Mia Chi Posted on March 30,2015 February 5, 2015
Volunteer: Grandpa's house & Serving Alumni
I’m always used to being served, so when I volunteered by serving others this weekend, it was a very different experience! This weekend I volunteered at St. Anne’s Alumni Reunion. It was fun serving people and making them coffee and tea. I also volunteered at my grandpa’s house to help take care of him.
Ever since last October, my mom has been taking me to my grandpa’s house to take care of him. Back in October he broke his arms falling down a hill. It was really hard for everyone the first few months. I volunteered by helping him exercise and get used to living without using his arms. He needed to exercise his legs because there are a lot of hills in Chinatown, and without his arms he can’t balance himself properly. First, we got a mini-treadmill that involved only his feet. I had to strap his feet in and hold it down so that it wouldn’t flip over. He had to peddle 100 times before we moved on to the next exercise. My job was to encourage him and make sure he didn’t stop. Next, I would hold my hand about 2 feet off of the ground, and he had to lift his knee up and hit my hand.
As the weeks progressed, he began to walk. My mom, my cousin, and I had to stand behind him wherever we went so that he wouldn’t fall. Going downstairs was a nightmare. But that job was potentially dangerous, so I didn’t help with that. Then, there was lunchtime. My grandma did a very good job keeping up with regular life and taking care of my grandpa. But I could still see the tired look on her face every time I saw her. So, my mom suggested she go out to Chinatown just to get some fresh air. While she was gone, I helped feed my grandpa jook(Chinese porridge). It was like taking care of a baby! I had to feed him, wipe his mouth, rub his back, and wipe his nose! However, it wasn’t just work, before he took a nap we watched dog with a blog, and it was funny watching him laugh about a talking dog. Taking care of my grandpa was a lot of work, but he’s family, so it’s worth it.
Serving food is fun but it’s tougher than it looks! When you see the waiters in restaurants balancing plates on their arms, it’s actually very hard and takes a lot of practice! I took the food that we were given, and went to the first table I saw that wasn’t already taken. As more and more food came out, more requests came too. Servers were rushing all around me. Some of my friends even got tips! As I helped serve at other tables, I began to talk to some very nice and interesting people. I watched as all of the people talked and laughed about good times they had together. After we served them dinner (and seconds), it was time for dessert! For dessert, there was chocolate and white cake, brownies, cookies, and butterfly cookies. Everyone at my table seemed to want chocolate cake! It was getting busy, everywhere I turned, kids were trying to balance cake and cookies on their arms. Just when things started to cool down, I received my first tip! I know it’s supposed to be about the alumni coming back together, but it was still exciting! Finally, at the end of the night, it was time to pass out the annual St. Anne cup. I watched as the people couldn’t help smiling as they examined the cup, remembering old times back at St. Anne. Everyone was very nice, and it felt good to serve them. It was all worth it, because as they all left, they all shared a final moment. They were remembering what was then, and what is now. Looking back on the past, and moving forward with their lives. I thought to myself, I hope when I’m an alumni, my friends and I will be able to look back with the same smiles on our faces.
Overall, I enjoyed this volunteering experience. Serving the alumni was fun because I did it with my friends. The best part about serving them was that they all seemed really happy to be there with their friends again. Helping my grandpa is really like taking care of a baby. But, I liked helping him not only because it’s good for him, but because it lifts the stress load off of my mom, grandma, and aunt. My grandma gets a break for at least an hour, and my mom can get some sleep when I’m taking care of him. So, I enjoyed volunteering because it was fun, and my grandpa benefitted from it. It really is true, that giving back to others is better that receiving for yourself.
Volunteer: Grandpa's house & Serving Alumni
I’m always used to being served, so when I volunteered by serving others this weekend, it was a very different experience! This weekend I volunteered at St. Anne’s Alumni Reunion. It was fun serving people and making them coffee and tea. I also volunteered at my grandpa’s house to help take care of him.
Ever since last October, my mom has been taking me to my grandpa’s house to take care of him. Back in October he broke his arms falling down a hill. It was really hard for everyone the first few months. I volunteered by helping him exercise and get used to living without using his arms. He needed to exercise his legs because there are a lot of hills in Chinatown, and without his arms he can’t balance himself properly. First, we got a mini-treadmill that involved only his feet. I had to strap his feet in and hold it down so that it wouldn’t flip over. He had to peddle 100 times before we moved on to the next exercise. My job was to encourage him and make sure he didn’t stop. Next, I would hold my hand about 2 feet off of the ground, and he had to lift his knee up and hit my hand.
As the weeks progressed, he began to walk. My mom, my cousin, and I had to stand behind him wherever we went so that he wouldn’t fall. Going downstairs was a nightmare. But that job was potentially dangerous, so I didn’t help with that. Then, there was lunchtime. My grandma did a very good job keeping up with regular life and taking care of my grandpa. But I could still see the tired look on her face every time I saw her. So, my mom suggested she go out to Chinatown just to get some fresh air. While she was gone, I helped feed my grandpa jook(Chinese porridge). It was like taking care of a baby! I had to feed him, wipe his mouth, rub his back, and wipe his nose! However, it wasn’t just work, before he took a nap we watched dog with a blog, and it was funny watching him laugh about a talking dog. Taking care of my grandpa was a lot of work, but he’s family, so it’s worth it.
Serving food is fun but it’s tougher than it looks! When you see the waiters in restaurants balancing plates on their arms, it’s actually very hard and takes a lot of practice! I took the food that we were given, and went to the first table I saw that wasn’t already taken. As more and more food came out, more requests came too. Servers were rushing all around me. Some of my friends even got tips! As I helped serve at other tables, I began to talk to some very nice and interesting people. I watched as all of the people talked and laughed about good times they had together. After we served them dinner (and seconds), it was time for dessert! For dessert, there was chocolate and white cake, brownies, cookies, and butterfly cookies. Everyone at my table seemed to want chocolate cake! It was getting busy, everywhere I turned, kids were trying to balance cake and cookies on their arms. Just when things started to cool down, I received my first tip! I know it’s supposed to be about the alumni coming back together, but it was still exciting! Finally, at the end of the night, it was time to pass out the annual St. Anne cup. I watched as the people couldn’t help smiling as they examined the cup, remembering old times back at St. Anne. Everyone was very nice, and it felt good to serve them. It was all worth it, because as they all left, they all shared a final moment. They were remembering what was then, and what is now. Looking back on the past, and moving forward with their lives. I thought to myself, I hope when I’m an alumni, my friends and I will be able to look back with the same smiles on our faces.
