Thursday 19 June 2008

Wednesdays with Jo

Every Wednesday afternoon before I started my current work contract, I would go to see Jo. Jo is 84 years-old and lives in a hostel for the elderly, five minutes from where I live. 

She signed up for Computer Connections, a program that matches people with limited mobility with those who are technically minded, in Jo's case, me. 

Initially she wanted me to teach her how to set up Skype and her webcam so she could chat to her sister, who's 90, in the UK.

Every Wednesday I would visit her after she came back from church and we would go through how to do various tasks on her PC: how to scan old photos, resize the images and email them, how to write letters in Word and print them etc. 

When Jo phoned me last night to say hello and to see how I was getting on with my new work, I thought about the principal at the local primary school. Recently, he went to the U3A to invite them to spend time with his students - to read with them, talk with them, mentor them. 

It's such a nice feeling to be a part of a community. I never had that, living in the city.

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