Hello!
Had a really meaningful trip to an old folks' home earlier today with my classmates.
We were the last class to leave the hall hahaha but it was probably good cause we needed to rehearse for our performance later on.
Though we didn't go on with our plans, it was fun singing with them.
So then we boarded the bus and reached Lee Ah Moi home (which is like 10 mins away from my house)
Once we reached, the condition and silence of the place struck me, and probably the rest too.
The previous old folks' home I went to (Man fut tong) had better facilities and felt livelier, so this was a totally different experience.
Then we walked in, and understood why.
Most of them were really aged and weak.
And some had special needs.
The eldest, we were told, is more than a hundred years old!
The initial solemn mood made me feel like i was living in a poem, it was that intense.
But we soon warmed up and in the end, saw everyone letting their shield down.
I got to feed a lady who looked very sickly, she didn't even had her eyes open the whole time.
It was a moving experience, really, having to feed someone who is almost... helpless.
It was nice seeing my classmates and teachers actively participating.
Though most of us cannot communicate and can barely understand their wants and needs, we tried reaching out.
Not everyone is comfortable with interacting but seeing everyone try was...nice.
Most of my classmates played games like jenga and board games with the male elderly who were waiting for feeding time, and it was so cute seeing everyone (yes including my classmates) having so much fun!
Guys, these people may seem to be well taken care of but there's so much more to that.
Lack of love and attention, noone deserves that.
What makes it sadder is that some of them had been in that home for more than 30 years.
And the food given, some of us would probably rather starve than try to eat them.
It's unfair.
They may have caretakers, but noone is really there to talk and spend time with them.
Only a handful had their families visiting, and even then, only 1 or 2 of the family members were present.
A personal moving experience for some of us was when a lady kept telling us to study hard, while holding our hands tight.
She called us "her children", and she told us she loved us, and that we must love her back.
Seeing my classmates and Mr vivek try to comfort her was amazing.
And then she kissed us on the cheeks one by one.
The interesting thing is, this happened about 15 minutes before we left.
When we first reached, this lady was the bitter one.
She didn't enjoy our presence, she wanted to be left alone.
But after Jun Sen came and talked to her, she started smiling and opening up.
No idea what charm he used hahahahaha.
And another moving part was when the class sat in a circle near the carpark area and shared our personal takeaways.
I saw my classamates in a slightly different light.
I learnt things about them, about their family and backgrounds.
I understand why some of them act how they act.
I can see most of them letting their guards down.
And I can see those who still has their walls up.
Most importantly, I see how capable of loving each one of them are.
I just hope this experience changed even a little part of us, and make us appreciate the people around us more.
For these elderly, some of them finds it OK that none of their children visit them, as they don't want to trouble their kids.
They think it's OK, because their kids no longer need them.
Some of them kept optimistic and are still thankful, even viewing living in the home a blessing as they are taken care of, fed, and are sheltered.
This serves as a lesson to us.
I hope the things we learnt from this eye opening experience stays.
I hope we impacted some of their lives even just a bit.
It would be amazing if we could make a return visit.
Some of my classmates who touched me today were
1) Amel (she patiently fed a lady and I saw her heart and soul out there)
2) Kristel (who has been a nice person in my eyes all these while, and today just emphasized it)
3) Justinne (who recited the bible to an english speaking lady as if she was reading a bedtime story)
4) The boys, (Benjo, Antonin, Jun sen and Jaypy)
And like almost everyone else.
Thanks 13A3 for today's enriching experience!
I hope we all grow to become useful people to the society.