Well here I am again writing in this silly blog. Pretty sure Kris and Mom are the only readers I have left. :) But it is definitely time to update what I've been doing in the past few months.
I got myself a grown up job! (Although I wouldn't go so far as to call my coworkers grown ups...) I am a direct care giver for a group home in Oregon City. I basically get to hang out with five adult residents with varied disabilities all day. Most of the time, it is perfectly wonderful. The only thing that gets me are the petty fights that staff create with each other. I don't really understand why people would do this work unless they truly loved it. It is not the kind of job you get just to pay the bills. But it's just another lovely side effect of our devastated economy. I wish I could write all about the people I serve, but apparently that's against the law. (Psht.) But I will say that each of them have special gifts that I am blessed to experience every day. One of the guys reminds me a lot of my old buddy Paul Lockery that sang my song and arm wrestled me mercilessly. He loves Elvis more than any one I've ever met, which instantly makes him the coolest person I know. He alternates between telling me he loves me and asking me the ever popular question, "You wanna FIGHT, Claire?" :)
I am officially living with Katie again! It will be nice to move into my own space, but I will miss seeing my parents as much as I was. (Yes, I know it wasn't enough, Mom.) But I can't stay away from Salem for too long before I crave family time.
And then there's the other life update of my new relationship. I suppose I don't really feel like writing about the details in an open blog, but I will say that I am so happy with him. Life has surprised me with the curve balls it's thrown me, but I've finally found contentment in my personal life. I must admit that I never expected that to happen. :P
My only struggle at the moment is organizing my time. It is difficult to juggle work, a boyfriend, family, and friends. I knew what I was signing up for when I took a relief position (meaning I am open to work any shift at any time.) I thrive with the constant challenge of never knowing what a day will be like, but I need to start making an effort to see my friends too or I'll go crazy. So, readers, this blog will hold me accountable. I have no excuses now. :)
To those still putting up with me, thank you. I hope to bring you more good stories from the ironic mix of chaos and monotony that is Claire World.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Home Again
Well my friends, it's been quite some time since I've written here. Mostly it's because I've been insanely busy and of course there is that other constant reason...laziness. I also suspect that none of you will be reading this now that I'm not living in another country. "Tales from Salem" doesn't quite have that captivating ring to it.
I can't really remember the blur that is the last week in CASA. We saw some members for final goodbyes, we partied a lot, and gave many hugs before I got in the car to head to the airport. Even thinking about it now makes me very sad. They were my family for a year. The 20 hours it took me to get home were brutal. I hadn't cried at all until the end of the flight movie "The Blind Side." The guy sitting next to me probably thought I was a little to worked up about the kid making it big time in the NFL. Three flights later I finally made it to the Portland airport to find the entire eight people in my immediate family. I can't tell you how nice it was to see them all again, especially my little nephews who were way too big in my opinion.
The last month and a half has been filled with seeing friends and developing a relationship. Weird how different things are now... I'm looking for a job, with a few possibilities at the moment. I'm trying to reconnect with friends. It's interesting to come back and see people because I've learned who my close friends are and who my more casual friends are. There are groups that once I walked in the door I was right back in the swing of things. Then there are groups that I still feel sort of outside of...as if that year was enough to make the connections weaken. I was surprised at some of these, although really it all makes sense. Of course there are going to be people that I just don't relate to as well anymore. I supposed I've changed a bit this past year, and I know that many of my friends have changed as well.
Overall coming home has been really nice. I'll admit my heart is still aching to find it's next adventure. But for now I'll work on the whole "normal life" thing... How bad could that be? :)
Thanks for keeping up with me in the last year. I hope I brought you a bit of entertainment mixed in with what started as a place for me to keep my memories. I think I might still update this from time to time. It's therapeutic in a way.
Take care, all,
Claire
I can't really remember the blur that is the last week in CASA. We saw some members for final goodbyes, we partied a lot, and gave many hugs before I got in the car to head to the airport. Even thinking about it now makes me very sad. They were my family for a year. The 20 hours it took me to get home were brutal. I hadn't cried at all until the end of the flight movie "The Blind Side." The guy sitting next to me probably thought I was a little to worked up about the kid making it big time in the NFL. Three flights later I finally made it to the Portland airport to find the entire eight people in my immediate family. I can't tell you how nice it was to see them all again, especially my little nephews who were way too big in my opinion.
The last month and a half has been filled with seeing friends and developing a relationship. Weird how different things are now... I'm looking for a job, with a few possibilities at the moment. I'm trying to reconnect with friends. It's interesting to come back and see people because I've learned who my close friends are and who my more casual friends are. There are groups that once I walked in the door I was right back in the swing of things. Then there are groups that I still feel sort of outside of...as if that year was enough to make the connections weaken. I was surprised at some of these, although really it all makes sense. Of course there are going to be people that I just don't relate to as well anymore. I supposed I've changed a bit this past year, and I know that many of my friends have changed as well.
Overall coming home has been really nice. I'll admit my heart is still aching to find it's next adventure. But for now I'll work on the whole "normal life" thing... How bad could that be? :)
Thanks for keeping up with me in the last year. I hope I brought you a bit of entertainment mixed in with what started as a place for me to keep my memories. I think I might still update this from time to time. It's therapeutic in a way.
Take care, all,
Claire
Monday, April 19, 2010
My Last Group
Well I suppose I don't have many more of these to write. I just got done with my last group yesterday. I have to tell you, it was one of my favorite groups! It's no secret that the kids groups are my least favorite. Well that all changed when I was paired with little Niamh (neeve). She is nine years old and has downs syndrome. Niamh is the sweetest child in the entire world. (Even sweeter than my nephews, I must admit!) We spent the entire weekend playing catch, reading, and cuddling! She is so cute and sooooo funny! Her day on Saturday had a rough start. Danielle (who I've been with before...the one that constantly roams and doesn't sleep) grabbed Niamh's glasses off of her face and bent them almost in half! I took Niamh to get them fixed at the Pavillions. She was so good! She held my hand the entire time through the mall and waited with me patiently while we got them fixed. On the way back to the bus, she ran ahead of me and tripped and scrapped her knee! The poor thing... Even after all that she was back to a great mood and we continued on in the day. We took the kids to an indoor playground called Hurly Burly. It was the best place to take them!! It was safe and fun and there was something for each kid, which is hard to achieve with our groups. Niamh had a blast! Darren was giving Kate a bit of trouble on the way back regarding his constant request for crisps (chips for us Americans.) (It's really cute when he says crisps with his lisp. It turns out to sound like "crips.") Kate told him that he can't eat crisps all day long. He thought about that and then responded, "YES. I. AM.....CAN!!!" It was soooo funny!
At the end of the day, Danielle was walking past Niamh and I in the hall. Like a flash of light Danielle went straight for Niamh's hair! She latched on and wouldn't let go even with Canada and I pulling her away! Poor little Niamh. Even after all that Danielle did to her, she still talked to Danielle and asked how she was. She's so sweet! Before bed I took her upstairs to have a bath. She LOVES bath time! She even brought bubble bath! So we had a fun time splashing and playing in the bath, and she gave me no trouble when it was time to actually wash her hair. haha
The next day we finished up at the Swords house and headed over to the Malahide house for games and a treasure hunt. (Another group needed the Swords house that afternoon.) Niamh loved the treasure hunt that Kate set up, and even suckered Kate into two more hunts! After the hunts, Niamh sat on my lap and we looked through the photo albums. Every time she saw me in a photo she said, "There's Claire!" or my personal favorite, "Claire and her smile. Gorgeous!" haha Her parents came to collect her a little early, which was a real bummer! I had a hard time saying goodbye to her. :(
The group was led by one of the managers, Kay. I haven't mentioned Kay much because we don't see her much. She does a lot of behind the scenes stuff. I have to say that I enjoyed her as a leader immensely! She was a perfect back up without being overbearing. She was relaxed and organized the entire weekend. The wrap up meeting was actually productive! She gave us positive feedback (for each volunteer!) and some things that could make groups better in the future. You're probably thinking that this is how a wrap up meeting should go. Well sadly most of them are complete wastes of time. Mostly we just say how we feel about them and then that's it. This was so great! We left the group feeling really positive about our work. It was a great way to end my time here!
