A Rainy Tuesday

It was very interesting going to the Senior Friendship Center and bringing a project that we spent a considerable amount of time on with us. I was actually quite nervous since I haven't interacted with people who are older than seventy since high school (at least to my knowledge). As I waited for the inevitable, I decided to just buck it up and try to converse as much as possible. Well, one thing's for certain. I thought as young kids, we were going to be stubborn, but it turned out everyone around the table held a sense of stubbornness about them. They did, however, like our project, but I have a feeling they didn't quite understand the scrapbook idea and what our ideas meant. I felt that the seniors we were with felt incredibly uncomfortable and somewhat unwilling to converse with us at times even as we tried to engage conversation. Sometimes the conversation would just be between the students and I think at those time, the seniors would feel detached from the situation regardless of what physical limitations they had. In a way, it was a miscommunication between both generations. The more the younger people felt uncomfortable, the more we didn't want to talk and felt a loss at words. Our bodies even turn inward or away from the source of the discomfort. One of the older gentlemen had his arms crossed at all times, unwilling to open up to us much although reasons why may be understandable. The lady who was with us would peruse our projects over and over again, not quite communicating with the students. The other gentlemen was a bit more aware and conversed much more openly although he also had times where he tried to find something to say to us.

After the whole experience, I felt a tinge of bitterness that my efforts as well as my teammates fell on deaf ears and clamped lips. I've never had an experience quite like this, either, with my grandparents or those older than me. In a way, I wish I could've helped them be more comfortable around us and have them open up a little more despite the short time. Maybe we forced ourselves too much on them as well. The age gap was dangerously apparent and often times too much of a focus in everyone's minds.

-JHo