Friday night, after the group, Kate and I got dressed up and headed out to Dublin. We were definitely ready for some good times and a little bit of separation from the house and Malahide. We planned to sing 80s karaoke, but the place was completely dead when we got there, so we ventured out to the Temple Bar area, which was bound to be active. We were not disappointed! Every bar was packed with people, and the streets were alive and buzzing with people. We wandered around for a bit and just enjoyed the atmosphere. There was a band performing on the street and people in the crowd were eager to dance to the jazzy Spanish music. We made it into a few pubs and had a lot of fun just the two of us. We ended up in a bar that was crazy packed! Within two minutes we had several drink offers and a couple of weird guys trying to dance around Kate. I think his goal was to impress, but because of the alcohol intake (I hope it was that and not just his dancing skills) the result was far from impressive. We met a lot of different people, including an Elvis impersonator who tried to convince us that he was the real Elvis! Amazing... :) We left shortly after that, feeling the positive effects of Operation De-Stress.
Early Saturday morning, Gabriele, May, Kate, Erin, and I headed out on our five day holiday. (I'm in Ireland now, so I have "holidays" not "vacations". :) ) Were were all excited to get on the bus and head out to the west coast to Donegal, our first destination. There was music and excitement coming from the diamond in the center of Donegal Town as the bus pulled up to the station. We instantly smiled as we heard the Macarena playing while 5 dancers dressed as animals showed off their moves. There was a festival going on during the two days we were there, which was amazing. There were a lot of events and concerts to participate in and it was all free of charge. After we wandered around a bit, we made the 1 km walk to our hostel. We quickly settled in and went right back out again to join in on the festivities. Kate had been talking about fish and chips before we even left that morning, so we were all craving it desperately by the time we made it to Mama's Kitchen. After the delicious meal, we walked around the diamond inspecting all of the pubs that enveloped it, occasionally stopping inside the diamond to listen to a band. The Olde Castle Pub was my favorite, not only because of it's charm and warm atmosphere, but because that was where we met Leo. About two minutes after we sat down, a very drunk man in his early thirties stumbled up to the table, put a little booklet on the table, and asked, "Do any of you read English?" Amused, we all answered him, "Yes." He asked May to read one of the poems aloud. It didn't take us long to figure out the dirty content of the little booklet of poems, and we all began to laugh and joke with our new friend Leo. He asked us if we wanted drinks and I wasn't to shy to give him my order of Guinness and Kate's order of whiskey and club soda. His brother came up to the table and said, "What are you doing? Am I gonna have to pay for all of their drinks??" They had a somewhat private, drunken argument about it and then came back with drinks for us all! Before Leo left, he tried to kiss us all on the cheek, even Gabriele! Leo wasn't taking the rejection from Gabriele very well, and Lele had to tell Leo that he had a boyfriend back home. It was probably one of my Top 3 favorite moments from the entire trip! Nothing else too memorable happened that night. We made it back to the hostel by 2am and woke up early the next morning for more adventures.
Erin left us that morning to head over to Sligo a day early. The rest of us wanted a second day in Donegal, so we split up. I went to Mass and met up with the others in the Abbey Hotel lobby. We hid from the rain and read our books until the sun decided to show it's face again. There was a few fun performances in the diamond, including a band that played the drums while on stilts! It was amazing!!! The Donegal Castle was on all of our to-do lists for that day. It was the first time I've ever been inside a castle! I was not disappointed as we walked inside. The tour was short because it was a very small castle. After the tour, we walked over to the water and waited for our waterbus ride! Before we got on the boat, we saw the ruins of an old abbey not too far off, and we spent our extra time there exploring it. I can't really describe the beauty, but I posted pictures of it on Facebook. I feel like even the pictures only capture a fraction of the real view that I get from being here. But it's the best I can do! The waterbus tour was very fun, and the captain had interesting information for us about several spots along the riverbank. Unfortunately for you, I can't remember any of it! By the time we got done with the boat ride, we were all starving! After much debate on what to eat, we settled on trying out an Indian restaurant. I was slightly apprehensive but pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. The rest of the night was quiet because we were all so tired! After a few more concerts in the diamond we all headed back to get sleep before our departure early the next morning.
We arrived in Sligo in the late morning. Erin met up with us at the bus station and we walked less than a block to The Railroad Hostel. Sligo Town was not very exciting, but it had a quiet charm that agreed with me. Our next plan was to go out to the tombs in Carrowmore. It is the largest megalithic cemetery and one of the four large ones in Ireland. There is much I could say about it, but I'll leave it up to Wikipedia to anyone who might be interested. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrowmore The coolest thing about it was that there were tombs there dated back 6,000 years! It is really hard to comprehend just how old that really is. After we spent some time there, Kate wanted to walk up to the tomb of Queen Maeve. I wasn't really that interested in it, but everyone else was so I decided to go along. We walked an hour to the foot of the mountain. I am not really used to hiking, not to mention I hate it, so I wasn't thrilled about going up a mountain. There was a rocky "path" that lead the way, and I was really not enjoying myself. After about a half hour of walking up the steep rocky trail, I decided it was enough for me. I am not in the shape that the others are and I didn't even really care about seeing Queen Maeve's tomb anyways. So I stopped and enjoyed the spectacular view that I was too annoyed to even notice previously. I even called my mom from that spot! It's amazing that I have one bar of reception in my home in Malahide, but on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere I had full bars! It turns out that there wasn't much more to go because the others came back to where I was only about 20 minutes later. I felt much better after my rest, and then soon realized it was a good thing I did! After we got down the mountain, we had to walk another 3 miles to the nearest town to get a taxi back to Sligo Town!! By the time we got there I was so happy that I didn't have to walk anymore! We were all starving, but we had bought food at the grocery store earlier so we were able to be lazy in the hostel for a while. The friendly hostel owner Sean informed us that there was live traditional music playing at a nearby pub, and we all were excited at the thought of drinking a pint and listening to local music. The band was really good and they even took May's request for Galway Girl. (One of my new favorites now!)