Normally we have a few days off after a group, but this week is weird. We had a minister come to the house today to see if he wants to help the funding for CASA. Because of this we invited six members over to the house for a few hours to show him what we do here. I got to see some of my favorites which was so great! Now everyone is gone and I'm going to relax! I have a few days off which are filling up with plans fairly quickly. Thursday is meetings and then Kate and I are gonna go see my two favorite members Gillian (who sings Neil Diamond with me) and Paul Lockery, the one who arm wrestles me and sings me my song. It's going to be so great! I'm dreading coming home after that day though... Friday is another day of visits. I'm gonna go see a bunch of our members at one home, and then head over to see Dora and Marian (!!!).
I can't believe I have just a bit more than a week left! Ah! I wish time would slow down just a tiny bit!
Well I suppose that's all I have for now. Maybe I'll get one or two more in before I come home. Love you!
At the end of the day, Danielle was walking past Niamh and I in the hall. Like a flash of light Danielle went straight for Niamh's hair! She latched on and wouldn't let go even with Canada and I pulling her away! Poor little Niamh. Even after all that Danielle did to her, she still talked to Danielle and asked how she was. She's so sweet! Before bed I took her upstairs to have a bath. She LOVES bath time! She even brought bubble bath! So we had a fun time splashing and playing in the bath, and she gave me no trouble when it was time to actually wash her hair. haha
The next day we finished up at the Swords house and headed over to the Malahide house for games and a treasure hunt. (Another group needed the Swords house that afternoon.) Niamh loved the treasure hunt that Kate set up, and even suckered Kate into two more hunts! After the hunts, Niamh sat on my lap and we looked through the photo albums. Every time she saw me in a photo she said, "There's Claire!" or my personal favorite, "Claire and her smile. Gorgeous!" haha Her parents came to collect her a little early, which was a real bummer! I had a hard time saying goodbye to her. :(
The group was led by one of the managers, Kay. I haven't mentioned Kay much because we don't see her much. She does a lot of behind the scenes stuff. I have to say that I enjoyed her as a leader immensely! She was a perfect back up without being overbearing. She was relaxed and organized the entire weekend. The wrap up meeting was actually productive! She gave us positive feedback (for each volunteer!) and some things that could make groups better in the future. You're probably thinking that this is how a wrap up meeting should go. Well sadly most of them are complete wastes of time. Mostly we just say how we feel about them and then that's it. This was so great! We left the group feeling really positive about our work. It was a great way to end my time here!
Normally we have a few days off after a group, but this week is weird. We had a minister come to the house today to see if he wants to help the funding for CASA. Because of this we invited six members over to the house for a few hours to show him what we do here. I got to see some of my favorites which was so great! Now everyone is gone and I'm going to relax! I have a few days off which are filling up with plans fairly quickly. Thursday is meetings and then Kate and I are gonna go see my two favorite members Gillian (who sings Neil Diamond with me) and Paul Lockery, the one who arm wrestles me and sings me my song. It's going to be so great! I'm dreading coming home after that day though... Friday is another day of visits. I'm gonna go see a bunch of our members at one home, and then head over to see Dora and Marian (!!!).
I can't believe I have just a bit more than a week left! Ah! I wish time would slow down just a tiny bit!
Well I suppose that's all I have for now. Maybe I'll get one or two more in before I come home. Love you!
Monday, April 12, 2010
My Italian Easter
Hello all,
I finally have some time to write in this thing. I suppose I'll only have a few more posts....I can't believe I'm coming home in a few weeks! My year here is almost over.
Before my ten day holiday, we had a teens group. I was paired with Ashleigh. She's a 15 year old girl with spina bifida. She's a very sweet girl who unfortunately doesn't get enough attention at home. Because of this, she can be very difficult. But most of the weekend was really fun. We all played games and even went to a place called Dublinia: Viking World. It's a museum for kids about the time of the vikings. I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out to be a great time. One of the teens, Conor Dillan, was paired with Lennart. He met Ovidiu, our new volunteer driver, and he couldn't pronounce his name. He started calling him Gary and it stuck! He also has the cutest accent in the world! His father is from Ireland and his mother is from Scotland. He sounds like a young Sean Connery. He kept saying, "Go left, Gary!" "Gary, slow down!" It was adorable. The kids loved Gary!
When the group was over I spent the evening cleaning and packing for my very early flight the next morning. At 4am Kate and I took a taxi to the airport. By nine, we were in Madrid with Jose! He was so sweet! He took us to his apartment in town and fed us a traditional Spanish Easter dish, much like French toast. He also has a huge espresso pot, which made me very happy! After we were fed, we went to explore the south western side of Madrid. Unfortunately, due to Holy Week, all the churches were closed. But we spent the day walking around and seeing very cool buildings including the palace, the cathedral, and an Egyptian Temple that was given to Madrid as a gift and brought to them piece by piece. We stopped for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant that Kate wanted to try, followed by, of course, ice cream! After checking out more of the city, we headed back to Jose's apartment for a late dinner. Jose has the box set of the nighttime drama from the 90s, Twin Peaks. Kate happens to love that show, so we decided to watch a few episodes. I totally got hooked! What a crazy series! It was so nice to relax and enjoy the time with the two of them.
The next morning we walked to the garage that held Stefan's car. Stefan is Jose's long time friend from Germany. He's been living in Madrid for over seven years while working at the Prado Museum. He's incredibly smart! He drove us to a small town south of Madrid called Toledo. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been! (I know I say that all the time, but you know how it goes with me. Every new place that I connect with gives me another piece of my heart that was missing.) We began the day by having espresso at a hotel outside of Toledo to get a good look at the entire city. It is an older city built of beige stone houses. After we took loads of pictures we headed over to park closer to the city walls. Once we got inside we began our walk. We stopped for lunch before continuing our tour. In the evening we went inside the immense cathedral to view a procession for the stations of the cross. It was so nice to witness, even though I don't understand any Spanish. After the procession we headed back to Madrid for a very late supper and bed.
The next day we swept the south eastern side of Madrid. We began by stopping at a gallery with an exhibit by Jose's favorite artist, Miguel Barcelona. I couldn't take pictures unfortunately, but I really loved his paintings. Afterwards we went to a huge city park called Retiro. It was so amazing!!! It used to belong to the royal family and includes a few man made lakes and a big glass green house. We fell in love with it instantly. After a few hours of walking through the park we stopped at an outdoor cafe. I had the best pork of my life! I can't remember what the style of the pork was, but I don't normally like pork and I thought it was outstanding! Next up was the Prado Museum. We got to see lots of masterpieces by Raphael, Rembrandt, and Goya. After about an hour we moved on to the modern art museum. I got to see many pieces by Picasso and Dali. I had never seen any paintings by Dali so I truly enjoyed that. Unfortunately my leg hurt quite a bit at this point of the night, so we decided to leave and get a drink. I wasn't hungry, but Kate and Jose wanted tapas. I had a bit of theirs, but mostly I drank summer wine. :) Stefan joined us and we went to another part of town to one of Jose's favorite bars. It was in the basement of a building and it had dim lights and a rounded ceiling. The waiters had red coats and there was an old time piano player. Everyone was drinking out of little pitchers of very strong and delicious sangria. I loved it there!
