Final Service Learning Experience

           On Sunday, March 24^th, my partner and I finished our final hours of service learning at Kahl Home. Because it was the Sunday before Easter Sunday, Kahl Home was having a small pre-Easter celebration. This Sunday, like every other Sunday, we served the residents snacks and drinks while interacting with them.

           Since it was a pre-Easter celebration many of the residents asked what my plans for Easter were. I told them I would be spending my Easter with my family and asked what their plans were. Many of them said their family was coming to visit them and some said that they would be celebrating Easter with other residents because their family lived out of state or was unable to come for some other reason. With the topic of Easter and family brought up, many of the residents really found a lot to talk about this visit. Almost everyone told me a lot about their family, Easter traditions, and their life before Kahl Home. This was all fascinating for me to hear because I love hearing old stories. With this particular visit to Kahl Home, I really found myself applying the interpersonal communication’s concept of listening. I was definitely mindfully listening to each persons stories and what they had to say, because I was interested in what they were saying. I found myself listening to each of their stories to understand what they were saying, what they experienced, and simply to get to know them better.

           I think this visit to Kahl Home was a perfect way to end service learning. I could see myself going back in the future just to visit with some of the residents in my free time. What I learned from this visit about listening can be applied to any future interaction with any person. I found that when the residents could tell that I was mindfully listening and responding to what they were saying it really pleased them. It also made them want to continue to tell me more since I did not seem bored or disinterested. I think with any future interaction with someone who is telling me something I should always keep an open mind and try to be as interested as possible, even if what they are saying does not particularly interest me, because it makes them feel good while showing that I am a good listener.

Blog 3: During Service

On Sunday, March 3, 2013, my partner and I volunteered at Kahl Home for the second time now. We were there a very long time this time and really had a chance to interact with the residents. We again served them drinks and snacks while watching the NASCAR race that Sunday afternoon. I got a chance to personally talk with each resident this time and some were more talkative than others, but it seemed like they were all more accepting of my being there this time. I could tell they were more accepting of my being there this time because they waved hello, all smiled a lot, and most invited me to sit down with them.

One person that I was able to meet that really stood out to me was Harriet Dias, who goes by the name of Cozi. She was such a sweet lady and so adorable. My conversation with her really related back to interpersonal communication, because we had a very in depth conversation for nearly two hours. She told me a lot of her own personal history as well as some United States history and Davenport history. Some of the history she told me about herself was that she is a retired veteran for the United States Army and how much that meant to her that she was able to be apart of that. She also told me how it really upsets her when young adults nowadays are not interested in history like she is and do not appreciate everything that everyone before them had to go through in order for them to be where they are today. I really understood what she was saying about the difference in generations. It made me think of the cultural differences that have been discussed in interpersonal communications and how those cultural differences do not necessarily have to be between different nationalities but that they can also be between different generations. For example, Cozi’s generation did not have much choice in serving in the war or having close relatives serve in it. They are also the generation that had to learn how to save money and rely on themselves because they lived through the great depression. Their generation had to make many sacrifices that our generation has not had to make. My generation has a choice in being a part of the military. Some choose to be a part of it and others could care less. I knew that our generations had many differences, but Cozi really pointed this out to me through conversation and stories.

From this visit to Kahl Home, I learned that there are many cultural differences between different generations of people. With my future visits to Kahl Home and with future experiences with different age groups, I will take these differences into consideration. I will try to consider the possible cultural differences and choose my words wisely so I do not offend anyone by accident. I will also try to start conversation with some of these differences in mind as well, because I am sure many of these residents still have a lot that they can teach me.