Before we even stepped into her house,her joyful voice greeted us as we slowly piled into her clean and cosy one room flat. There, seated on the couch was a very cute malay elderly smiling at us as she asked us to make ourselves feel at home.
When we offered to help with any housework, she nicely declined and said that we were not her 'maids' and all she needed was our company. Those words made me feel warm inside as she saw us as her companions and she really appreciated our presence.
Even though it was my first time meeting her, she was very warm and friendly. Silence was never present in the small cosy home as the bubbly Mdm Khatijah had never-ending topics to share with us. Be it about her room mate, her son or her past experiences in hospitals, it was never an issue for her to open up about her opinions.
What tugged on my heartstrings was when she showed us a bruised scar on her knee and how it hurt badly after her surgery. Having just been discharged from hospital after leg surgery, I could tell that she was in quite a lot of pain as even minimal movement put her in discomfort. However, despite the pain, she could still manage to do chores such as washing the curtains, sweeping the floor and washing her own clothes!
After about 2 hours of chatting, we told her that we had to leave soon. I could tell that she was quite disappointed but being understanding, she would keep helping us to check the clock so as to make sure we weren't late to report back whilst she continued chatting with us.
Before leaving, Mdm Khatijah commented "Next time ask the same people to come back" though it had just been a few short hours, I could feel that she had already formed a bond with us and wanted to see us again. She even gave everyone a warm hug and peck on the cheek before leaving :)
Being my first session volunteering session with T.H.E.seniors, I felt that this was truly a satisfying experience to be able to make an elderly happier by just taking out a little of my time to accompany them. To me, I felt that instead of me helping her, she actually helped me to by brightening up my day by making me laugh that morning. Hope to see her again soon ^^
xoxo
Yiting
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