The next morning we had breakfast with Jose before he left for Manchego, his hometown. He was going to be in an Easter parade later that day! (Oh how I love Jose...) Kate and I went out to get a bit of food for the apartment. On the way back down a narrow street, we were walking on the small sidewalk and a car flew by and hit me in the arm! My huge container of yogurt flew out of my hand and onto the ground with a big splat. I was ok, but I was shaking from anger! There was no reason for him to be that close to us. The driver just kept on and I angrily shouted at him in a dramatic response. He got out a block away and I yelled at him to just go. I'm sure he didn't understand my statement, but he figured out the meaning. haha Kate left about an hour later for her train to Barcelona. At this point I had two choices. I could have gone out and tried to figure out what else to see in Madrid, or I could have taken advantage of a full apartment to myself. Of course I chose the latter. I spent the day watching Twin Peaks, drinking espresso, and writing in my journal. It was amazing! At half eleven that night I made my way through the metro system to the airport. I was about to do something I would never have dreamed of doing before. I found a spot on the floor and tried to sleep for a few hours in the airport before my flight was to leave at seven. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
I got to Milan at half nine and found Audrey and Andre right away. After a few hugs, Silvia, Gabriele's sister, came over to us. No one in Gabriele's family speaks English. It helped that I met her once before when she came to Ireland. The plan was for her to take us back to their house in Legnano and wait for Gabriele to get off work at half three. I was ok with this plan because I was exhausted. His mother was so welcoming and wonderful! She made us a great meal and even invited one of Siliva's friends over (who is half Italian, half English) to translate for us. It was SO great to see Gabriele when he finally got to the house. He took us to a lake in Como that has views of the Alps. It was so lovely! We walked along the lake and took lots of pictures. After an hour or so we went back to Legnano and got pizza. :)
The next day Lele, Silvia, her boyfriend Simon, and I went into Milan to meet up with Audrey and Andre (who were staying in the city center.) We went to the Duomo first. It was an extremely beautiful and large cathedral in the middle of the city. We had a quick lunch after this followed by a walk through the city center. To be honest, I wasn't impressed with Milan. It was a busy, ugly city with a beautiful cathedral in the middle of it to redeem itself. It was raining that day so by the time we were done wandering around we were all soaked. We stopped at another church called St. Ambrosio. It was a very nice church, complete with the skeleton of St. Ambrosio himself! We decided to leave Audrey and Andre in town and go back to Legnano because I wanted to go to the Easter Vigil Mass with his family. The Mass was really nice. His father knows a bit of English so he was trying to translate some of it from me. I knew what Easter Vigils are like so I knew it would involve lots of extra readings and prayers. I was able to follow along for most of it. I really enjoyed the service, especially the translations. :)
The next morning was Easter! It was a really nice day. Audrey and Andre came to Legnano by train. We all had a huge meal in the afternoon with several courses. Among all the dishes were lamb chops, home made bread, mushroom risotto (!!!), lasagna, and a few other vegetable dishes. There was also an excess of chocolate, dessert, and espresso. Lele's two grandmothers and grandfather came over as well. Gabriele got into an argument with his grandpa during the meal and we were wondering what was happening. He finally translated for us English speakers and it was nothing that we could have guessed. His grandfather bought a deer skinned coat, and Lele is very against that. Apparently the way that they kill the deer in Europe is very different from the way we do it in the States. Regardless, I was very surprised to see him talk to his grandpa just like he would talk to me if we were in an argument. I wouldn't dream of raising my voice to a grandparent. But I suppose it could be a good thing, if it means that he feels comfortable enough to talk to him in that way. It was entertaining, nevertheless. :)
It was raining that day and we were all tired so we just relaxed and watched movies. Audrey and Andre left and I went to bed. The next morning Lele took me to the train station. I met up with my friends and we left for Venice! I was sad to say goodbye to Gabriele because I'm not sure when I'll see him again. He and I always had a lot of fun when he lived in the house.
The train ride to Venice was a few hours but it went by quickly. We went from the train station to our hostel with a few bumps along the way. Andre booked the hostel so I asked him if he had maps of how to get there because Venice is known to be very difficult to navigate. He assured me he had everything he needed. I didn't get any maps because I was planning on getting one from the hostel. Andre just had a GPS program on his phone. This didn't work at all. We kept getting lost and it was giving us the wrong information! It was so frustrating! We were all starving and caffeine deprived so it wasn't pretty. :P We got there eventually and then we all felt much better. Our next order of business was lunch. We stopped at a cute restaurant for some pizza. It was delicious, of course. We all needed money, so we went in search for an ATM, stopping first at one of the notable churches, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. It was a beautiful church and well worth the 1.50 euro! We went back to where the train station was (not an easy task!) and we finally found an ATM. After Audrey and Andre got money out, I tried to as well with no luck! I was so frustrated! I knew I had money in my account. We went to another one and it also didn't work. At this point I was freaking out! We finally found another one near the water buses. Success!!! I felt SO happy at this point, because everything was finally in order. Afterwards we decided to take a water bus down the Grand Canal. We ended up saving a lot of money by using public transport instead of a tour boat. We got on first and we got to sit up front, which was prime for picture taking! The rest of the day was spent wandering around the southern island of the city. We stopped for tiramisu and wine at a little restaurant after they promised no cover or service charge. (Most places were charging both!)
The next morning we began as early as it was possible. (Traveling with a couple can be complicated.) We began by walking to Piazza San Marco. The basilica was SO BIG! Inside was something I especially appreciated. I'm very partial to mosaic and this church was covered floor to ceiling in gold mosaics! It was absolutely stunning. Audrey and I went up to the top to see the museum and take pictures of the square. We went to have a picnic along the water with Andre afterwards. Andre really wanted to go to the park at the end of the island so we walked down there and around the park for a few hours. We decided to try to make it to a few more churches before they all closed. We made it all the way out to one of them that ended up closing an hour before schedule! So we raced over to the cathedral named after Saint Paul and Saint John, which I found unusual. There isn't much to say except that it was very big and very beautiful inside. We were all hungry at this point so we stopped at a small restaurant near our hostel. We all had pizza and wine...the perfect end to our night! We were all tired from all of the walking that day. (It's hard to explain how much walking it takes just to go somewhere that would normally take 15 minutes but ends up taking 30 because of how many zig zags are necessary...) We ended up going back to the hostel to hang out and talk before we went to bed. I had to get up at six the next morning to get to my bus on time. I didn't want to leave Venice or my friends. But the walk in the morning was really nice. Everyone was still sleeping I'm pretty sure. I came across just a few sweepers on the sidewalks. Venice was so beautiful and I wished that I could have stayed there much, much longer! The buildings were so cute and the rivers and canals add so much to the uniqueness of the city. I can't wait to go back again! My plane left at ten to take me back to Dublin. I spent the day relaxing and visiting with Ovidiu and Lucy who hadn't gone anywhere for the break.
We were all back to work the next morning. We had to clean and prepare for the group that began the next afternoon. I was paired with Paula, who I was with last summer. She is 30 years old and has a mild intellectual disability. I really love Paula. She's a very sweet woman and very easy to get along with. It was nice to see her again before I leave. June Mills was also in, and I loved seeing her again! I was with her last fall and we had a blast! She was with Kate and they got on very well. It was hard to say goodbye to people knowing that it was my last adult group. It's been such wonderful year and I have so many memories. I can't believe it's coming to a close.
My weekend has been really quiet, which I appreciate. Yesterday, Kate, Canada, Lisa and I went out to Dublin bright and early for a girls day out! We began with hair cuts at one of the teaching salons. Lisa got an amazing hair cut with a big flare of pink in her blond hair. I know it sounds different, but it looks SO good! Both the Kates got trims that turned out very nice. I cut a few inches off my hair and also got some layers. At first I wasn't so pleased with the cut because it wasn't really what I asked for. But I'm coming around to it. It's nice to have it short again for the summer. After the cuts we went to get lunch at Cornucopia, Kate's favorite vegetarian restaurant. We walked to St. Stephen's Green after that and lazed in the sun for a while. When we were ready, we left to go to Queen of Tarts for some dessert. We all got different things and shared equally. It was SO good! We shared a chocolate scone (literally award winning!), raspberry cheesecake, chocolate cake, and chocolate pear tart with almonds. MMMM! We headed back home after that.
I woke up at half one this afternoon! I must have been very tired! I haven't been doing much with my time except for hanging out with my house mates. I'm really trying to spend lots of time with them before I go. But I promised Mom and Kris that I could do this so here it is. I hope it's not too boring! :P
Love you all!
I finally have some time to write in this thing. I suppose I'll only have a few more posts....I can't believe I'm coming home in a few weeks! My year here is almost over.
Before my ten day holiday, we had a teens group. I was paired with Ashleigh. She's a 15 year old girl with spina bifida. She's a very sweet girl who unfortunately doesn't get enough attention at home. Because of this, she can be very difficult. But most of the weekend was really fun. We all played games and even went to a place called Dublinia: Viking World. It's a museum for kids about the time of the vikings. I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out to be a great time. One of the teens, Conor Dillan, was paired with Lennart. He met Ovidiu, our new volunteer driver, and he couldn't pronounce his name. He started calling him Gary and it stuck! He also has the cutest accent in the world! His father is from Ireland and his mother is from Scotland. He sounds like a young Sean Connery. He kept saying, "Go left, Gary!" "Gary, slow down!" It was adorable. The kids loved Gary!
