Thursday, 17 May 2012

GNEK1002-Community Service at Ti-Ratana Welfare Society.. An experience that could change you forever :)


Me, as myself is one girl that afraid to approach people around me. I’d rather prefer to walk, sit, do works alone than to have to ask somebody else to accompany me. Since I was young, my residential area is lacking of Chinese residents. Though I have one or two Chinese neighbors, we rarely speak to each other thus making it hard for me to approach them.

When I was at the first class of this course, I thought this is it. This is the moment I have been waiting for. The moment for me to do something that is outside of my comfort zone with my friends. Even though the requirement set by Pn Ponmalar is a bit scary which is we have to do the community service with people that is not from our own race or religion, I thought I will try to do my best to help the people and help myself to gain my confidence.

Before I came to the charity home, I was so nervous that I cannot do well and cannot get along with the residents there. I cannot imagine what kind of children living there, what age are they, and will they accept  us when we arrived? However, when I first arrived at the charity home, I found that the children there were so warm hearted, and generous with smile. When I enter the bus for the movie session, everyone in the bus was smiling at me, saying “hi” to me and invited me to sit with them. I was so glad and happy to see those kids but in the same time I wonder, what if I am one of them. Sadness strike, and I can’t imagine, how these little kids can survive without parents to raise them and have to do thing independently.

From the 20 hours of community service at this charity home, there is a lot that I can learn from this work. First,patience in handling the children. From my observation during the three days, I found out that children at the charity home were so ecstatic and hyperactive. They love to run around the home, trying the get our attention, and speak loudly. They were trying to get our attention everytime they talk and ask questions. As the children were many, and they are only four of us we cannot give attentionto each of them. Sometimes, I feel like losing my patience but thinking of how hard their life had been, I smiled and try to entertain them as much as I can.

My mother is a baby sitter and currently, she is raising three small children since they were young when their parents are at work. Usually at my home, I tend to lose my patience when these little kids talk loud to each other, running around at my home or do anything that makes me angry. But from this charity work, I learned that these children were so pure and fragile that we need to use different methods to approach them. I also learned to control my anger and think before I speak.

The best thing that I can find from these little kids is their interest towards arts. Almost all of our activities were art-based such as DIY bookmarks, origami, coloring contest and sand-color card art. But what can I say about these activities is it was a success. During the second visit to the charity home, we planned to do a DIY Bookmark Session with the kids. Before arriving to the location of the activity, we were expecting to have some girls and boys to do the activities because we had prepared some girly stuff (such as plastic ribbons). However, when we arrived at the library, they only children present during the day were only boys. We asked Miss Surine who is in-charge on that day, if we can get some girls to attend the activities but she answered “No”. This is because the girls were still at their tuition centre and will be back at the evening.

I was so worried that these boys cannot accept our proposal to do to activities with them but I was wrong. When we ask them to join us to do the bookmarks, they were so eager and cannot wait to get their own materials to do the bookmarks.  I was disappointed to myself as I were judging them before knowing them better. During this activity, I can see that the boys were very creative and have their own style in making the bookmarks. I was so glad that they love the materials that we brought including the plastic ribbons on their bookmarks. From this, I learned that judging people before knowing them better is never a good thing to do.

Besides conducting art-based activities, we also helped the small children (below 7) to do their homework at the nursery. From my observation, I can see that most of the children cannot focus in doing their homework. They tend to run around the nursery at the middle of the homework session.  Some of them also have difficulties in understanding the homework and we have to help them from the basic. However, most of their homework is in Chinese. As I am a Malay that cannot speak or understand Chinese, I have a difficulty in teaching them. Luckily, we have Chinese in our team who can teach the children Chinese. Me and my other Malay  friend usually helped them with their coloring homework.

From this, I learned that I was so lucky to have my parents to raised me up and give me education until I managed to enter University of Malaya. I was very lucky to have my parents who sent me to tuition classes since I was 8. These children were also get a chance to go to school and tuition. However, they did not have special attention when they are doing their homework. This is why volunteers are needed to help them to do their homework and success in their studies.

Finally, I think that this course had taught me many values in life such as patience, love, friendship, helping each other, respecting the elders and many more. I am looking forward to come to this home or maybe other home as well to help these people. I hope that one day, these kids will have a bright future and have a better life.( Nur Fazrina binti Mohd Ani SES100127 )

Lastly, thank you 'Mak' for raising me up and make my life wonderful and complete. Thank You 'Abah' for always supporting me in whatever i do and sacrifice most of the things that you wish for, just to make sure i'll survive here, far from you. Thank you sisters; K.long, K.ngah,K.uda for always be there beside me and help me whenever i need you. and thank you Adik a.k.a Zaim for being such a caring and smart brother,and for completing our family. You guys are the sunshine in my life. You may be far from me, but you are the heart beat that make me breath everyday. I love u, "MY FAMILY"  :))  

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