Home for the Aged OJT

Last June 27, 2006 we went our way to Carmona, Cavite for another tough training. This was another 150hrs of On-the-job training. We experienced many tough and yucky things here! But though I was able to test again my patience and my stomach.

I've learned that babies are soft and oldies are brittle. Handling children needs a lot of patience and handling old people needs lots and lots and lots of patience!

From left is Maricel, me, Bryan, Leila, and Joyce at Tahanan ni Maria , Carmona Cavite, Philippines.

At the back is the small chapel located inside the institution where grandpas & grandmas held their morning and afternoon prayer and also Sunday Mass. Everybody is required to attend even if you are of different faith.

Us together with some of the grandmas of the institution. Some can still speak and some just staring blankly in the air. Oh if only I could read their minds and know exactly what their thinking of!

Every afternoon this is how their time is spent. We interact with them and some has good stories to tell about their past and some don't.

I find it very boring for them and for me it's like as if they were just waiting for their own time to be taken from the earth.

This is Lola (means Grandma) Celing. She's from Bicol region and for me she's the grandma who has the sweetest smile here. I'm taking her Blood Pressure.

We check vital signs morning and afternoon.

This is Kuya (older brother) Andrew. He's intelligent and have many things to share about his life but he's not the type of person who starts the conversation. He also doesn't want to be called Lolo.

He still can walk with the help of his prostetic feet and canes.

One time he asked me, "What have you learned here?" then I said, "Many and I was able to see my self a few decades from now." Then he was quiet.

We still exchange messages through our cellphones.

The Grandmas and Granpas of Tahanan ni Maria. Many have died already a few weeks after we had our OJT.

It hurts me to think that most of them were abandoned by their own family and relatives.

I just hope and pray that they will leave this earth with happy memories and with the love of all those people who took care of them.