Some of my Favorites!

So I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite residents thus far:

Edita: She’s 83 and she’s pretty spunky. She likes to talk about how there’s too much sex on T.V. today (someone helped me translate) and she’s a total packrat. She has piles and piles of stuff everywhere, on her tables and shelf. One of the first days I met and attempted to talk with her, she really wanted to know how to spell my name. She had me write it out for her on a piece of paper, and now every time I come into her room to bring her meals or visit, she says “ahoj Ashley!” She is one of the few residents (although the number is increasing in the past few weeks) that knows my name! And if I’m with another nurse in her room, she pulls out the piece of paper with my name on it and shows it to them. Also, when I come to her room sometimes to collect dishes, she sometimes has an entire bowl of soup leftover. When I ask her if she’s finished, she says yes and tells me how disgusting the soup was, and the she didn’t like it. And she makes great faces as she goes on and on. She cracks me up.

Jozef and Kveta: These two, husband and wife, feel like this amazingly sweet couple of grandparents I’ve gained for this year. One time they invited me into their joint room and showed me pictures of their daughter and grandkids. Jozef is a great artist, he used to do wood carvings and there are many little statues and knick knacks that he carved in their little kitchen and living room area. The detail on these is really amazing. He reminds me of my own Grandpa Rhubee in a few ways, especially with the woodcarving. Jozef is at least partially blind and is continuing to lose eyesight, so he has a difficult time getting around at times, but he’s always linked arm in arm with Kveta. He always takes time to try and teach me new words in Slovak and pats me on the shoulder, saying “After one year you’ll speak good Slovak. I’d learn English, but I’m too old.” Kveta always makes sure to greet me and say goodbye when she sees me, and most of the time says “goodnight” in English, instead of Slovak. She’s always rubs my face and sometimes kisses my cheek and tells me I’m pretty. I love these two!

Bozena: I wrote about Bozena before, in my first newsletter. She is the woman I help feed many times every week. I feel bad for her, because I feel like nobody really pays much attention to her. I’ve never seen anybody come visit her, the nurses don’t really take a lot of time to talk to her because she isn’t very responsive, but she CAN talk. I think the nurses think I’m strange for wanting to feed her and spend time with her, but I don’t care. She doesn’t say a lot, but she’s talking more and more with me! And before when I knew hardly any Slovak, I would just say greetings or words here and there to her and she’d smile. Now I can speak a little more and use phrases, and she understands and responds! Also, I discovered she had a little radio at the back of her table the whole time, so I always turn that on when she eats, just for a little more entertainment. Almost ALL of the songs on the radio here are American songs, and I’m an avid radio listener, so I can sing along to pretty much any song on the radio in Slovakia. (One of the first days I came into one of the residents’ rooms, “Umbrella” by Rihanna was playing on their radio! From the bars and clubs of Minneapolis to a Slovak nursing home…) Anyways, I usually sing along while I’m feeding her and she smiles! It’s cute. I also found a photo album on her end table with pictures of her! It was really interesting to look at pictures of her when she was younger (I’m not sure how much younger), laughing and talking. I wonder what she thinks about this strange foreign girl who feeds her, doesn’t speak much Slovak, and looks through her pictures.

Judita and Magda: I just love these two because they smile a lot and enjoy seeing me as much as I enjoy seeing them! They also know my name, and I like just sitting with them and trying to have conversations. They used to be roommates and recently have been separated. I think they miss each other! Magda is now with one of the crazier residents here (she has severe Alzheimers) and Judita lives in their old room by herself. Judita became very sick awhile back and had to have her leg amputated (from above the knee and down) but every time I see her she is happy and content, and usually smiling. These two are pretty cute little ladies!

Vincent: One day I was trying to understand one of the residents in Slovak (in my first couple of weeks) and it wasn’t going very well, and all of the sudden Vincent chimed in…in English! I didn’t expect any of the residents to speak English here. The recent generations here (like in other countries also) are becoming more and more bilingual, and traveling more and more. Up until about fifteen years ago, nobody in Slovakia could leave their own country and travel, due to communism, and the only language they were allowed to learn was Russian, because of the U.S.S.R’s control. So imagine my surprise when this old man in a nursing home just starts speaking in English! I asked my supervisor about him, and he said that Vincent used to be a teacher. I’d like to know where, and when, and I will ask more as my Slovak improve. He doesn’t speak very much English, but he surprises me once in awhile with a new phrase: “How are you doing? Very well, thank you.” Or “Goodnight, and good luck.” Or “For what reason will you be traveling today?” He’s fun to try and speak to. A few times I’ve walked down the hall with him and just trying to say things in Slovak, and having him help me. It’s pretty amazing what the brain can remember as you get older, and when other parts of your body fail you. Vincent reminds me of my Grandma Verna, because while her mind and other parts of her body were failing her in old age, she never forgot how to play those same songs on the piano.