was to have met her in person. Overall, visiting Casa de Manana Retirement Community was a rich experience that allowed us students to engage with remarkable seniors who live here. From the beginning of our arrival we were welcomed by a former UCSD alumni and our tour guide. Both women demonstrated such hospitality within this luxurious paradise that provides the quality of life.
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Sarina LopezArchives
March 2022
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