Ankush: Hi Jamie!
Jamie: Hi Ankush.
Ankush: As I sit here contemplating what to write, I can’t help but wonder what all the international people around us are talking about in their native tongues. I can only imagine they are chatting about what a wonderful experience they are having in one of the greatest cities in the whole wide world!
Jamie: I would have to wholeheartedly agree! They are all such intriguing folks! Maybe they are also sitting there wondering what we are talking about. I think that we are also experiencing wonderful things in this magnificent city! Did you enjoy yourself at Terence Cardinal Cooke today? I know I sure did!
Ankush: I sure did! It was a great learning experience, but I have to admit it was nothing like what I expected.
Jamie: What were you expecting? Personally, I think I learned a lot despite the fact that I was unsure of what to expect. The social worker that spoke to us today, Thomas White, talked about how many families of the residents at TCCHCC are completely unaware of their family members’ illness. I never realized that families could be completely out of the loop!
Ankush: Yes, that sure was surprising! It’s very sad that they have to hide the truth from their own families, the very people that are supposed to love them unconditionally. But that’s enough about Mr. White; I’m ready to talk about our experience with the residents! Upon first walking into the cafeteria, there was an aura of awkwardness. Almost immediately, a hilarious resident named Scott called each of us over asking our names and telling us jokes. Jamie and I really wanted to play dominoes so I grabbed them off the cart of goodies and we situated ourselves at a table in the back center of the room. Once Amber saw what we were up, she also joined. Unfortunately, Yvonne, the volunteer coordinator at TCCHCC, had to coax one of the residents to play with us. His name was Billy.
Jamie: Billy was an adorable old man who carried around an old tattered suitcase filled with week old free newspapers and poems that he wrote. We played one game of Dominoes with him, but after Ankush won he decided he no longer wanted to play. Then Mr. Earl Roberts came over to our table to play Pitty Pat. He showed us how to play the game, and we quickly caught on. Amber and Ankush quickly grew tired of the game, but Earl continued to play on and on. Throughout the game Earl would interject bits of information about himself. We found out that he came from beautiful St. Thomas and had two daughters. Later, Killian, Carly, Bree and Mohammed joined our game. It was kind of disheartening because I felt that Earl didn’t open up as much as I wanted him to. But I realized that although I may have felt like there was little conversational exchange, we may have brought a little change of pace in Earl’s day.
Ankush: Like Jamie said, I was quick to get sick of Pitty Pat. I moved to the table next to us where I found Cheeto (RA-chi-ta) and Susan playing an action-packed game of spit while Semhar and Shally watched. Soon after, a new resident walked in and parked herself near our table. Cheeto asked her if she wanted to play cards, but she politely declined. While watching this encounter I couldn’t help but notice that this resident seemed slightly distressed. I continued watching her from the corner of my eye while I engaged Semhar in an intense game of spit and noticed that she kept a close eye on what we were doing. Cheeto, most likely picking up this, asked the resident a second time if she would like to play cards. Although she once again declined the offer, this time she came closer to the table and said she would just watch. Eventually, the resident asked if they could play the matching game, and what happened next finally made me understand our role at the clinic. Even though she did not talk much, we could all tell that there was a marked improvement in her mood as the game progressed; after each pair was made, she would smile and pump her fist in the air and was becoming more and more engaged in the process. This culminated in her asking if we were going to be back tomorrow, sort of putting the cherry on top of a sundae made out of love.
Jamie: That sounds lovely, Ankush! A sundae made out of love sounds astoundingly delightful! I had a similar experience with my new friend Belen. I met her after I got tired of playing Pitty Pat. I learned that she was born in Puerto Rico and was the only daughter in a family with five sons! Belen used to be a hairdresser, and her name means ‘Bethlehem’. I loved it when she told me that I had beautiful hair. She told me that I should grow out my hair and never cut it, and I am going to listen to her! J It made me sad when I realized that Belen had short-term memory loss. She asked me how many siblings I had so many time that it pained me a little more each time she asked. But similar to Ankush’s experience, I think Belen enjoyed the time that we spent talking together about our lives because she asked me if I was going to come back again, and I was so happy that I was able to tell her that I would indeed be returning the following day. She was excited to hang out again, and I have to admit that I am anxious to see Belen again, too. I wish I could be able to tell her that I will always visit her, but sadly that is not the case. Did you enjoy the concert that LifeBeat: Hearts and Voices put on for the residents? I particularly loved watching the residents swaying and clapping to Elijah Rock and Billie Holiday’s Summertime. And did you also have a good time at Darbar? Yay! Happy birthday to Craig! Nom nom nom Indian food :)
Ankush: Yes, Darbar was great! All in all, I really enjoyed our experience thus far at TCCHCC and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow! Even though it may seem like we’re not making a huge impact by just playing games with the residents, I really feel like they enjoy having us there, even if it is just for a change of scenery.
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