Summer in Taiwan-Won Ji Young(Korea)

Last summer, I made a decision which would change my life a lot. Air plane took off, and soon, I arrived in Taiwan. AIESEC of Taiwan University sent a friend to pick up us. Arriving in Taipei, more friends were there to help us. Asking some questions kindly, they tried to help us not to be so nervous. As Taiwan’s climate is marine tropical, it was too wet and too hot. When I arrived at the company, Eden Welfare Foundation, and participated in orientation, I was a little surprise, because almost everything was different from what I thought. Actually what we had to do was not office work, but was voluntary work. Receiving no informative e-mail, I was a little unhappy. And then, AIESECers brought us to Wang grandmother’s home-stay. I and Kim would never forget Wang grandmother’s family who were very kind to us. And we started fall in love with Taiwan.

Soon, we left Taipei and reached in Tainan. Actually our workplace was unbelievably backward facilities and environment. When we reached home we would stay in, we just couldn’t believe that. Being unsatisfied with everything, my life in Taiwan began just like that. 

I remember my first day till now. When I first saw little kids coming inside, my unhappiness disappeared at once. But despite my mind, I just didn’t know how to get along with them at first. Soon, a girl came to me and said, “I want to play with you.”

They were really lovely. Different from the kids I used to meet, they never had unbalanced diet. Actually even I sometimes didn’t eat meal because it was disagreeable food. They easily smiled, easily laughed, easily became happy and easily turned sulky. They were honest to their feelings and they could express their true heart to everybody. I taught them English, Korean language, culture and some other things. I was worried if they couldn’t be interested in them. But they were always ready to accept what we taught. In my opinion, they were thirst after knowledge that adults around them couldn’t teach.

When I participated in the second activity, I met a special friend. When I was preparing teaching material in internet, she was looking at me. She said she wanted me to be her friend. She was from Southeast Asia and was 4 years older than me. She told me that she got married even before her high school graduation. As a mother of three children, she often looked very tired, but she came every day and listened our small lectures. I gave my special love to her 3-year-old daughter named “Yu Ting”. Even now, I sometimes think of Yu Thing and miss her lovely smile very much. At second activity, men and women lived together. After work, we sometimes drank beer and listened to music (Max was our D.J and Joseph loved Michael Jackson’s songs) One day, Amado taught us romantic dance and we really enjoyed that. Frankly speaking, we just ran and ran without any rest even in weekend, and we were tired so much. I am strongly sure that the power made us endure was our friendship and of course, passion. Before, I never believed people from different countries can become good friend just in a month.

In the third activity, more volunteers and more little kids participated in it. In there, I met my special friend, J.D who was from India. He had different culture from us. (Even more different from Latin America’s) But it was not that difficult to become his friend. (And I miss him a lot) Sometimes I and Kim provided friends with food we brought from Korea. When an activity finished, especially when the third activity finished, I cried a lot. Actually it was a little cruel for us to say good-bye each other. We said good-bye to our lovely angels, and also to our colleagues.

When I faced to the last activity, I was worried about them if they would accept us easily or not. But different from our worries, they never guarded against us -- actually they were even more active and outgoing than us. And the most surprise thing for me was they were really smart. (As their eyes don’t work very well, their other four senses are really well-developed.) So their hearing skills and memorizing skills were unbelievable. Actually at the last activity, my condition was so bad. I caught a bad cold and got sickness in my eyes. Even though I often took a rest inside a room, nobody argued about that, but they just worried about my health and took care of me. On Cultural Festival’s day, we decided to cook our traditional dishes and served them. It was not easy to cook food in the hot place, but now it became unforgettable memory. We really hoped they could see pictures that we prepared and could see the colors of food we cooked, and that made us a little sad. We tried to explain everything detail by detail in the most effective way, so that they could imagine what they heard or what they ate. We prepared a small farewell concert together for the last day. When we created dance, we teachers didn’t know how to express a shape of heart. But children did that! Not only I but also others were surprised by their creative thoughts. Although the reason why I met them was to teach them, actually being taught was I.

At first, I and Kim used to say “Only 3 days passed, only 4 days passed……”, But later, we used to say “Only 4 days left, only 3 days left……”

In addition, I met three nice leaders in the program – John, Catherine, and Jocelyn. They were supportive, warm-hearted, and understanding leaders. They were like close sisters or brother outside the work, but they never lost charisma when they worked. I learned “what are the qualities of the good leader”.

Even I’m now in China for my study, I always dream about my Taiwan life. Thank every little lovely kids, friends, AIESECers and people from Eden end.

They are all different. They have all different environments, thoughts, personalities and characteristics. But also, they are all same. Little kids love to sing, love to sing, love to smile, love to cry, dance, love to sleep after lunch, love to play, love to learn, and love to touch “哥哥姐姐” ‘ hearts; and they are really good at those. And they really need our love. Frankly speaking, I have regretted till now – “I should have hugged them more. I should have spent more time with them. I should have listened to them more.” Some of them are love-starved children and that made me hurt since I thought they are little angels.

Through the AIESEC EP program, I learned various things that I would never get from the book, and I’m pretty sure that things will help me to find the reason why I exist in here, the world, and what do I have to do here. Whenever I face to misery, I will think of this experience so that I will get power to overcome that.