The next morning, we walked around Sligo Town. The highlights included The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the old Sligo Abbey ruins. (No matter how many abbey ruins I see, I never get sick of them!) May, Lele, and Erin headed back to Malahide that afternoon, but Kate and I stayed behind. I'm so glad we did! We had dinner and relaxed while reading our books. I started Gone With the Wind on the day we left for Donegal and I hadn't had much of a chance to read until that afternoon with Kate. It was nice to get deeper into it. I love it so far! Anyways, Kate and I left the hostel around half nine to go to a bar that advertised Tuesday night Karaoke. It didn't take long for us to figure out that the party hadn't started yet. There was no one to be found except for the tired and bored looking bartender. He let us know that it wouldn't start until half ten. So we went to find a different pub to hang out in and waste some time. I wasn't too sure about the place we decided on as we walked in and saw 10 faces starting up at us. Everyone there was at least 60 years old! The bartender however, was in his late 20s and very cute! So we sat down and ordered our drinks. An older gentleman came up and told us that the young bartender was his son and asked us what we thought of him. Glenn, the bartender, sheepishly looked up and informed us that this older man was not his father. It was so funny! Kate and I spent some time talking to Glenn and told him that he should come over to the other bar when he was done and sing karaoke with us. On the way out we were stopped by the older gentleman we met earlier. He and his girlfriend were very sweet and very funny people. He tried to quiz us on American history! Then his girlfriend shouted, "Shut up! These girls don't want to hear you talk about that!" It was great! The other bar was packed by the time we got there. We were instantly greeted by the people inside and offered drinks. It was quite the welcome! Kate and I have previously shared a deep love of Neil Diamond, so it was very appropriate that we should sing my favorite of his, "Forever in Blue Jeans." It is needless to say that we were both tipsy and it is impossible that we sang in tune, but that didn't stop everyone from cheering us on and giving us a huge applause at the end! It was my number one favorite moment from the trip. Hands down. The bar closed a little after our song and the guys asked us to go to a club with them. But Kate had the good sense to say no, and we made our escape back to the hostel. It was late and we were scheduled to leave the hostel at half ten the next morning. I later thanked her for stopping us from being out later than 2am! We left the Sligo at half eleven the next day, feeling very satisfied with our trip and sad to go back to "reality". It's only fair to put quotes on that because I feel like even my reality is still a fun adventure.
Today was filled with chores and meetings. We have a large group that begins tomorrow. It is the same format as a regular group, but we have volunteers and members coming up from Cork and staying here in Malahide. We will have this house and the house in Swords filled with people, as well as a local bed and breakfast. I will be in the bed and breakfast with people from Cork. I won't know anyone there, so I am excited to meet other volunteers and members from another area.
I'm not sure if any of you actually made it through this massive update, but if you did, I love and miss you! More to come after the group!
Love,
Claire
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
I'm ready for a holiday....
After the past week, I'm really anticipating our five days off! I think that all of the work pushed so close together has really tired me out. It's no wonder why today I'm having a little trouble unwinding. There are a few other minor reasons to add to that but I'll spare you. They are unimportant.
My short weekend was very nice. Monday was quiet, as we were all resting from our previous group. On Tuesday, Kate and I headed in to Dublin in the early afternoon. We went to the National Museum of Archeology and the National Library. We spent about 3 or 4 hours in the museum! There was a lot to see, including some really amazing religious artifacts. There was a shoe that belonged to St. Brigit and many items that belonged to St. Columba, the lesser known patron saint of Ireland. I enjoyed that exhibit immensely! The rest of the museum was interesting, but nothing too amazing in my opinion. Normal historical objects. :)
After the exploring, we walked down Grafton Street for a while and had lunch for a second time at Cornucopia. It's a wonderful vegetarian restaurant, and Kate's sister says it's the best in the world! Then we headed to Toni and Guy's Salon for my haircut. Because haircuts are really expensive here (average of 45 €) I decided to get it done by a trainee which would be much cheaper. It ended up being a very long haircut and the girl was super nice. When she walked me to the door she gave me her number and told me that I could call any time for another cut and it would be free! And then she shooed me out the door when I tried to pay her! So it was a free haircut with the promise of more in the future. Amazing huh? Very nice for a volunteer. When we got home I decided that I wanted a new color for my new style. I chose a reddish brown. I didn't want to go too crazy! But it ended up being much more red than I expected! It's taking getting used to, but I'm really starting to like it. And I fit in with the locals more. :)
We got up early on Wednesday to get ready for the group. There was a lot to do before 2pm when they were scheduled to arrive. Normally we have a working day before the group starts to prepare, but because of the weird schedule, there was no time for that. We managed to get it all done, however, and even make the place spotless before Sharon, the break house manager, arrived. Sharon lives in Cork and doesn't come up here very often. I have only met her once before at Kyle's going away party and that was for about five minutes! I was nervous about her being here for the group, and I wanted to make a good impression. Brenda was one of the first members to arrive. She lives in St. Michael's Hospital in a nearby town with four other CASA members (and, of course, many others.) I have met her once before, but only for a quick visit. She is in her 60s and has very limited speech. I was worried that I would have trouble communicating with her, but we got along very well. She is a very special person. On Wednesday night, we all had dinner and then we went bowling. Thursday morning went by very quickly with everyone getting ready and having breakfast before Jimmy (our bus driver) arrived at half eleven. It was my first time assisting someone in the shower alone, and I think I did very well! I was nervous that I would do something wrong, but everything turned out just fine! She is able to transfer out of her wheelchair very well, only needing someone or something to hold on to for balance. After we made it to the Pavillions, we were all off on our separate journeys through the mall. Brenda is a big fan of shopping, and we easily spent her 50 euro! We picked out a few jumpers and some jewelry. She loves to look nice and she received many compliments on her choices. We all met up at half two for the cinemas. Hannah Montana: The Movie was the film choice. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly thrilled by the pick. But it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected! And I heard several of the members singing along, so that was fun. After the movie we all headed back to change for dinner. We went to JJ's All American Bar and Grill again! I really like that place. And the members enjoyed it as well. When we got home, we were all pretty tired but we mustered up some energy for a quick game of Bingo.
This morning seems like a blur to me. After we were all awake and ready, we had a quick breakfast before Mass. Brenda really loves Mass and she was thrilled to sit by the priest! I was really touched by her singing "Here I Am Lord." She isn't really able to pronounce the words, but she sure knows how to join in to the song! It was a really special moment for me. I think there was a mixture of many emotions, including missing home, that caused me to tear up. Mass is really the only time that I feel homesick because it is such a big part of my family. I haven't cried once since I arrived almost two months ago (can you believe it's been almost two months!!??) but that moment got to me. It was really nice in a way. I guess it's the unity of Catholicism that I love the most. Even though I'm so far away I feel connected to home somehow through the Mass. But now I'm back to loving it here and not being able to imagine leaving. So don't worry!! :)
We had a small lunch before the members were picked up one by one in the afternoon. Another member I really enjoyed meeting is Michael. He is such a great presence in the house! He doesn't say much. His three words that he uses often are "happy" "no" and "yeah". He always gives a big thumbs up and says "Happy!!!" It is so great and it makes everyone smile. While we were on the bus at one point Kate asked him if he was ever sad and after a few seconds of contemplation he said, "No!" It was so funny! I look forward to seeing him again.
