Day 1

It began with being led into the unit by the volunteer coordinator, Paula. Opening door after door with my magic key was surreal at first-- I was gaining access to a world otherwise unknown to the outside; a mysterious and seemingly endless hallway of sterile white enveloped me. The old, rusted locks were difficult to master, and the silence seemed to engulf the small talk Paula and I were making. Finally, I unlocked the door that gave me access to the ward I would be spending the next few months volunteering in. Here it began.

I was quickly led through an open door. "Laura!" Paula yelled. "Meet another one!" We walked in on Laura hastily typing away on her computer. She didn't seem too happy. "I have another one for you," Paula repeated. She pointed at me and smiled helplessly. The hospital had taken in too many volunteers, Paula explained, but I had yet to encounter any. Laura stared blankly at Paula for a few instances. A few moments passed in silence until Laura glanced over at me, offering a smile and a "hi".

Laura seems to mean well, but her busy schedule as a psych tech and lack of relaxation time gives her an air of apathy and discontent. Along with Eric, also a psych tech, Laura was to supervise me.

Another volunteer showed up at the door. Laura instructed her to lead me to the nurse's station, the main meeting grounds for all employed at the hospital. It could be likened to an office shared by everyone-- it contains all vital documents, procedures, and forms. Eric, supervisor numero dos, soon made his way in and introduced himself. He gave me a brief introduction, and told me to watch out for particular patients. A small, seemingly-innocent Asian woman by the name of Lu was often one to lash out on staff and other individuals in the hospital, so having your back turned to her is generally not a good idea, I was told. I nodded, sucking in whatever information was thrown at me, attempting to make sense of everything until--

A low rumbling sound began from afar. "Here they come", voiced Eric. Soon, the once-empty hallways were filled to the brim with a myriad of faces, all different from the next. Some people walked upright, some hobbled, some made their way down at a snail's pace. They wandered around the all-glass nurse's station, which sits in the middle of the ward, where of the all hallways meet. Individuals who begun to knock on the glass startled me at first, and many motioned with their hands to signify that they had questions for the staff and requested attention. Before I knew it, I was wandering out of the station with another psych tech to one of the group sessions.

Group sessions take place every morning and afternoon, two during each time frame. The first I was to attend was being led by a psychologist. I walked into a small group of individuals, surprised to see that our activity for the hour was to intently watch Merlin. The psych tech I had accompanied began nodding off, later telling me, "I've never, in all my time here, seen the psychologist show a movie during his session! I can't believe I fell asleep!"

The second group involved recreational activity. Everyone was led out to the patio area where a volleyball court and half a basketball court are present. I began supervising and encouraging shooters of the basketball, and was promptly approached by a few individuals who asked me for my name. Jorge, who carries an air of complete stability, proceeded to stun us all with his perfect three-pointers. Janet and Robert were next. They looked very young-- not a day over 18-- and flirted with one another quite a bit. The lower-functioning and older individuals sat on lawn chairs placed all along the corners of the patio area, mostly staring off and lost in thought. A few made rounds, walking around the grounds and nodding "hello"s at others in the process.

Before I knew it, everyone began walking back inside. I was to return the equipment. The afternoon activities had ceased. And with that, my first day was complete. With little supervision and direction, it was needless to say that I was fairly lost. The novelty of the situation had me in a daze, no doubt.

As I left the hospital, I had quickly come to be curious about several "normal" individuals present in the unit. It brought about the question: "what could they possibly be here for?" And that question was to be answered over time, I realized.