Michelle Michelson
Hi Everybody!
My first two weeks in NOLA have been sweeter than I could have ever hoped for. On our second day we took a tour of the city. Our tour guide told us that a common term natives in New Orleans use is "lagniappe". This term has resonated deeply with me over the past two weeks as I have observed the culture that permeates the historic city. "Lagniappe" means "a little something extra" and our tour guide encouraged us to approach our service and time in New Orleans with that little something extra. It's not tough to do when everybody around me seems to treat their life with that very mentality. (Even the food has a little something extra - as we learned at the New Orleans School of Cooking, nowhere else in the country does there exist a fusion of multiple cultures in just one pot!)
This summer I am volunteering with the Child Life Department at the Children's Hospital of New Orleans. The Child Life Department functions to help kids who are staying in the hospital for extended periods of time have access to activities that help them to continue with their childhood development. Children's primary responsibility is to play and learn - responsibilities that are made much more difficult when their health is compromised. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to play and grow with the children staying in the hospital. My primary responsibility is to oversee the playrooms on the 3rd and 4th floors of the hospital. Each morning children who are allowed to leave their room (as permitted by their doctor) are invited to participate in various activities in the playrooms. The children can choose from all sorts of activities including painting, making bracelets, and board games! Child Life also organizes special events for the children to attend such as movie night and a visit from the animals of the local zoo! These events are special for the kids and help them to forget for even just a bit the unspeakably tragic reality of their disease.
In addition to teaching me how to play a number of board games I was unable to play just a couple of weeks ago, the children have shown me that age does not define how strong a person can be. They give each and every day as much energy as they can, despite how they me be feeling. It has been both humbling and inspiring to interact with the children. I hope I can treat every day with as much energy and strength as they do. Not only have I learned from the kids but I have also learned from the wonderful people with whom I work. They each have a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to share regardless of the time of day. It has also been inspiring for me to see how genuinely invested they are in their job. They are completely committed to bringing as much sunshine to the children's hearts as possible and are constantly brainstorming the best and most effective ways to do so. Even more, the people who work in the hospital are incredibly kind and hospitable. I have felt welcomed into their family from the day I arrived (I have never been greeted in such an energetic fashion as I was on my first day). I hope I can give the staff and children of the hospital back as much energy and happiness as they have already given with me.
I have also enjoyed exploring the city and getting to know everyone in our program. We each are genuinely invested in our community partner site which makes the program a very positive one to be a part of. Our fantastic program leaders have organized outings for us on the weekends so that we can experience as much as we can during our time in NOLA. This past weekend we went on a swamp tour and we each held an alligator - it was quite the experience!
I have loved every moment thus far and I can't wait to see what the next six weeks will bring!
Michelle
My first two weeks in NOLA have been sweeter than I could have ever hoped for. On our second day we took a tour of the city. Our tour guide told us that a common term natives in New Orleans use is "lagniappe". This term has resonated deeply with me over the past two weeks as I have observed the culture that permeates the historic city. "Lagniappe" means "a little something extra" and our tour guide encouraged us to approach our service and time in New Orleans with that little something extra. It's not tough to do when everybody around me seems to treat their life with that very mentality. (Even the food has a little something extra - as we learned at the New Orleans School of Cooking, nowhere else in the country does there exist a fusion of multiple cultures in just one pot!)
This summer I am volunteering with the Child Life Department at the Children's Hospital of New Orleans. The Child Life Department functions to help kids who are staying in the hospital for extended periods of time have access to activities that help them to continue with their childhood development. Children's primary responsibility is to play and learn - responsibilities that are made much more difficult when their health is compromised. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to play and grow with the children staying in the hospital. My primary responsibility is to oversee the playrooms on the 3rd and 4th floors of the hospital. Each morning children who are allowed to leave their room (as permitted by their doctor) are invited to participate in various activities in the playrooms. The children can choose from all sorts of activities including painting, making bracelets, and board games! Child Life also organizes special events for the children to attend such as movie night and a visit from the animals of the local zoo! These events are special for the kids and help them to forget for even just a bit the unspeakably tragic reality of their disease.
In addition to teaching me how to play a number of board games I was unable to play just a couple of weeks ago, the children have shown me that age does not define how strong a person can be. They give each and every day as much energy as they can, despite how they me be feeling. It has been both humbling and inspiring to interact with the children. I hope I can treat every day with as much energy and strength as they do. Not only have I learned from the kids but I have also learned from the wonderful people with whom I work. They each have a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to share regardless of the time of day. It has also been inspiring for me to see how genuinely invested they are in their job. They are completely committed to bringing as much sunshine to the children's hearts as possible and are constantly brainstorming the best and most effective ways to do so. Even more, the people who work in the hospital are incredibly kind and hospitable. I have felt welcomed into their family from the day I arrived (I have never been greeted in such an energetic fashion as I was on my first day). I hope I can give the staff and children of the hospital back as much energy and happiness as they have already given with me.
I have also enjoyed exploring the city and getting to know everyone in our program. We each are genuinely invested in our community partner site which makes the program a very positive one to be a part of. Our fantastic program leaders have organized outings for us on the weekends so that we can experience as much as we can during our time in NOLA. This past weekend we went on a swamp tour and we each held an alligator - it was quite the experience!
I have loved every moment thus far and I can't wait to see what the next six weeks will bring!
Michelle