One day many years ago, while I was walking along Ala Moana Beach Park, I happened to meet a friend, and she surprised me by using Spanish — “Como estas?” — instead of the English “How are you?” “I never knew you speak Spanish,” I remarked, to which she replied excitedly: “I am learning Spanish in UH.” In hearing details from her, that’s the first time I heard about the Senior Citizen Visitor Program — SCVP, also called Na Kupuna Program — at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, which she said was free of charge to those eligible.

Immediately I rushed back home and found out everything about SCVP on my computer. The next day, I rang the SCVP office at UH, where a staffer confirmed details and also shared a new concept to me: The Life-long Study for Hawaii Senior Residents, which I liked more. However, he reminded me: I had to be at least 60 years old to participate. At that moment, I really hated that I was so young! But no choice — so I started waiting to get older.

At the end of 2017, after my 60th birthday, I again called the SCVP office, and right away the staff sent the registration form to me by email. In the spring semester of 2018, I became the oldest student appearing in these two classes at UH-Manoa that session: Ballroom Dance and Introduction to Interpretation.

No matter how old I was, once both my body and spirit settled in the classroom, sitting among young people, listening to and writing down what instructors taught, taking quizzes from friendly professors, discussing homework with polite classmates — all of it made me forget my age entirely.

Of course, I used them as witnesses to prove that: first, I and the majority of people my age are not dementia- weakened yet, that the moving of the brain may get slow but it’s still enough to learn normally. Second, for aged people, returning to school helps them psychologically to reduce their real age, especially when they get the same grades as younger classmates did. And third, we aged or aging people are not just excess people who will be forgotten by society, but are useful ones who have rich experiences, include knowing why, what and how to keep learning.

At the end of the spring 2018 semester, I finished and got A’s from the two classes. The more satisfying thing was that during the time, I kept my professional full-time job in the dental office where I have been helping patients for more than 10 years, proving that elders can do better in both gaining and contributing valuable knowledge. In other words, there can be a doubling in one’s life experiences if one keeps both learning and working till death.

I recently registered again with SCVP, for fall 2018 classes. My life-long studying will be continued. I do not know how to show my great appreciation to SCVP’s founders, UH, the program’s supporters and my current employer. The only thing I can do is study hard and then work for the betterment of others and society by using all the new knowledge I learned, and will keep learning, from SCVP. I also hope that more of Hawaii’s elders get involved in SCVP. I believe that if one does so, one’s life will be extensive, beneficial and happier — as mine is now.

Honolulu resident Ling Qu, who is a non-native English speaker, is a dental treatment and research assistant.