Nora: Journal 4

At the Ronald McDonald House, I was mostly working outside. However, whenever I went inside the house, the atmosphere was almost suffocating. Aside from the warm and stuffy air, the house was filled with two things: uncomfortable silence and people who had probably taken a rough beating from life. Most of the bad things in the world that one can have the unfortunate honor of experiencing don't discriminate. The house wasn't a cheerful place; people didn't seem to find comfort in talking and relating to others. Everyone was doing their own thing, disassociating, and they all looked either tired, fed up, or unhappy. Considering their situation, I don't blame them. However, I was surprised that no one wanted to talk about their struggles or frustrations. If I was in that situation, I wonder whether I would talk or just bottle it up. It made for a very awkward situation, and the atmosphere seemed tense; just being in that house, in the warm air, smelling the pancake aroma, among people who probably just wanted to be alone and relax was enough to make me dizzy. The Ronald McDonald House does provide great services though; it is convenient and probably takes a lot of stress off the shoulders of people in really bad situations.