When the group was over I spent the evening cleaning and packing for my very early flight the next morning. At 4am Kate and I took a taxi to the airport. By nine, we were in Madrid with Jose! He was so sweet! He took us to his apartment in town and fed us a traditional Spanish Easter dish, much like French toast. He also has a huge espresso pot, which made me very happy! After we were fed, we went to explore the south western side of Madrid. Unfortunately, due to Holy Week, all the churches were closed. But we spent the day walking around and seeing very cool buildings including the palace, the cathedral, and an Egyptian Temple that was given to Madrid as a gift and brought to them piece by piece. We stopped for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant that Kate wanted to try, followed by, of course, ice cream! After checking out more of the city, we headed back to Jose's apartment for a late dinner. Jose has the box set of the nighttime drama from the 90s, Twin Peaks. Kate happens to love that show, so we decided to watch a few episodes. I totally got hooked! What a crazy series! It was so nice to relax and enjoy the time with the two of them.
The next morning we walked to the garage that held Stefan's car. Stefan is Jose's long time friend from Germany. He's been living in Madrid for over seven years while working at the Prado Museum. He's incredibly smart! He drove us to a small town south of Madrid called Toledo. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been! (I know I say that all the time, but you know how it goes with me. Every new place that I connect with gives me another piece of my heart that was missing.) We began the day by having espresso at a hotel outside of Toledo to get a good look at the entire city. It is an older city built of beige stone houses. After we took loads of pictures we headed over to park closer to the city walls. Once we got inside we began our walk. We stopped for lunch before continuing our tour. In the evening we went inside the immense cathedral to view a procession for the stations of the cross. It was so nice to witness, even though I don't understand any Spanish. After the procession we headed back to Madrid for a very late supper and bed.
The next day we swept the south eastern side of Madrid. We began by stopping at a gallery with an exhibit by Jose's favorite artist, Miguel Barcelona. I couldn't take pictures unfortunately, but I really loved his paintings. Afterwards we went to a huge city park called Retiro. It was so amazing!!! It used to belong to the royal family and includes a few man made lakes and a big glass green house. We fell in love with it instantly. After a few hours of walking through the park we stopped at an outdoor cafe. I had the best pork of my life! I can't remember what the style of the pork was, but I don't normally like pork and I thought it was outstanding! Next up was the Prado Museum. We got to see lots of masterpieces by Raphael, Rembrandt, and Goya. After about an hour we moved on to the modern art museum. I got to see many pieces by Picasso and Dali. I had never seen any paintings by Dali so I truly enjoyed that. Unfortunately my leg hurt quite a bit at this point of the night, so we decided to leave and get a drink. I wasn't hungry, but Kate and Jose wanted tapas. I had a bit of theirs, but mostly I drank summer wine. :) Stefan joined us and we went to another part of town to one of Jose's favorite bars. It was in the basement of a building and it had dim lights and a rounded ceiling. The waiters had red coats and there was an old time piano player. Everyone was drinking out of little pitchers of very strong and delicious sangria. I loved it there!
The next morning we had breakfast with Jose before he left for Manchego, his hometown. He was going to be in an Easter parade later that day! (Oh how I love Jose...) Kate and I went out to get a bit of food for the apartment. On the way back down a narrow street, we were walking on the small sidewalk and a car flew by and hit me in the arm! My huge container of yogurt flew out of my hand and onto the ground with a big splat. I was ok, but I was shaking from anger! There was no reason for him to be that close to us. The driver just kept on and I angrily shouted at him in a dramatic response. He got out a block away and I yelled at him to just go. I'm sure he didn't understand my statement, but he figured out the meaning. haha Kate left about an hour later for her train to Barcelona. At this point I had two choices. I could have gone out and tried to figure out what else to see in Madrid, or I could have taken advantage of a full apartment to myself. Of course I chose the latter. I spent the day watching Twin Peaks, drinking espresso, and writing in my journal. It was amazing! At half eleven that night I made my way through the metro system to the airport. I was about to do something I would never have dreamed of doing before. I found a spot on the floor and tried to sleep for a few hours in the airport before my flight was to leave at seven. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
I got to Milan at half nine and found Audrey and Andre right away. After a few hugs, Silvia, Gabriele's sister, came over to us. No one in Gabriele's family speaks English. It helped that I met her once before when she came to Ireland. The plan was for her to take us back to their house in Legnano and wait for Gabriele to get off work at half three. I was ok with this plan because I was exhausted. His mother was so welcoming and wonderful! She made us a great meal and even invited one of Siliva's friends over (who is half Italian, half English) to translate for us. It was SO great to see Gabriele when he finally got to the house. He took us to a lake in Como that has views of the Alps. It was so lovely! We walked along the lake and took lots of pictures. After an hour or so we went back to Legnano and got pizza. :)
The next day Lele, Silvia, her boyfriend Simon, and I went into Milan to meet up with Audrey and Andre (who were staying in the city center.) We went to the Duomo first. It was an extremely beautiful and large cathedral in the middle of the city. We had a quick lunch after this followed by a walk through the city center. To be honest, I wasn't impressed with Milan. It was a busy, ugly city with a beautiful cathedral in the middle of it to redeem itself. It was raining that day so by the time we were done wandering around we were all soaked. We stopped at another church called St. Ambrosio. It was a very nice church, complete with the skeleton of St. Ambrosio himself! We decided to leave Audrey and Andre in town and go back to Legnano because I wanted to go to the Easter Vigil Mass with his family. The Mass was really nice. His father knows a bit of English so he was trying to translate some of it from me. I knew what Easter Vigils are like so I knew it would involve lots of extra readings and prayers. I was able to follow along for most of it. I really enjoyed the service, especially the translations. :)
The next morning was Easter! It was a really nice day. Audrey and Andre came to Legnano by train. We all had a huge meal in the afternoon with several courses. Among all the dishes were lamb chops, home made bread, mushroom risotto (!!!), lasagna, and a few other vegetable dishes. There was also an excess of chocolate, dessert, and espresso. Lele's two grandmothers and grandfather came over as well. Gabriele got into an argument with his grandpa during the meal and we were wondering what was happening. He finally translated for us English speakers and it was nothing that we could have guessed. His grandfather bought a deer skinned coat, and Lele is very against that. Apparently the way that they kill the deer in Europe is very different from the way we do it in the States. Regardless, I was very surprised to see him talk to his grandpa just like he would talk to me if we were in an argument. I wouldn't dream of raising my voice to a grandparent. But I suppose it could be a good thing, if it means that he feels comfortable enough to talk to him in that way. It was entertaining, nevertheless. :)
It was raining that day and we were all tired so we just relaxed and watched movies. Audrey and Andre left and I went to bed. The next morning Lele took me to the train station. I met up with my friends and we left for Venice! I was sad to say goodbye to Gabriele because I'm not sure when I'll see him again. He and I always had a lot of fun when he lived in the house.
The train ride to Venice was a few hours but it went by quickly. We went from the train station to our hostel with a few bumps along the way. Andre booked the hostel so I asked him if he had maps of how to get there because Venice is known to be very difficult to navigate. He assured me he had everything he needed. I didn't get any maps because I was planning on getting one from the hostel. Andre just had a GPS program on his phone. This didn't work at all. We kept getting lost and it was giving us the wrong information! It was so frustrating! We were all starving and caffeine deprived so it wasn't pretty. :P We got there eventually and then we all felt much better. Our next order of business was lunch. We stopped at a cute restaurant for some pizza. It was delicious, of course. We all needed money, so we went in search for an ATM, stopping first at one of the notable churches, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. It was a beautiful church and well worth the 1.50 euro! We went back to where the train station was (not an easy task!) and we finally found an ATM. After Audrey and Andre got money out, I tried to as well with no luck! I was so frustrated! I knew I had money in my account. We went to another one and it also didn't work. At this point I was freaking out! We finally found another one near the water buses. Success!!! I felt SO happy at this point, because everything was finally in order. Afterwards we decided to take a water bus down the Grand Canal. We ended up saving a lot of money by using public transport instead of a tour boat. We got on first and we got to sit up front, which was prime for picture taking! The rest of the day was spent wandering around the southern island of the city. We stopped for tiramisu and wine at a little restaurant after they promised no cover or service charge. (Most places were charging both!)
