11 Sept Visit

Here's another first-timer writing about her experience. And like the rest, I have only good things to say about the visit. Because, truly it was a meaningful time spent with a friendly group of volunteers, with an equally friendly bunch of elderly.

I don't know if it's just me, but when I got off bus 13 and attempted to make my way towards the void deck, the Geylang Bahru estate had this distinctly 'ancient' vibes - you look around and you see more elderly than if you were in Tampines, Bishan etc; and the area seemed abit more neglected and run-down. It seemed like the perfect place for volunteers to come, and hopefully do something to 'brighten' up the lives of the elderly. I admit that on my part I was expecting to meet downcast, bored, pessimistic elderly.

However, to my pleasant surprise, the 2 elderly - Mr Tan and Mdm Chow (i think?) were really warm. In S'pore, we are always feeling warm, but how often do we truly feel warmth? I was quite taken aback by how positive/optimistic/cheerful/joyful/chatty the elderly were. they were everything I had not expected. Although I do hope, that us volunteers, met their expectations. It was funny because they didn't really seem to need our help with the household chores, in fact Mdm Chow kept insisting that we just sit down, while Mr Tan welcomed us to join him to watch TV. So then I realised, perhaps it was not so much what we did, but it was our presence, the fact that they had companions, and had someone to chit chat with that mattered.

As a first-timer, it did feel awkward at times, struggling with the language barrier, and also thinking of how to get the conversation going. in fact, it was Mr Tan and Mdm Chow who initiated the conversation at times, and they were so earnest to chat with us, it almost seemed as if we were the 'elderly' who had to be taken care of!

2 hours flew past and the visit was over. Mdm Chow asked me why I kept smiling, she jokingly asked whether I had picked up money. I kept that question in my head, and then I realised, that it was perhaps because these few hours spent interacting with the elderly were probably the most meaningful hours in my entire week. I could have spent these few hours mugging, shopping, eating, playing, sleeping and doing things that probably made me happy, but at least for these few hours at Geylang Bahru, I felt like I had made someone else happy too.

So I certainly looking forward to the next visit! because I know it is not seeing us once that makes the elderly happy, but it is seeing us returning back every now and then, that makes them truly happy (i hope!).

- Priscilla (Canto Group)