Hi! My name is Katie and I’m the new intern for the Elder Program this summer. I’ve only been here for about a month and I’ve already gotten to experience so much! My first week here, I got to go with the elders on a field trip to the Refugee Agriculture Partnership Project where we learned how they can get involved with growing their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers here in Louisville. They were all very excited to teach me about the plants that they recognized since I don’t know very much about gardening.
I was also able to listen to several speakers that came and
talked to the group about important topics such as what it’s like to be a
senior citizen in the United States and how to be informed about applying for citizenship.
I think I learned just as much as they did! I also got to see the elders participate
in a drumming exercise. They had a lot of fun showing off their musical talents
and had a lot of great questions for the speakers.
I think my favorite part about this internship so far has
just been getting to interact with the elders and help them in class. I’m majoring
in Spanish at Western Kentucky University, and I’ve been able to learn a lot
about Spanish while helping the Cuban elders with their English! I’ve already
learned more than I ever could at school in this short amount of time. Dioenis
and Orestes are always excited to teach me new words. All of the elders work so
hard when practicing their English. I can’t imagine what it’s like being
surrounded by a completely new language and trying to communicate. It’s so
exciting to see them learn a new word or fact. I have gotten to sit in on
several different levels of English classes and it’s awesome to see the
progress that the elders make!
I always look forward to coming to the Elder Program on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. I love seeing how excited the elders are to learn
something new. I’ve already gotten to experience so much, and I can’t wait to
see how the rest of the summer goes!