The next morning we began as early as it was possible. (Traveling with a couple can be complicated.) We began by walking to Piazza San Marco. The basilica was SO BIG! Inside was something I especially appreciated. I'm very partial to mosaic and this church was covered floor to ceiling in gold mosaics! It was absolutely stunning. Audrey and I went up to the top to see the museum and take pictures of the square. We went to have a picnic along the water with Andre afterwards. Andre really wanted to go to the park at the end of the island so we walked down there and around the park for a few hours. We decided to try to make it to a few more churches before they all closed. We made it all the way out to one of them that ended up closing an hour before schedule! So we raced over to the cathedral named after Saint Paul and Saint John, which I found unusual. There isn't much to say except that it was very big and very beautiful inside. We were all hungry at this point so we stopped at a small restaurant near our hostel. We all had pizza and wine...the perfect end to our night! We were all tired from all of the walking that day. (It's hard to explain how much walking it takes just to go somewhere that would normally take 15 minutes but ends up taking 30 because of how many zig zags are necessary...) We ended up going back to the hostel to hang out and talk before we went to bed. I had to get up at six the next morning to get to my bus on time. I didn't want to leave Venice or my friends. But the walk in the morning was really nice. Everyone was still sleeping I'm pretty sure. I came across just a few sweepers on the sidewalks. Venice was so beautiful and I wished that I could have stayed there much, much longer! The buildings were so cute and the rivers and canals add so much to the uniqueness of the city. I can't wait to go back again! My plane left at ten to take me back to Dublin. I spent the day relaxing and visiting with Ovidiu and Lucy who hadn't gone anywhere for the break.
We were all back to work the next morning. We had to clean and prepare for the group that began the next afternoon. I was paired with Paula, who I was with last summer. She is 30 years old and has a mild intellectual disability. I really love Paula. She's a very sweet woman and very easy to get along with. It was nice to see her again before I leave. June Mills was also in, and I loved seeing her again! I was with her last fall and we had a blast! She was with Kate and they got on very well. It was hard to say goodbye to people knowing that it was my last adult group. It's been such wonderful year and I have so many memories. I can't believe it's coming to a close.
My weekend has been really quiet, which I appreciate. Yesterday, Kate, Canada, Lisa and I went out to Dublin bright and early for a girls day out! We began with hair cuts at one of the teaching salons. Lisa got an amazing hair cut with a big flare of pink in her blond hair. I know it sounds different, but it looks SO good! Both the Kates got trims that turned out very nice. I cut a few inches off my hair and also got some layers. At first I wasn't so pleased with the cut because it wasn't really what I asked for. But I'm coming around to it. It's nice to have it short again for the summer. After the cuts we went to get lunch at Cornucopia, Kate's favorite vegetarian restaurant. We walked to St. Stephen's Green after that and lazed in the sun for a while. When we were ready, we left to go to Queen of Tarts for some dessert. We all got different things and shared equally. It was SO good! We shared a chocolate scone (literally award winning!), raspberry cheesecake, chocolate cake, and chocolate pear tart with almonds. MMMM! We headed back home after that.
I woke up at half one this afternoon! I must have been very tired! I haven't been doing much with my time except for hanging out with my house mates. I'm really trying to spend lots of time with them before I go. But I promised Mom and Kris that I could do this so here it is. I hope it's not too boring! :P
Love you all!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
St. Paddy's Day
Hello everyone! I have some fun things to update you on. :)
After the four day group, most people left for mini trips on the five days we had off. I, on the other hand, looked forward to being alone in this house for a few days for my holiday. It didn't actually work out that way, however. Erin was also here tying up loose ends because she was leaving the following Saturday. One of the days off we went on a few visits to her favorite members to say goodbye. I got lucky because John Hart is her favorite and he happens to live with Paul Lockery, my own dear favorite. We took them out for dinner and it was so much fun! Oh how I love Paul. But you all knew that... Tuesday morning I woke up to a stranger in the house. Ovidiu is 26 years old and is from Romania. He is volunteering here for a year and living in the house with us, but he won't be a normal volunteer. They hired him to be our full time driver. This is a great plan! In addition to driving the bus during the groups (which will cut the costs of paying for a professional driver), he will also be able to drive us to visits and to the grocery store. I told everyone in the house that I knew that Ovidiu would be crazy because all the Romanians I know are crazy. Well let me just say that I was right! But more about that later. Another new volunteer arrived later that Tuesday. Lucy is in her mid twenties and she is from San Diego. She has been living and studying in Austria for the past few years and decided to take a break for the summer. She is very nice and funny, but I think it will take some time for her to feel comfortable here. When the Germans came back from Cork, we all sat down and had dinner to welcome the newbies.
Wednesday morning, I went to the bus stop at half six to take the bus to the airport. My friend from the States, Jessica Campbell, was coming to see me for a few days. I waited there for an hour until a lady walked by and told me that because it was St. Patrick's Day, the buses ran on a "Sunday Schedule". It sucked! So I ended up walking back to the house and calling a taxi. Luckily, the airport is only 20 minutes away and the taxi only cost be 15 euro. When I got there I saw that her plane was delayed by an hour and half, but I didn't mind. I was glad that she wasn't there waiting for me, because I was a bit late. It was SO good to see her! Jess and I have been friends since the first grade. We've always kept in touch, even after going to different schools in high school. She's the best! We came back to the house and everyone was awake and ready to hit the town! There was a parade at noon in city center. Apparently, we were all a little late. Everyone alive in this area was cramming the streets dressed in green wigs, leprechaun outfits, and shamrocks painted on their faces. There was no chance of seeing the parade, even though we walked down the road it was going to travel through. Some people brought ladders to stand on, which was a good idea! After watching most of the parade on our tip toes, we decided to get some lunch at Kate's favorite vegetarian restaurant. We then decided to go back home because the crowds were too much! Mary Fox decided that she wanted to make us a traditional Irish meal for a goodbye to Erin. At the time, we were all frustrated because Erin agreed and therefore changed all of our plans to what she wanted. But it ended up being very nice. Afterward we played some games and hung out. A few people wanted to drink with me, but no one wanted to go crazy like you're supposed to do on St. Patrick's Day! I was disappointed. :P
The next day was a working day. I sent Jess off to the village for exploring while we had meetings and cleaned the house for the party. Because Erin had been here for almost two years and was the house leader, the management organized a party for her here at the house with several members invited. I made meatballs (Grandma Hattie's recipe!) and cheesecake. All the food turned out very well! Jess came back and got to meet a few of my favorite members, including Michaelena! We all had nice time, and it meant a lot to Erin. Afterwards we went to Gibney's so that Erin could say goodbye. Jessica had to go to her hostel around half ten. It was too bad that she left because when I returned from taking her to the stop the party was just beginning! There was a crappy cover band playing pretentious punk rock music. Ovidiu started dancing in his seat and then got up and went crazy! It's so hard to describe the dancing that ensued. He said, "This music moves me! I must dance!" hahaha So good... At the end of the night we all got up and busted out the dance moves we've learned from the members. It was so much fun!
Friday was the beginning of our group. I was paired with Marian Cullen. She hasn't been in the house since I've been here, but I've met her before. She is such a fun person to be around! She's in her fifties and lives in the same hospital as Dora. (I was with Dora last November. She is the one who loves Patrick Swayze!) Marian is a really funny person. She loves to mess and play games. She liked to put me to sleep and then take my ring off. Then she'd order me to wake up and I would be shocked to find my ring missing. The game went on and on and I loved it! After everyone arrived on Friday, we had dinner made by Erin. Soon after dinner we headed out to the cinema. Khadija picked the movie, an Irish film called Zonad. Apparently it was about a man who escaped out of rehab and pretended to be an alien to be accepted into a family. Luckily, there was no room for Marian's wheelchair in the theater, so we were sent to Alice in Wonderland. I was so excited! Unfortunately, we had to miss the first twenty minutes. So I look forward to catching up on what I missed. I really loved the movie! Normally I dislike Tim Burton's recreations, but I thought he did an amazing job. I recommend it. :)
When we got back to the house it was after eleven. No one wanted to go to bed, especially the members who were close to Erin because she was leaving the next morning. After midnight Marian and I decided it was time. After I got her into bed I started to leave to get myself ready. She stopped me and asked me if I wanted to pray with her. It was SO sweet! She told me that she really loved being paired with me and that "we are just a good fit, dontcha think?" It really meant a lot to me to be with a member that I love and feel loved in return.