Overall, I enjoyed this volunteering experience. Serving the alumni was fun because I did it with my friends. The best part about serving them was that they all seemed really happy to be there with their friends again. Helping my grandpa is really like taking care of a baby. But, I liked helping him not only because it’s good for him, but because it lifts the stress load off of my mom, grandma, and aunt. My grandma gets a break for at least an hour, and my mom can get some sleep when I’m taking care of him. So, I enjoyed volunteering because it was fun, and my grandpa benefitted from it. It really is true, that giving back to others is better that receiving for yourself.
Kianna Ng Posted on March 15, 2015
Tutor Time Travel
Let’s go back in time to the beginning of seventh grade. I have been dreaming for this moment, when I am finally able to give back to the school. When Mrs. Meek asked the class to volunteer to tutor some kids who need help at school, no one signed up. I wasn’t so sure about it because what if my tutee was unwilling to listen to me? Then one of my best friends, Isabel signed up and I thought, “Hey, why not?” So I signed up and waited eagerly for what was going to happen next.
The day finally came when I was called down to meet my tutee. Once Mr. White said, “Kianna Ng and Alex Woo,” at first I thought he was a girl. When I met him, I thought, “Okay, never mind, Alex is a boy. He looks like an obedient kid.” Soon the next week finally came and we started work. “It’s Good, Mrs. Flynn gave us a schedule to do work every day,” I thought. As I turned around to introduce myself to Alex, I notice that he was gone! I asked Isabel where he went because I sat with her. She said, “I saw him go outside the library.”
I was so relieved when she told me that, and then he came back. “Where did you go?” I asked him. He replied one simple compound word, “Bathroom.” Soon after we had completed multiple choice questions, Alex went outside again. This time he said, “I went to drink water.” After we had finished all his work, I asked him some simple questions. “What is your favorite color? Who’s your teacher? Is she nice? What’s your favorite animal?” Until Isabel burst out with the awkwardest question known, “Do you have a girlfriend?” Alex replied a simple answer for a simple question, “No!” Isabel and I started laughing but then time was up.
Coming back to the present, Alex finishes his work, then plays a memory game with Isabel’s tutee, Airi Yokusuka. Now Casey has joined tutoring and her tutee is a boy named Matthew Wallerstein. Matthew and Alex hate each other. For example, just yesterday Matthew was doing math and thinking about eight times two. Suddenly, while he’s thinking and Casey is waiting, Alex blurts out, “Sixteen, so easy.” I scolded him by saying, “Don’t do that. Pay attention to your own work!” but, does that work? “No.”
One skill I used was discipline and focus. Focus because I had to try to not talk to my friends. Two people who made an impact on me were Isabel and Casey. Isabel influenced me to sign up for tutoring. Casey, helped me understand how to do fourth grade math again. These are two of my best friends that helped me take risks.
Going into the future, I would love to tutor next year as an eighth grader. “Ah, I’m so excited to graduate!” I said to myself while writing this essay. I love the experience I get almost everyday from tutoring. Even though it’s hard to take control of little kids, I would want to volunteer again helping them. I have a passion for playing with children and helping them, so I encourage others to volunteer to help other and smaller kids. Lastly, I feel like I helped people with their future, and I have that warm and fuzzy feeling inside of me. Although, I have many dreams, this is one that came true.
Tutor Time Travel
Let’s go back in time to the beginning of seventh grade. I have been dreaming for this moment, when I am finally able to give back to the school. When Mrs. Meek asked the class to volunteer to tutor some kids who need help at school, no one signed up. I wasn’t so sure about it because what if my tutee was unwilling to listen to me? Then one of my best friends, Isabel signed up and I thought, “Hey, why not?” So I signed up and waited eagerly for what was going to happen next.
The day finally came when I was called down to meet my tutee. Once Mr. White said, “Kianna Ng and Alex Woo,” at first I thought he was a girl. When I met him, I thought, “Okay, never mind, Alex is a boy. He looks like an obedient kid.” Soon the next week finally came and we started work. “It’s Good, Mrs. Flynn gave us a schedule to do work every day,” I thought. As I turned around to introduce myself to Alex, I notice that he was gone! I asked Isabel where he went because I sat with her. She said, “I saw him go outside the library.”
I was so relieved when she told me that, and then he came back. “Where did you go?” I asked him. He replied one simple compound word, “Bathroom.” Soon after we had completed multiple choice questions, Alex went outside again. This time he said, “I went to drink water.” After we had finished all his work, I asked him some simple questions. “What is your favorite color? Who’s your teacher? Is she nice? What’s your favorite animal?” Until Isabel burst out with the awkwardest question known, “Do you have a girlfriend?” Alex replied a simple answer for a simple question, “No!” Isabel and I started laughing but then time was up.
Coming back to the present, Alex finishes his work, then plays a memory game with Isabel’s tutee, Airi Yokusuka. Now Casey has joined tutoring and her tutee is a boy named Matthew Wallerstein. Matthew and Alex hate each other. For example, just yesterday Matthew was doing math and thinking about eight times two. Suddenly, while he’s thinking and Casey is waiting, Alex blurts out, “Sixteen, so easy.” I scolded him by saying, “Don’t do that. Pay attention to your own work!” but, does that work? “No.”
One skill I used was discipline and focus. Focus because I had to try to not talk to my friends. Two people who made an impact on me were Isabel and Casey. Isabel influenced me to sign up for tutoring. Casey, helped me understand how to do fourth grade math again. These are two of my best friends that helped me take risks.
Going into the future, I would love to tutor next year as an eighth grader. “Ah, I’m so excited to graduate!” I said to myself while writing this essay. I love the experience I get almost everyday from tutoring. Even though it’s hard to take control of little kids, I would want to volunteer again helping them. I have a passion for playing with children and helping them, so I encourage others to volunteer to help other and smaller kids. Lastly, I feel like I helped people with their future, and I have that warm and fuzzy feeling inside of me. Although, I have many dreams, this is one that came true.
Posted on March 8, 2015
Bryant Zhu January 25, 2015
Who would imagine seeing the Archbishop at a turkey drive? That is what really happened at the turkey drive on December 20, 2014. It happened in the parking lot of St. Emydius Church. In addition to the Turkey drive, I also volunteered at the Food Bank.
The turkey drive was to support the poor and homeless people who would attend St Anthony’s Dinning Hall for Christmas. It was organized by one of our parishioners. I imagined that there would be more adult volunteers from our parish. When I arrived at 9am, Pierre, the coordinator, and I were the only two there. But after a few minutes later Matt No and Brandan arrived to help also. Later in the day another parishioner’s friend came and helped.
At the start I was still tired and sleepy because it was a Saturday morning and I had just woken up. All we had to do was stand around and wait for people to come. People drove in with their cars. One of us would hand out a form to fill out, while someone would help transfer the turkey to the truck. Another person would mark their names and how much money, turkey, vegetables, or ham they brought and the estimated amount in another list. There was a lot of teamwork involved. Then we would load all the stuff into a U-Haul truck. One family drove in with a nice car expecting to get free turkey. Another person came wanting to buy turkey. We collected 310 turkeys. It was a very successful drive.
