An-Ting Hsia (夏安婷)
Occupational Therapist
2009/2/11-2009/3/26
After typing “left Manzhu” on my weekly work log, I am surrounded by a sudden quietness. I use mouse to move the cursor upwards to the day I came to Mianzhu, then I go down day by day. What came to my eyes is the lifeless data collection of the daily service I provided, but what come to my mind are scenes that I can hardly let go.
After knowing that some aged patients have to rush to the hospital for 3~4 hours with crutches, or some people cannot come to the hospital for rehabilitation due to physical disabilities, I talked to myself, “If they cannot come here, then how about we visit them at their homes, then all problems are solved!” Because of my home visits, I walked into their life. I chatted with them casually and frequently, although I did not quite understand what they wanted to express. Yet whenever I appeared in their homes, their eyes showed their enthusiasm. The joy that I experienced often let me forget the difficult journey to get to their houses.
When my rehabilitation mission trip approached to the end, “let it go” became the most difficult thing. I felt there was still so much can be done. During my last home visit, while I introduced a new volunteer to my patients, I accidentally heard that an old man suffered from the stroke committed a suicide by jumping into a river. I was overwhelmed and felt a deep sorrow, because I planned to visit him, but I was never able to do so. I kept thinking: “I should have done this…”, “I have planned to……”. However, I have to let go all my worries and accept the fact that my job has come to certain degree of completion here.
I press the “save” button and send my weekly work log to Eden’s staffs; I have to save the screens and dialogues into the hard disk of my mind; I expect that it can continuously operate and turn into a driving force to help me to explore more possibilities in the future. I strongly believe that such impression and compassion will appear also in the mind of other volunteers who are willing to serve.