Saturday morning I woke up at seven to say goodbye to Erin. It is so weird to be in this house without her. Now I am the longest here. Strange... Anyways, after breakfast we went shopping in Swords. I had so much fun with Marian! She had loads of money to spend. We got movies and puzzles and she even bought a little puppy stuffed animal for me! So sweet! During lunch she told me about how she was in the beginning of the movie "Inside I'm Dancing." It's an Irish film about two young men who are both in wheelchairs and are living in a hospital setting (much like most of our members.) The movie is about their friendship and how they fight for their Independence. It's a really great film. Marian, Dora, and Dorothy (all CASA members) auditioned to be in the beginning of the movie in the hospital scene. She was telling me about the process and how she got to meet James McAvoy! So exciting! I sent the movie to my sister Sarah, so if anyone is interested in seeing it, let me know.
We had dinner at the house, followed by drinks at the Hilton. There was a three-man band from Spain playing music near our tables. Marian got us all up and dancing. The lead singer dedicated a song to her! She was beaming! During their break, he came over and gave the members CDs of their music and signed an autograph for Marian. He even kissed her hand! She was so excited and kept asking me how jealous I was. haha It was such a great night!
Sunday morning we all went to Mass and returned at the exact time that Jessica stopped by. She came to meet the members and hang out for a bit before she had to catch the bus to the airport. All of the members left by 4:15, which almost never happens. Sharon gave me permission to miss the meeting after the group so that I could take Jess to the airport. It meant so much to me to have that extra time with her.
I haven't done too much on my days off. We all got hooked on that reality show Jersey Shore. I don't know if you know about this show, but basically it's like the Real World only with all "Guidos" or Italian Americans. The show is so absurd but insanely fun to watch with the Europeans. :) I also moved my stuff into Erin's room. It's so nice to have privacy again! One more step closer to coming home!
I can't believe this time next week I'll be in Madrid! Life is moving a little too fast for me!
After the four day group, most people left for mini trips on the five days we had off. I, on the other hand, looked forward to being alone in this house for a few days for my holiday. It didn't actually work out that way, however. Erin was also here tying up loose ends because she was leaving the following Saturday. One of the days off we went on a few visits to her favorite members to say goodbye. I got lucky because John Hart is her favorite and he happens to live with Paul Lockery, my own dear favorite. We took them out for dinner and it was so much fun! Oh how I love Paul. But you all knew that... Tuesday morning I woke up to a stranger in the house. Ovidiu is 26 years old and is from Romania. He is volunteering here for a year and living in the house with us, but he won't be a normal volunteer. They hired him to be our full time driver. This is a great plan! In addition to driving the bus during the groups (which will cut the costs of paying for a professional driver), he will also be able to drive us to visits and to the grocery store. I told everyone in the house that I knew that Ovidiu would be crazy because all the Romanians I know are crazy. Well let me just say that I was right! But more about that later. Another new volunteer arrived later that Tuesday. Lucy is in her mid twenties and she is from San Diego. She has been living and studying in Austria for the past few years and decided to take a break for the summer. She is very nice and funny, but I think it will take some time for her to feel comfortable here. When the Germans came back from Cork, we all sat down and had dinner to welcome the newbies.
Wednesday morning, I went to the bus stop at half six to take the bus to the airport. My friend from the States, Jessica Campbell, was coming to see me for a few days. I waited there for an hour until a lady walked by and told me that because it was St. Patrick's Day, the buses ran on a "Sunday Schedule". It sucked! So I ended up walking back to the house and calling a taxi. Luckily, the airport is only 20 minutes away and the taxi only cost be 15 euro. When I got there I saw that her plane was delayed by an hour and half, but I didn't mind. I was glad that she wasn't there waiting for me, because I was a bit late. It was SO good to see her! Jess and I have been friends since the first grade. We've always kept in touch, even after going to different schools in high school. She's the best! We came back to the house and everyone was awake and ready to hit the town! There was a parade at noon in city center. Apparently, we were all a little late. Everyone alive in this area was cramming the streets dressed in green wigs, leprechaun outfits, and shamrocks painted on their faces. There was no chance of seeing the parade, even though we walked down the road it was going to travel through. Some people brought ladders to stand on, which was a good idea! After watching most of the parade on our tip toes, we decided to get some lunch at Kate's favorite vegetarian restaurant. We then decided to go back home because the crowds were too much! Mary Fox decided that she wanted to make us a traditional Irish meal for a goodbye to Erin. At the time, we were all frustrated because Erin agreed and therefore changed all of our plans to what she wanted. But it ended up being very nice. Afterward we played some games and hung out. A few people wanted to drink with me, but no one wanted to go crazy like you're supposed to do on St. Patrick's Day! I was disappointed. :P
The next day was a working day. I sent Jess off to the village for exploring while we had meetings and cleaned the house for the party. Because Erin had been here for almost two years and was the house leader, the management organized a party for her here at the house with several members invited. I made meatballs (Grandma Hattie's recipe!) and cheesecake. All the food turned out very well! Jess came back and got to meet a few of my favorite members, including Michaelena! We all had nice time, and it meant a lot to Erin. Afterwards we went to Gibney's so that Erin could say goodbye. Jessica had to go to her hostel around half ten. It was too bad that she left because when I returned from taking her to the stop the party was just beginning! There was a crappy cover band playing pretentious punk rock music. Ovidiu started dancing in his seat and then got up and went crazy! It's so hard to describe the dancing that ensued. He said, "This music moves me! I must dance!" hahaha So good... At the end of the night we all got up and busted out the dance moves we've learned from the members. It was so much fun!
Friday was the beginning of our group. I was paired with Marian Cullen. She hasn't been in the house since I've been here, but I've met her before. She is such a fun person to be around! She's in her fifties and lives in the same hospital as Dora. (I was with Dora last November. She is the one who loves Patrick Swayze!) Marian is a really funny person. She loves to mess and play games. She liked to put me to sleep and then take my ring off. Then she'd order me to wake up and I would be shocked to find my ring missing. The game went on and on and I loved it! After everyone arrived on Friday, we had dinner made by Erin. Soon after dinner we headed out to the cinema. Khadija picked the movie, an Irish film called Zonad. Apparently it was about a man who escaped out of rehab and pretended to be an alien to be accepted into a family. Luckily, there was no room for Marian's wheelchair in the theater, so we were sent to Alice in Wonderland. I was so excited! Unfortunately, we had to miss the first twenty minutes. So I look forward to catching up on what I missed. I really loved the movie! Normally I dislike Tim Burton's recreations, but I thought he did an amazing job. I recommend it. :)
When we got back to the house it was after eleven. No one wanted to go to bed, especially the members who were close to Erin because she was leaving the next morning. After midnight Marian and I decided it was time. After I got her into bed I started to leave to get myself ready. She stopped me and asked me if I wanted to pray with her. It was SO sweet! She told me that she really loved being paired with me and that "we are just a good fit, dontcha think?" It really meant a lot to me to be with a member that I love and feel loved in return.
Saturday morning I woke up at seven to say goodbye to Erin. It is so weird to be in this house without her. Now I am the longest here. Strange... Anyways, after breakfast we went shopping in Swords. I had so much fun with Marian! She had loads of money to spend. We got movies and puzzles and she even bought a little puppy stuffed animal for me! So sweet! During lunch she told me about how she was in the beginning of the movie "Inside I'm Dancing." It's an Irish film about two young men who are both in wheelchairs and are living in a hospital setting (much like most of our members.) The movie is about their friendship and how they fight for their Independence. It's a really great film. Marian, Dora, and Dorothy (all CASA members) auditioned to be in the beginning of the movie in the hospital scene. She was telling me about the process and how she got to meet James McAvoy! So exciting! I sent the movie to my sister Sarah, so if anyone is interested in seeing it, let me know.
