"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandi
So after five trips our service finally comes to a close. All of our trips and hard work has finally finished. We have had many things that happened throughout our visits. Each time we worked on vocabulary and then tried to do something to make our visit fun. We made cookies with them and they gave us some soda, as we exchanged items it was as if this was symbolism for exchanging friendships. When we finished our last visit it was hard to say goodbye. All the things that we worked on we saw come to fruition as we began to talk about their life in Malaysia, and as they began to understand our life here in the U.S. Our family was so kind, always ready to learn new things, and even as we are younger then them, they respected us, and we them. Our family did have a difficult time speaking and understanding English, which just gave us a chance to learn and be more observant. We began to watch they gestures and facial expressions for cues of confusion and angst, as well as cues for happiness and joy. The little boy even looked at us with less fear as time went on. He would look at us and smile and observe how we would interact with his parents. He even felt comfortable enough with us that he took a nap near by us.
I would like to say that overall this was a success. At first I wasn't so sure, but my last visit reminded me why it was a success: friendships were built and smiles were obtained, jokes were exchanged, and people said nothing in vain. Understanding was known, as opposed to the misunderstanding, and peace rested in the hearts of those present. Going forward and using these interactions for further learning curves as we shall encounter other interactions, it is best to know that patience and observations are key. Knowing what they expressed as confusion on their face is more universal than having someone say, "I don't know" in a thousand languages. We must not look at how we cannot communicate, but upon how we can, and what this means for the nature of our relationships with others.
As I conclude, I realize that Grace in Service was accomplished, not because I was present, but because of the gifts we were given in our attempts to communicate through our service. Change starts with one, and is obtainable for many, but first one must recognize the potential from within.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Changing
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” ~Nelson Mandela
Changing is a process. After our last misunderstanding with our family, we were determined to make this last visit the best of all. We were definitely approaching the situation differently due to the circumstance in which we were learning to more effectively communicate on their level. When we arrived they welcomed us in, this time the whole family was there. They greeted us for the last time with smiles and much hospitality. Raul Lian Hmun was sleeping on the floor while we interacted with the parents. We started with vocabulary. This time it was learning opposites so in order for them to understand we learned to act out each thing such as sitting and standing, as well as walking and running. We reviewed the old vocabulary, but then we got into conversations we had never been able to before. Our family doesn't speak much English so this makes it hard for us to not only ask them questions, but to get answer, and then being able to understand those answers. We asked them where they were from and they told us Malaysia. They told us a little bit about the weather there as we used the opposites we were teaching them to ask. We found out that Raul Lin Hmun's favorite food is pasta. We were all smiling and engaging in the little conversations that we could. We could tell the difference between the last time and this time. This time they were prepared for us to be there. We proceeded to play our favorite games such as Uno and Go fish. This time Taun Sang went to his refrigerator and brought out soda for us to have as we were talking about it during our game. Myself and the other girls with me thought this a kind gesture. We had brought cookies before to share and now they wanted to share with us. We do not know how much they have, yet they still showed that in spite of little they have much to share. Although I'd like to think because of the similar things we did each week were the same, each time we went there, there was a difference, not in the circumstance, but the people in the circumstance.
Changing is a process. After our last misunderstanding with our family, we were determined to make this last visit the best of all. We were definitely approaching the situation differently due to the circumstance in which we were learning to more effectively communicate on their level. When we arrived they welcomed us in, this time the whole family was there. They greeted us for the last time with smiles and much hospitality. Raul Lian Hmun was sleeping on the floor while we interacted with the parents. We started with vocabulary. This time it was learning opposites so in order for them to understand we learned to act out each thing such as sitting and standing, as well as walking and running. We reviewed the old vocabulary, but then we got into conversations we had never been able to before. Our family doesn't speak much English so this makes it hard for us to not only ask them questions, but to get answer, and then being able to understand those answers. We asked them where they were from and they told us Malaysia. They told us a little bit about the weather there as we used the opposites we were teaching them to ask. We found out that Raul Lin Hmun's favorite food is pasta. We were all smiling and engaging in the little conversations that we could. We could tell the difference between the last time and this time. This time they were prepared for us to be there. We proceeded to play our favorite games such as Uno and Go fish. This time Taun Sang went to his refrigerator and brought out soda for us to have as we were talking about it during our game. Myself and the other girls with me thought this a kind gesture. We had brought cookies before to share and now they wanted to share with us. We do not know how much they have, yet they still showed that in spite of little they have much to share. Although I'd like to think because of the similar things we did each week were the same, each time we went there, there was a difference, not in the circumstance, but the people in the circumstance.