During that time Archbishop Cordileone came to meet us. He was going to have a meeting with the parish council of St. Emydius, and Fr. Bill, our pastor, showed the Archbishop around then came to us and introduced us. We even get to shake hands with the Archbishop. I was very impressed on how Pierre alone set all this up. He spent so much time sending out flyers and emails. And he has been doing this for some years. One bad thing about the turkey drive though is if nobody drives in, it is really boring. I was really happy to go home after we were done with the turkey drive. The next day, Sunday, the Archbishop said mass. After mass, Fr. Bill, asked me to escort the Archbishop to the gym for the reception.
Last Sunday I volunteered at the Food Bank. I went with Brandan. Sunday is a volunteering day for kids. There was only one job to do, and that was to pack brown rice. At the start I felt happy that I was back at the Food Bank because I had fun there the first time I went. Two people put rice into a bag. Another two people weighed the bag to make it one pound. Adjustments had to be made to make it exactly one pound. Then, one person sealed the bag and handed it to the last person who tagged it with instructions on how to cook the rice. The last process was putting 15 bags of rice into one box. When we were packing however, nobody was really talking because everyone was concentrating. One skill that everyone had to use especially me was judgment and patience because I was the one who weighed the bag of rice to see if it was one pound.
There were a lot of kids accompanied by adults in the Food Bank. Maybe these kids are like me who went to the Food Bank on a Sunday afternoon to fulfill volunteer hours. But I have met some people who do volunteer work every other Sunday, not to fulfill volunteer hours but would rather spend time helping out other people. That is truly amazing. When we finally finished I felt happy with a feeling of accomplishment because we helped feed a lot of needy people. Together we packed 3,000 bags of rice that afternoon.
It was fun meeting the Archbishop and being his escort the next day. The Food Bank was also fun because I was able to go with Brandan. I hope I can go back to the Food Bank soon. I think this has been the best volunteering experience I ever had.
Bryant Zhu January 25, 2015
Who would imagine seeing the Archbishop at a turkey drive? That is what really happened at the turkey drive on December 20, 2014. It happened in the parking lot of St. Emydius Church. In addition to the Turkey drive, I also volunteered at the Food Bank.
The turkey drive was to support the poor and homeless people who would attend St Anthony’s Dinning Hall for Christmas. It was organized by one of our parishioners. I imagined that there would be more adult volunteers from our parish. When I arrived at 9am, Pierre, the coordinator, and I were the only two there. But after a few minutes later Matt No and Brandan arrived to help also. Later in the day another parishioner’s friend came and helped.
At the start I was still tired and sleepy because it was a Saturday morning and I had just woken up. All we had to do was stand around and wait for people to come. People drove in with their cars. One of us would hand out a form to fill out, while someone would help transfer the turkey to the truck. Another person would mark their names and how much money, turkey, vegetables, or ham they brought and the estimated amount in another list. There was a lot of teamwork involved. Then we would load all the stuff into a U-Haul truck. One family drove in with a nice car expecting to get free turkey. Another person came wanting to buy turkey. We collected 310 turkeys. It was a very successful drive.
During that time Archbishop Cordileone came to meet us. He was going to have a meeting with the parish council of St. Emydius, and Fr. Bill, our pastor, showed the Archbishop around then came to us and introduced us. We even get to shake hands with the Archbishop. I was very impressed on how Pierre alone set all this up. He spent so much time sending out flyers and emails. And he has been doing this for some years. One bad thing about the turkey drive though is if nobody drives in, it is really boring. I was really happy to go home after we were done with the turkey drive. The next day, Sunday, the Archbishop said mass. After mass, Fr. Bill, asked me to escort the Archbishop to the gym for the reception.
Last Sunday I volunteered at the Food Bank. I went with Brandan. Sunday is a volunteering day for kids. There was only one job to do, and that was to pack brown rice. At the start I felt happy that I was back at the Food Bank because I had fun there the first time I went. Two people put rice into a bag. Another two people weighed the bag to make it one pound. Adjustments had to be made to make it exactly one pound. Then, one person sealed the bag and handed it to the last person who tagged it with instructions on how to cook the rice. The last process was putting 15 bags of rice into one box. When we were packing however, nobody was really talking because everyone was concentrating. One skill that everyone had to use especially me was judgment and patience because I was the one who weighed the bag of rice to see if it was one pound.
There were a lot of kids accompanied by adults in the Food Bank. Maybe these kids are like me who went to the Food Bank on a Sunday afternoon to fulfill volunteer hours. But I have met some people who do volunteer work every other Sunday, not to fulfill volunteer hours but would rather spend time helping out other people. That is truly amazing. When we finally finished I felt happy with a feeling of accomplishment because we helped feed a lot of needy people. Together we packed 3,000 bags of rice that afternoon.
It was fun meeting the Archbishop and being his escort the next day. The Food Bank was also fun because I was able to go with Brandan. I hope I can go back to the Food Bank soon. I think this has been the best volunteering experience I ever had.
Jace Ng February 12, 2015
St. Anthony’s Essay
Volunteering at St. Anthony’s Dining Hall was such a great experience for my peers and me. Although it has been a while since I volunteered here, I still remember it crystal clear as if I went there today. I admire St. Anthony’s and the volunteers working here to help themselves and others. The organization is amazing and I recommend everyone to be a part of it.
My first impression on St. Anthony was it must be scary and difficult to work in a bad neighborhood that St. Anthony was in. I didn’t know for sure what it would be like, but I wanted to go. Then we were told to talk to at least one visitor and get to know them. I found that this could have been very difficult for me because I’m usually shy and timid, but I was prepared for the challenge. We got in our groups and headed into our assigned jobs.
I was assigned to work in the clothes section of St. Anthony. When we arrived, I was surprised to see how much clothes was donated. There must’ve been at least ten bin loads of clothes that had to be sorted. The separating system was simple but yet it took a lot of hard work and patience. The clothes needed to be divided from excellent condition to bad condition. Excellent condition clothes could not have any stains or tears. Even if there was a very tiny stain, it had to be thrown in the bad pile. They did this because they wanted to show respect to the guests that were receiving the apparel. Although it was repetitive and stressful to separate the clothes, I knew I was doing something to help another. I remembered this in my head every time I got lazy. This kept a drive in me to continue working hard.
As time progressed as I worked at St. Anthony’s, my impressions changed. The homeless people caused no harm to anyone. They respected every part of St. Anthony’s because the organization was trying to help them. Everybody came back and went into the dining hall. This was where we needed to have a conversation with a guest. I got my lunch and sat down across from a man. Because I was shy, my friend and I thought it would be best to talk to someone together. Although I don’t remember this man’s name, I remember the expression and excitement he had when we began to talk to him. He enjoyed telling us to stay and school. He also told us about his home and where he had used to live. Although his expression looked like we made his day, I honestly believe he made my day.
