18 Going 80

"When I asked my grandpa if he thought there were any negative social consequences of using technology, he responded with the following: 'I think there is technology in this country that has not been used that should have been used and can be used. A perfect example is Hurricane Katrina. We had plenty of notice that it was coming. They had days, almost a week, to get people out of there. They knew the area where it was going to hit. It might have been a 200-mile wide area but they should have had those people out of there. The government took a little bit too long to get the troops in there. Things happened to people that shouldn’t have happened. We have no idea how many people have died. Some children will never be identified. And, as much technology as we have, that is sad, very sad. It doesn’t make any sense to me.'”

This is an excerpt from my 18 Going 80 project, one of my favorite class assignments. The assignment was to interview someone 65+ and ask them about their experiences with technology so that we could compare them to ours. I decided to interview my grandparents because I had never really just sat down and talked with them before. I’m happy that I had the opportunity to do so before it was too late because I was able to hear a lot of priceless stories that weren’t related to technology, such as my grandparents’ prom night and my dad’s childhood. The opportunity to interview them has made me realize that they have a whole life’s worth of experience and has helped me to see them as more than just my “grandparents”. And, being the sentimental person that I am, I am saving the tape from the interview for memories. I couldn't help but smile as I played it back the first time because throughout the entire tape, you can hear me, my sister, my parents, my uncle, my cousins, and my grandparents laughing and joking in the background. I even have my grandma singing some of the songs she used to sing to me when I was little on tape. It brought back a lot of great memories from my childhood.

If you'd like to read more, click here: 18 Going 80 Interview