So now the house is relatively quiet. I'm in the office right now because our computer isn't working. I'm the only one in the house that doesn't own a laptop so I'm kind of cut off from home until they get it fixed. Using this computer is sort of a one time deal. (It's kind of ridiculous but that's all I'm gonna say about that...) So you might not get an update again for a while. Which is fine because I'll be out of town for my holiday anyways! I still need to pack! I better get on that now actually, because Kate and I are headed in to Dublin tonight for Operation De-Stress. I think some 80s karaoke is in order.
Until next time,
Claire
My short weekend was very nice. Monday was quiet, as we were all resting from our previous group. On Tuesday, Kate and I headed in to Dublin in the early afternoon. We went to the National Museum of Archeology and the National Library. We spent about 3 or 4 hours in the museum! There was a lot to see, including some really amazing religious artifacts. There was a shoe that belonged to St. Brigit and many items that belonged to St. Columba, the lesser known patron saint of Ireland. I enjoyed that exhibit immensely! The rest of the museum was interesting, but nothing too amazing in my opinion. Normal historical objects. :)
After the exploring, we walked down Grafton Street for a while and had lunch for a second time at Cornucopia. It's a wonderful vegetarian restaurant, and Kate's sister says it's the best in the world! Then we headed to Toni and Guy's Salon for my haircut. Because haircuts are really expensive here (average of 45 €) I decided to get it done by a trainee which would be much cheaper. It ended up being a very long haircut and the girl was super nice. When she walked me to the door she gave me her number and told me that I could call any time for another cut and it would be free! And then she shooed me out the door when I tried to pay her! So it was a free haircut with the promise of more in the future. Amazing huh? Very nice for a volunteer. When we got home I decided that I wanted a new color for my new style. I chose a reddish brown. I didn't want to go too crazy! But it ended up being much more red than I expected! It's taking getting used to, but I'm really starting to like it. And I fit in with the locals more. :)
We got up early on Wednesday to get ready for the group. There was a lot to do before 2pm when they were scheduled to arrive. Normally we have a working day before the group starts to prepare, but because of the weird schedule, there was no time for that. We managed to get it all done, however, and even make the place spotless before Sharon, the break house manager, arrived. Sharon lives in Cork and doesn't come up here very often. I have only met her once before at Kyle's going away party and that was for about five minutes! I was nervous about her being here for the group, and I wanted to make a good impression. Brenda was one of the first members to arrive. She lives in St. Michael's Hospital in a nearby town with four other CASA members (and, of course, many others.) I have met her once before, but only for a quick visit. She is in her 60s and has very limited speech. I was worried that I would have trouble communicating with her, but we got along very well. She is a very special person. On Wednesday night, we all had dinner and then we went bowling. Thursday morning went by very quickly with everyone getting ready and having breakfast before Jimmy (our bus driver) arrived at half eleven. It was my first time assisting someone in the shower alone, and I think I did very well! I was nervous that I would do something wrong, but everything turned out just fine! She is able to transfer out of her wheelchair very well, only needing someone or something to hold on to for balance. After we made it to the Pavillions, we were all off on our separate journeys through the mall. Brenda is a big fan of shopping, and we easily spent her 50 euro! We picked out a few jumpers and some jewelry. She loves to look nice and she received many compliments on her choices. We all met up at half two for the cinemas. Hannah Montana: The Movie was the film choice. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly thrilled by the pick. But it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected! And I heard several of the members singing along, so that was fun. After the movie we all headed back to change for dinner. We went to JJ's All American Bar and Grill again! I really like that place. And the members enjoyed it as well. When we got home, we were all pretty tired but we mustered up some energy for a quick game of Bingo.
This morning seems like a blur to me. After we were all awake and ready, we had a quick breakfast before Mass. Brenda really loves Mass and she was thrilled to sit by the priest! I was really touched by her singing "Here I Am Lord." She isn't really able to pronounce the words, but she sure knows how to join in to the song! It was a really special moment for me. I think there was a mixture of many emotions, including missing home, that caused me to tear up. Mass is really the only time that I feel homesick because it is such a big part of my family. I haven't cried once since I arrived almost two months ago (can you believe it's been almost two months!!??) but that moment got to me. It was really nice in a way. I guess it's the unity of Catholicism that I love the most. Even though I'm so far away I feel connected to home somehow through the Mass. But now I'm back to loving it here and not being able to imagine leaving. So don't worry!! :)
We had a small lunch before the members were picked up one by one in the afternoon. Another member I really enjoyed meeting is Michael. He is such a great presence in the house! He doesn't say much. His three words that he uses often are "happy" "no" and "yeah". He always gives a big thumbs up and says "Happy!!!" It is so great and it makes everyone smile. While we were on the bus at one point Kate asked him if he was ever sad and after a few seconds of contemplation he said, "No!" It was so funny! I look forward to seeing him again.
So now the house is relatively quiet. I'm in the office right now because our computer isn't working. I'm the only one in the house that doesn't own a laptop so I'm kind of cut off from home until they get it fixed. Using this computer is sort of a one time deal. (It's kind of ridiculous but that's all I'm gonna say about that...) So you might not get an update again for a while. Which is fine because I'll be out of town for my holiday anyways! I still need to pack! I better get on that now actually, because Kate and I are headed in to Dublin tonight for Operation De-Stress. I think some 80s karaoke is in order.
Until next time,
Claire
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Oh Teenagers...
The taxi brought us home early this evening....It was a long weekend. We had a teen group this time, and we stayed at the break house in Swords. It was Jessica's first time to CASA and I could tell she was a little nervous to be left to a group of strangers. She warmed up quickly though. Jessica is a normal 16 year old girl, who was born with spina bifida. Being in a wheelchair has unfortunately kept her from being able to do normal teenager activities, which I believe has more to do with her situation at home than the wheelchair itself. Regardless, it was really good for her to be able to come to the break house and spend time with young people her age. She also was so grateful for being able to go out to the movies, to dinner, and to the farm. She told me that she is never able to go out to eat or go to the cinema. It was great to see how much she enjoyed herself, even though she tried to conceal it behind her teenage attitude. I was, of course, very uncool. I didn't know her Irish boy bands or movie stars. But I think that when you're a teenager, unless you are the equivalent of Miley Cyrus or "the cute" Jonas brother, you're absolutely uncool. So I didn't take it personally. :) I hope that she is able to come again soon.
