It's not Christmas yet?

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this week’s music event.  Normally the music event is really boring but this week it was Christmas music, which is always nice, at least for me.  My friend and I started by going out and trying to find residents to come to the show.  Most people weren’t interested which isn’t good because then there aren’t a lot of people there.  We began to notice that if you tell the residents WHO is performing they want to come.  Apparently the singer there is like a celebrity to them (she also sings at the church services at the Veterans Home).  We also thought it was exciting that it was Christmas music so we tried to get the residents excited about it too.  Everyone kept telling us that it was too early for Christmas music and some even said it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet.  This made me sad because it made me question if they got to have anything special for Thanksgiving. 

            When we were roaming the halls looking for people to come we ran into my buddy from black jack.  We asked him if he was going to come and he said he would and that I better come next week for black jack again.  I told him I would and I’m actually pretty excited about it.  He is such a sweet man.  When my friend and I returned to the concert he was there, as promised, so we sat by him.  During the middle of the concert he asked me to dance with him to one of the Christmas songs.  I felt a little uncomfortable at first but it was just like dancing with my grandpa so it was okay.  It really made him happy and he thanked me for dancing with him.  When it was time to leave he kissed both my friend and me on the cheek.  Jokingly the guy working that night asked if he could have a kiss too.  It was really funny and a good time at the Veterans Home, I’m looking forward to next week.

Thanksgiving

Unfortunately, because I needed to schedule for classes, I was unable to go to the Veterans Home last week.  I was a little bummed because it was the horse racing which is a simple game but fun because the residents really get into it.  Tomorrow, if I remember correctly, should be the live entertainment.  This, by far, is the easiest event to work because we just sit and listen to the music.  However, it is my least favorite because the lady usually sings the same songs and she tries to get us to sing with her, which makes us feel a little uncomfortable.  Even though we only have a few more weeks in the semesters I still plan on continuing to volunteer at the Veterans Home.

I feel like the Thanksgiving season really makes you think about service work a lot.  I was so happy and thankful that I got to go home and spend time with my family.  I wish I would have been able to go out and volunteer somewhere when I was there however I simply did not have time.  However it was really nice to be at home helping my mom around the house.  After dinner I helped my mom do the dishes and she said how nice it was to have help and I thought that was really weird.  I guess I used to take what she did for me for granted and now after this class I look at things a totally different way.  This class has forced me to go out of my comfort zone and find a service partner and help other people during the crazy shuffle of going from home life to college life.  Although it was really stressful and I wasn’t excited about it at the beginning I’m really glad I stuck with it.

Back, Back, BACK!!

Last Monday at the Veterans Home went really well, for the most part.  My new friend and I started out by going around and asking residents if they would like to come.  There is always one guy that we ask and he just talks and talks.  We really enjoy talking to him however, we get trapped in a ten-minute conversation when we are supposed to be out getting residents.  When the ice cream social began I was in charge of scooping the ice cream.  There were three flavors for them to choose from and tons of toppings.  The flavors were the typical chocolate and vanilla and then butter pecan.  Butter pecan was VERY popular.  Unfortunately the Veterans Home does not give our program enough money to buy a lot of that flavor so it goes fast.  I don’t understand why they don’t spend more on that instead of other flavors. 

When I was serving ice cream, the man I played black jack with last week came up to me. He said, “You look mighty familiar” in a joking manner.  I laughed and then asked him what kind of ice cream he wanted.  There was no surprise when he wanted butter pecan!  Later on in the night he came back up and asked for seconds and I couldn’t turn him down!

When it was time to leave one of the workers asked me to take a man back to his room.  Earlier in the evening he was brought to the line and when asked what flavor he wanted he shook his head no for everything so we decided he didn’t want any.  The worker told my friend that she should probably come with me.  We were confused a little confused but we just went with it.  As we were leaving I whispered to my friend that I didn’t think the man could talk.  Literally seconds after saying that the man yelled, “BACK!”. This scared the crap out of us because he didn’t stop, he just kept screaming “back ,back, back”.  We took him back but the workers just told us that they don’t think he is all there and to just get him back as soon as possible.  The whole way back he continued to yell.  We finally got him back and he settled down but it really scared us.  We couldn’t help but laugh at the situation because it was so unexpected.  I was a little annoyed with the staff for putting us in that situation when they knew the man was like that but we dealt with it.  Hopefully next time goes better. (:

Hit or Stay?

I was wrong when I thought that this week was going to be the ice cream social.  Next week is the ice cream social so as promised, I will let you know how that goes.  This Monday was a slow one at the Veterans Home.  According to the girl that works at the Veterans Home, there is not a good turn out when the weather is bad and it was cold and rainy that day.  Another factor that made our turnout so poor was that the clocks fell back an hour so all the residents were mixed up.

