What started off as a cold rainy day, quickly turned into a bright sign day full of joy, laughter, and new experiences which is how I would describe my time during the retreat at the Martin Johnson house. The Johnson house is a unique cottage that is cozied up right along the Pacific coastline providing spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, La Jolla Cove, and the Scripps pier.
After being whisked away by the venue’s charm, we started off our day doing some icebreaking activities such as playing a who am I game where we had to guess the name on our backs and then find our matching partner. This was a great experience because not only was I “made aware” of who Hermione Granger was,(I know nothing about Harry Potter, I thought he was from Lord of the rings) I was also able to find my partner and discuss some of the things we have in common which is fulfilling when you are meeting someone for the first time.
Later in the day we formed groups to discuss social determinants of health in the form of a life course board game. This game really stood out to me because it explained privilege, disadvantage, and it put contexts behind the circumstances that affect one’s health, life, or death. While playing the game everyone soon realized that depending on your socio-economic status just one setback can have a profound effect on a person’s health outcomes or life.
Another highlight of my day was when we had the chance to meet with Patricia Benesh. Patricia gave us the opportunity to ask questions about writing memoirs and partnering. During this time Patricia also had us share a photo with others in the room and discuss certain aspects of that person’s life during the time the photo was taken. This was a significant point of the day because I had the utmost pleasure of discussing one of my dear friend’s new experiences. Lastly, we ended the amazing day by taking a walk up a few of the trails to assess the age friendliness of the area while reflecting on our day.
After being whisked away by the venue’s charm, we started off our day doing some icebreaking activities such as playing a who am I game where we had to guess the name on our backs and then find our matching partner. This was a great experience because not only was I “made aware” of who Hermione Granger was,(I know nothing about Harry Potter, I thought he was from Lord of the rings) I was also able to find my partner and discuss some of the things we have in common which is fulfilling when you are meeting someone for the first time.
Later in the day we formed groups to discuss social determinants of health in the form of a life course board game. This game really stood out to me because it explained privilege, disadvantage, and it put contexts behind the circumstances that affect one’s health, life, or death. While playing the game everyone soon realized that depending on your socio-economic status just one setback can have a profound effect on a person’s health outcomes or life.
Another highlight of my day was when we had the chance to meet with Patricia Benesh. Patricia gave us the opportunity to ask questions about writing memoirs and partnering. During this time Patricia also had us share a photo with others in the room and discuss certain aspects of that person’s life during the time the photo was taken. This was a significant point of the day because I had the utmost pleasure of discussing one of my dear friend’s new experiences. Lastly, we ended the amazing day by taking a walk up a few of the trails to assess the age friendliness of the area while reflecting on our day.