Class Intros!
asharangappa.substack.com
I know we don’t “officially” have class this week but I wanted to get the ball rolling with some easy lifting! Normally on the first day of class, I go around the room and ask people to tell me a little bit about who they are, where they are coming from, and what made them interested in the class/what they hope to learn.
Would you be willing to share in the comments? As I mentioned in my first post, I’m hoping for this to be as interactive as possible and would love to get to know you — and for you to get to know each other!
(For those of you who have a free subscription or haven’t decided whether to enroll in the course or not, I’d love to hear from you, too!)
Hi everyone! I am a 76-year old retired Family Physician living in a suburb of Portland, Oregon. I also worked as a Medical Director of a large health plan before I retired six years ago. I believe in public service, so I was elected to a local school board on which I served for four years (one as its president). I have worked as a medical director and volunteer in free clinics in Oregon and in New Jersey(where I lived for five years). I believe in truth and transparency in government and other organizations, and freedom. I am very disturbed by the words and actions of many of our national and local politicians. I am committed to fighting off any attempts at autocracy.
Hi All! Apparently I am years late but still forging ahead. I am 68 (48 in my head) and have been a clinical social worker for 43 years. Built a small clinic in my adopted state of Minnesota, and I am in the process of selling it and moving into some kind of retirement. I have two grown children (adopted from Korea as infants) and two incredible granddaughters 5 & 16, it’s so great to have new best friends! I was raised on the south side of Chicago in the 50-60s. We moved there because the FBI came to ask my father what he knew about people in the communist party. When he refused, the clinic he was mental health director for, phased out his job, landlord would no longer rent to us and neighbors snuck in with food after dark. My parents were very politically active and we grew up to work for peace, Justice and equality. It was a wild ride and taught me well about keeping my eyes open. Asha, your writing has helped me see many things better. Things were so mind boggling! Also found the series, The Americans, helpful as well as many other books and movies throughout my life. I keep trying to figure out how to all of the trauma in the world so we can treat everyone well.