Misunderstandings Can Be Good
~ When you realize you or someone else has been misunderstood, you come one step closer to understanding.
My group's forth visit was an interesting one. One we wouldn't expect and one ironically, our family wouldn't expect either. Someone in our group didn't feel good a few weeks ago, so naturally we decided to reschedule. But something got mixed up in the process and although we thought we had confirmed the time, the family had not known of it. Volunteering has been hard because as a group we aren't scheduling directly with the family, we are working with a "middleman" so everything we say and schedule is translated or moved through another person. This puts a lot of pressure for us, our family, and the contact person to put in full effort to make sure everything is set ahead of time. Everyone has been excellent in their effort, but this one time there was a little misunderstanding. Misunderstandings are hard to correct when you cannot communicate with the individual you need to, in the way that you need to.
It was a Friday night and we went to our family's house. My group was hoping that our time was set as we thought. When we arrived we stood in front of the door and knocked as we normally do, but no one answered the door. Just when we look at each other we hear a voice, "who is it?" and we said "us, the volunteers" and so Hoi Len Par the mother of the house cracks the door to check as if she was scared. She then opens the door as she notices us. So we come in as she invites us to do so. We see that Taun Sang, the father of the house is gone. Her and her son Rual Lian Hmun are watching a movie. We tried asking her if we were supposed to be there or whether or not she knew we were coming, and it was hard to understand what she was thinking. We just had to try and read the body language. After starting interactions, I thought to myself, "Something just doesn't feel right." So we had Clarice check the calendar, and we were not on it. We all looked at each other and were like "Oh, that's awkward", at least that's what our faces said. So we put the new date on and left. We felt embarrassed and awkward and she didn't know what to do, but just smiled when she didn't look a little confused. We thought, the best way to do better is to make sure that both us and her knows what's going on. By adding our date on the calendar, this was a way to avoid further scheduling problems and made a direct effort to add what was needed. She seemed happier and we felt better about the situation. Later we would see how this increased our understanding of our relationship with her and the family. So misunderstandings can be good, they can lead to further understanding.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Give Cheerfully
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” -Maya Angelou
I want to describe my journey for the past two times that I have visited my World Relief Family. Even within these two times, so much growth has occurred.
The second visit we made we brought a note book full of lots of new vocabulary that our family could learn. We took time to point to each picture and see if they could say the corresponding English word. The topic we focused on were objects around the house including such things as furniture. We sat in a circle on the floor of the living room and pointed to objects around the room such as the television or couch etc. Many times the man of the house Taun Sang, would look to his wife, Hoi Len Par for the answer to the questions we posed. They would talk back and forth in their language to try to find an answer. typically to which she would reply, or he would look back at us and humbly say, "I don't know". He always says it joyfully and with hope to hear what the answer is. The third time we went for our visit it was amazing to see the progress they both had made. No longer was he asking us, but telling us what each piece in the notebooks were. When we pointed to objects, they remembered them! They must have studied hard. We have been trying to mix up the environment a little bit so that it isn't all just learning about vocabulary, because the best way to learn is to interact and learn from interactions from one another. Some other ways we tried to make them feel more comfortable was that we made cookies. We showed them how to start the oven and how to check when they were ready to eat, and I think they very much enjoyed the cookies. We ate them together, and anytime you eat together is a little step that makes a big difference.
We also play games such as "Go Fish" where in order to get a card you must say the name of the person you are asking. Even to the third time, it has helped tremendously to remember not only our names, but us to remember theirs. I think that during this time we really learned to be patient and ready for any questions they might ask. We left knowing that they learned something and we learned something too. Sometimes we take our language and culture for granted we don't realize the things we do every day that might be harder for others to do. It is good to go back and be reminded of the things we rarely think about. For instance: Semantics "the study of the relationship between words and what they stand for or represent." When we showed them the furniture the one week or food the next to us these signs are normal, to them the meaning that they attach is a completely different word to them! It would be like us calling a crayon a banana. Can you imagine!?
Overall it is good to be there. We are helping them learn, and they are also helping us to learn how to teach or how to interact with other cultures. I think the next progression or our next visit would be to think of more creative ways to interact with them. Although it is nice for them to learn vocabulary, it can in fact become tedious. Looking forward to the next visit and the new creative ways we might be able to interact with our World Relief Family.
I want to describe my journey for the past two times that I have visited my World Relief Family. Even within these two times, so much growth has occurred.
