From sadness to happiness -- an amazing experience at Camillian Social Center
I love volunteering and Thai culture which have made me apply for the volunteering opportunity at Camillian Social center, which is an unforgettable journey for me.

The first day I saw the children, I was literally shocked, to be honest, it was my first time to live so closely with disabled children. The first impression they have left me is not the usual words used to describe children such as lovely, cute, energetic, naughty, but unlucky and pathetic. I was very upset and sad about them: some of them are orphans and most of them come from very poor families. For them, the center is their whole world, the teenagers do not know how to use the computer properly and they are innocent children who do not even know about pubs or other interesting activities that normal children would do. They do not deserve all of the adversity that happened to them.

However, the children keep giving me hope and laugh during my stay here. I teach them maths, social studies, science and yoga and some of the children are very clever although they cannot express themselves freely. I was very impressed by their desire to learn and self-discipline, which reminds me of my childhood -- I was much more naughty and noisy than they are! After school, the children play games, go swimming, watch TVs and eating snacks like all the ordinary children do, which makes me feel very happy and pleasant to watch them having fun and develop. In addition, I found it very sweet and warm to see them helping each other all the time, and although some of them are not mobile or verbal, I believe the friendship between the children is very strong and sincere.

As well as spending time with the children, I have also explored a bit about Chiang Rai and the Thai culture. The people here are extremely nice and friendly, the volunteers are super helpful and patient with whom I do not feel lonely or homesick at all. Jirasak also took us for the Golden Trangle trip as well as Saturday night market from which I have had great fun. For those of you who want to come for volunteering, the food provided is yummy and different everyday, and the accommodation is neat and tidy with wifi on site.

I am confident enough that the center will be better and better. Sister Cecilia is a well-considerate person with good ideas and plans; Jirasak is very diligent and responsible; the Thai staff are patient and experienced and the volunteers are caring and well-organized. It is a pity that my time is restricted and cannot stay here for a longer period, but I will definitely come back and see the children in the near future!

They cannot decide who they are, but we can try our best to enable them to become who they want to be.

Xiaoyu Lu
From China

sophie_lu@yeah.net