St. Anthony’s truly is a place that deserves an award for what they have done. They helped the lives of many and are still helping more today. They helped me also by teaching me that I am fortunate for everything I have. I shouldn't be spoiled and waste food because someone is out there in the world who would love to have it. I loved the work St. Anthony’s Foundation did and I love what they did for me.
St. Anthony’s Essay
Volunteering at St. Anthony’s Dining Hall was such a great experience for my peers and me. Although it has been a while since I volunteered here, I still remember it crystal clear as if I went there today. I admire St. Anthony’s and the volunteers working here to help themselves and others. The organization is amazing and I recommend everyone to be a part of it.
My first impression on St. Anthony was it must be scary and difficult to work in a bad neighborhood that St. Anthony was in. I didn’t know for sure what it would be like, but I wanted to go. Then we were told to talk to at least one visitor and get to know them. I found that this could have been very difficult for me because I’m usually shy and timid, but I was prepared for the challenge. We got in our groups and headed into our assigned jobs.
I was assigned to work in the clothes section of St. Anthony. When we arrived, I was surprised to see how much clothes was donated. There must’ve been at least ten bin loads of clothes that had to be sorted. The separating system was simple but yet it took a lot of hard work and patience. The clothes needed to be divided from excellent condition to bad condition. Excellent condition clothes could not have any stains or tears. Even if there was a very tiny stain, it had to be thrown in the bad pile. They did this because they wanted to show respect to the guests that were receiving the apparel. Although it was repetitive and stressful to separate the clothes, I knew I was doing something to help another. I remembered this in my head every time I got lazy. This kept a drive in me to continue working hard.
As time progressed as I worked at St. Anthony’s, my impressions changed. The homeless people caused no harm to anyone. They respected every part of St. Anthony’s because the organization was trying to help them. Everybody came back and went into the dining hall. This was where we needed to have a conversation with a guest. I got my lunch and sat down across from a man. Because I was shy, my friend and I thought it would be best to talk to someone together. Although I don’t remember this man’s name, I remember the expression and excitement he had when we began to talk to him. He enjoyed telling us to stay and school. He also told us about his home and where he had used to live. Although his expression looked like we made his day, I honestly believe he made my day.
St. Anthony’s truly is a place that deserves an award for what they have done. They helped the lives of many and are still helping more today. They helped me also by teaching me that I am fortunate for everything I have. I shouldn't be spoiled and waste food because someone is out there in the world who would love to have it. I loved the work St. Anthony’s Foundation did and I love what they did for me.
Katrina Baraoidan February 4, 2015
Volunteering at St. Anthony’s Dining Hall was a great experience. Interacting with all the people we pray for and getting to meet them in a neighborhood even I thought I’d never visit was incredible. I’m not trying to say that I thought of it as such a bad neighborhood that I’d never step foot there, but I’m just saying that I never really had a reason to go there or even drive through there. It’s true I was a little worried at first, but eventually I felt more calm about it as we began helping out.
At St. Anthony’s Dining Hall, I was in the clothing department. I helped in the small shop that gave people who needed it, clothes for free. I learned that they received many generous donations from all over. One example of their donors was Old Navy. I believe they would give them many boxes of clothes at least once a week. My job, with Vanessa, Caitlin, and Melissa, was to assort the Old Navy donations. We separated the clothes with many rips or holes, from the clothes that were in good shape to give away to the people who needed them. It was really great because it wasn’t a boring job, not really. Working with my friends while blasting our radio made it an enjoyable moment. It was fun all the way through.
Lunch was one of my favorite parts of this field trip. We had teriyaki chicken for lunch that hopefully everyone enjoyed. All of us had to partner up with someone and go around to talk to some of the people. Vanessa and I decided to be partners and we talked to lots of people. Most of the people were reluctant to talk so we just walked away from them. One person I remembered the most was this woman who was wearing a tutu and had pigtails tied with pink ribbons. She was really nice to us. She didn’t talk much, but when she did she would usually say something unexpected.
The day I volunteered at the St. Anthony’s Foundation, I learned a lot about the tenderloin I didn’t know before. I learned about how many people actually lived in the neighborhood and about how it’s surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods. Actually, before this field trip I wasn’t very aware of the tenderloin in the first place. I always drove by in the neighborhood next to it not even thinking about it. The St. Anthony’s Foundation gave so many people a place to call home in this neighborhood.
In conclusion to my reflection, I’m proud to say that this field trip made me realize again how lucky I am to be living with a roof over my head and food on my table. Most of these people don’t even have close to what we have and they’re happy and so thankful for what they have. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of this experience and I’m also glad that I was able to have helped out there in some way.
Volunteering at St. Anthony’s Dining Hall was a great experience. Interacting with all the people we pray for and getting to meet them in a neighborhood even I thought I’d never visit was incredible. I’m not trying to say that I thought of it as such a bad neighborhood that I’d never step foot there, but I’m just saying that I never really had a reason to go there or even drive through there. It’s true I was a little worried at first, but eventually I felt more calm about it as we began helping out.
At St. Anthony’s Dining Hall, I was in the clothing department. I helped in the small shop that gave people who needed it, clothes for free. I learned that they received many generous donations from all over. One example of their donors was Old Navy. I believe they would give them many boxes of clothes at least once a week. My job, with Vanessa, Caitlin, and Melissa, was to assort the Old Navy donations. We separated the clothes with many rips or holes, from the clothes that were in good shape to give away to the people who needed them. It was really great because it wasn’t a boring job, not really. Working with my friends while blasting our radio made it an enjoyable moment. It was fun all the way through.
Lunch was one of my favorite parts of this field trip. We had teriyaki chicken for lunch that hopefully everyone enjoyed. All of us had to partner up with someone and go around to talk to some of the people. Vanessa and I decided to be partners and we talked to lots of people. Most of the people were reluctant to talk so we just walked away from them. One person I remembered the most was this woman who was wearing a tutu and had pigtails tied with pink ribbons. She was really nice to us. She didn’t talk much, but when she did she would usually say something unexpected.
The day I volunteered at the St. Anthony’s Foundation, I learned a lot about the tenderloin I didn’t know before. I learned about how many people actually lived in the neighborhood and about how it’s surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods. Actually, before this field trip I wasn’t very aware of the tenderloin in the first place. I always drove by in the neighborhood next to it not even thinking about it. The St. Anthony’s Foundation gave so many people a place to call home in this neighborhood.
