By Young Joo Choi

     This week's Day Care sessions were no different from usual. On Monday, the children were an endless source of energy. The main activity of the day was another craft project introduced by Amy. By rolling and gluing slits of paper that tapered off, we were able to create little "paper beads" that would be strung together to form necklaces next week! Little sticky hands were all grasping for the shiny papers and holding their own exhibitions of the finished products. But they're not occupied on one activity for long... Before I knew it, a train of children were encircling the whole group, like a shark does with its prey. They were reveling in their time at Day Care, which allowed them to be simply children instead of patients. While their parents looked on, you could see the sea of smiles spreading across the room. 

     Wednesday is a little more subdued but still filled with a similar liveliness. We had a group of volunteers from a school called Heritage who prepared a round game called "Hut." A sequence of clapping and chants of ahh, disturbed by a reverse command "boo." As it slowly caught on, a rule was established: every person who is disqualified must perform a talent in the middle of the circle! There were a variety of joke tellers, singers, and dancers in the crowd. There was one boy, who was on the younger side of the group, who absolutely blew away the audience. Although he sung in Hindi, the clarity of his voice and the control he had over our attention was undeniable. Of course, Joonho had brought his talents too with a sing-along of Justin Bieber's "Sorry." This was ensued by a sewing session to make happy face pillows. I helped thread needles and taught some people how to sew and in return, I was also shown a new method! 

     Like the sewing lesson, this week demonstrated the lesson of giving and receiving. We're often told, especially during Christmas season, that the act of giving must take priority over our hopes of receiving. Through this experience, I have received a much greater gift compared to the time that I am giving to CanSupport—interaction with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures, ability to learn about palliative care, and the realization of what it means to be human.