八年级下册英语作文志愿者养老院

八年级下册英语作文志愿者养老院

Volunteering at the Sunny Vista Nursing Home

When my teacher first told our class that we'd be volunteering at a nursing home for the semester, I'll admit I wasn't too excited about it. I thought it would be pretty boring just hanging out with a bunch of old people all day. But boy was I wrong! Volunteering at Sunny Vista turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had.

On our first day, we met with the activities director who explained what we'd be doing. Some of us would help out with activities like bingo, arts and crafts, singing, and reading out loud. Others would just visit with the residents one-on-one and keep them company. I was assigned to the activities group at first.

Walking into the big activity room, I felt a little nervous. There were about 20 residents there, some in wheelchairs, others just sitting in chairs arranged in a circle. Many of them looked pretty frail and confused. I wondered if I'd be able to connect with them at all.

But as soon as we started the bingo game, things changed. The residents immediately came alive, yelling out numbers and joking around with each other. Mrs. Johnson pretended to be

hard of hearing whenever I called out the numbers she didn't have on her card. Mr. Rodriguez told corny jokes in Spanish between turns. Even residents who struggled putting the bingo chips on their cards still laughed and smiled.

After a few weeks, I got to know the residents really well. Like Mrs. Martinez who insisted we all call her "Abuela" and pinched my cheeks constantly. Or Mr. Lee who had been an engineer and loved explaining how things worked. Or Ethel who always wore bright red lipstick and told stories about growing up during the Great Depression. Each one had lived such an amazingly full life.

It made me sad when residents like Ethel started declining in health over the semester. She went from walking assisted to a wheelchair to finally not recognizing me at all. But we'd still hold her hand as she dozed off during activities. Spending time with residents who were confused or non-verbal required a lot of patience, but they always seemed to appreciate having us teenagers around.

My favorite activity was our weekly "Travel Around the World" theme day. We'd pick a country and decorate the room with maps, traditional objects, and music from that place. Then we'd do a craft, dance, or food tasting related to the culture. I learned so much about different countries and customs from the

residents who had been there. Like how Mr. Haber lived in Israel as a kid and taught us some Hebrew phrases. Or when Mrs. Patel's daughter brought in delicious Indian samosas for us all to try.

After a couple months, I switched to the one-on-one visiting group. This ended up being even more special. I was paired with Joe, a gentle man with Parkinson's disease. At first he didn't say much, but I could tell he appreciated me reading out loud to him or just sitting quietly holding his hand. Slowly Joe started opening up more and sharing amazing stories from his youth.

He had grown up on a farm in Georgia and told tales about hunting, farming, and making moonshine with his brothers as kids. Joe explained all the mechanics of how they used to distill the moonshine in an old barn. He loved reminiscing about the mischief he and his brothers got into in those days. I'll never forget his raspy Southern drawl or watching his eyes light up as he described getting chased by federal officers through the woods after being caught.

As the semester went on, I looked forward to my time with Joe every week. He didn't have any family who visited, so our chats meant everything to him. Sometimes I'd bring in old photo books or music from the 1930s to jog his memory and stories.