 The game this week was black jack and we at least had enough people to fill one table.  The group that showed up was the typical group that comes but they are all very different.  One man is always a jokester, he sat next to the dealer and any time she looked away he would try and get more chips or look at her down card.  There is another lady is really quiet and spaces out a lot.  The dealer and I were cracking up but she would “hit” when she had 17 or 18 but stay when she only had 14. We simply did not understand. 

A really nice man sat next to me and we were having a good time.  I guess you could say I was his wingman because each time the dealer dealt we would look at each other and without saying a word decide if we should hit or stay.  My partner and the lady on the other side of me would bicker sometimes because they play by different rules but we would always manage to resolve the issue.  Everyone at the table managed to win so everyone got a prize.  It was cute because the man I was playing with let me go pick out his prize.  This was actually a hard task because I had no clue what he would want.  I picked up a puzzle book and asked if he would like it.  When he shook his head no I put it down, finally we settled on a pack of toothbrushes.  I thought it was funny but I guess they don’t get stuff like that very often so I’m sure they’ll be very useful.  I’m glad I was able to make him happy.  I hope everyone’s service is going well also! (:

Hocus Pocus

Last Monday at the Veterans Home was a change from what we normally do.  Since it was Halloween, the residents were watching Hocus Pocus.  The person working there was surprised that we were even there because apparently it is rare for residents to show up for the movie.  The movie showing was at 6:30 and most of the residents are too tired to watch a movie that late or they saw it at the earlier showing.  It is frustrating sometimes going to the Veterans Home simply because the employees do not communicate with one another.  Last week was a prime example because the employee I was working with was under the impression that I should not be there but no one told us not to come.  I need the hours though so I am glad I was able to go.  However, Hocus Pocus is not my favorite movie to watch.

            Tomorrow at the Veterans Home (if I remember correctly) should be the ice cream social.  I have only worked the ice cream social once and that was my very first time volunteering.  Because it was my first time, I would not say it went well at all.  The girl that I volunteer with and I are not looking forward to it.  It is stressful because you have to take orders from the residents and I always feel bad when I cannot understand what they are asking.  Also, it is very sticky and gross.  Last time they workers offered us ice cream at the end of the ice cream social but by then it was all melted and after serving it to a bunch of people it did not seem appetizing at all.  Hopefully since I have had more experience now at the Veterans Home and know what I’m doing tomorrow will go better!  I will let you all know how it goes! (:

Music at the Home

Last week at the Veterans’ Home I had a lot of fun.  The musicians that came were the same ones from last month so it was a little boring but we found a way to have a good time.  When I first arrived, the two people I volunteer with and I had some time to kill before the event started so we sat in the lobby and talked with one of the musicians.   It was really nice because we all had played instruments before and we were talking about our experiences.  It made me realize how much I miss playing in my high school orchestra (I always swore I would never miss that)!

             After a while of talking about our pasts it was time for us to go get residents for the event.  We ended up in a conversation with a group of men for a good while.  One guy told us that his cousin was the original guy that sang “Jingle Bell Rock”!  We thought it was really awesome! As much as we enjoyed the conversation, we had things we were supposed to be doing and it was rather hard to get out of the conversation.

            As we were leaving to go to another wing of the Veterans’ Home we asked a man if he wanted to come to the show.  He looked at us and began to cry.  It was really hard for me to watch.  It turns out that he was just having a bad day.  We ended up convincing him to come listen to the music and he had a good time.  It was really nice knowing that we helped cheer him up.

            Although we had already heard the show before it was still entertaining.  The musician that we talked to before the show brought a really cool guitar.  It looked like a shark and had a built in amplifier!  It was a really good day at the Veterans’ Home.

Busy Schedules

It has only been two weeks since I have been at the Veterans’ Home but it feels like much longer!  I cannot believe how much of a routine it has become.  If I remember correctly, tomorrow night at the Veterans’ Home should be live entertainment.  This is one of my favorite nights because we just get to sit there and listen to the music.  It is very relaxing after a stressful day at school!  It is also nice to see how much the residents like the music.  Last time the band came the singer sang the song “You are my sunshine”.  While singing, she went around, held each resident’s hand one at a time, and got him or her to sing with her.  It was really nice to watch. 

            Last week was probably the most stressful week I’ve had so far at Purdue.  Because of a Calculus exam I was not able to volunteer at the Veterans’ Home.  I really enjoy volunteering and I wish I did not have to miss last week but it is becoming very hard to juggle everything.  I am starting to get stressed by the mandatory thirty hours.  It really has been a hard transition from home to college mostly because I do not have a car.  Instead of being able to go somewhere whenever I want I have to plan out how I am going to get to and from where I want to go.  Volunteering would be so much easier if I could drive myself there!  When I volunteer on Monday nights I rely on the girl I work with to take me home.  I always have that worry that she will not show up one week and I will not know how to get home!  Thankfully everything always turns out fine! (: I hope everyone’s service work is still going well! 

