A holiday in a nursing home

Hello, my name is Elizabeth, I am 23 years old, on a specialty I the teacher, but mainly engaged in volunteering.

We help grandparents who live in nursing homes: visit them, sing with grandparents songs, give gifts, we bring the most necessary. All weekend I spend traveling, because living our grandparents in the remote areas of Moscow.

I'll tell you about one day that we spent in the Arkhangelsk region in the spring.

Early morning. We, a team of 7 young women and young men, and one, drive up to the town of Kargopol, where our first home for the elderly. We are trying to have breakfast in the reserved seat is not particularly convenient :)

On our train station is worth a little longer, but the things that we are taking grandparents, we have a full car. It is necessary to have time to unload sweets, diapers (the most necessary thing in a nursing home!), Gifts and our constant companion in all trips - my accordion :)

Conductor, apparently tired of us considered unloaded boxes :)

Unloading completed, like, your not forgotten, the neighbor did not take a rest :) on the platform and waiting for us to come coach - we were met by an ambulance from the nursing home.

We are trying to put all the things and all themselves fit :)

Place and arrived at lightning speed. He greets us with the most important person in the institution - Director :)

Input INT - long corridor, deserted, grandmothers still do not know what we got.

Nurses convene living and dining room is converted into a nursing home auditorium :)

Before our "concert" Alla records which of the grandparents receive letters from those found our "grandchildren Pen" (we find all the grandmothers who want to receive e-mail, virtual "grandchildren" who take over their patronage and often become closer relatives)

Photographing newcomers to upload pictures to our site and find it for them "grandchildren"

Marina gives photos that we have done in the last trip, waiting for their grandmother and are very happy, because from the time of entering the orphanage their family albums are replenished only with our arrival.

Many a long time did not see myself from the outside and not always immediately recognized himself in the photo :)

Grandparents gathered a full house, the curtain is raised, the artists in shock :) Alla sings a song about Vologda I froze with accordion :)

Sing yourself, we invite the audience to sing along with us actively

The first contest: "Who will blow the most bubbles"

Sometimes you have to help them blow. Grandmother looked surprised but very happy to blow. friendship always wins in the competition :)

In order to entertain the audience, a short scene - "Creole". Kirill - a pirate, Polina - a beautiful Creole.

Give and grandparents an opportunity to prove themselves - under the next song we organize dances. The children are invited to all comers on the scene. For them it is exciting and memorable moments - many of them already oh how long ago did not dance.

As a young man in our team is clearly a shortage, so often become gentlemen girl :)

This time we decided to show a makeshift grandmothers fairytale. Guess what it is? :)

That's right, we pull the turnip :) By the way, we would have not been able to pull it if a mouse did not take an active grandfather wheelchair :)

And the grandfather asked for the floor, stepped on the stage and struck up a long song about Shchors. We can not sing along to it - do not know the word ...

The concert ended, we give everyone a packet of sweets and expenses on wards - to visit bedridden and talk more with everyone, because the most important need for such institutions - is communication and human warmth ...

There were photos of Masha grandmother, give them to her after the concert, she is happy-radoshenka :)

Very nice Ivan with a funny name Kissel and his wife, my grandmother Mary. Grandfather Ivan - the artist, they live in a nursing home in a very comfortable Chamber, and everywhere his paintings ...

But the other couple, they have converged in the boarding house. Rare, but it happens :) And grandparents enjoyed soft toys!

This grandmother from lying branch went to the panda.

Hope Nikitichna - some jerboa, or something :)

Before leaving, I go to her to say goodbye, and I see on the table such a composition could not pass :) Photo with me since the last time for the loyalty proved to have legs again presented to the beast. Cute :)

It's time to go, there is still a nursing home, where too are waiting ...

After four hours of travel in a car such as an ambulance, we finally reached the shores of second places. Still cold, on the benches while no one is sitting.

How do I enter, just hanging on the wall reads out the daily routine. As they all soon! :)

There is less room, so grandparents gathered in the recreation corridor. The same program: distribute photos,

sing songs,

blows soap bubbles,

dance

give gifts.

Grandma brags had come to her birthday card from us

In the second house we have very little time left, so everything is in an accelerated program. Photographed at parting with the loved ones and the road, at 22:30 we have a train to Moscow.

At the station we are lucky all the same loaf. We say goodbye to the grandmothers and leave. The next time will be shown in two or three months, and they will be waiting for us ...

And here I am with my beloved grandmother correspondence, I write to her more than four years and visit her, her grandchildren she has not.

The day ends as it began, in a long distance train. In the morning we arrive in Moscow.