A Volunteer’s Story - Contrasts
Emphasizing the difference between things
Tuesday morning--a mild, cloudy day. At 09:30 I meet up with friends of ATTAD (Aid to the Aged in Institutions) and traveled by coach from Netanya to Malben, a retirement home in Pardess Hanna. For one hour we played music, sang and danced with the old folk from the home. Those in wheelchairs, unable to dance, are pushed in their chairs in tune with the music.
After tea, coffee and biscuits, we left amid the happy, smiling faces of both the inmates and the staff. One man, without legs, told us he was 103 years old. With a grin on his face, he invited us to return as soon as possible, as our group had brought a ray of light into their drab lives. We left counting our blessings.
Next day, Wednesday--a rainy, cold, damp morning, found 12 volunteers and myself at the Hadarim High-School, Hod HaSharon. We were there to help 12th grade students to prepare for their oral Bagrut in English.
My first group comprised of Yossi and David. We discussed holidays, hobbies and films. Then I had a one-on-one conversation with Natan, who told me that his favorite pastime was to sleep and that he would like to hibernate for the whole winter. We also spoke about English football, books, and the ethics of down-loading music and films from the Internet.
Dear reader, if in the near future you happen to meet some young Israeli students from Hod HaSharon who speak English very well, but with a hint of a cockney accent, these were my students.
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