In conclusion to my reflection, I’m proud to say that this field trip made me realize again how lucky I am to be living with a roof over my head and food on my table. Most of these people don’t even have close to what we have and they’re happy and so thankful for what they have. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of this experience and I’m also glad that I was able to have helped out there in some way.
Catherine Ko January 18, 2015
A Happy Halloween
I could see the sun setting already through the swaying Eucalyptus trees of Scare Grove. It was the perfect weather for Halloween fun and I intended to make that night the best Scare Grove’s ever had. This was my first time volunteering at Scare Grove. I couldn’t wait! When I was young, I went to Scare Grove and remember making a ghost ornament from tissue! What would it be like to actually help out there? With excitement and question marks, I arrived at the Wawona club house and signed in as instructed. I was supposed to work at the Chill Zone, but then when I signed in, the staff said it would be better if I could help out with the hayrides. I said, “Why not? I would be glad to!” I followed the map that was given to me and found my way to the hayrides at Scare Grove. There I met Ellen, the hayride director. It was a long, steep walk but that was the beginning of a fun-filled evening!
Ellen was glad to see me at the hayride station and told me to make sure there were no trespassers. It was a very boring job since there weren’t many trespassers. So later on I asked Ellen if she needed help with other things. She told me to help pass out glow sticks. There, I met Miranda, who was also volunteering! Our job was to give already-cracked glow sticks to people on the hayrides. The rest of the evening was really fun and exciting! There was a total of three wagons for the hayrides so we had to continuously make more glow stick bracelets! When it was 9:30, our shift was over and the attractions were starting to close down. Ellen came over and helped us clean up our station. On the way back to the headquarters, Miranda and I picked up Ellen’s tea lights along the way. She was really impressed about how fast and eager we were about volunteering! Our volunteering at Scare Grove ended on a happy and content note!
During this spooktacular volunteer experience, I helped out by using my talents. Some of which are teamwork, observation, and efficiency. Teamwork was very important due to the fact that I was working with Miranda. I also observed that two of the wagons had a maximum of fifteen people but the third one could only hold nine riders. This information helped me and Miranda to find out how many glow stick bracelets to make each time. We quickly learned how to make glow stick bracelets by batches. Once, I even had so many done that they lasted about three or four wagons! We felt totally in control of what we were doing!
One very important person that had a huge impact on me was Ellen, the director for the whole hayrides section! She was easy to talk to and made me feel important as well. My favorite part was when she praised Miranda and me for being such wonderful volunteers! When we were walking together to the glow stick station, Ellen told me she knew Riley, who is currently in fourth grade at St. Anne School. We talked about her father, who tragically passed away. When she brought me to the glow sticks station, she advised Miranda and me, “Here’s a life lesson for you guys: Always clean up along the way so that at the end you won’t have to clean up as much.” I will always remember her tips. She taught me that being a leader means having fun as well!
Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning, but I told myself to explore more possibilities. I was surely glad that I took it as an adventure and stuck to it until the end. To sum things up, this volunteer experience was one of the best experiences yet! I had fun with my friend while helping others. I hope that I lit up many people’s faces by passing out glow sticks. Not to mention, I even said “Happy Halloween!” to all the people on the hayrides. These volunteer hours made me feel proud to help create a safe and spirited Scare Grove memory for all the trick-or-treaters who were there that night! Scare Grove, I may be back next year!
***
Happy Halloween!
A Happy Halloween
I could see the sun setting already through the swaying Eucalyptus trees of Scare Grove. It was the perfect weather for Halloween fun and I intended to make that night the best Scare Grove’s ever had. This was my first time volunteering at Scare Grove. I couldn’t wait! When I was young, I went to Scare Grove and remember making a ghost ornament from tissue! What would it be like to actually help out there? With excitement and question marks, I arrived at the Wawona club house and signed in as instructed. I was supposed to work at the Chill Zone, but then when I signed in, the staff said it would be better if I could help out with the hayrides. I said, “Why not? I would be glad to!” I followed the map that was given to me and found my way to the hayrides at Scare Grove. There I met Ellen, the hayride director. It was a long, steep walk but that was the beginning of a fun-filled evening!
Ellen was glad to see me at the hayride station and told me to make sure there were no trespassers. It was a very boring job since there weren’t many trespassers. So later on I asked Ellen if she needed help with other things. She told me to help pass out glow sticks. There, I met Miranda, who was also volunteering! Our job was to give already-cracked glow sticks to people on the hayrides. The rest of the evening was really fun and exciting! There was a total of three wagons for the hayrides so we had to continuously make more glow stick bracelets! When it was 9:30, our shift was over and the attractions were starting to close down. Ellen came over and helped us clean up our station. On the way back to the headquarters, Miranda and I picked up Ellen’s tea lights along the way. She was really impressed about how fast and eager we were about volunteering! Our volunteering at Scare Grove ended on a happy and content note!
During this spooktacular volunteer experience, I helped out by using my talents. Some of which are teamwork, observation, and efficiency. Teamwork was very important due to the fact that I was working with Miranda. I also observed that two of the wagons had a maximum of fifteen people but the third one could only hold nine riders. This information helped me and Miranda to find out how many glow stick bracelets to make each time. We quickly learned how to make glow stick bracelets by batches. Once, I even had so many done that they lasted about three or four wagons! We felt totally in control of what we were doing!
One very important person that had a huge impact on me was Ellen, the director for the whole hayrides section! She was easy to talk to and made me feel important as well. My favorite part was when she praised Miranda and me for being such wonderful volunteers! When we were walking together to the glow stick station, Ellen told me she knew Riley, who is currently in fourth grade at St. Anne School. We talked about her father, who tragically passed away. When she brought me to the glow sticks station, she advised Miranda and me, “Here’s a life lesson for you guys: Always clean up along the way so that at the end you won’t have to clean up as much.” I will always remember her tips. She taught me that being a leader means having fun as well!
Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning, but I told myself to explore more possibilities. I was surely glad that I took it as an adventure and stuck to it until the end. To sum things up, this volunteer experience was one of the best experiences yet! I had fun with my friend while helping others. I hope that I lit up many people’s faces by passing out glow sticks. Not to mention, I even said “Happy Halloween!” to all the people on the hayrides. These volunteer hours made me feel proud to help create a safe and spirited Scare Grove memory for all the trick-or-treaters who were there that night! Scare Grove, I may be back next year!
***
Happy Halloween!
Shannon Li January 11, 2015
Going “Fishing” in November
During the St. Anne Parish Festival, I went fishing. I caught so many that I lost count. Technically, I was scooping tiny fish out of a tank with a net and putting them into little cups. To me, that was as close as I could get to reeling in salmon on a school day. Each year, my school has a Parish Festival to raise money for the Parish. There are games, food, and jumpy houses. This year, I volunteered at the goldfish booth where people pay one ticket to get five ping pong balls which they try to throw into little jars. If they get the ball into a regular jar, they get one fish. If they get the ball into the fancy, special jar, they get three fish. People got as many as five fish in one turn!
