Shining, Shimmering Splendid LCRC!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.
For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com.

Day 1: December 17, 2009, Thursday

Our practicum is our most anticipated event in college life, well aside from the graduation of course. We consider this as the most exciting, thrilling and toxic episode of our academic lives. Because for some of us this will be the first time that we will be exposed, interact and communicate to patients with real psychological disorders. It is exciting because it is our first time; thrilling because we have no exact knowledge of what we might encounter; and toxic because we sure will have lots of working to do, according to the much senior students who had practicum already. Tsk.

On 17th of December, Thursday, I together with my circle of friends Nadz, Mary, Haha, Dana, Lau, Rio and Bude had at long last started our practicum at LCRC. It was the day before the grand Christmas party, each group of practicumers from different universities were assigned to different tasks for the said event, and our group were given the task for decorations of the social hall. According to Sir Al, dapat maramdaman sa room na paskong pasko na because he was disappointed early that morning regarding the ambience of the room, he wants the residents to feel that ‘hey! It’s Christmas!’.

Before we start decorating the hall, Sir Al, our supervisor had invited us to join the worship service lead by Pastor Paul. Sir Al introduced us first to the residents of LCRC which was a quite nakakakaba. We attend the service with the residents, sang with them, clap for Jesus and praise Jesus with the residents. Pastor Paul delivered a short message about the right celebration of Christmas for the service or it seemed short for me for I had to leave the room early for some admin work assigned by Ms. Agnes. I remember the part where in we walk around and told “God Bless you” to each other. It was not comfortable for me then to approach some patients and told them that God may bless them, I was sort of shy.

After the service we had our first lunch at our favorite place in the garden. It felt nice that we already found our comfort place inside the LCRC. :) Then after the lunch we proceeded, some had proceeded with our group task, of decorating the function hall, while Dana and Bude were asked to buy some Christmas lights, and I resumed my admin work, of typing the interpretations of the BPI and the CISS of the residents. I was finished by around two or three pm and then I helped, tried to help, Mary in decorating the hall. Upon entering the hall i was surprised because the atmosphere had been very different from the early morning. ^_^ There were a Christmas tree out of crepe paper in the stage with the shining and shimmering theme LIWANAG NG PASKO courtesy of Haha, Rio, and Nadz; and with the stars all over the wall. While giving Mary some masking tapes (hehe!) we watched the residents practised their performance for the Christmas party. They were so nice that Mary and I had been singing with them as well. After their practice, i taught some of the residents how to make a star. Through that I met and talked to some residents. It was fun, knowing they were so cooperative and actually nice. :)

At the end of my interaction with them, I was so glad that one of them had consistently recognized and remembered me. That made my day. :)

In spite of the exhausting decorating because we kept on putting and taking off some of them, like the Hawaiian garland in the Christmas tree, the twigs in the stage which for us Mary looked so okay, one must observe being “coherent” in some pictures. Some pictures might be pleasing to someone’s eyes because of its different colors and design yet it really is not because the combinations are not all appropriate.