Friday,20th jun, marks the start of my holiday!!haha..Quited from my nyp job on monday and went to volunteer my service for the disabled kids. Though it is a really tired three days..all the befreinders get our share of happiness and joy that simply words cant describe.
Very Special Arts- Tropicana Camp 2005
All the befrienders and camp crew met on monday afternoon. We played some simple ice breaker games to know each other better. I was in octopus and my team-mates consists of Su,Zaki,Guofeng,YiRu,WeiShan and PeiQi.. They are either current or ex nyp students,or smu/nie students..so..people of my age! haha.. Really glad to know them.. But it was a pretty embarrassing start for me during the ice-breaker because we were supposed to carry people and get carried by people to go over to the other side of the hall before we can do the activities.. and so..being the tallest and i supposed biggest gal in the team,i felt so self conscious and really scared to burdened any of my team-mates..just as i was worrying..i was approached by one of my team-mate to be piggy-back! Oh gosh! It was like how many years ago since i was piggy-backed..So paiseh!!!!i hesitated but after some consideration and with some assurance,i decided to give it a try..In the end, the 2 of us went on a trial run before anyone else..and that's when the attention was on us! All befrienders saw me being piggy-backed! gosh..so so so paiseh..nonetheless, i was really thankful to my fren who offered his help.. =)
Other than feeling lucky for what i am and have today,i really really do not know how to describe my feelings towards the kids i met. Jing Kang left the deepest impression among the other kids simply because he showed the most progress in the three days..being one of the kids diagnosed with down syndrome,he changed from someone who was scared of the crowd and befrienders to one who grew attached to us and was willing to be carried by us when we were not the direct befriender assigned to him.
Being a totally normal person, i admit that we will tend to look at these kids from another angle,thinking that there are alot of things that they do not know,will not know or need not know..This camp was really an eye opener for me to get a step closer to their world, to understand the fact that many of them are actually just like us, with only one small element missing/extra in them that result in who they are today. At first, i was still quite apprehensive as to how am i going to handle the kids, but after the camp, i declare that they are not that tough to handle and i love them!! haha..they are really nice and innocent kids who really need our attention and time. To some of us, it might just be a cip camp that helps to clock cip hours, but to them, it was a fun-filled camp that added spices to their lives..i am glad to have went for the camp.
Joel, being the most active in octopus, is one that i love and hate at the same time. He is as stubborn as a mule, but when a need arises, he rise up to the occasion to be a helpful and sensible boy. He brought laughter for most of us. A really cute boy who has
Sarah,other than being abit dreamy sometimes, is a really nice companion and kid to look after. Ever so obedient and soft-spoken. You have got to get closer to her by talking more to her before she will actually open up to you. Her gentleness and innocence really attracts me..
Sammuel, though not from my team, is another cutie who ask me this when i carried him..
"Are you a girl? i like to be with girls"
I really laughed my head off when i heard that.. maybe that explains why he did not gave me much problems during the short time frame i spent with him.
Alana, the girl whom i was taking care of most of the time, is another smart girl who grasp new ideas and concepts really fast. Other than her disability to walk, she is just like any other children we have encountered..able to talk and chat with me freely about anything..enjoyed her company and hope she too..
It is going to be never ending if i continue down the list..in short, i have gained alot from this camp and the kids have really touched my heart..
May i wish that all baby octopus grow up fast and healthy.. and may all the big octopus take care and keep in touch! Really nice to meet you guys.
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