The weekend was an overall success, with more sleep than we all expected. I really loved riding on the bus with the kids. I especially enjoyed singing "The Wheels on the Bus" with Connor. He has cerebral palsey and isn't able to speak clearly. But he is able to join in on the singing in a limited way and it is adorable! His face lights up with the beginning of each song and it was so much fun! We went to dinner at an "All American" restaurant and it was filled with pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Manroe. It was a nice feeling of home. And Jessica was having fun making fun of me, and told me she was stuck with an American helper and then surrounded by American culture as well! I deserved it though, because I kept teasing her and her people for all of their silly words like "jumper" for "sweater" and "craic" (pronounced "crack") for "fun."
We are all very tired, but we only have two short days until our next group that starts Wednesday afternoon. It will be a very exhausting week, but we have five days off following the next group, so I am very excited. Friday night, Kate and I are going out with a couple guys we met last week, so that should be good. We are the only volunteers who are interested in meeting people outside of CASA, and we make a good team. :) We'll see how it works out. The next morning five of us are headed to the west coast to spend time in Donegal and Sligo. I can't wait to see more of this amazing country!! And I'm the tester for Katie and my parents who will be coming out here later this year. I'll take lots of pictures, don't worry!!
Until next time,
Claire
The weekend was an overall success, with more sleep than we all expected. I really loved riding on the bus with the kids. I especially enjoyed singing "The Wheels on the Bus" with Connor. He has cerebral palsey and isn't able to speak clearly. But he is able to join in on the singing in a limited way and it is adorable! His face lights up with the beginning of each song and it was so much fun! We went to dinner at an "All American" restaurant and it was filled with pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Manroe. It was a nice feeling of home. And Jessica was having fun making fun of me, and told me she was stuck with an American helper and then surrounded by American culture as well! I deserved it though, because I kept teasing her and her people for all of their silly words like "jumper" for "sweater" and "craic" (pronounced "crack") for "fun."
We are all very tired, but we only have two short days until our next group that starts Wednesday afternoon. It will be a very exhausting week, but we have five days off following the next group, so I am very excited. Friday night, Kate and I are going out with a couple guys we met last week, so that should be good. We are the only volunteers who are interested in meeting people outside of CASA, and we make a good team. :) We'll see how it works out. The next morning five of us are headed to the west coast to spend time in Donegal and Sligo. I can't wait to see more of this amazing country!! And I'm the tester for Katie and my parents who will be coming out here later this year. I'll take lots of pictures, don't worry!!
Until next time,
Claire
Monday, June 22, 2009
Lucky Strikes
Another new challenge was in store for me as the members arrived at the CASA break house on Friday afternoon. Anna Cloak came a little after 4pm with another member, Anne accompanied by their helper Grace. Anna is about 65 years old. I was told before the weekend that she enjoys joking around, but that is hardly a helpful hint with her because I had no idea what that meant. How do you joke around with someone you've just met? So as we all sat in the sitting room and got acquainted with our members, I was asking Anna the normal questions. Where are you from? Do you have family in town? Have you been to CASA before? But to my surprise, Anna didn't even look at me. She had no interest in answering any of my questions. So after about 15 minutes of that I started to panic. I was thinking, what the hell am I gonna do for three days with a woman who doesn't want to talk to me?? But I calmed myself down and decided to observe her behavior with the people she already knew. Even though she didn't talk much to anyone else, she had a particular way of connecting with them. And as soon as I felt that she was comfortable with me, I started to mimic her behavior with them to test it out. You see, Anna likes to play a game with people. She will tickle someone when they aren't looking. And then when you look at her and say, "WHO did that??" she says, "It wasn't me!" And that is literally what I did with Anna the entire weekend! You would think that a game like that would get old after about, oh I don't know, 20 times? However, I was so thrilled to have some way to connect with her, that I didn't care that I used the phrase, "Who tickled me?" over a hundred times. It was great! All I had to do was make a silly face and she would laugh and laugh. If I didn't play that game with her, she would sort of retreat into her own world, so I would often make sure we were teasing each other in some way at each moment.
I will admit that having an activity to do was a good relief occasionally. Friday night, we all headed out to the bowling alley. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I really love going bowling with the members. It's a great way for them to have fun and to boost their confidence because they are all able to play, and to do well. And all of us volunteers are there cheering them on. Most of the members were doing very well that night. But in spite of the bumpers, Anna wasn't doing so great. I don't think that it hindered her fun, but I do think she was a little disappointed each time it went down and only hit a few pins. So halfway through the game, after seeing her only get maybe 3 or 4 pins per turn (two shots each turn), I said a prayer that she would have a really good turn and get most of the pins down. Right after I said that prayer, Anna got a strike!!! I couldn't believe it. You may say that's coincidence, but there's no doubt in my mind that God was looking out for us. You should have seen the look on her face. It was so great!! From then on out, she was back to her previous game playing standard, but it didn't matter. It was a really good night for her.
The next day was filled with shopping, a viewing of Night at the Museum 2 (an encore presentation for us volunteers), and dinner at the Grand Hotel. The first part of the day moved very slowly because Anna wasn't interested in shopping whatsoever. But she did like the movie. All of the members were so excited for dinner. That was a really good time for everyone. After dinner, we all came home and spent some time in the sitting room. We played bingo, chatted, had tea, and some of the members sang songs. By 12am I was really ready for bed! Anna got slightly confused at night about what room she was staying in and where the bathroom was. At 1am I woke up to find the door open and Anna wandering around the halls! But I was half asleep myself so it was a very confusing moment for the both of us!
Sunday morning we all gathered for breakfast and games before Mass. After Mass we had a quick lunch and prepared for the members to go home.
I think that the weekend was a success. I really feel like I'm getting better at this job and it's easier for me to put all of my needs aside for those three days. Even though I was tired by the end of each night, I still tried to give Anna as much attention as I could. And I think she had a really good weekend with us.
All of the members interacted with each other nicely. Sometimes the groups don't really come together very well and the members are in their own world with their volunteer. Which is also great. The point of CASA is to give one-to-one attention for the members. But it's really nice when it feels like a whole family together for the weekend. Another member I really loved this weekend is Paul. It's really hard to describe how wonderful Paul is, but I can try. He's probably in his 50s and he is in a wheelchair. He is one of the sweetest and most gentle people I've ever met. And he loves to arm wrestle! He was always having fun no matter what we were doing and it was easy to interact with him. Whenever he asked me my name, he would say, "Claire, from the moment I met you I swear..." :) I really look forward to visiting him again soon.
