Obstacle

July 22nd, VCGY members gathered in Seohyun for a street fundraiser. The fundamental single element that hinders most of the street activities is the rain. As I recall, Sunday of July 22nd was pretty rainy day. It wasn’t even a proper rain; it was one of those showers that you never know when it will start or stop. Throughout the whole day, the rain started and stopped frequently, making things hard for us to operate because we couldn't decide our minds whether to proceed or cease the fundraiser because it was continuously raining and not raining.Despite this challenge, VCGY members proceeded with the fundraiser whenever it wasn’t raining. Most people on the streets were busy on their way considering that rain could fall any minute. However, we were able to make profit, although not as successful as our previous fundraisers. We even tried to go inside a church for a fundraiser, but unfortunately we weren't authorized to do so. On the negative side, I might say this was the worst fundraiser we did. However, the important thing is that we were met with an obstacle, but we didn’t give up. Anything can come up in our ways, but the important thing is whether you overcome this obstacle or simply just avoid it.

Ansan Immigrant Center

The 6 members were divided into two groups of three; one group was in charge of encouraging immigrants and the other was in charge of registering immigrants who came to get treatments. The groups rotated the tasks every hour. During the first hour, I was in charge of registration. A lot of immigrants came to get treatments, and I was busy writing down their personal information for the entire hour. Then, when I was outside, I was busy answering the questions that I received from immigrants regarding the eye treatments. The most frequent question I was asked was “ Is it really free?” It made me realize how difficult it is for them to get medical treatments in Korea. We were able to gather many people, but at one point we had to stop. Apparently, there were limits to medical supplies that only 80 people could be treated. This number was met within a short amount of time, and we had to return inside. Inside the building, I helped out with getting the people in order. The hardest part of the job was when I had to return the people who had came for treatments because of the ’80 people’ limit. As I observed the people, I was shocked to see that the eye conditions for some of these immigrants were worse than I expected. I saw some immigrants who were in danger of almost loosing their eyesights. As the final stage of the treatments was approaching, I thought about how many immigrants who required the treatments could not get them. However, I learnt today that there are people who are trying to make changes. I was just glad that I was able to participate in that cause.

Service Must Go On

Since I cannot attend Hyeeun school any more, I have decided to write about my other community service experience. I am part of an organization called VCGY (Vision Care Global Youth), which is an organization administered by a group of students. The main purpose of this organization is to help people who are blind and people who are in danger of loosing their sights. Recently, I visited Ansan Immigrant Center, where VCGY members attend monthly to help out. This time 6 VCGY members were there to help out. Our mission there was to facilitate the operation of free eye medical treatments for immigrants by encouraging immigrants to get the treatments, and by helping the registration process. For those of you who have never been to Ansan, it is a place full of immigrants from various places: China, Algeria, Nepal, Pakistan, and so on. These immigrants don’t have the national health insurance, and without a health insurance, a simple treatment at the hospital can cost them a fortune. Therefore, unfortunately, it is difficult for those immigrants to get medical treatments in Korea. So, real ophthalmology doctors ( eye doctors) come to Ansan to give the immigrants free eye medical treatment every month, and we are there to help those doctors do their jobs.

A Place Where a Dream Starts

A new school year in Hyeeun School has began, which means new students will enter the school. Indeed, Hyeeun school had an entrance ceremony on March 2nd, 2012. Total of 72 new students joined Hyeeun School: 2 kindergardeners, 3 elementary students, 18 middle school students, 23 high school students, and 25 graduate students. It is great to see a place like Hyeeun School exists, where teachers truly care about the students, and students can get the education they need. Hyeeun School teaches these students the most important thing in life: how to survive on their own in society. Hyeeun school provides various job experiences for the students. Of course they will face difficulties, but they can still have dreams, and find opportunities. I hope the students find what they want to do in their life during their times in Hyeeun School. Also, I hope to see these students again, as well as the new students.

Whats happening in Hyeeun School?

Hyeeun School has recently started school from its long winter vacation. It seems like Hyeeun School had a very busy winter vacation. The students had exhibitions of their work they made during the year, concerts, made Christmas trees, and had many other various activities. It’s a pity that I missed out all these activities. That is why I am looking forward to going there again. One exceptional event that I want to mention that happened during winter break in Hyeeun school is that a certain corporates’s volunteer community workers donated wheelchairs, chairs, and scholarship for students in Hyeeun School. This is a very meaningful event; the very fundamental help is to provide what the people need. It is even more meaningful because this corporate is globally acknowledged. They are sharing what they have and can afford with others; others who might need the things more than they might. Natural selection is a principal that states only the strongest survives, and it even applies to our society. Everyone thinks winning is all about crushing the opponents, and this may be true. However, it is because of the people who choose to share instead of to win that the world is livable.

Sterotype

It was the first days Hyeeun school that I met J.W Kim. He was a student of Hyeeun school, and, generally speaking, he wasn’t exactly as I assumed he would be. We all have stereotypes: One particular stereotype applies for the disabled people that you expect a disabled person to be not normal. However, stereotypes are to be broken as we are to learn from our mistakes. That is what Hyeeun school is to me, and it is almost safe to say this process started when I met J.W Kim. To briefly introduce him, J.W is a teenager at my age interested in music and games just like me and millions of other teenagers. He is active in every activities, have good relationships with everyone, and he can talk perfectly fine. He and I have many things to talk about. To be honest, I was surprised to find that he could talk so well. Now, I realize that it was shameful to think that. When I first walked through the door, JW didn’t want a person who would sympathize him, but a person he could talk to. Stereotypes exist in all of us, but stereotypes exist to be broken.

Did you know?

I haven’t been going to Hyeeun school for over a month now, and it seems like I won’t be going there for another month. As I mentioned, Hyeeun school is on winter break, and the law in Korea changed that Korean school rests on Saturdays leaving me no time to go to Hyeeun school. However, I’ll eventually revisit Hyeeun school again, hopefully.

Did you know that people with disabilities desire to live life no differently than anyone else the most ? Their dream is to live something we define as a ‘ normal life’. They want to go shopping, go to the movies, go out to eat, work, and enjoy leisure times without limitations. Office for National Statistics states that disabled people have limited opportunities in education and leisure. Many disabled adults, 83 per cent, have difficulties participating in social activities.

These are the things we, including myself, have, but are the things that we don’t appreciate. Humans have the tendency to forget the value of the obvious. The ability to move freely seems too obvious to us, but it is something that some people desire the most. I am not saying we should guilty. However, we should not be at least inconsiderate about the issue. At least, we should try to help. Help doesn’t have to be big, such as donations and volunteer work. Help could be just simply as not parking on the handicapped parking spots, not using handicapped bathrooms, and opening the door for someone who can’t easily do so.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8191777/Disabled-people-want-to-work-more-ONS-study-finds.html