And when you want to start a conversation with a friend, what would you do? Well, you would call your friend by his/her name, and just naturally start the conversation with a question or two.
Well, that's not the case for the intellectually disabled. Some take years to even master ABCs and forming of words, and starting a conversation may not be that instinctive to some of them.
I went to Bishan Home for the intellectually disabled on Wednesday, 15th of Jan with my classmates to volunteer and entertain the residents there. It was my first time volunteering and actually stepping into a turf of the disabled. I was aware of the disabled people around us but have never really gotten a chance to interact with them in real life.
When I first stepped into the home, I was having mixed feelings about the volunteer work. There was a bit of fear inside me too ( I don't know if I should be guilty of this ).
We first stepped into a conference room to be briefed about the things we were gonna do, before putting our valuables inside the lockers. We then headed straight to the canteen and made our way to the hall.
As I was walking towards the hall, the initially grown fear inside me grew even more. Some of them looked and behaved like normal people, but there were some who were behaving in a creepy manner and saying things that don't make sense to the entire human race.
To be honest I felt intimidated by them, questions like " why are they behaving like that? " and " are we still on earth? " ran through my mind simultaneously.
It was something that most people don't normally see...
I did not judge them as I know that they were born like that, but it just crept me out, you feel me?
When we set foot on the hall, we were greeted by a massive amount of audience that stretched across the hall. Still containing the fear inside, I walked up the stage with the class while trying my best not to get the residents' attention.
We were supposed to put up a performance for them. My classmate and I have printed a couple of songs, and some of them brought things like Piano, Ukulele, speakers, etc.
We started singing slow English songs to them, they seemed to enjoy them, but what really spurred them on were the Old Chinese songs. Yeah, should have known...
However, what got them really hyped up was when we started singing and dancing to Gangnam style
Wow, I wasn't expecting the residents to be so liven up by one of the most popular K-pop songs of 2012. PSY, you rock! :D
After we finished singing, we were supposed to interact with them, teach them how to fold origami, get to know them, etc.
I decided to face my fears and approach some of them. I said hi to some, but they just looked away. Nevermind, I continued trying to interact and finally, I got to teach one of the uncles how to fold an origami airplane.
Surprisingly, he was a fast-learner. But when I tested him after he's done, he took time to recall the steps, but that's okay. I'm a pretty patient person when it comes to teaching.... occasionally.
I started talking to him and he's really cool. He opens up once he's comfortable.
Before I know it, it was time to pack up and say goodbye to the residents. I shook hands with bunch of them and at the end of the day, I could see that they were filled with happiness.
We left the home and it was time to go back to ours.
After the volunteering was done, I could tell that everyone was enriched by it. Yeah, it was a very memorable experience for us that we will never forget.
 |
| Our class photo outside of Bishan Home. Spot me haha ^^ |
What did I feel after the volunteering?
Firstly, I would say that I feel really lucky. I mean, I have an IQ level similar to that of most people and I can do things, like a normal human being does. Often, things such as being able to start a conversation with ease or processing information quickly are taken for granted.
I'm not bragging here, just telling you guys not to take things for granted.
Secondly, I've come to realise that they are actually normal human beings like you and me, it's just that their brains are wired differently. They just can't control their behaviors. They have feelings too, so it's not right to discriminate them. So, well done Bishan Home for making them feel accepted in society!
Lastly, I've learned that happiness can be obtained from simple things such as singing with them and doing that extra little thing to help the less fortunate, and god was it satisfying! Maybe the key to life is not to focus TOO MUCH on ourselves, but to also care for others.
Really hope that we can volunteer there again, will they remember us? I don't know. But it's shouldn't be too much trouble to reintroduce ourselves right.. ^^
No comments:
Post a Comment