We had dinner at the house, followed by drinks at the Hilton. There was a three-man band from Spain playing music near our tables. Marian got us all up and dancing. The lead singer dedicated a song to her! She was beaming! During their break, he came over and gave the members CDs of their music and signed an autograph for Marian. He even kissed her hand! She was so excited and kept asking me how jealous I was. haha It was such a great night!
Sunday morning we all went to Mass and returned at the exact time that Jessica stopped by. She came to meet the members and hang out for a bit before she had to catch the bus to the airport. All of the members left by 4:15, which almost never happens. Sharon gave me permission to miss the meeting after the group so that I could take Jess to the airport. It meant so much to me to have that extra time with her.
I haven't done too much on my days off. We all got hooked on that reality show Jersey Shore. I don't know if you know about this show, but basically it's like the Real World only with all "Guidos" or Italian Americans. The show is so absurd but insanely fun to watch with the Europeans. :) I also moved my stuff into Erin's room. It's so nice to have privacy again! One more step closer to coming home!
I can't believe this time next week I'll be in Madrid! Life is moving a little too fast for me!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Oh, LenNART!
Well, I just got done with a four day group, and now I am in blissful rest for the next few days. :)
Tuesday afternoon, I headed to the city center to pick up his member, Michael Doran. Michael was coming in from Nenagh in Tipperary. It's about three hours away by bus. I've met Michael before. He was in on Jose's first group. He is very independent, and he acquired his intellectual disability from a car crash years ago. I was paired with a woman named Helen, who I've been with before. Helen is also very independent. Most of the week, she spent her time flirting with Lennart. She always gravitates towards one man in the house, and Lennart just so happens to be our only boy right now. It was SO funny to see their interaction! She would constantly say, "Oh, LenNART!" And he would laugh and reply with, "Oh, HelEN!" There was a super awkward moment when she wanted to pose for a picture while kissing him on the cheek. Unfortunately, he's much taller than her and she ended up getting him on the neck! hahaha So even though Helen had very little interest in me, I didn't mind so much. Gillian Groves was in! She is my sunshine. :) Gillian is the one I was paired with before Christmas who constantly sings Neil Diamond with me. When I saw her she gave me a big hug and broke out with, "Money talks, but it can't sing and it can't walk." I was overjoyed!
The four days flew by. We had dinner at the house Tuesday night followed by bowling. Wednesday was so beautiful, so we made a trip down to Glendalough. I'd been there before on a day trip with some members, so I knew to expect a beautiful walk! We had a great time out there in the trails. When we were done with our walk, we stopped at the hotel for some lunch. Later that night, we had a volunteer chef (Patsy) come and make us dinner. Michael really loves to cook and the attention it brings him. He was in the kitchen with Patsy helping him prepare the meal. He kept walking around to everyone telling them that he was Chef Michael Ramsey, Gordon's first cousin. haha
The next day we went shopping in Blanchardstown. It was nice to have some forced alone time with Helen. But at some point she asked if we could go find Lennart. I agreed, hoping we wouldn't find him. I think he needed the break. :P That night we went out to dinner at Oscar Taylors. The meal was very good, but poor Gillian got sick. She and Kate went home and had a rough night. But Gillian was as good as new the next morning. We had Mass with Fr. Pat, who we love. Two in the afternoon came very quickly Friday morning. We all said goodbye, one by one, to our members.
That night we all just hung out here at the house. Lennart borrowed the first season of Damages from the library so we finished it off that night. I spent yesterday catching up on emails and watching insane amounts of The Colbert Report. I really needed a lazy day. :) I went to the village today for Mass and a walk. Now I'm just catching up on a few things. This next week will be insane, but I am very excited for St. Patrick's Day in DUBLIN! A once in a lifetime opportunity for me! :)
I hope you all wear lots of green and drink a Guinness or two in memory of me on Wednesday! ;) Love you,
Claire
Tuesday afternoon, I headed to the city center to pick up his member, Michael Doran. Michael was coming in from Nenagh in Tipperary. It's about three hours away by bus. I've met Michael before. He was in on Jose's first group. He is very independent, and he acquired his intellectual disability from a car crash years ago. I was paired with a woman named Helen, who I've been with before. Helen is also very independent. Most of the week, she spent her time flirting with Lennart. She always gravitates towards one man in the house, and Lennart just so happens to be our only boy right now. It was SO funny to see their interaction! She would constantly say, "Oh, LenNART!" And he would laugh and reply with, "Oh, HelEN!" There was a super awkward moment when she wanted to pose for a picture while kissing him on the cheek. Unfortunately, he's much taller than her and she ended up getting him on the neck! hahaha So even though Helen had very little interest in me, I didn't mind so much. Gillian Groves was in! She is my sunshine. :) Gillian is the one I was paired with before Christmas who constantly sings Neil Diamond with me. When I saw her she gave me a big hug and broke out with, "Money talks, but it can't sing and it can't walk." I was overjoyed!
The four days flew by. We had dinner at the house Tuesday night followed by bowling. Wednesday was so beautiful, so we made a trip down to Glendalough. I'd been there before on a day trip with some members, so I knew to expect a beautiful walk! We had a great time out there in the trails. When we were done with our walk, we stopped at the hotel for some lunch. Later that night, we had a volunteer chef (Patsy) come and make us dinner. Michael really loves to cook and the attention it brings him. He was in the kitchen with Patsy helping him prepare the meal. He kept walking around to everyone telling them that he was Chef Michael Ramsey, Gordon's first cousin. haha
The next day we went shopping in Blanchardstown. It was nice to have some forced alone time with Helen. But at some point she asked if we could go find Lennart. I agreed, hoping we wouldn't find him. I think he needed the break. :P That night we went out to dinner at Oscar Taylors. The meal was very good, but poor Gillian got sick. She and Kate went home and had a rough night. But Gillian was as good as new the next morning. We had Mass with Fr. Pat, who we love. Two in the afternoon came very quickly Friday morning. We all said goodbye, one by one, to our members.
That night we all just hung out here at the house. Lennart borrowed the first season of Damages from the library so we finished it off that night. I spent yesterday catching up on emails and watching insane amounts of The Colbert Report. I really needed a lazy day. :) I went to the village today for Mass and a walk. Now I'm just catching up on a few things. This next week will be insane, but I am very excited for St. Patrick's Day in DUBLIN! A once in a lifetime opportunity for me! :)
I hope you all wear lots of green and drink a Guinness or two in memory of me on Wednesday! ;) Love you,
Claire
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Ready for Home Already?
Well I finally have some time to update this thing. The past few weeks have been crazy! I'll start with the teens group. It's no secret that the teens and kids groups are not my favorite. This group was no exception. :P I was paired with Leanne. She is 17 years old and had an infection when she was young that led to a delay in her intellectual development. This is a nice way of saying that she's overactive and very difficult to care for. She is such a sweet girl but she is constantly moving from place to place and acting out. I spent the whole weekend balancing trying to have fun with her and telling her no when she constantly asked me for sweets. Her mom told me when she came that she is prone to overeating and I should monitor her intake. She slept well the first night, but the second night was a disaster. She woke me up five times throughout the night. At midnight she woke me up and asked if she could take a shower! At five in the morning she woke up for good and luckily Canada was up and told me to go back to sleep. God bless her! But besides the frustrating moments, I did enjoy hanging out with Leanne. She has constant energy, and she often does her version of messing. This consists of her saying something like, "I'm gonna sit down, I'm gonna sit down, I'm gonna sit down.......NO I'm NOT!" We ended the group by joining the social at Clontarf Castle. I'm not sure who's bright idea it was for us to bring the teens to the adult social. :P Leanne was walking from table to table trying to sneak in more desserts. She walked over to a table of old women and when I told them not to give her any chocolate they looked at me like I was a monster and gave her several pieces! She had just had so much food and dessert! I wanted to smack those ladies! That happened with that table a few times and each time they gave her more chocolate. I'm sure her mother would be thrilled. Overall the weekend was successful, and I really worked hard to do my best. My supervisor said I did well balancing fun and discipline when needed.
