I went to Mindsville@Napiri yesterday, located at Ang Mo Kio. The committee in-charged was always so busily head-counting us as most of us had never been to this place before. Our travel includes bus-MRT-bus-and walking to this place, which houses intellectually-disabled people. So, as we took bus, the much honored person-in-charge, Z would head-count, be the last to board the bus and be the last to leave also in everywhere that we were going. I feel like budak kecik, but I don't know if the rest felt so.
Being a committee member in any society is always sacrificial (seeing his worried expression all day long before reaching the house) and recalling our past experiences=) But it was definitely worth it.
Anyway, what I want to highlight here is not about being committee member or not (though many of us were brain-washed slightly yesterday). It's about teamwork and satisfaction and lessons from what we had yesterday.
Before going in, we had a temperature screening to prevent H1N1 outbreak in this house. We had to sign some declaration forms. Strict.
Most of the occupants worked from Monday- Friday by packing utilities for SIA (Singapore Airlines) and on weekends, they have some other activities such as trainings for sports. So, only certain weekends, they get to join activities like what we had yesterday- arts and crafts, station games and some light exercises.
We started off in the Arts and Crafts session. It was on butterfly mosaic yesterday. Funny, but we (the volunteers) seemed to be more shy than them. Lol. I helped a lady to paste torn magazine pages to a beautiful butterly picture. We were very quiet at first because I heard her humming like whining (and I thought that she didn't like doing it). I later realised that she enjoys the arts session so much that she finished one mosaic and enthusiastically coloured the second butterfly picture with provided colour pencils within minutes. Boy, she was so fast! It was her who broke the ice first by pointing to me the blank butterfly pictures and telling me to do one too:P I didn't because I told her that we'd be doing it together. I didn't know what language she was conversing- was it Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew or Fuchow? I kept on guessing whenever she spoke some few words. In fact, I also got paiseh to ask her to repeat. And, I still don't know until now. Before leaving to the second activity- game station; this lady actually took 2 blank butterfly pictures on the table, silently folded them under the table and kept it in her small pouch! Then, she turned to me and pointed to me if she can have more. Then, I was like, okay, and gave her two more pieces:P Conspiracy shhhh!
=.=" Am I encouraging her to
In fact, I really could see many personalities among them which varied greatly. There was an occupant whom was very shy. Always quiet and shy. However, another student and I managed to ask him for his name and some simple questions. LX (a 2-year volunteer student at this centre) literally raised her eyebrows when he spoke to us!
Another one was even funnier. In one of the games- musical chair; there was one occupant whom actually wanted me (only, according to another volunteer) to play balloon with him. Even during the exercising session, he insisted me to accompany him. Then, when few of us (the volunteers) were resting at one corner after all the station games and exercising sessions had finished, this same occupant wanted me to sit next to him. And me, being a shy one, didn't agree at first. Hehe:P Then he asked again bout 5 mins later and this time, I gave in, walked and sat next to him. Frankly, it kinda scares me a bit. Useless hor? haih.. And the rest of them were laughing..what an experience..
Overall, it was a very fruitful and enjoying experience to me. I learned to be thankful, emotionally and physically. It definitely reminded me of my past experiences during Fespic games (which was one of the most memorable experience I've ever had!)
Nostalgic...
I'll definitely go back there.
Perhaps, I'll search for nearer homes also because this is a bit too far (unless I managed to find a shorter and easier way to go there).
And so, many of us took this before leaving:
So long~
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