Thursday, June 21, 2007 > My Drastic Change?

For those that don't know, I am currently on my Uni placements. Everyday 9am-5pm. Knowing me, I tend to whinge about the drastic change in my daily habits. Some examples of the things I whinge about:

1. Having to wake up early everday. It is the hardest thing known to mankind, I am telling you.
2. Throwing off the comforter only to experience extreme cold.
3. Stripping off warm clothes only to put on cold ones.
4. Having to clean my fogged up car (one morning it was ICE!!) before its drivable.
5. Driving in a freezing cold car which only heats up when I am already almost at my workplace.
6. Trying to pass by 8 hours of my life everyday.

Ok, since many people have been asking what I do at my placement, I will explain. I am working with the South Australian Government. It's this huge project they are working on about providing alternative accomodation in the community for people with disabilities, so they are not stuck going to a nursing home. Cause some of their families are already unable to support them and they need to go somewhere that support is available. So yes, I am just working with them, basically, learning how things work.

So as part of my learning experience, I went to see these homes that some people have already moved into. I met this man that just moved into the place, he was probably in his mid-30s and had a condition called Multiple Sclerosis, a neurological condition. A good-looking bloke. My workmates told me a little of his history. He was on his way to earning his first million before be even turned 30 and had a wife and 2 children. He had to leave his huge house he build himself to go and live where support was available for him, cause his condition was deteriorating. It didn't at all affect him cognitively, he was only imprisioned in a body that was slowly dying.

I didn't know what to say when he said, "Compared to what I had before, this is all bullshit." It broke my heart to look into his red eyes and hear the things he said, none of which we can argue with, cause we just don't know what it's like. It broke my heart to see pictures of his children everywhere, and how he hardly gets to see them anymore. It broke my heart to see his wheelchair there, and how he is just sitting in his couch watching TV. I just didn't know what say.

When people think of disability, they usually think of mad, crazy people making weird sounds and flapping their arms everywhere. But some of them are just like everyone else, only that they have acquired a disability. There are so many out there we just don't know about. I may have met others with disabilities, but it still doesn't make it easier each time I meet someone else.

My "drastic change" in daily activities do seem rather minor when I hear about their drastic change. The having to wake up early everday, throwing off the comforter only to experience extreme cold, stripping off warm clothes only to put on cold ones, having to clean my fogged up car before its drivable, driving in a freezing cold car which only heats up when I am already almost at my workplace and trying to pass by 8 hours of my life everyday really doesn't seem too bad anymore. In fact, seeing the people that are behind this project makes it all worthwhile.

Actually, it still is a drastic change for me. A drastic change of not whinging and seeing the big picture instead.