a visit to Changkat!

The elderly is very friendly. The main purpose for them to go to Tampines Changkat Community Centre is to feel up their time. They are usually alone at home in the day and they have nobody to talk to. In other words, they are bored and lonely. However, at first, they are not willing to go to the Community Centre because they claimed that they don’t have friends and will feel awkward to be surrounded my strangers. I chatted with them about how they discover the community center. I got a same reply from the aunties that I talked to : they were arrangement to a buddy that will visit them almost every week and chat with them. As time goes, they are literally friends and when they are invited to join the CC program, they accepted it and ended up be a frequent visitor of the CC.

The CC has a lot of facilities. There is activity room or called “lao di fang” in Chinese which means “the usual place” that also bring the meaning that the place that we usually meet up with our friends, something like your secret place. In this activity room, the elderly play board games, cards, majong as well as doing handicraft together. I realized that although they are from different races and may speak different languages, they can get along well. Everyone there is happy with each other’s accompaniment. There are volunteers as well to talk and help them. The environment is friendly and it is air-con so that the elderly will feel comfortable.

I was helping a group of Malay aunties to make lantern. They are decorating the lanterns and my job is to cut the flowers and patterns that they want. It is basically an easy task! Throughout the session, I chat with them, a Malay auntie tell me that she comes here every Wednesday and Friday. Usually, Wednesday is the handicraft day where they are gathered to do some crafts. She even showed me what they did in the past. I was amazed to see, the bags, key chains, clips and other decorative things they did. She also mentioned that on Friday, they will have potluck party. Everyone will cook their favorite dish and bring it to the centre to share. They will talk and have fun together, it is just like a party.  

On the other hand, there is also a karaoke room so let the elderly enjoy themselves. According to my friend, they usually sing songs in dialect and they don’t really care weather do they sing in tune. They just want to have fun. Some of us also sing along with them. Surprising, most of them can sing pretty well!

The community centre also provide food for them. Hot food such as fried meesiam , fishball nuggets and spring rolls are served. According to the person-in-charge, the main purpose of this CC is to take care of the elderly, give them a place to hang out and mix friends instead of staying at home alone while their children are working. In my opinion, it is very important for us to take good care of the elderly, they are the one that take care of us and brought us to this wonderful world. Without them, who me are? Now, they are old and some even sick, it is our turn to take good care of them!