I've never experienced this kind of harsh environment before, but I was still more excited than scared when I heard about it. Probably eager to get out of my comfort zone and experience something different while I was still young, I was looking forward to all the unknown experiences on this trip. Although the first day of the trip, I encountered problems at the airport related to baggage check-in, flight delays, and other major and minor problems, but still could not quench my heart's enthusiasm.
The first week of the trip was devoted to professional training, where I learned a lot about presentation and public speaking skills, and made new friends from all over the world while working as a team. In the evenings we went back to the park for a run, joined the local Zumba crowd, or borrowed a kid's bike to ride.
The second week we went to the largest activity center for children with cerebral palsy in Kuching, and I got to know cerebral palsy a little better. Most of the children were accompanied by their mothers for functional training, and I realized the kindness and greatness of a mother's love as I talked to them.
In the third week, we traveled to a school in another small town around Kuching, where the teachers were very kind to us, and we were put up in the homes of the local villagers, where we worked all day and then had a nice dinner in the evening. The children at this school are generally more proficient in English, so I was under a lot of pressure to prepare for the lessons, but ultimately felt a great sense of accomplishment when I got up on the podium and did a good job with the session I was in charge of.
In the fourth week, we traveled to Thailand for a border run, and because Chinese people can't enter Malaysia for more than 30 days in a single trip, we applied for multiple-entry visas, and had to leave the country once in the middle of the trip. The border run was only four days long, and it was the first time I didn't do any detailed travel planning before the trip, but I was able to experience the joy of being spontaneous and free.
In week five we traveled nearly seven hours by bus, two hours by boat, and one hour by ferry to a remote school on an island. There was little food, no water and no electricity, but every child had an innocent, bright smile on their face. I was impressed from the first time I met them. We re-prepared the teaching content to suit their English level, and the night before we left, I received all kinds of small gifts prepared by the children, and we chatted and sang Malaysian songs together under the weak light of the flashlight, and they even gave me a nice Malaysian name. When I left the island on the boat early the next morning, many children were crying, and I felt very uncomfortable. I suddenly felt that I was cruel to the children as a short-term volunteer, and I began to reflect on whether I wanted to participate in the education program in the future.
In the sixth week, we returned to downtown Kuching, mainly to prepare for the cultural sharing program at global village, as well as to write an English article to summarize what we have learned in the past six weeks, and to make a video of the activities accordingly. When I take a moment to look back, I realize that I have learned a lot and made a lot of genuine friends during the program. On the last day before we left, we went to KTV to sing together, and in the atmosphere of impending separation we all sang and cried into tears.
I don't know if I will have the chance to see my friends from Holland, Pakistan, Jordan, Vietnam, and Malaysia again, although we said we were looking forward to the next time we meet; I don't even know if I will have the time to see several Chinese volunteers again after I go back to my country, because I will return to my original life and continue to move forward. But we are very grateful that fate has allowed us to meet in Cat City, and in this beautiful summer, we *** together to deliver love and share love.