Maria Diaz Martinez Apartments Reflection
As a part of IBCP it is mandatory for me to complete service learning hours. In my ethics class my peers and I all volunteered at the elderly home close by our school. It was an amazing experience , and I am grateful for being able to participate and volunteer at this place.
As a part of the investigation portion of our service learning, my peers and I had to find out, what exactly are the seniors lacking. We came up with a list, and shared it out loud to each other. We then had to establish, out of the list, what we could do to help. We knew that the seniors suffer from boredom and lack of communication/ having someone to talk to, so we decided to do an array of events to lift the seniors spirit and brighten their days. Our events included lunchtime performances, art classes, spa days, and An accumulation of all which we titled, Arts in the Park.
Now that we knew what we were doing, it was time to start preparing for it. As a vocalist I had to attend rehearsals with other musicians, and also practice on my own time. Overall the rehearsal process went well. There were moments when I had a disagreement with a peer of mines, but that's normal. After a couple of weeks of rehearsal, it was time for our first perfomance.
My first performance, I was nervous and afraid that something would go wrong. Would we have all the right equipment? What if I crack? Forget lyrics???? I was a mess, but arriving at the home, I realize how accepting and nice our audience was, and all of my fears dissipated.
As the performances progressed I felt myself grow more comfortable performing in front of an audience, the nerves and anxiety was lessening and I became more carefree and expressive.
I really appreciate performing at the elderly home. I didn't just gain hours and meet my requirement for school, I developed as a person, and for that I am thankful for having this experience.
Below you will see some pictures of me and my peers during our time at the Maria Diaz Apartments.