The second visit we made we brought a note book full of lots of new vocabulary that our family could learn. We took time to point to each picture and see if they could say the corresponding English word. The topic we focused on were objects around the house including such things as furniture. We sat in a circle on the floor of the living room and pointed to objects around the room such as the television or couch etc. Many times the man of the house Taun Sang, would look to his wife, Hoi Len Par for the answer to the questions we posed. They would talk back and forth in their language to try to find an answer. typically to which she would reply, or he would look back at us and humbly say, "I don't know". He always says it joyfully and with hope to hear what the answer is. The third time we went for our visit it was amazing to see the progress they both had made. No longer was he asking us, but telling us what each piece in the notebooks were. When we pointed to objects, they remembered them! They must have studied hard. We have been trying to mix up the environment a little bit so that it isn't all just learning about vocabulary, because the best way to learn is to interact and learn from interactions from one another. Some other ways we tried to make them feel more comfortable was that we made cookies. We showed them how to start the oven and how to check when they were ready to eat, and I think they very much enjoyed the cookies. We ate them together, and anytime you eat together is a little step that makes a big difference.
We also play games such as "Go Fish" where in order to get a card you must say the name of the person you are asking. Even to the third time, it has helped tremendously to remember not only our names, but us to remember theirs. I think that during this time we really learned to be patient and ready for any questions they might ask. We left knowing that they learned something and we learned something too. Sometimes we take our language and culture for granted we don't realize the things we do every day that might be harder for others to do. It is good to go back and be reminded of the things we rarely think about. For instance: Semantics "the study of the relationship between words and what they stand for or represent." When we showed them the furniture the one week or food the next to us these signs are normal, to them the meaning that they attach is a completely different word to them! It would be like us calling a crayon a banana. Can you imagine!?
Overall it is good to be there. We are helping them learn, and they are also helping us to learn how to teach or how to interact with other cultures. I think the next progression or our next visit would be to think of more creative ways to interact with them. Although it is nice for them to learn vocabulary, it can in fact become tedious. Looking forward to the next visit and the new creative ways we might be able to interact with our World Relief Family.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
A Little Journey
"Life is just a journey." -Princess Diana
Each one of us shares something common and good, life! Even when our language barriers are strong and hard to break we can all remember who we are and that we are human. That we all share this common thing, life.
Last Sunday I went on my first of five World Relief service learning trips. It was so interesting! myself and three other students drove out to an apartment in Moline to encounter our family for the first time. We were all so nervous and had no idea what to expect. Time came to knock on the door and meet our family face to face. The family consisted of three individuals, a mother, a father, and a young boy. As soon as they opened the door they let us in and smiles radiated on their faces they were very happy to meet us. We all gathered around on the living room floor and began introductions. After a few rounds of introductions and trying to remember each other's very different names we began showing them vocabulary. We took turns and pointed to different parts on our bodies and said the correct English term. Later as we progressed, we began testing their memory for the words and images we had shown them. We did this for almost and hour! We then attempted to teach them UNO, the card game. Each time we taught them a new concept they caught on faster and faster, and this was only the first visit. It was incredible to see the progress in the short amount of time we had with them!
What I learned: A lot of how something is interpreted depends on how you break it down and explain it. How we explain something is a key component to how someone is going to interpret it. It's really important to put yourself into the shoes of the other person in order to have patience and understand that they are learning a whole new language and encountering a whole new set of life circumstances! This is the beginning of my service trip journey, and I can't wait to see what next week has in store for us: )
Each one of us shares something common and good, life! Even when our language barriers are strong and hard to break we can all remember who we are and that we are human. That we all share this common thing, life.
Last Sunday I went on my first of five World Relief service learning trips. It was so interesting! myself and three other students drove out to an apartment in Moline to encounter our family for the first time. We were all so nervous and had no idea what to expect. Time came to knock on the door and meet our family face to face. The family consisted of three individuals, a mother, a father, and a young boy. As soon as they opened the door they let us in and smiles radiated on their faces they were very happy to meet us. We all gathered around on the living room floor and began introductions. After a few rounds of introductions and trying to remember each other's very different names we began showing them vocabulary. We took turns and pointed to different parts on our bodies and said the correct English term. Later as we progressed, we began testing their memory for the words and images we had shown them. We did this for almost and hour! We then attempted to teach them UNO, the card game. Each time we taught them a new concept they caught on faster and faster, and this was only the first visit. It was incredible to see the progress in the short amount of time we had with them!