Even though you might think scooping out fish is pretty easy, it’s not. Imagine people yelling, balls flying simultaneously through the air, and orders for more fish, “We need three fish!”, “Where is the dead fish?”, “Hey that one’s mine!” And there’s more. In the midst of all that, I had to switch shifts with my friends and go over to the rubber ducky fishing booth where people try to fish up rubber ducks and match them together with the numbers on the bottom of the duck. Out of their five ducks that they picked, if they got two or more matches, they would get a certain number of tickets to exchange for prizes. Now, compared to the fishy booth, this one was kind of boring, but I got to go back to scooping out fish really soon, which was more exciting but very repetitive. Then, I worked at the Fish Booth for the rest of the time and stopped for a couple of minutes in between to play some games myself.
The best part about working at a booth where the people win something more than a ticket was seeing the children’s faces light up when they got a fish. I have to say, winning a fish was very difficult, especially at the end when jars were taken away so that we would have enough fish for everyone. Some people kept coming back to win more fish, even though they already had three, and some kept coming back because they really wanted a fish but they hadn’t gotten lucky yet. I remember seeing a little preschooler and her mom try three times to get a fish, but each time they would be a tiny bit off and the girl would start crying. I felt like just giving a fish to them, but I knew it would be better if they earned it. Finally, on the fourth try, they got a fish! It made me smile to see the little girl’s excited face and I gave her a beautiful white, black, and orange fish. She took the fish like it was a trophy better than anything else in the world.
I practiced my patience and efficiency at the goldfish booth. I had to wait patiently for people to throw and for my other volunteer friends to fill the right number of fish in the cups without saying, “Hurry up, already.” I needed to be efficient because there were balls flying everywhere and people waiting for a bucket with balls after paying their ticket. If I didn’t act quickly, people would be complaining and end up leaving the booth. The fish booth was popular, but there wasn’t really a line so it took a lot of quick actions to help more than one person at a time. Looking back, I would say the booth was pretty successful and the kids there had a lot of fun playing for fish. I’m glad that the booth I was volunteering at gave people an opportunity to win a friend to keep in their fish tanks and run to their parents saying, “Mommy! Daddy! I got a fish at that booth!” It’s amazing what types of things make kids smile.
The person who made an impact on me the most was the little preschooler. I didn’t even know her but just seeing how much she wanted the fish and finally getting it was enough for me to remember her. She was a living example of the phrase, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” She showed me that sometimes it’s hard to face the truth if you don’t get what you’re trying for the first time, or the second, or the third. It only took a little preschooler to remind me that the best part of that journey is actually reaching your goal and getting what you want, no matter how many times it takes. This volunteering experience was different from my previous ones in the way that I got a chance to help many kids younger than me. I got instant feedback from the kids and had a constant smile on my face because the people’s expressions after they had won a fish was so exuberant, I could feel it too. This was a great volunteering opportunity and it changed me internally and showed me that the simple things in life bring the most happiness, but I’ll probably do something less “fishy” next month.
Going “Fishing” in November
During the St. Anne Parish Festival, I went fishing. I caught so many that I lost count. Technically, I was scooping tiny fish out of a tank with a net and putting them into little cups. To me, that was as close as I could get to reeling in salmon on a school day. Each year, my school has a Parish Festival to raise money for the Parish. There are games, food, and jumpy houses. This year, I volunteered at the goldfish booth where people pay one ticket to get five ping pong balls which they try to throw into little jars. If they get the ball into a regular jar, they get one fish. If they get the ball into the fancy, special jar, they get three fish. People got as many as five fish in one turn!
Even though you might think scooping out fish is pretty easy, it’s not. Imagine people yelling, balls flying simultaneously through the air, and orders for more fish, “We need three fish!”, “Where is the dead fish?”, “Hey that one’s mine!” And there’s more. In the midst of all that, I had to switch shifts with my friends and go over to the rubber ducky fishing booth where people try to fish up rubber ducks and match them together with the numbers on the bottom of the duck. Out of their five ducks that they picked, if they got two or more matches, they would get a certain number of tickets to exchange for prizes. Now, compared to the fishy booth, this one was kind of boring, but I got to go back to scooping out fish really soon, which was more exciting but very repetitive. Then, I worked at the Fish Booth for the rest of the time and stopped for a couple of minutes in between to play some games myself.
The best part about working at a booth where the people win something more than a ticket was seeing the children’s faces light up when they got a fish. I have to say, winning a fish was very difficult, especially at the end when jars were taken away so that we would have enough fish for everyone. Some people kept coming back to win more fish, even though they already had three, and some kept coming back because they really wanted a fish but they hadn’t gotten lucky yet. I remember seeing a little preschooler and her mom try three times to get a fish, but each time they would be a tiny bit off and the girl would start crying. I felt like just giving a fish to them, but I knew it would be better if they earned it. Finally, on the fourth try, they got a fish! It made me smile to see the little girl’s excited face and I gave her a beautiful white, black, and orange fish. She took the fish like it was a trophy better than anything else in the world.
I practiced my patience and efficiency at the goldfish booth. I had to wait patiently for people to throw and for my other volunteer friends to fill the right number of fish in the cups without saying, “Hurry up, already.” I needed to be efficient because there were balls flying everywhere and people waiting for a bucket with balls after paying their ticket. If I didn’t act quickly, people would be complaining and end up leaving the booth. The fish booth was popular, but there wasn’t really a line so it took a lot of quick actions to help more than one person at a time. Looking back, I would say the booth was pretty successful and the kids there had a lot of fun playing for fish. I’m glad that the booth I was volunteering at gave people an opportunity to win a friend to keep in their fish tanks and run to their parents saying, “Mommy! Daddy! I got a fish at that booth!” It’s amazing what types of things make kids smile.
The person who made an impact on me the most was the little preschooler. I didn’t even know her but just seeing how much she wanted the fish and finally getting it was enough for me to remember her. She was a living example of the phrase, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” She showed me that sometimes it’s hard to face the truth if you don’t get what you’re trying for the first time, or the second, or the third. It only took a little preschooler to remind me that the best part of that journey is actually reaching your goal and getting what you want, no matter how many times it takes. This volunteering experience was different from my previous ones in the way that I got a chance to help many kids younger than me. I got instant feedback from the kids and had a constant smile on my face because the people’s expressions after they had won a fish was so exuberant, I could feel it too. This was a great volunteering opportunity and it changed me internally and showed me that the simple things in life bring the most happiness, but I’ll probably do something less “fishy” next month.