Other than working, life is the same. Kate and I have been trying to make it out of Malahide and explore Dublin more. We're headed out there tonight, in fact, to see what we can find. Although I am a little afraid there won't be much to see on a Monday night! But it's summer now, so I'm sure people will be out doing things every day here.
Now I'm off to the park. The cleaners are coming and I'm lucky that the weather is nice enough to go out for a walk.
As always, I miss you people. Emails are always welcome. :)
Love,
Claire
I will admit that having an activity to do was a good relief occasionally. Friday night, we all headed out to the bowling alley. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I really love going bowling with the members. It's a great way for them to have fun and to boost their confidence because they are all able to play, and to do well. And all of us volunteers are there cheering them on. Most of the members were doing very well that night. But in spite of the bumpers, Anna wasn't doing so great. I don't think that it hindered her fun, but I do think she was a little disappointed each time it went down and only hit a few pins. So halfway through the game, after seeing her only get maybe 3 or 4 pins per turn (two shots each turn), I said a prayer that she would have a really good turn and get most of the pins down. Right after I said that prayer, Anna got a strike!!! I couldn't believe it. You may say that's coincidence, but there's no doubt in my mind that God was looking out for us. You should have seen the look on her face. It was so great!! From then on out, she was back to her previous game playing standard, but it didn't matter. It was a really good night for her.
The next day was filled with shopping, a viewing of Night at the Museum 2 (an encore presentation for us volunteers), and dinner at the Grand Hotel. The first part of the day moved very slowly because Anna wasn't interested in shopping whatsoever. But she did like the movie. All of the members were so excited for dinner. That was a really good time for everyone. After dinner, we all came home and spent some time in the sitting room. We played bingo, chatted, had tea, and some of the members sang songs. By 12am I was really ready for bed! Anna got slightly confused at night about what room she was staying in and where the bathroom was. At 1am I woke up to find the door open and Anna wandering around the halls! But I was half asleep myself so it was a very confusing moment for the both of us!
Sunday morning we all gathered for breakfast and games before Mass. After Mass we had a quick lunch and prepared for the members to go home.
I think that the weekend was a success. I really feel like I'm getting better at this job and it's easier for me to put all of my needs aside for those three days. Even though I was tired by the end of each night, I still tried to give Anna as much attention as I could. And I think she had a really good weekend with us.
All of the members interacted with each other nicely. Sometimes the groups don't really come together very well and the members are in their own world with their volunteer. Which is also great. The point of CASA is to give one-to-one attention for the members. But it's really nice when it feels like a whole family together for the weekend. Another member I really loved this weekend is Paul. It's really hard to describe how wonderful Paul is, but I can try. He's probably in his 50s and he is in a wheelchair. He is one of the sweetest and most gentle people I've ever met. And he loves to arm wrestle! He was always having fun no matter what we were doing and it was easy to interact with him. Whenever he asked me my name, he would say, "Claire, from the moment I met you I swear..." :) I really look forward to visiting him again soon.
Other than working, life is the same. Kate and I have been trying to make it out of Malahide and explore Dublin more. We're headed out there tonight, in fact, to see what we can find. Although I am a little afraid there won't be much to see on a Monday night! But it's summer now, so I'm sure people will be out doing things every day here.
Now I'm off to the park. The cleaners are coming and I'm lucky that the weather is nice enough to go out for a walk.
As always, I miss you people. Emails are always welcome. :)
Love,
Claire
Friday, June 12, 2009
New Volunteers and Irish Boys
Kate and Jose arrived very early Wednesday morning. We were all slightly groggy, but awake and ready to meet our new housemates. Kate was first, and I knew right away that we would get along great. She wants to travel as well as spend a lot of time in Dublin, and that is something I've really wanted to do. I haven't been able to do it much due to the lack of interest from the other housemates who've been here for a while. I am so happy to have a travel buddy! She also expressed interest in meeting local people our age, so I was thrilled to hear that.
Jose came shortly after Kate. He is from Spain, and is still learning English but he is doing well! I think that living in this house will help him. We all spent some time together in the kitchen as we waited for Khadija to arrive. She had the plans for what we were to do for the day. She also needed to meet with the newbies and do paperwork with them. After that we all walked to the village to show them around. It was fun to be able to show them things because it made me feel like I'm not so new anymore. We all separated for a while, and I took Jose and Kate to the Malahide Castle. Kate was impressed, but I think Jose has seen many bigger and more beautiful ones in his life. We spent time in the house after that, and watched a movie. They were pretty tired from the long day, so we decided not to take them to Gibney's that night.
Yesterday morning was another early day for us sleepy volunteers. We all met in the kitchen and waited yet again for Khadija to come with instructions for the day. We split in to two groups. May and Bohye went to a home to visit a few of the members. Erin, Kate, Jose, and I went to a home called the Cara Cheshire. There, we met up with seven members who live in the home, among about 20 others. The only member I was familiar with was Michalina. It was so good to see her! And I got to meet a man named Sean Maloney, who is very popular at the CASA house. I've heard so many stories about him and it was good to meet him. Sean suffered a brain hemorrhage about 20 years ago. He is very friendly and vocal about his story. He had to relearn how to walk, talk, move his arms, eat, etc. His memory is very poor, so he'll often say the same things over and over again. When I mentioned something about his sister who lives in the states, he looked at me like I was crazy and said, "HOW do you KNOW that??" haha It was adorable! He has an amazing attitude regarding his memory problem and never gets upset if we remind him that he already told us something. He took Kate and I on the tour of the hospital. When we were finished he said, "Would you like a tour?" I enjoyed spending time with him very much and I look forward to seeing him again when he comes to the breakhouse.