What I learned: A lot of how something is interpreted depends on how you break it down and explain it. How we explain something is a key component to how someone is going to interpret it. It's really important to put yourself into the shoes of the other person in order to have patience and understand that they are learning a whole new language and encountering a whole new set of life circumstances! This is the beginning of my service trip journey, and I can't wait to see what next week has in store for us: )
Hopes for Service
"You must look within for value, but must look beyond for perspective."
-Denis Waitley
My hopes for this service learning opportunity is that a new perspective is gained. I hope that I learn something about another culture that I have not yet known. I also hope to learn something about myself and how I approach new and exciting situations. I will be put in positions that I am not familiar with, with people that I am not familiar with. These families from World Relief are going through the same kind of scenario and here and within this context I hope to better identify myself and understand the simultaneous excitement and apprehension that these families face when they come to establish their new homes in the United States.
As mentioned before I will be working with a group of students through World Relief. This is an organization who helps assist refugees and their families get back on their feet in a new country, and in this case the United States. It will be interesting to see exactly what this experience has to hold, but I am certain it will be like nothing like anything I have encountered before, and I truly look forward to it!
-Denis Waitley
My hopes for this service learning opportunity is that a new perspective is gained. I hope that I learn something about another culture that I have not yet known. I also hope to learn something about myself and how I approach new and exciting situations. I will be put in positions that I am not familiar with, with people that I am not familiar with. These families from World Relief are going through the same kind of scenario and here and within this context I hope to better identify myself and understand the simultaneous excitement and apprehension that these families face when they come to establish their new homes in the United States.
As mentioned before I will be working with a group of students through World Relief. This is an organization who helps assist refugees and their families get back on their feet in a new country, and in this case the United States. It will be interesting to see exactly what this experience has to hold, but I am certain it will be like nothing like anything I have encountered before, and I truly look forward to it!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Service Relates to Us
"The best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in the service of others." ~Mahatma Gandhi
This truly encompasses all that it means to engage in service. We not only learn a lot about ourselves, but we learn a lot about, and from, others. Each time you learn something new, you can't help but look at the aspect of engagement in a different way. Service opens up your eyes to the possibility of change, and why the change is in desperate need of occurrence. When we meet with people in service, whether it be the people we work with or the people we are there to assist, we gain a new perspective. We come to know what is important in life to them, and by reflection, ourselves. Not only can see with greater peripherals the broader picture metaphorically, but we literally gain a new and expanded vision of insightful possibilities. What one might experience in service, one cannot prepare for, for one does not know what he/she shall encounter, only that he/she shall encounter something they have not yet encountered before. No service trip or project will ever be the same as someone else's experience. And No service trip or project will ever be the same if you should encounter it twice. This is where service and learning go hand-in-hand. Each day you are in the classroom of life, whether that be literally or metaphorically speaking, the way you can learn best is to challenge yourself and engage in new experiences you have not encountered before. You, in such instances, grow and come to learn about yourself and others. You learn that flexibility and adaptability are two very much needed skills. You learn that your gifts and talents can contribute to the world positively, and that without the use of these skills, the world is at a loss of something, or someone. Service relates to us. Service is experiential, and so is learning. When we blend the two together we create an active learning environment that uses our knowledge for the good of the community and humanity as well. So, take the service challenge and learn from it, I know I will.
This truly encompasses all that it means to engage in service. We not only learn a lot about ourselves, but we learn a lot about, and from, others. Each time you learn something new, you can't help but look at the aspect of engagement in a different way. Service opens up your eyes to the possibility of change, and why the change is in desperate need of occurrence. When we meet with people in service, whether it be the people we work with or the people we are there to assist, we gain a new perspective. We come to know what is important in life to them, and by reflection, ourselves. Not only can see with greater peripherals the broader picture metaphorically, but we literally gain a new and expanded vision of insightful possibilities. What one might experience in service, one cannot prepare for, for one does not know what he/she shall encounter, only that he/she shall encounter something they have not yet encountered before. No service trip or project will ever be the same as someone else's experience. And No service trip or project will ever be the same if you should encounter it twice. This is where service and learning go hand-in-hand. Each day you are in the classroom of life, whether that be literally or metaphorically speaking, the way you can learn best is to challenge yourself and engage in new experiences you have not encountered before. You, in such instances, grow and come to learn about yourself and others. You learn that flexibility and adaptability are two very much needed skills. You learn that your gifts and talents can contribute to the world positively, and that without the use of these skills, the world is at a loss of something, or someone. Service relates to us. Service is experiential, and so is learning. When we blend the two together we create an active learning environment that uses our knowledge for the good of the community and humanity as well. So, take the service challenge and learn from it, I know I will.
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