July 16, 2018

I cooked today. Since I have chicken breast in my room’s refrigerator, and onion in my room pantry, I decided to cook some chicken breast.

At the Ronald McDonald House you have your own section in a refrigerator, and your own pantry. Although they’re your own, they’re very small. You don’t have your own section in a freezer, so you have to throw all your frozen items in a bag, put a label on the bag, and stuff it into the freezer.

The Ronald McDonald House also has a community pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. You can take any of the items from them and use it. For example, I can take baloney from the community refrigerator, bread from the community pantry, and ice from the community freezer. I can make a sandwich and ice water from those ingredients. If I didn’t eat my sandwich, then I can take some saran wrap from the community pantry, wrap the sandwich up, and put it in the community refrigerator for anyone to eat.

I also took some garlic powder and from the community pantry and canola oil on the counter for my chicken breast. I diced the onion, sauteed it with the canola oil, and seared the chicken with garlic powder. The chicken took longer to cook than I expected.

While cooking I talked to Angela. Angela is my friend that I met at the Ronald McDonald House. She’s here for liver treatment, and because of her liver disease she can only eat 20 grams of protein per day. I talk to her everyday because she’s a good friend.

My sister came after I made the chicken. She wanted to go eat, but since I already cooked I didn’t go with her to eat. My sister stayed overnight.

July 18, 2018

Every Wednesday at the Ronald McDonald house there’s a movie night. Usually no one goes (I don’t know why?), but I invited my neighbor, Kayano, and his family to come. I also invited Johanna (pseudonym) and her mother Tanjila (pseudonym) to watch the movie with us.

Tanjila is a really sweet person. She was nervous about bringing Johanna to Stanford, since they live far away. She said I made them less nervous, which I felt great about. Johanna needs a lung transplant, but she’ll need to be on an oxygen machine in the meantime.

We watched Trolls. Trolls is a movie about trolls. It’s so bad it’s hilarious. I loved laughing at the awkward moments.

If you’re at the Ronald McDonald house or the hospital, you’re most likely in pain. I suggest finding something to occupy your time to distract from the pain.

At the Ronald McDonald House there’s tons of activities for you to enjoy, such as bingo night, arts & crafts, or movie night. My personal favorite is sitting at the kitchen and reading a book. People are more open to talk to you if you make yourself seem available. The Stanford Mall is across the street, and Downtown Palo Alto and Safeway are walking distance away. Safeway has a food bar, and Downtown Menlo Park is not far from Safeway. If you can make it to Downtown Palo Alto or Downtown Menlo Park, you can hop on a CalTrain and travel to neighboring cities.

At the hospital, check out the Family Resource Center. I rented so many movies at the Family Resource Center that I finished the Captain America, Mission Impossible, Lord of the Rings, and Avengers series. The hospital also has a great garden to explore, and each unit has a balcony so you can have fresh air. I remember my room had so much stenk that outside smelled like heaven. Stanford has playrooms for you to enjoy. The playrooms include games, and there are other people at the playrooms you can play with.

July 20, 2018

Today my Mom and I walked to the Stanford Theater. The Stanford Theater is only 1 mile away from the Ronald McDonald house, so it’s very convenient if you’re able to walk. The Stanford Theater is an old school theater that shows movies made during the Golden Age of Hollywood, such as Casablanca or Gone with the Wind. Some of the movies are black and white, so it’s a cool vintage experience.

We watched Roman Holiday, and a part of Queen Christina. Roman Holiday is a movie that launched Audrey Hepburn into the public eye. Audrey Hepburn plays the princess of Rome who runs away with a random guy to have fun. Queen Christina is about the well educated Queen of Scotland that decided she didn’t want to marry.

If you’re at the Ronald McDonald House, or waiting to go to the Ronald McDonald House, you have tons of things to do at downtown. Being in the hospital sucks, but if you can travel to Downtown Palo Alto, there’s so much you can do. There’s restaurants, music, and the Stanford Theater.

After we watched the movie we went to a nearby bakery, Paris Baguette, to get some pastries. I don’t eat sweets, so I got the savory baked goods.