Social work for Eden -ken(Malaysia)

Hello there!

First and foremost I must send my condolence to the whole of Taiwan, 88 Typhoon from what I heard is one of the most devastating typhoon in 50 years. It took away many beloved ones and destroyed parts of Taiwan, but I believe… I strongly believe the burning passion in every Taiwanese would be able to overcome this unfortunate event and rebuild for a better tomorrow.台湾加油！

Back in Malaysia, we have no natural disasters, and I’m very grateful for that after experiencing typhoon in Taipei City. I went out for lunch, the streets were empty, the whole place was really quiet, and weather got really unpredictable. Imagine really big droplets pouring down and suddenly stops, and then it drizzles, wind starts blowing really strong, you can see that the cars are shaking. What really stun me was, the magnitude of the strength of the wind is considered pretty low in Taipei compared with Southern regions of Taiwan!!! Let’s all pray for the situation in Southern Areas to get better as soon as possible.

Social work for Eden is AWESOME! I and my team had a great time in Kaohshiung, assisting pre-elementary teachers in teaching, feeding children with disabilities, cleaning up flooded office and centre. I’m really impressed with the way the teachings are done, teachers offers help to the children with disabilities only when it is really needed, even when they start crying, the teachers will just go nearer to encourage them, cause they know they can do better, they make sure they will be able to be as independent as possible so they can cope with life as they grow older. No Pain No Gain. As volunteer we teach some of the languages we know to the students, encourage them to be more enthusiastic about learning! It was a really fun and wonderful experience working there.


And one more thing, never ever hesitate to ask the locals you’re working with to bring you around. The pre-elementary teachers brought us to Night Market, an extremely hot spot for Taiwanese in case you don’t know, they just love it. It’s crazy, Night Market are so crowded! All the best snacks in Taiwan are there, they sell so many stuffs there and they have mini games provided. Entertainment, shopping, great food and drinks all at one spot. There are countless number of Night Markets in Taiwan and very accessible with MRT.

On the 2nd week, we are placed at Danshui, one of the districts in Taipei at the farther north side of Taiwan. Basically, we did painting and taking care of physically disabled people there. It was saddening to see people once like you and me, got involved in accidents and their whole life changed. However, they stay optimistic, they still enjoy life like they used to and not whine about it, they tell you stories of their past, they are all more than willing to share their experience with you. They joke around with the social workers looking after them, it creates a different atmosphere; filled with laughter and not solemn at all, and you can feel that the people here are really closely bonded.

We, people with perfect limbs should embrace our life more than ever; share our love with the needy, care for them. Happiness is only real when shared. My experience so far as a social work for Eden in Taiwan is only a beginning; I’m hoping there will be more cultures of Taiwan to be learnt, more places to be visited and most importantly, more faces to put a smile upon. =)