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Volunteer Journal - Chapter 9 |
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We nearly there, the last gift is coming so don’t you dare to leave now.
This will be the last centre I will talk about, it also have the forth and the final gift. The final centre is called Leonard Cheshire and it for disable people, the surprising thing is this centre is not a Chinese centre. This centre is for all background and ethic group.
How did I know about the centre? To answer this I have to thank Camden Chinese Community Centre AGAIN!!! A person said:
‘Can you help Chinese old lady to interpret?’
Since I like helping people now… for your note I am not very lazy any more… then I accepted. I didn’t get lost this time because this time the centre is a big building, ok not very big but it big enough for me not to miss it. When I arrive to the centre I talk to the volunteer coordinate and she start to explain what the centre main missions. Something is wired, my purpose of going the centre is to help a Chinese lady one off interpreting. The funny thing is the one off thing turned out to be a permanent thing, nice? Let’s find out.
What does the centre do? Simple, encourage disable people that they are not alone and not useless. How it done? This is where we, as volunteers come in. they is lot of things we can help, for example painting, teach them how to use a computer, play music and disco? I think I got the word right, is an event that you see lot of spot light fly over your head and you suppose you dance, can you dance? I can’t…. shhh. How hard is dance, you move your body left and right following with moving your hand up and down. That is dancing, is it? Did I forget about singing, no one can run away from that… unless you hide or run fast enough, it always works, how do I know… not telling you.
If you think they are lot of volunteers in the centre, then think again. Let me tell you a little story about how they find a volunteer. Here we goooooooo………..
A client, a Chinese client was sitting on a wheelchair in the centre and they family members are working. The client does not have the motivation and have no interest of doing anything. It is very hard for her to communicate with others people because her English are not very good. The volunteer coordinate looked left, right, up and down but still can’t find any Cantonese speaker. Final she found a Cantonese speaker that is willing to do volunteer for the client. Guess how long it took for her to find a Cantonese speaker… 1 week, nope higher… 1 month, nope higher…3 months, nope higher, higher… it got to be 6 months it can’t be more then that. SURPEISE!!!! It is more then 6 months, it took 10 months, yes 10 months I think it a little longer. 10 months is too long to look for just ONE Cantonese speaker. I was wondering, I am the only Cantonese speaker also know English are free on weekday. I am the only Cantonese speaker that willing to do volunteer in that centre, hard to believe, me to. I don’t found that funny at all when I heard that, I was sad and feel very bad for the client. She can not have fun just because she can not communicate. How would you feel if you don’t have a real communication with anyone in the centre for 10 months? Feel lonely, sad or just thinking, why this is happening to me. She was very happy to see a young Cantonese speaker. Not only she was happy everyone in the centre was happy.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 11 July 2008 )
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