Week 7: A Different Interview

All of the interviews I have been doing have been from the perspective of the  seniors sharing their homes with younger people. I have not been able to connect with  a person in need of housing, moving in to a senior’s home: until now. I had the opportunity to speak with with a local  middle school teacher, Devik, who had been living with a 99 year old woman, Elzine, for about 5 years. I am not quite sure how to spell Elzine, so I will refer to her as E. His story was compelling. It started with Devk  getting divorced and not having a place to live close to the school he worked at in Los Altos. Housing prices were very expensive on a teacher’s salary so he had commute from Los Gatos to his school in Los Altos. After a couple months one of his student’s  parents suggested he stay in her friend’s parents house in Los Altos. Devik was not so sure about staying at a 94 year old stranger’s home however, he kept an open mind about the opportunity. He agreed to meet. One day after school Devik went over to see if living with E would be a good fit. There must have been some miscommunication because E thought that Devik had already agreed to the living situation. Devik told me how uncomfortable he felt because she was acting like he was moving in. Devik was so impressed by how kind and nice she was he decided to play along and move in. Devik called E’s children and discussed a rent price which was vastly reduced as compared with  the normal rent price in Los Altos.. Ever since this beginning, which started as a miscommunication,, their relationship has grown and living together has been pretty smooth sailing. E will do her own thing when Devik is busy but she loves to hang out with him. They shared meals, read together and shared each other’s life. Now they are like extended family. Over the years Devik’s two children have developed a grandmother relationship with E. Devik could not be more proud of E and feels privileged to be part of her life.. My favorite quote from out interview was “I am a better person because I know her”. This quote sums up their relationship. I really appreciate talking with Devik as he showed me a whole different perspective.