Kate expressed that she wanted to go to Gibney's later that night. We convinced Erin to go with us. It was our goal to meet some Irish people, boys in particular. ;) We went inside, but soon realized that most everyone was outside. So we went out there and scoped it all out. We made small attempts at conversation, but with no success. There was one group of guys that sort of talked to us, but then quickly went back to their own group. I assumed they had no interest in us American girls. We were about to leave, when I accidentally bumped into someone and he thought that I thought he was pushing me out of the way. So he was like, "No, no I'm so sorry!" That was the beginning of the rest of the night. We talked to him and his friend David for a while. They bought us all drinks, which of course made us love them even more. David spent a lot of time convincing me that their town is much better than Malahide and that we must come sometime. Apparently it's only 10 km. He's the captain of a rugby team (I think he wanted me to be super impressed, but to his disappointment, I wasn't going to praise him for that) and he told me that they were playing the next day. He insisted that we should come, and that he'd come pick us up to see the match and go to the party afterwards. I was pretty skeptical of him, and I teased him that we don't know him and he could be crazy. But he and his friend seem very cool and I really don't suspect anything from them. So the other girls seem interested in going to the match tonight. It could be fun...we'll see though. He asked for my number, and told me he'd call me today. I made a joke that he probably wouldn't call, and so he called me last night and this morning just to prove that he would. I think he took me a little too seriously. :P A little later a guy from that group I mentioned before, the one that snubbed us, came over and started talking to me. I wasn't having any of it. He asked how we like Malahide and I explained to him that it was lovely, but the people weren't very nice! When he looked playfully offended, Kate and I explained our attempts at conversation. He looked embarrassed at this point and told me he just needed a few drinks for courage before talking to us. He tried to get us to come to a party in a town a few minutes away, but of course we weren't going to go with some guys we just met. But they are from Malahide, and so I think we'll bump into them again soon. He got my number as well, so we'll see.
We left there around half one feeling very successful of our night out. I really hope that we can make friends with some of those guys because they are local and probably know a lot more people and a lot of cool places to go.
Today is another working day. We did a little office work this morning and soon we'll head out to do another visit. I am familiar with two of the members, but I don't know the others. We're taking them to a pub, so that should be very fun.
I suppose that's all for now. I miss you, Oregon!
Love,
Claire
Jose came shortly after Kate. He is from Spain, and is still learning English but he is doing well! I think that living in this house will help him. We all spent some time together in the kitchen as we waited for Khadija to arrive. She had the plans for what we were to do for the day. She also needed to meet with the newbies and do paperwork with them. After that we all walked to the village to show them around. It was fun to be able to show them things because it made me feel like I'm not so new anymore. We all separated for a while, and I took Jose and Kate to the Malahide Castle. Kate was impressed, but I think Jose has seen many bigger and more beautiful ones in his life. We spent time in the house after that, and watched a movie. They were pretty tired from the long day, so we decided not to take them to Gibney's that night.
Yesterday morning was another early day for us sleepy volunteers. We all met in the kitchen and waited yet again for Khadija to come with instructions for the day. We split in to two groups. May and Bohye went to a home to visit a few of the members. Erin, Kate, Jose, and I went to a home called the Cara Cheshire. There, we met up with seven members who live in the home, among about 20 others. The only member I was familiar with was Michalina. It was so good to see her! And I got to meet a man named Sean Maloney, who is very popular at the CASA house. I've heard so many stories about him and it was good to meet him. Sean suffered a brain hemorrhage about 20 years ago. He is very friendly and vocal about his story. He had to relearn how to walk, talk, move his arms, eat, etc. His memory is very poor, so he'll often say the same things over and over again. When I mentioned something about his sister who lives in the states, he looked at me like I was crazy and said, "HOW do you KNOW that??" haha It was adorable! He has an amazing attitude regarding his memory problem and never gets upset if we remind him that he already told us something. He took Kate and I on the tour of the hospital. When we were finished he said, "Would you like a tour?" I enjoyed spending time with him very much and I look forward to seeing him again when he comes to the breakhouse.
Kate expressed that she wanted to go to Gibney's later that night. We convinced Erin to go with us. It was our goal to meet some Irish people, boys in particular. ;) We went inside, but soon realized that most everyone was outside. So we went out there and scoped it all out. We made small attempts at conversation, but with no success. There was one group of guys that sort of talked to us, but then quickly went back to their own group. I assumed they had no interest in us American girls. We were about to leave, when I accidentally bumped into someone and he thought that I thought he was pushing me out of the way. So he was like, "No, no I'm so sorry!" That was the beginning of the rest of the night. We talked to him and his friend David for a while. They bought us all drinks, which of course made us love them even more. David spent a lot of time convincing me that their town is much better than Malahide and that we must come sometime. Apparently it's only 10 km. He's the captain of a rugby team (I think he wanted me to be super impressed, but to his disappointment, I wasn't going to praise him for that) and he told me that they were playing the next day. He insisted that we should come, and that he'd come pick us up to see the match and go to the party afterwards. I was pretty skeptical of him, and I teased him that we don't know him and he could be crazy. But he and his friend seem very cool and I really don't suspect anything from them. So the other girls seem interested in going to the match tonight. It could be fun...we'll see though. He asked for my number, and told me he'd call me today. I made a joke that he probably wouldn't call, and so he called me last night and this morning just to prove that he would. I think he took me a little too seriously. :P A little later a guy from that group I mentioned before, the one that snubbed us, came over and started talking to me. I wasn't having any of it. He asked how we like Malahide and I explained to him that it was lovely, but the people weren't very nice! When he looked playfully offended, Kate and I explained our attempts at conversation. He looked embarrassed at this point and told me he just needed a few drinks for courage before talking to us. He tried to get us to come to a party in a town a few minutes away, but of course we weren't going to go with some guys we just met. But they are from Malahide, and so I think we'll bump into them again soon. He got my number as well, so we'll see.
We left there around half one feeling very successful of our night out. I really hope that we can make friends with some of those guys because they are local and probably know a lot more people and a lot of cool places to go.
Today is another working day. We did a little office work this morning and soon we'll head out to do another visit. I am familiar with two of the members, but I don't know the others. We're taking them to a pub, so that should be very fun.
I suppose that's all for now. I miss you, Oregon!
Love,
Claire
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
I almost went to see the Book of Kells today...
So why am I writing in here if I didn't actually get to see it? Well I'm bored right now, that's why!
