My Volunteer Work

I have to complete 120 hours of volunteer work as a requirement of the scholarship I've received from the government.  I'm volunteering at 2 places right now, and I just started this week.  The first place is a drug rehabilitation center for teens.  They go to the center every weekday from 8am to 3:30pm, if they are still of high school age, then they complete their studies at the center, but don't spend the whole day learning.  They're engaged in a bunch of different activities.  I go there every Tuesday and conduct a 2 hour arts & crafts session with them.  The boys and girls that go there each have their respective common rooms.  This week, I was with the girls, it was a good way to get to know the facility and the type of kids that go there, there are only 3 girls in the program right now, and about 8 or so boys.  So, what I did was make paper flowers out of colored tissue and pipe cleaners to decorate their common room with, we finished in about an hour and then I just sat and talked with them for the rest of the time.  I think it went well, next week I'll be doing a project with all of the kids, that's going to be a little more intense.

The second place I'm volunteering at is called Amcha.  It's a center for Holocaust survivors and the children of survivors.  I spend 5 hours a week there.  Two and half hours on Wednesday assisting in an English class, and two and half hours on Thursday just spending time with them, playing games, talking, karaoke, whatever.  Meeting these people was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.  I have never met a Holocaust survivor before, and seeing the energy these old folks have, and how happy they are now, despite to constant reminder of the numbers tattooed on their arms, it was just incredible.  It's difficult to describe.  I simply felt good with myself, and was reminded that nothing in my life could ever be so terrible.