When unsure of what the future has in store and troubled over which career path to take, or when making difficult choices seems too overwhelming, many choose to stay where they are and take comfort in familiar surroundings.
However, nine volunteers, who were equally confused about their career options, instead chose to set off on Sept. 27 to Calcutta in India on a 17-day trip to volunteer at various care centers for the dying, destitute and physically disabled.
The International Volunteer Association (IVA) of Taiwan started recruiting volunteers for the trip earlier this year and after a series of interviews and training sessions, nine people were sent to India to volunteer at the Kalighat Home for the Destitute and Dying, the Prem Dan Home for the Sick and Mentally Ill and the Dayadan Home for Mentally and Physically Disabled Children, all homes established by the late Mother Teresa.
One of the nine volunteers that gathered yesterday to share their Indian experiences, Lin Shu-hui (林淑惠), said that she had been working as a nurse for five years, but felt that the monotonous routine of work was not something she was satisfied with.
"During my trip to India, I saw true happiness and what a simple thing it can be, how even washing a patients' clothes and blankets can be a happy experience," Lin said. "I saw how optimistic those poor patients were despite their plight, while I was sitting around and complaining about my own life." The trip deeply affected her and Lin has since decided to quit her job in Taiwan and become an international volunteer in Central and South America.
Another volunteer, Lin Ya-chi (林雅琪) said that she did not have the courage to go to India at first and that it took a lot of self-persuasion to take the final step.
"I'm really glad that I went to India. Seeing the patients' will to live makes me wonder why so many people are committing suicide here in Taiwan when they are lucky to have what they have," Lin said.
Even though the they encountered three floods, lost airplane tickets and gastroenteritis, volunteer Chen Pi-lian (
Luan Ching (
"What differentiates Taiwanese children and children in the West is that children here don't often have the chance to go abroad to explore and learn about themselves because of protective families," Luan said.
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