Malling in a wheelchair
Taking a cue from LadyCess, I tried going malling in a wheelchair. H & I needed to run some chores, and I was just extra-tired that day but wanted to get out of the house. And so, a wheelchair seemed to be an efficient idea.
So there we were at the SM Mall of Asia, renting a wheelchair for an unlimited time. You can rent strollers and wheelchairs by the hour too. We paid P180 for the “ride-all-you-can” rate. All he had to do was leave a valid ID, pay the fee and off we went.
Oh, the stares, the stares. I don’t like attention, and boy, I didn’t realize a wheelchair attracted attention fiercely. Maybe mallers aren’t used to seeing people without grey hair in wheelchairs. It made me uncomfortable. Some were really staring to the point of rudeness. C’mon people, just because a pregnant woman’s in a wheelchair doesn’t make me a circus freak. I know I shouldn’t have let it bug me, but it did made me think — do I stare at people in wheelchairs too?
There ARE good people. H did the pushing, but not all doors in the mall are wheelchair-friendly. When he needed an extra hand to open the doors, a helpful maller would hold the door open for us. Thank you kind people! Bless them, bless them.
We got our chores done and chilled out together! Usually, I’d sit in a bookstore or in a chapel when I’d get tired, and H would continue walking around the mall. This time, we did everything together. We were able to pay the bills, get some documents photocopied, and got some quiet time gazing at the calming Manila Bay.
Two hours in a wheelchair was enough. While H wasn’t tired from pushing, I was tired from sitting. The two hours helped me rest AND get chores done, but my lower back began hurting. I knew I needed to walk it out. It was time to go anyway, and so we walked slowly towards the parking lot together.
Would I do it again? Sure! I still need to get some shopping done, and if I find myself feeling too heavy to walk but not too tired to stay at home, I’d consider using a wheelchair again. It was an efficient use of malling time — you get your to-do list done without straining yourself.
Thanks again to LadyCess for the idea!
Image credit: Sam Felder
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:33 am
My OB also went around the mall in a wheelchair when she was preggy. She had triplets kasi, so she was really huge and hard a hard time getting around.
Jennys last blog post..Birthday Party Souvenirs
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:37 am
the stares could be quite uncomfortable, but there were a lot of very nice people too. salamat sa inyo! me naman, I used the chair for 3 hours.
yes, the greatest part was you did things together with your hubby. we gotta admit, ang sarap ng feeling, diba, parang you love each other more after the wheelchair experience
lady cesss last blog post..My 8-month Old Belly
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Haha! I HAVE to try this, pregnant or not. :p
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June 23rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
i wish you had the chance to tease H, “come on honey… push! push! push!” lol
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June 23rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I can imagine those people staring, and some people can be very rude too, but that was one efficient way of doing chores and bonding with H.
kreezs last blog post..What’s in a name
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Shucks lapit na, Tones!
rowies last blog post..Parenting Seminars
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
OMG! I could just imagine the stares!!!!
they can be very RUDE and judgmental, why is that???
I cannot believe your so close, hang in there hun!!!
We’re here for you!
Annes last blog post..Monday Matters #2: Comment interaction game
June 24th, 2009 at 12:13 am
I understand how uncomfortable the stares were at the beginning.
I think that going around the mall in a wheelchair while you’re pregnant is a great idea. I wish I had thought of that when I was pregnant.
Rach (Heart of Rachel)s last blog post..Yohanism #33 – Yohan in Prep
June 25th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
i remember an unfortunate incident in SM MOA once, when were there with my mother [who has lung CA]. we used wheelchair then because she was weak to walk. we were waiting for the elevator, lining up properly and fortunate that other people gave way to let us in line first. while waiting, this very insensitive woman with around 2 to 3 companions cut in front of us! parang walang nakita! and to think that there was a very big sign that says give way to people in wheelchair! she also had this very large stroller that contained shopping bags! no baby! naku! muntik na ako napaaway! at hindi nadala sa tingin at parinig! hay! i can’t believe that some people can be so insensitive!
hala…kumulo dugo ko sa pag-alala! he! he! anyway, MOA is a great place for people in wheelchair! hope you enjoyed your malling!
kgs last blog post..What I love about Tagaytay
June 30th, 2009 at 2:55 am
I should’ve tried this when I was pregnant! Sounds like fun!:)
And Toni, thank you for leaving a comment on Joshua’s 2nd bday. For some reason, I couldn’t post a comment back. When your little one comes along, you’ll feel like you do want to hold on to time… because it really does fly.:) Take care!
July 5th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
it helps a lot, especially with the parking! lol! you can park in the area especially for this xD sabay tayo and walking when you get away from the security guard’s view.
and when you get tired, you can just sit down at any time
or in my case, hubby sometimes sits down when he’s tired of walking na also. lol
altho i had several people come near me and ask what’s wrong with me… huh? lol! mga tsismosos
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December 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
I don’t understand why people stare so much when they see a wheelchair. I guess because it’s something different and they are not use to seeing people use them as much as walking. Since my spinal cord injury I’ve had people just sit or stand next to me and stare for the longest time. It can get pretty annoying, but after awhile you learn to just get use to it.
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October 22nd, 2010 at 2:15 pm
I would try to do this in MOA too since I will be on my last mester this november and I must agree that it will be very easy to go malling in the wheelchair hahaha.
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March 8th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
I really appreciate your post and you explain each and every point very well.Thanks for sharing this information.And I’ll love to read your next post too.
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March 9th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
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April 5th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
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July 6th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
hey. i’m now on my 7th month and finding it hard to walk or stand up for too long because i also have slipped discs. my family is planning on going to the science discovery center. from what store can i rent a wheelchair from in MOA? thank you so much for this helpful blog entry. cheers!
September 26th, 2011 at 7:04 am
Thank god the security guard permitted you to park in the handicapped space…