Calm Before the Storm

This seems to be the theme of the past few weeks and it will continue until September. Every moment of quiet is priceless as we are constantly anticipating the next busy or stressful moment. We just got done with a group Sunday evening and we have another one that begins tomorrow afternoon. But I can get to that later.

Paula arrived at three on Friday afternoon. I was silently flustered because she had arrived an hour early! We were not fully ready, and I was deeply enjoying my "calm" while reading the last Harry Potter book. (I just finished it by the way! So good!) Anyways, it ended up being just fine, and everyone was able to come in the sitting room and greet Paula, although I think she would have rather had just a few. This group was larger because we had two extra volunteers and two extra members. This house is made to fit six volunteers and six members comfortably and we had nine each! But we managed to make it through the weekend, using tricks like eating outside when it wasn't raining, and having breakfast in shifts. The events of the weekend were very simple. We are trying to cut down on spending because of how expensive things are. We did go to the Pavillions for shopping and the cinema, which I could have done without. We went to see Night at the Museum 2 for a third time! Anyways, I will just tell you a little about Paula instead of going into the monotonous details of the weekend itself. Paula is in her mid twenties and she has a mild intellectual disability. She also has trouble speaking clearly and that causes her to be frustrated. I was nervous before the group because I feared that I would have trouble communicating with her. But I was happily surprised to find that we were able to communicate almost perfectly, with an exception of a few times when I couldn't understand something and she wasn't able to write it down. She really loves jewelry and nice clothing, so shopping was really fun. We picked out a new dress for her to wear that night for dinner. That same night we had Mass in the house and it was a very good experience. Everyone seemed to join in to become one unified group by faith. And those who are not of the Catholic faith were there as an important part of our family here. It's hard to explain, but when you are far away from home, you begin to notice the things that bring you as close to it as possible.

Paula is shy and she rarely wanted to join in on group activities. This was fine with me. As volunteers we are asked to encourage the members to participate in the group at all times. But for some members this isn't the best way to serve them. Paula wanted the one-on-one attention and care. We often would sit aside and play sudoku on her phone or sing along to one of her favorite songs. That was what she wanted from the weekend, and we had a lot of fun doing it! I felt bad for her when it was time to go to bed the first night. She is used to sleeping alone and she is nervous in a room with anyone else in it. Because it was a big group, the room we were in had six people total. She had a mini panic attack before we went to bed, and I frantically tried to assure her that everything would be fine. After a few minutes, she calmed down and was able to sleep in the room. The next night did not bring the same problem, which I was thankful for. I really think that she should be given her own room, but it is difficult because she is able to walk, and walkers are usually put upstairs so that the people in wheelchairs have the downstairs rooms. It makes sense, but it still bothers me that it has to be that way.

The end of the group came quickly on Sunday afternoon. Most people were picked up on time, which almost never happens! We were able to be done cleaning around five that night. We all did our own thing that night because we were all so tired from the group. I decided to stay home and read, while some people went out to join up with non-CASA related people. Sometimes I wish I had a friend here who was completely unrelated to CASA. But I am happy with the friends I have here. Kate and I still manage to make it outside the CASA bubble and enjoy Dublin.

We had a BBQ for Gabriele and Bohye last night. It was very bittersweet. They are leaving next week to go back to their homes. Well, Gabriele is going to America for our two weeks off and then he'll be here for two days before returning home. But there won't be any time for a party when he gets back from our holiday. I will miss both of them very much. We spent the night eating, drinking, and laughing. I had something on my mind, which I regret took me away from the fun at times, but I usually bounced back and overall had a great night.

We had meetings all day today with Sharon, the breakhouse manager. She informed us of the amount of new volunteers expected to arrive in September and gave us some options on how we are going to deal with space. We could either split up the house and put some people in the other breakhouse in Swords, or we could squeeze nine volunteers into this house that is comfortable for six. We chose the latter, although truthfully I don't like either option. Going to Swords would allow for more privacy, but it would mean even more isolation. We would not be able to walk as easily to the village there, and we wouldn't be able to see each other besides the groups. Staying here means a level of discomfort for everyone. But it also means unity which I believe is important for this house and this program. I'll be sharing my tiny room when Lisa from Germany arrives September 1st. I know it is impossible to hope for my own room, but I would much rather have one of the bigger rooms that is equip for more than one person. I have also gotten used to my privacy, which I won't have until after Christmas, if at all.

But now that the whining is out of the way, I'll look at the positive points. I don't want to let myself be pulled into unhappiness before the new house is even established. Having more people in the house will bring more life to it. Even with seven of us, sometimes it can seem too quiet with people all doing their own thing. I often walk into the kitchen and there are four of us on their laptops with their headphones on ignoring each other. haha With more people, that will be less likely. Change always brings more growth. I will use this as an opportunity for me to learn more about myself and condition myself better to change, which has always been a challenge for me.

Ok that's enough of that. :) We have our last group before our holiday tomorrow, so I am going to go relax and enjoy my little bit of "calm" before tomorrow's "storm."