Released

Background Information: I lived in Hong Kong, China, for 8 years. In my freshmen year of high school I took a class called Humanities In Action. It basically my history/english class but it wasn't so traditional. The class focused on current events, learning about world problems and globalization, genocide's, slavery and current events. It was called Humanities In Action because it also had a big part of service in the class as well. From fundraisers to teaching local kids english every other week, I did alot of service which I feel made me a better person and changed my life.

The most touching thing I did was in November of last year, my class and I went to Foshan, China. A very small city is mainland china. We went to a orphanage for disabled children. The kids were aged from infants to teenagers and majority were disabled. We went for 4 days and we played with the children and taught them english and math as well. They were so sweet and innocent it was heartbreaking to see these wonderful kids abandoned because of their disabilities. It was a coincident that the weekend that we went was thanksgiving weekend, leaving for the trip I wasn't excited to be missing thanksgiving but i'm so happy I did because it made me even more thankful for what I have. This is a personal narrative that I wrote about the trip, it focuses on just one moment, when we first walked into the orphanage.



Voices and and the sound of footsteps echoed in the dull staircase. We all walked excitedly and anxiously to the third floor, where the special needs kids were. None of us knew what to expect when we saw these kids or how they lived. So many thoughts raced through my mind, are these kids going to look really different? Are they even going to like me? As we started arriving on the third floor we could hear someone unlocking the door on the other side. All the thoughts in my head vanished and then the doors opened. Swinging the doors wide open the kids who could, dashed at us in full speed, they came so fast their wasn't even time for us to react.

The kids just came running to anyone they could find, jumping on them, yelling in excitement and tugging our arms and hugging them. All of the sudden a little boy just rans and jumps on me, I catch him and he gives me a huge hug. Not long after, the other kids who had trouble walking wobbled their way towards us, begging for the same attention as the other kids were getting. I turn to another boy tugging my arm and another one yelling at me to come with him. It was an overwhelming feeling to have these kids everywhere craving for your attention and so desperately wanted to be loved.

At that moment I wish I could give my attention to every kid who came to me but I just took the hand of one and started walking with him as he led me to the playground. I couldn't help but look back at the others with guilt as I walked away from them. They were looking at me with despair, their innocent faces looked so confused. All I could think of was what if they feel rejection? I tried to shake off the thoughts of guilt and focus on the boy I was with now. I looked back one more time to see those big happy smiles on their faces once again and they were holding hands with someone else and I felt so much relief. In that moment, I knew all these kids wanted was someone to play with, I realized how lonely they must feel and how desperately they wanted someone to care for them and it was heartbreaking but almost nice to see how happy they were at that moment, it was like someone freed them from their cell that they had to live in every day.



Final Thoughts: Getting to live and grow up in asia I got the amazing opportunity to travel and see so much of the world at such a young age and it shaped who I am today because I realized very young that I am extremely lucky to have the life that I have and any chance I have to give back, I don't think twice. Besides doing service in school, My family and I have done a lot when we've traveled on vacations and its such an amazing feeling to help someone else and you never forget those smiles from the people you help.