VOLUNTEER WORK AT THE ELDERLY CENTER

I'm taking a break from work at the Carmel Elderly Day Center (Merkaz Yom L-K'shish Carmel) and decided to jump on the computer for a second. (They have a computer room where the people come and sit and play solitaire games or check their email and look at pictures sent from their kids and such.) Anyway, I found a link that has a description of the center and Hebrew and a couple of pictures, so I figured I'd add it to my blog.

Here is is: <http://www.shilo.co.il/asg/Item_24.html>

I work here three days a week. When I arrive at 8:45, breakfast is already being served in the dining room. (God knows when everyone actually gets here! I'm probably still in bed then.) I jump right in and help clear up and push the tables around so the people can come back in and use the room for a seated exercise session. Then I eat. (That's the best part.) Then I set up the tables for lunch and have an hour or so to do whatever I feel like. (That's what I'm doing right now.) Sometimes I just sit down in the lounge/lobby area with a Hebrew text book and someone undoubtedly comes over and talks with me, be it one of the elderly folks (telling me I should meet their granddaughter and stay in Israel), the social worker who's 24 years old (who loves to practice English), or one of the Filipino m'taplim (caretakers) who live with some of the people who come here and speak English as a second language (the first being Tagalog). After my free time, I return to the kitchen, grab some lunch and then help serve lunch and clean it up. I usually make it out of the center by 1:45. Then I usually have other work elsewhere in Haifa.

That's about all I have time for now. Look forward to future blog entries about my other volunteer options.