Anger in the home :(

It has been a couple of angry days at the elderly home here. Some of the residents are just fed up and making sure that everyone knows it. This is the first time I have witnessed this ugly sense of entitlement come out in the residents. The home does not require residents to pay to live here. If they have a source of income (family or social security) they are asked to make a donation, but no one is forced to pay. So, of course, the residents now know who pays and who does not pay to be here. And lately, they do not mind making it well known who is paying. Two residents in particular these past two days have been yelling at the staff and the administrator about the food, saying that it is horrible and they aren’t paying to eat the crap that is being served here. They also have taken it upon themselves to tell the people who come to make donations and visit about how corrupt the administrator is and how she is stealing the donated money that is supposed to be used to purchase them food. (This isn’t true- but they are relentless).

So everyone has just seemed really cranky yesterday and today (workers and residents alike). It’s hard to just stand back and observe- to see how unhappy everyone is. I want to jump in and try and save the day- but a. I don’t know how, and b. it’s not my place to do that in the middle of an argument. It’s also shocking to see the way the residents just yell at the workers in an effort to be heard. I think if people took a step back and counted their blessings instead of counting everything they could complain about, then it would be much more peaceful in the residence.

I only have 1 more work day1 here and then I head off to Managua. I feel all nervous again like I was before I came to Nicaragua. I mean it’s another new start- and that makes me anxious. I will be meeting a new group of people and doing new work- I’ll be staying at a new house, everything will be different. I’ll find out soon enough what that’s like!! What I am excited for is that since I’m working on a team, I feel like there will be much more direction given to me. Sometimes it’s hard at the elderly home because no one is telling me what to do, and I don’t really have anything to do, so I make my own tasks. But in Managua we will all agree and plan out tasks and then when we finish, we will consult with each other to move forward. I’ll never end up stuck on my own with no idea what to do. At least, I hope that’s how it works out. I suppose we will find out soon enough!!

That’s all for now!!

Rachel