Hey All,
Hooray for my first post! So you may or you may not actually know, but my service learning site is at the Uptown Shepherd's Center on Carrollton Avenue and having to work, well, volunteer there has been a blast. I know that I'm placed there to assist the elders with whatever needs they may have, but this is not always the case. After a hectic week of work and school heading over to the Center is often very therapeutic. Starting with a coffee and, often enough, a cookie or slice of cake I begin my morning there assisting with the weekly 1000 piece puzzle pausing only to fetch coffee for others or, well, pausing to accept a second cup of coffee they may have brought for me. Over the coffee and puzzle all individuals present seem to engage in community-based chatter, if you will. No one is maliciously singled out and no one is left out. It's a socially riveting, caring, and enthusiastic environment that has me scoffing daily at the proclaimed "relationships" that take place on a college campus. No one is out to get the other here. No hostility. Only a genuine appreciation for the others company and lighthearted conversation. An ideal stress-free setting.
After my first three weeks I fell into Rose's Spanish class that began as a result of my supervisor, Sylvia's, future trip to Barcelona. Where, again, they've come to quite literally teach or assist me more than I can for them. Its been great.
However, my next post and my final paper will focus on how much of a contrast this is to senior citizens in Japan and how cultural influences have affected the attitudes of elders in both Western and Eastern worlds.
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