Jonathan Wan November 10, 2014
Volunteer Essay: November
“Where are we?” I asked Uncle Lloyd, my friend’s dad. He said, “We are in Japantown. This is the area where you will volunteer.” I was volunteering with three of my friends. We all agreed Japantown was a nice place. It was filled with many shops and restaurants. After Uncle Lloyd parked in the parking garage, my friends and I walked up a couple of blocks. There, I saw the Kimochi building and thought, “We are here!” I was really excited to volunteer to help the seniors. When I went inside, the room was already set up with tables and chairs for the seniors to eat. One of the people working at Kimochi told us that we were going to do home deliveries. We met a volunteer named Blair who was going to help us.
First, we delivered the lunches to where the seniors lived. My friends and I walked street by street to the homes. Some streets had steep hills and it was brutal! I helped Blair look up addresses and point out whether a lunch needed milk or not from the paperwork. I also had to make sure whether the apartment needed one or two lunches. My friends and I packaged the bagged lunches inside the building right before drop off, so that the soup and rice would stay warm. Each bagged lunch had a seaweed salad, a pear, milk in some, and of course, soup and rice. It was cool seeing the seniors who were happy to see us too. After the deliveries, we went back to Kimochi to help serve lunch to the seniors.
We got back at the right time. The volunteers were about to hand out the lunches. I did not realize that so many seniors filled the tables while we were gone. I paired up with my friend, Matt, to serve the meals. For lunch, the seniors had soup, some rice, seaweed salad, a pear, and tea or milk. After the first group of seniors finished eating, a second “wave” of seniors were expected to come. My friends and I cleaned up everything as fast as we could before it was time to serve again. After wiping down the tables, we set up all the napkins, seaweed salads, and pears. After about five minutes of preparation, the second “wave” came in. This time, however, there were less people and only half of the tables filled up. We served the meals to the seniors, but I wore a sign to let them know that Kimochi will close the next day. I was a little embarrassed wearing it around to show the seniors, but if I did not, they might show up for the meal when it would be closed. The second “wave” was finished with lunch, and it was time to clean up again.
I was sad it was time to clean up because it was fun serving. I cleaned up by wiping the tables and sweeping the floor. I also put away the chairs and tables. My friends and I made it fun by trying to find the most exotic garbage on the floor. After putting away the chairs and tables, I was able to take the sign off. My friends still made fun of me.
I learned a few things from this volunteer service such as serving seniors and delivering food to them. I learned to deal with the pain when walking up the steep hills and to be patient when the seniors took a little bit of time to answer their door. When serving, I was taught that you should always take off dirty gloves so that the seniors will not get any germs. An important lesson I learned was to be careful with hot food because I almost spilled a bowl of soup. It was a good experience delivering food to the seniors because when I volunteered for Kimochi two months ago, I did not get to see the seniors in person. This time, I was able to. I would definitely volunteer here again.
Volunteer Essay: November
“Where are we?” I asked Uncle Lloyd, my friend’s dad. He said, “We are in Japantown. This is the area where you will volunteer.” I was volunteering with three of my friends. We all agreed Japantown was a nice place. It was filled with many shops and restaurants. After Uncle Lloyd parked in the parking garage, my friends and I walked up a couple of blocks. There, I saw the Kimochi building and thought, “We are here!” I was really excited to volunteer to help the seniors. When I went inside, the room was already set up with tables and chairs for the seniors to eat. One of the people working at Kimochi told us that we were going to do home deliveries. We met a volunteer named Blair who was going to help us.
First, we delivered the lunches to where the seniors lived. My friends and I walked street by street to the homes. Some streets had steep hills and it was brutal! I helped Blair look up addresses and point out whether a lunch needed milk or not from the paperwork. I also had to make sure whether the apartment needed one or two lunches. My friends and I packaged the bagged lunches inside the building right before drop off, so that the soup and rice would stay warm. Each bagged lunch had a seaweed salad, a pear, milk in some, and of course, soup and rice. It was cool seeing the seniors who were happy to see us too. After the deliveries, we went back to Kimochi to help serve lunch to the seniors.
We got back at the right time. The volunteers were about to hand out the lunches. I did not realize that so many seniors filled the tables while we were gone. I paired up with my friend, Matt, to serve the meals. For lunch, the seniors had soup, some rice, seaweed salad, a pear, and tea or milk. After the first group of seniors finished eating, a second “wave” of seniors were expected to come. My friends and I cleaned up everything as fast as we could before it was time to serve again. After wiping down the tables, we set up all the napkins, seaweed salads, and pears. After about five minutes of preparation, the second “wave” came in. This time, however, there were less people and only half of the tables filled up. We served the meals to the seniors, but I wore a sign to let them know that Kimochi will close the next day. I was a little embarrassed wearing it around to show the seniors, but if I did not, they might show up for the meal when it would be closed. The second “wave” was finished with lunch, and it was time to clean up again.
I was sad it was time to clean up because it was fun serving. I cleaned up by wiping the tables and sweeping the floor. I also put away the chairs and tables. My friends and I made it fun by trying to find the most exotic garbage on the floor. After putting away the chairs and tables, I was able to take the sign off. My friends still made fun of me.
I learned a few things from this volunteer service such as serving seniors and delivering food to them. I learned to deal with the pain when walking up the steep hills and to be patient when the seniors took a little bit of time to answer their door. When serving, I was taught that you should always take off dirty gloves so that the seniors will not get any germs. An important lesson I learned was to be careful with hot food because I almost spilled a bowl of soup. It was a good experience delivering food to the seniors because when I volunteered for Kimochi two months ago, I did not get to see the seniors in person. This time, I was able to. I would definitely volunteer here again.
Kelly Lee December 14, 2014
My November Volunteering Experiences
Every time I turned around, another kid was there handing me a dirty dish to clean. For my November volunteering, I went to Richmond Recreation Center. I volunteered six straight hours doing one thing and one thing only: cleaning dishes. That’s right; six straight hours passed with nothing but children handing me plates, bowls, and utensils to clean. I felt like Cinderella for a day, which was an honor, but I could’ve lived without it. It all began when my dad simply said, “Kelly, I found you a place to volunteer for your November hours.”
Naturally, I was very excited since my last volunteering experiences had been so fun. On the big day, my dad drove me to Richmond Recreation Center. There, I met Mike, the coordinator in charge of the events happening in the building. He considered me a ‘victim’, so I knew that whatever I was going to do probably wouldn’t be as easy as hanging up art or sorting toys. He told me that I would help a man named Matthew with his cooking class. Now, I love baking, so I was very excited to help out. Matthew came about twenty minutes after we arrived. He was going to teach his class how to prepare three different American foods: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and banana bread. I was so excited I couldn’t wait to help! Then, as I walked into the kitchen, I realized why Mike had considered me a victim.
