So, this past Saturday, I volunteered a couple ours of my time in order to aide the elderly veterans of the Indiana Veterans Home. It was an awesome experience to lend a helping hand in some way, especially since it was the first time I have volunteered outside of an organization like the boy scouts. I wasn't alone in this adventure either. Maggie Young and I were partners in crime for this excursion.
We were tasked with the honorary duty of aiding the elderly in playing bingo. I had never played bingo and was surprised to see how much these people enjoyed it. Maybe everyone enjoys bingo, and I'm just that kid who sits in the corner and reads books instead of being social. I enjoyed the comments of the residents especially the woman who danced every time she closed a window over a number. She looked at the man o n her left and said "you can't cheat here, this is a military home. If you cheat they shoot you dead".
My favorite part of the service experience was meeting with some of the senior enlisted U.S. Navy personnel. Particularly one woman, a Petty Officer First Class who had already received her selection to be promoted to Chief Petty Officer. She was originally from Ireland and spoke fluent Gaelic, as well as vividly depicting her experience at Marine Corps Martial Arts training. speaking with her and the other Chiefs present was the icing on the cake of this experience.
Yeah, I can definitely agree with you that just simply helping out in some way with seniors especially can be such a good experience. It makes us feel good, but even more than that, we know what we do for them will let them live a bit better. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, bingo must really be a popular game amongst nursing homes! Maybe it's because of how bingo is such a traditional American game?? (The Hong Kong nursing home I attended never had bingo or the like.) But anyways, yeah, I bet the comments from the seniors would be really funny or really interesting, since elderly in general can come up with some quirky remarks due to their esteemable age. :D The comment you quoted was really funny. Man, she is intense!
I hope that we both get to communicate a lot with the residents at our respective homes in the future. I'm betting the conversations we have with them will certainly be the highlights of this 30-hour volunteer service.
That seems like so much fun and it is so awesome that you have also decided to honor our veterans! I have volunteered at several retirement and nursing homes multiple times playing bingo and it was always a rewarding experience for me too. Had you really never played any type of bingo before this experience at the Veteran's Home? Did you get to work with Maggie or were you separated? The lady's comment about getting shot if you cheat is so funny and sounds just like something an older person would say. So what exactly is a senior enlisted U.S. Navy personnel? That is so interesting that she could speak Gaelic because that is such an uncommon language. Do you think that you will get a chance to do other volunteer work at the veteran’s home besides play bingo? Did you get to Eagle Scout rank like Luke? If so, what was your Eagle Scout project? I hope you enjoy your next visit too!
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