The last few days have been quiet around the house. May, Bohye and I were stuck here, while the others were out on trips they had the sense to plan weeks ago. Planning trips last minute is too pricey for me! So I just took it easy and hung out in Malahide for the past few days. I really didn't mind because I know that things will pick up again very soon. Although, when one of my supervisors saw me here on my four-day weekend, she sat me down and told me, "Claire, you HAVE to go out and do stuff while you're here!" I had to explain to her that I'd love to be out doing stuff every single moment that I'm here, but it's not very sensible. So now I'm planning a trip to the west side of Ireland for our next long weekend. :)
Last night, Johnny was supposed to get back from his trip to Italy in the evening so that we could all go out on his last night. He wasn't able to get here until 11:50, however, and the pub closes at 12! (Can you believe that?) So we ended up hanging out here. Johnny wanted to wake up early and head into Dublin to see the Book of Kells before he had to rush back here and then head to the airport to go back to Milwakee. I joined in because it would mean me actually doing something this weekend, and who wouldn't want to go see the Book of Kells? So Johnny, May, Bohye, and I got up early and headed out to the bus that would take us to Dublin. When we got there, we walked to get to Trinity College. The campus is beautiful! I took a few pictures, but not as many as I'd have liked. I have to go back! We got to the building where the Book was and Johnny says, "I don't want to pay the 8 euro to see it." To be honest I was a little irritated. I mean, yes it's his last day here, but seriously? 8 euro? It's not exactly a lot of money, you know? So we ended up turning right around and headed back to Malahide. I consoled myself by remembering that I have 11 more months to go see the damn thing, and I got over it very quickly. Truth be told, I think I was more upset about the loss of sleep than anything else. :P
So the girls took Johnny to the airport, and Erin is also there with her parents saying goodbye. Gabriele is still in Italy for a few days. That leaves me here and slightly bored. But I'll suggest something fun for tonight. We have a new girl Kate coming from Maine tomorrow, and a guy, Jose, from Spain. That will be really fun. It's a "working" day, but all we have to do is hang out with the newbies and take them to the village. Not a bad days work if you ask me. The next few days will be filled with visits. On the working days that we don't have groups, we go out in pairs and visit the members. It's a really great way to stay connected to them, because otherwise we'd only see them three or four times a year. I haven't been on one yet, so I'm really excited to go.
Ok, I'll go do something more productive with my time. Until next time...
Love,
Claire
The last few days have been quiet around the house. May, Bohye and I were stuck here, while the others were out on trips they had the sense to plan weeks ago. Planning trips last minute is too pricey for me! So I just took it easy and hung out in Malahide for the past few days. I really didn't mind because I know that things will pick up again very soon. Although, when one of my supervisors saw me here on my four-day weekend, she sat me down and told me, "Claire, you HAVE to go out and do stuff while you're here!" I had to explain to her that I'd love to be out doing stuff every single moment that I'm here, but it's not very sensible. So now I'm planning a trip to the west side of Ireland for our next long weekend. :)
Last night, Johnny was supposed to get back from his trip to Italy in the evening so that we could all go out on his last night. He wasn't able to get here until 11:50, however, and the pub closes at 12! (Can you believe that?) So we ended up hanging out here. Johnny wanted to wake up early and head into Dublin to see the Book of Kells before he had to rush back here and then head to the airport to go back to Milwakee. I joined in because it would mean me actually doing something this weekend, and who wouldn't want to go see the Book of Kells? So Johnny, May, Bohye, and I got up early and headed out to the bus that would take us to Dublin. When we got there, we walked to get to Trinity College. The campus is beautiful! I took a few pictures, but not as many as I'd have liked. I have to go back! We got to the building where the Book was and Johnny says, "I don't want to pay the 8 euro to see it." To be honest I was a little irritated. I mean, yes it's his last day here, but seriously? 8 euro? It's not exactly a lot of money, you know? So we ended up turning right around and headed back to Malahide. I consoled myself by remembering that I have 11 more months to go see the damn thing, and I got over it very quickly. Truth be told, I think I was more upset about the loss of sleep than anything else. :P
So the girls took Johnny to the airport, and Erin is also there with her parents saying goodbye. Gabriele is still in Italy for a few days. That leaves me here and slightly bored. But I'll suggest something fun for tonight. We have a new girl Kate coming from Maine tomorrow, and a guy, Jose, from Spain. That will be really fun. It's a "working" day, but all we have to do is hang out with the newbies and take them to the village. Not a bad days work if you ask me. The next few days will be filled with visits. On the working days that we don't have groups, we go out in pairs and visit the members. It's a really great way to stay connected to them, because otherwise we'd only see them three or four times a year. I haven't been on one yet, so I'm really excited to go.
Ok, I'll go do something more productive with my time. Until next time...
Love,
Claire
Friday, June 5, 2009
My Fourth Group
I have to start this blog off with a big "HA HA" to everyone stuck in Oregon. You are getting thunderstorms from what I've heard, and I'm working on my tan! Ireland has taken a break from it's constant rain and cloudy skies. It's been almost a week now, and everyone has definitely been taking advantage of the nice weather while it lasts. I went to the beach on Monday. It was so beautiful! It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the beach from my house, so I went there with a book and spent the afternoon relaxing. It was very lovely. I must say that I think I got there faster by walking than the cars next to me! There was a huge traffic jam because it was a Bank Holiday (still not sure what that is but they have a lot of them here!) and everyone was headed through the small village in Malahide to get to the water.
The rest of my weekend was pretty mellow as well. Tuesday night, all the volunteers hung out and had a BBQ. It was Johnny's last night to hang out with us. He's leaving next week to go back home to the US. We had a group for the past few days, and right now he's headed to Italy with Gabriele for our four day weekend. So when he comes back from that he'll have to pack so he won't have much time to hang out with the rest of us. He ended up teaching us a pretty funny card game. It's kind of hard to explain, so I'll just leave it at that. :P
We had an early start Wednesday as we prepared for our group. The members started coming at 2pm. I was with Yvonne. She is 25 years old and she has cerebral palsey. She is a very quiet and shy girl, so at first I was nervous that she would take a while to warm up to me. We sat in the living room with everyone else for a while, and there was a lot of quiet moments. She's a very private person, so I didn't want to ask too many questions in case they would offend her. When everyone arrived, we all went for a walk to the castle. It was so nice out and everyone seemed to enjoy the walk. By the time we got back, dinner was ready and we all piled in to our small kitchen. I felt a little clumsy as I helped her eat her dinner. But she was extremely patient with me, and she knew exactly what she wanted, so that helped. Her speech wasn't always great, and when you paired that with her accent, it definitely made it a challenge for me. But she was happy to repeat herself, which was very much appreciated! I think by the time we left for bowling, she was more comfortable with me, and even laughed at my dumb jokes! She really loved bowling, and I can understand why. She got the highest score! We all got home late and headed to bed shortly after.
The next day we got up and did the same routine. Got ready for the day, ate breakfast, and of course, had tea and biscuits. Because the weather was nice, we were able to go to the zoo. Yvonne liked some of it, but she didn't like a lot of the animals because they stink! So we spent some time in the gift shop towards the end of the trip. I didn't mind too much, because I was at the zoo a few weeks ago anyways. :P We got back just in time to get changed for dinner. We all hopped back on the bus (an event that takes at least 15 minutes) and made our way to The Grand Hotel. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their dinner, and the staff there was very welcoming and helpful. I can understand that it might not be easy seating 16 people, with many in wheelchairs. It wasn't a very large space, but we did great.