Black Jack

Because of Fall Break I wasn’t able to volunteer at the Veterans’ Home last week.  I was kind of bummed because it was the ice cream social which I really enjoyed working the first time.  There will be more in the future so it’s okay.  Two weeks ago we played black jack and that was a lot of fun.  There were not enough residents at my table so I got to play with them while my friend was the dealer.  We would help the residents make their decisions and get really excited when we would beat the dealer.  Unfortunately I was not the best at black jack and lost.  Good thing it was only for fun!  After the game was over I walked a lady back to her room.  She really enjoyed black jack and even won at the other table! When we got to her room she had me put her prize on her shelf and showed me around her room.  I had somewhere to be so I felt bad telling her I had to go but when I did she hugged me goodbye and told me she loved me.  It was really sweet! 

            I really enjoy volunteering at the Veterans’ Home and getting to interact with the residents but I also really enjoy the people that volunteer with me.  It’s nice to be able to go and have a good time with people that are also students at Purdue.  I am the youngest volunteer in my group so they all give me tips and help when it comes to college.  Meeting them made things less stressful for me because they now give me rides and make me feel comfortable.  This English class is what led me to the volunteering at the Veterans’ Home but I will probably stick with it even after the class is over.  I have to miss volunteering again this week because of a math exam but I am anxious to get back next week!  I will keep you all updated! (:

Horse Racing

I realized that my last update was misleading. When I said that my next event at the Veterans' Home was going to be horse racing it came across like maybe we were going to watch horse races. That was not the case.  When my friend and I walked into the auditorium last Monday there were two guys standing there. One was a paid worker and he was very surprised that we were there. Apparently three volunteers was a lot for Monday night activities, which surprised me.  There was an oval shaped table in the middle of the room with different color tracks and wholes all around it.  This was the horse racetrack.  Only about seven or eight people showed up this week for the planned event.  I was surprised because I thought the residents would want to get out more and have some fun.  The residents that were there seemed to be the typical crowd.  They took turns passing the dice around while waiting for the game to start so they could practice.  I thought it was funny because to me, dice games are all luck.

         At six thirty it was time to start the game. They went around the table rolling to see who would get to go first.  The person with the highest roll went first.  The residents would roll the die and the number they rolled was how many holes on the track they would get to move.  It sounds like a boring game but most of the residents got really into it.  They would cheer when they got a high number and would hate rolling snake eyes. 

         I ended up sitting next to the guy that was not too interested in the game but more interested in having good company.  He told us we were lucky to be sitting next to the “oldest man in the room”, he was ninety-six! He had us all cracking up.  My friend said she was being a “smart Alec” and he responded with “you knew Alec?!”.  He talked about being in the Navy and training new recruits.  He was so nice and really nice to talk to.  I really hope he comes back next week.  I do not know what tomorrow’s game is but I’m really looking forward to it. (:

Ice cream Social

Monday was my first day volunteering at the Veterans Home.  I am working events every Monday and this week was the ice cream social.  Since this was my first time I had no clue what to expect.  What I pictured in my mind was a group of friendly elderly people gathering in a hall eating ice cream and having a good time.  In reality it was not like that.  Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of people there who were friendly and having a good time, however some were not.  Some residents should not have been there at all which put us volunteers in a tough spot.  As a volunteer we are not allowed to feed any of the residents so when a resident was having a hard time eating their ice cream we had to try and figure out what to do. 

The first thing I was assigned to do was go and get residents to bring them to the ice cream social.  That was fun because we got them really excited about coming.  We'd ask what their favorite flavors and toppings were and they usually had a special order they got at every one. One thing that was hard for me was learning how to slow down.  I am used to power walking to class every day but walking with and elderly person or pushing a wheel chair really causes you to slow down.

When we arrived at the ice cream social we'd seat the residents and ask what they'd like. Sometimes it was frustrating because we couldn't understand what they were saying.  I always feel rude asking "what?" multiple times but I didn't know what else to do.

One of the best parts of the night was that two of the residents provided entertainment.  One played the piano and they both sang.  They were pretty good!  They would play military songs, slow songs, fast songs, and even some current songs.  One of the residents even asked my friend to dance with him which was really nice to see. 

Although there were a lot of frustrating parts of that night, in the end it was really nice.  I had a good time and it helped me slow down and look at things in a different way. I am really looking forward to my monday nights and the rest of the year.  Next week's event is horse racing.