The sunset is near at sunrise

As the end of my service learning at Sunrise View Retirement Villa draws near, I can't help but be in disbelief that it's gone by so quickly. It seems like last week I was running around like crazy trying to get all my papers turned into Sharyn. As of today, I have spent ten hours at Sunrise over the past few weeks. Thursday will be my second to last shift, so I'm not done yet. And it seems a bit premature to be reflecting already, but here it goes.
Volunteering with the elderly and senile has given me a greater appreciation for them. Not that I was ever anti-geriatric but, I've always been uncomfortable around people when they start to lose their faculties. Spending time there has been a good eye opening experience for me. Mostly I've been interacting with the residents of Sunrise by leading them in various games and such. Every encounter has been wonderful whether by bringing the room to laughter or getting mean mugged by a disgruntled BINGO player. They're all a pleasure to be around and I'm so glad I decided to tackle my discomfort with the elderly, and give myself an opportunity to change and grow. Some of the changes I have noticed with my opinions of the elderly, is the realization that they have the same basic emotional needs that I do. They want to smile, laugh, have fun, and be heard. I feel bad that I ever had any negative feelings to begin with. One thing that struck me is one day (I hope) I'm going to be an old lady, and I'd hate to know anyone would feel uncomfortable around me just because I'm elderly. I really had to take a good look at the big picture.
Volunteering at Sunrise has been an eye opening experience. It has changed me for the better, making me realize that we are all human beings with needs, no matter what our age. During my remaining shifts I'm going to make sure to enjoy every last minute, and keep my eyes and ears open to the possibility of more inner growth.

Climbing a mountain of roadblocks

When I look at my service learning so far, it's hard to pinpoint anything remotely parallel to Greg Mortenson's accomplishments and setbacks in "Three Cups of Tea" and my service learning at Sunrise Retirement Villa. Yes, we are volunteering just as Mortensen is, but I'd like to find something deeper than the obvious . Due to a major flu outbreak at my service site, I wasn't able to make it this past week. Perhaps the closest comparison I can think of is facing roadblocks. Mortensen's roadblock was coming up with the funds to build a bridge after spending most of it on the school. My roadblock was a flu outbreak that kept me from fulfilling my scheduled service for the week, and now I have to scramble to find the time to make up for that lost day. One quote I feel sums up our similar dilemmas is,"Pull yourself together, Greg. Of course you've hit a few speed bumps," Reichardt said. "But what you're trying to do is much more difficult than climbing K2."(Mortensen 106) Now I realize spending a couple hours a week isn't a monstrous task, but finding the time between juggling work, school, and having a family to take care of really does feel like climbing a mountain some days.