Four boxes of dirty dishes were stacked up on a table. You see, Matthew’s cooking class had gone to a Thanksgiving Harvest Festival contest the day before. The leftover dishes had just been dumped in a box and taken back to the Rec Center. All I was told was to wash the dishes. There were about fifteen minutes to get the dishes washed. I was spiraling in my head; I was supposed to get over a total of sixty pots, pans, spoons, knives, forks, plates, spatulas, and measuring cups all washed and dried in fifteen minutes! There was no real skill I was able to use to clean the dishes, so I just got to work. With a sponge in my hand and a large sink in front of me, I began scrubbing those dishes like I’d never scrubbed before. In fifteen minutes, I only got one box of dishes done. My arms were so tired, I could barely hold up another pot to wash. Matthew told me I could finish the dishes while his class was in session. As his class entered the kitchen, I was completely shocked. With all the heavy pots and pans and large, sharp knives, I assumed the cooking class was for teens or adults. To my surprise, I found no more than nine children, all looking younger than twelve, walking into the room like pros.
Eventually, the class began. Matthew had the children take off their coats and warm up outside by having a relay race. As they ran and slipped on the wet ground outside, I stayed inside, scrubbing away. It took three hours to finish all those dishes. Sadly enough, the children kept taking cookware from the dishwasher, using it, and giving it right back to me to wash. I was scared stiff when Matthew told one of the young girls, no older than nine, to use a large cleaver-like knife to chop fruit. She didn’t hurt herself; I would probably have heard cries of someone screaming about losing a finger then throwing it to me to clean. The scariest part of my experience during those hours was actually when the little girl was done with the large knife. She walked up to me, looked at her friend really fast, and plopped the knife into the sink like it was nothing put a pointy stick while my hands were inside. I wasn’t cut or anything, and luckily for me, as each of the kids’ groups were finished with their meals, they were forced to clean up their own mess and wash any dishes they hadn’t given to me. For my hard work, I was given spare pumpkins from the festival. No one else would’ve thought much about them or might’ve even turned them down, but do you remember how I love to bake? Each pumpkin in that bag would make me a hearty pumpkin pie!
Indeed, this job was the toughest and scariest job ever! However, I knew that I had helped someone, and that was all I needed. During my service, I felt tired, bored, hungry, and scared that something would happen to cut off my hands. Matthew made a real impact on me. During my hours of labor, when he had a few spare seconds, he’d help me clean the dishes. When I was ready to clean more dishes at the end of class, he stopped me, and, seeing how tired I was, told those children to do their own dishes. He was helpful and nice, and he is the kind of person who is very passionate about his job. At the beginning, I was super excited, mostly because I had no idea what I was going to do. When it was all over, I was not as happy as I was in the beginning, but I was still glad I got to help someone else. At the end of this story, though there was much tiring labor, Cinderella got to help people, got to keep her many pumpkins, and received a happy ending.
My November Volunteering Experiences
Every time I turned around, another kid was there handing me a dirty dish to clean. For my November volunteering, I went to Richmond Recreation Center. I volunteered six straight hours doing one thing and one thing only: cleaning dishes. That’s right; six straight hours passed with nothing but children handing me plates, bowls, and utensils to clean. I felt like Cinderella for a day, which was an honor, but I could’ve lived without it. It all began when my dad simply said, “Kelly, I found you a place to volunteer for your November hours.”
Naturally, I was very excited since my last volunteering experiences had been so fun. On the big day, my dad drove me to Richmond Recreation Center. There, I met Mike, the coordinator in charge of the events happening in the building. He considered me a ‘victim’, so I knew that whatever I was going to do probably wouldn’t be as easy as hanging up art or sorting toys. He told me that I would help a man named Matthew with his cooking class. Now, I love baking, so I was very excited to help out. Matthew came about twenty minutes after we arrived. He was going to teach his class how to prepare three different American foods: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and banana bread. I was so excited I couldn’t wait to help! Then, as I walked into the kitchen, I realized why Mike had considered me a victim.
Four boxes of dirty dishes were stacked up on a table. You see, Matthew’s cooking class had gone to a Thanksgiving Harvest Festival contest the day before. The leftover dishes had just been dumped in a box and taken back to the Rec Center. All I was told was to wash the dishes. There were about fifteen minutes to get the dishes washed. I was spiraling in my head; I was supposed to get over a total of sixty pots, pans, spoons, knives, forks, plates, spatulas, and measuring cups all washed and dried in fifteen minutes! There was no real skill I was able to use to clean the dishes, so I just got to work. With a sponge in my hand and a large sink in front of me, I began scrubbing those dishes like I’d never scrubbed before. In fifteen minutes, I only got one box of dishes done. My arms were so tired, I could barely hold up another pot to wash. Matthew told me I could finish the dishes while his class was in session. As his class entered the kitchen, I was completely shocked. With all the heavy pots and pans and large, sharp knives, I assumed the cooking class was for teens or adults. To my surprise, I found no more than nine children, all looking younger than twelve, walking into the room like pros.
Eventually, the class began. Matthew had the children take off their coats and warm up outside by having a relay race. As they ran and slipped on the wet ground outside, I stayed inside, scrubbing away. It took three hours to finish all those dishes. Sadly enough, the children kept taking cookware from the dishwasher, using it, and giving it right back to me to wash. I was scared stiff when Matthew told one of the young girls, no older than nine, to use a large cleaver-like knife to chop fruit. She didn’t hurt herself; I would probably have heard cries of someone screaming about losing a finger then throwing it to me to clean. The scariest part of my experience during those hours was actually when the little girl was done with the large knife. She walked up to me, looked at her friend really fast, and plopped the knife into the sink like it was nothing put a pointy stick while my hands were inside. I wasn’t cut or anything, and luckily for me, as each of the kids’ groups were finished with their meals, they were forced to clean up their own mess and wash any dishes they hadn’t given to me. For my hard work, I was given spare pumpkins from the festival. No one else would’ve thought much about them or might’ve even turned them down, but do you remember how I love to bake? Each pumpkin in that bag would make me a hearty pumpkin pie!
Indeed, this job was the toughest and scariest job ever! However, I knew that I had helped someone, and that was all I needed. During my service, I felt tired, bored, hungry, and scared that something would happen to cut off my hands. Matthew made a real impact on me. During my hours of labor, when he had a few spare seconds, he’d help me clean the dishes. When I was ready to clean more dishes at the end of class, he stopped me, and, seeing how tired I was, told those children to do their own dishes. He was helpful and nice, and he is the kind of person who is very passionate about his job. At the beginning, I was super excited, mostly because I had no idea what I was going to do. When it was all over, I was not as happy as I was in the beginning, but I was still glad I got to help someone else. At the end of this story, though there was much tiring labor, Cinderella got to help people, got to keep her many pumpkins, and received a happy ending.