The next weekend was a completely different situation! I had an amazing time. It was not a normal group. We invited three members over to join us in fundraising. We split up into two groups and collected money from the two Catholic churches in our neighborhood. I got to collect with my absolute favorite member, Paul Lockery! He's so amazing!!! We went to the first Mass on Saturday night and as we stood with our buckets he turned to me and said, "Should I sing?" I thought it was a great idea! So we stood outside the church and he sang to the people as they came out! I must say it worked very well! He also sang me my song! "Claire" by Gilbert O'Sullivan. I got a video of it (thanks Sarah!) to take home with me! I'm so happy to have that because I will miss him so much when I go home. Sunday was pure joy! Paul and I hung out with Lennart and Ken in between Masses. We went to get coffee and Paul leaned over to me and said, "I'm very fond of you!" It was so sweet! I love that the feeling is mutual!
The fundraising was very successful! We did eight Masses and our total was about 7500 euro! I was very grateful for the generosity of our neighbors!
Monday morning Erin, Canada, Lennart, and I headed down to Cork to stay with Tom on his chicken farm. I went down there with Erin last July (I can't believe how long ago that was!) and I was ready for another trip to the farm! Tom is incredibly generous and let us all stay there, as well as buying us food to prepare the dinner. The next day we met up with Denis, another Cork CASA volunteer, who hung out with us for the day. We went with the two of them to visit two of their members. Mary and Dermott met up with us and we went out for coffee. Denis and Tom take out CASA members all the time and pay for the outings with their own money. They are definitely living out what they believe, and it was really inspiring. We brought Mary and Dermott back to Tom's house and we had another nice dinner prepared by us "kids." Tom took us back to the train that evening and gave us money to take a taxi home because the buses would not be running when we got back to Dublin. He's so great!
The next morning we got the house ready for the group. It was weird to go from a day off to a group without a day to prepare. I was paired with Bernie for a second time. I don't know if you remember, but Bernie is a tough member to be with. She is 25 years old and has an intellectual disability. When I was with her before, we got on great and I had immense patience with her. This time I felt like I had no patience at all. I think I must be getting ready to come home. I'm still working hard and doing my best, but it feels like I'm struggling more to do this than when I started. The more I talk to people from home and make plans to see them, the more I'm dying to leave! That being said, I know that when I do actually leave, it will be very hard to say goodbye. Anyways, sorry for that tangent. Bernie can be difficult to be around because she is constantly complaining about everything around her. She always says that she hates the activities that we do, the movies we see, and the dinners we have. Everyone knows that she says these things purely for attention, because every time she goes home from the break she calls the next week to ask when she can come back. :) So the reality is that from a young age she learned that the only way she would get any attention from her family was to complain. It's really very sad. However, it doesn't really make it easier when she's yelling at you for not being helpful as you're trying to help her. The schedule of the group was really fun. The first day we had an early dinner at a restaurant that we were trying for the first time. The prices were great and the food was even better! We had Mass in the house after dinner with Fr. Frank. He is such a great person! I really enjoyed the Mass, and at the end he said a prayer for us volunteers and acknowledged how hard it can be to leave our homes and families to volunteer here. It's amazing how a simple sentence of recognition can go a long way. I think a lot of us feel that the management doesn't really appreciate how difficult it can be for us sometimes. It meant a lot to me that he prayed for us and our families. On Thursday we went out shopping during the day, came back for dinner at the house, and then went out to the cinema. We saw the movie "Crazy Heart" with Jeff Bridges. I really liked it, but it wasn't the best choice for the group. Friday went by very quickly. We had a late breakfast and then went for a walk to the castle and played a bit of soccer. The weather here has been so amazing! I keep waiting for the rain to come back. It really hasn't rained here any more than it does in Oregon. I don't know what people are always complaining about. :)
Today is a lazy day. I've been working on my trip to Madrid, Milan, and Venice. Trip planning is complicated when several people are involved! But I am just excited to see Jose, Gabriele, Audrey, and Andre one more time before I go back home. The gelato, pizza, and espresso are just icing on the cake. :)
I hope all of you are doing well!
The next weekend was a completely different situation! I had an amazing time. It was not a normal group. We invited three members over to join us in fundraising. We split up into two groups and collected money from the two Catholic churches in our neighborhood. I got to collect with my absolute favorite member, Paul Lockery! He's so amazing!!! We went to the first Mass on Saturday night and as we stood with our buckets he turned to me and said, "Should I sing?" I thought it was a great idea! So we stood outside the church and he sang to the people as they came out! I must say it worked very well! He also sang me my song! "Claire" by Gilbert O'Sullivan. I got a video of it (thanks Sarah!) to take home with me! I'm so happy to have that because I will miss him so much when I go home. Sunday was pure joy! Paul and I hung out with Lennart and Ken in between Masses. We went to get coffee and Paul leaned over to me and said, "I'm very fond of you!" It was so sweet! I love that the feeling is mutual!
The fundraising was very successful! We did eight Masses and our total was about 7500 euro! I was very grateful for the generosity of our neighbors!
Monday morning Erin, Canada, Lennart, and I headed down to Cork to stay with Tom on his chicken farm. I went down there with Erin last July (I can't believe how long ago that was!) and I was ready for another trip to the farm! Tom is incredibly generous and let us all stay there, as well as buying us food to prepare the dinner. The next day we met up with Denis, another Cork CASA volunteer, who hung out with us for the day. We went with the two of them to visit two of their members. Mary and Dermott met up with us and we went out for coffee. Denis and Tom take out CASA members all the time and pay for the outings with their own money. They are definitely living out what they believe, and it was really inspiring. We brought Mary and Dermott back to Tom's house and we had another nice dinner prepared by us "kids." Tom took us back to the train that evening and gave us money to take a taxi home because the buses would not be running when we got back to Dublin. He's so great!
The next morning we got the house ready for the group. It was weird to go from a day off to a group without a day to prepare. I was paired with Bernie for a second time. I don't know if you remember, but Bernie is a tough member to be with. She is 25 years old and has an intellectual disability. When I was with her before, we got on great and I had immense patience with her. This time I felt like I had no patience at all. I think I must be getting ready to come home. I'm still working hard and doing my best, but it feels like I'm struggling more to do this than when I started. The more I talk to people from home and make plans to see them, the more I'm dying to leave! That being said, I know that when I do actually leave, it will be very hard to say goodbye. Anyways, sorry for that tangent. Bernie can be difficult to be around because she is constantly complaining about everything around her. She always says that she hates the activities that we do, the movies we see, and the dinners we have. Everyone knows that she says these things purely for attention, because every time she goes home from the break she calls the next week to ask when she can come back. :) So the reality is that from a young age she learned that the only way she would get any attention from her family was to complain. It's really very sad. However, it doesn't really make it easier when she's yelling at you for not being helpful as you're trying to help her. The schedule of the group was really fun. The first day we had an early dinner at a restaurant that we were trying for the first time. The prices were great and the food was even better! We had Mass in the house after dinner with Fr. Frank. He is such a great person! I really enjoyed the Mass, and at the end he said a prayer for us volunteers and acknowledged how hard it can be to leave our homes and families to volunteer here. It's amazing how a simple sentence of recognition can go a long way. I think a lot of us feel that the management doesn't really appreciate how difficult it can be for us sometimes. It meant a lot to me that he prayed for us and our families. On Thursday we went out shopping during the day, came back for dinner at the house, and then went out to the cinema. We saw the movie "Crazy Heart" with Jeff Bridges. I really liked it, but it wasn't the best choice for the group. Friday went by very quickly. We had a late breakfast and then went for a walk to the castle and played a bit of soccer. The weather here has been so amazing! I keep waiting for the rain to come back. It really hasn't rained here any more than it does in Oregon. I don't know what people are always complaining about. :)
Today is a lazy day. I've been working on my trip to Madrid, Milan, and Venice. Trip planning is complicated when several people are involved! But I am just excited to see Jose, Gabriele, Audrey, and Andre one more time before I go back home. The gelato, pizza, and espresso are just icing on the cake. :)
I hope all of you are doing well!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