After dinner, we had an hour or so to spend in the living room together. All the members did their own thing. Yvonne really wanted to play her Nintendo, so I just mingled with the other members, and occasionally teased her when I heard the familiar sound that Mario makes when he dies. She always gave me a look that said, "Oh jeez. Leave me alone and let me play!" :)
Another member that I really loved this weekend was Michelina. She is such a sweetheart! And she's also the star of CASA. Everyone knows and loves her. She is the twin sister of a woman who works here, so she knows everyone here very well. She loves to color, and is always drawing pictures for everyone, especially the boys! Yvonne and Michelina had a special bond and were often looking out for each other. It was really nice. I had a lot of fun with her.
This morning went by very quickly. We had breakfast and then Mass here at the house. I got to pick the songs, so that was really fun. I picked "Open My Eyes" because it's a really simple one that I figured that most people would know, and if they didn't they could learn it easily. Well apparently that one isn't as popular in the Catholic churches here as it is in Oregon because no one knew it! But Yvonne said she had heard it once or twice so she was very helpful. I appreciated that a lot. As soon as Mass was over, we had a quick lunch and then everyone started leaving around 2pm.
I think it was a pretty successful group. It wasn't as chatty as the last one, so there were lots of quiet moments. I think that most of the members were pretty independant and wanted to do their own thing, as opposed to really enjoying the group activities. But as long as they are all having a good time, I don't see a problem in that. The main focus of this program is to give each person a break from their normal routine and a chance to be social and have fun. And I think that everyone who comes here gets just that.
I really love doing this kind of work. It's a completely new challenge for me. And what I'm starting to realize is that each week is going to be different because each person is different. Even though we do similar things in each group, the activities seem so different to me because my focus is on the member and not the activity. I like caregiving. I think that if after a year I still love this kind of work, I might consider what job opportunities are out there. But I won't get ahead of myself yet. I still have 11 months to decide if I still like it! But I'm really excited about the new opportunties that might come out of it. I like having my options open. :) But this year is really going to help me grow and I am really open to learning as much as I can while I'm here. And that is a positive thing for me to focus on, even when I get a little homesick. I do love hearing from you guys! If you get a chance, send me a quick email me and update me on your lives. :)
Love,
Claire
The rest of my weekend was pretty mellow as well. Tuesday night, all the volunteers hung out and had a BBQ. It was Johnny's last night to hang out with us. He's leaving next week to go back home to the US. We had a group for the past few days, and right now he's headed to Italy with Gabriele for our four day weekend. So when he comes back from that he'll have to pack so he won't have much time to hang out with the rest of us. He ended up teaching us a pretty funny card game. It's kind of hard to explain, so I'll just leave it at that. :P
We had an early start Wednesday as we prepared for our group. The members started coming at 2pm. I was with Yvonne. She is 25 years old and she has cerebral palsey. She is a very quiet and shy girl, so at first I was nervous that she would take a while to warm up to me. We sat in the living room with everyone else for a while, and there was a lot of quiet moments. She's a very private person, so I didn't want to ask too many questions in case they would offend her. When everyone arrived, we all went for a walk to the castle. It was so nice out and everyone seemed to enjoy the walk. By the time we got back, dinner was ready and we all piled in to our small kitchen. I felt a little clumsy as I helped her eat her dinner. But she was extremely patient with me, and she knew exactly what she wanted, so that helped. Her speech wasn't always great, and when you paired that with her accent, it definitely made it a challenge for me. But she was happy to repeat herself, which was very much appreciated! I think by the time we left for bowling, she was more comfortable with me, and even laughed at my dumb jokes! She really loved bowling, and I can understand why. She got the highest score! We all got home late and headed to bed shortly after.
The next day we got up and did the same routine. Got ready for the day, ate breakfast, and of course, had tea and biscuits. Because the weather was nice, we were able to go to the zoo. Yvonne liked some of it, but she didn't like a lot of the animals because they stink! So we spent some time in the gift shop towards the end of the trip. I didn't mind too much, because I was at the zoo a few weeks ago anyways. :P We got back just in time to get changed for dinner. We all hopped back on the bus (an event that takes at least 15 minutes) and made our way to The Grand Hotel. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their dinner, and the staff there was very welcoming and helpful. I can understand that it might not be easy seating 16 people, with many in wheelchairs. It wasn't a very large space, but we did great.
After dinner, we had an hour or so to spend in the living room together. All the members did their own thing. Yvonne really wanted to play her Nintendo, so I just mingled with the other members, and occasionally teased her when I heard the familiar sound that Mario makes when he dies. She always gave me a look that said, "Oh jeez. Leave me alone and let me play!" :)
Another member that I really loved this weekend was Michelina. She is such a sweetheart! And she's also the star of CASA. Everyone knows and loves her. She is the twin sister of a woman who works here, so she knows everyone here very well. She loves to color, and is always drawing pictures for everyone, especially the boys! Yvonne and Michelina had a special bond and were often looking out for each other. It was really nice. I had a lot of fun with her.
This morning went by very quickly. We had breakfast and then Mass here at the house. I got to pick the songs, so that was really fun. I picked "Open My Eyes" because it's a really simple one that I figured that most people would know, and if they didn't they could learn it easily. Well apparently that one isn't as popular in the Catholic churches here as it is in Oregon because no one knew it! But Yvonne said she had heard it once or twice so she was very helpful. I appreciated that a lot. As soon as Mass was over, we had a quick lunch and then everyone started leaving around 2pm.
I think it was a pretty successful group. It wasn't as chatty as the last one, so there were lots of quiet moments. I think that most of the members were pretty independant and wanted to do their own thing, as opposed to really enjoying the group activities. But as long as they are all having a good time, I don't see a problem in that. The main focus of this program is to give each person a break from their normal routine and a chance to be social and have fun. And I think that everyone who comes here gets just that.
I really love doing this kind of work. It's a completely new challenge for me. And what I'm starting to realize is that each week is going to be different because each person is different. Even though we do similar things in each group, the activities seem so different to me because my focus is on the member and not the activity. I like caregiving. I think that if after a year I still love this kind of work, I might consider what job opportunities are out there. But I won't get ahead of myself yet. I still have 11 months to decide if I still like it! But I'm really excited about the new opportunties that might come out of it. I like having my options open. :) But this year is really going to help me grow and I am really open to learning as much as I can while I'm here. And that is a positive thing for me to focus on, even when I get a little homesick. I do love hearing from you guys! If you get a chance, send me a quick email me and update me on your lives. :)
Love,
Claire
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