Legacy House

January 2014

Google

Denny Chiu

Legacy House was a first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest: a living facility for elderly Asian immigrants. Great idea. Nice facility. Some dedicated, enthusiastic young staff, for whom I have great admiration. And a few disappointments. For instance, the ambitious, ebullient, cosmetically sincere new director Paula Tomlinson (who affectionately calls herself "Tommy"*) who lacks any understanding of Asian culture (except Myanmar-style democracy) and a four-year college degree. She does curry to the right peo--I mean, she does a great Indian curry and it is ingratiatingly smooth. One wonders whether the honchos of some non-profits get their jobs based on personal connections ("guan-xi" in Mandarin), cheery steel-roller business acumen, degree of imperiousness--oops, I meant self-assurance, and insensitivity to the feelings of those lower in the food-chain. A seeming paradox, I concede. But as a psychologist friend once told me, in most of these social service organizations, though the lackeys (read: social workers) care deeply about people, the people who run these agencies can be monsters. With the recent spate of highly contagious diseases such as S.A.R.S., it boggles the mind to learn that the director brings her own coiffed, but still panting/salivating dog to work every day and allow it to roam unattended the hallways, dining hall, etc. Dogs are considered dirty in East Asian cultures. No one has bothered to--or dared to--tell the Boss this. Even in city parks, these darling little beasts have to be on a leash, right? (Months earlier, a senior staff member had been locking his dog in his office every day, despite the obvious discomfort of others). I suspect that the reason these two individuals brought their dogs to Legacy House was not exactly for the benefit of the residents. The notion of dogs as "pets," hygienic and cute, is rather unusual in Asia. It is perplexing, too, that residents themselves are NOT allowed to have dogs or cats, while.... True, I never saw the director's dog take an actual dump on the floor. Not to worry, however: there are hand sanitizers on each floor and plenty of buckets. mops, and jugs of disinfectant in the closets. # # # # # But when a faultlessly gracious Taiwanese Buddhist organization--which has been visiting residents over the years--is taken to task for "interfering" with the facility's meal operations, Or When the head of kitchen operations makes a volunteer feel like Oliver Twist ("Please, sir, may I have some more?") when s/he is given 2 oz. of white rice and a 4 oz. "entree" plus vegetable (I forgot we were in an ICRC camp in Laos), Or When a staff person scolds and hectors you in Cantonese (which you don't understand a word of), You then realize that: Not just a little bit of feudal Asia lives on in 21st century Seattle. Legacy House is just one fiefdom in the kingdom of SCIDPA. * Why not just call herself "Empress," as in Empress of China, the dowager T'zu Hsi**? ** Known, among other things, for believing herself to be the reincarnation of the beloved bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. The empress famously loved pugs, pekingese, and shih tzu.*** *** Looks like a quadruple reincarnation to me across lifetimes. # # # # # This kind of experience makes one reconsider whether one will want to become a volunteer ever again--at least, at any organization with personnel like this at the top. If you're a college student who needs credit, you'll just have to bite the bullet, though. Serfs you right.