Today:
志工感言 (Reflection) >> Toronto
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Lu, Katie (盧彥晴)
Although I have visited Taiwan numerous times in the past, and attended similar events such as OCAC’s tour, I was still very nervous about coming to AID. I’ve always been shy when meeting new people and was anxious about teaching kids as well. I never knew how much I could change when placed in an environment full of many people who are in the same situation as me. I suddenly became more talkative, more active, more energetic after a few days in Chientan and by the time I arrived at the school I was teaching at, I wasn’t nervous at all. With the counselor and my team member’s help I was able sail through the first training week at Chientan smoothly and had a lot of fun as well. I was excited and couldn’t wait to meet my students. My team’s teacher Nelson and his family treated us as if we were his own children. The two short weeks I spent living at Jhong Yun Middle School really felt as if I went camping with my new family members.

The kids were very shy at first, but eventually they opened up to us and became more enthusiastic, talkative and playful. I never realized how much planning it takes to teach a group of students. My partner and I spent nights and nights planning each day out, trying to find new methods to teach the kids in the most interesting and fun way possible. As much as we all enjoyed the interactive activities and games, it felt great to know that our kids were learning English at the same time. In only two weeks, they improved so much from when they first started and I was glad I put all the time and effort in preparing every lesson for them.

I really am grateful for this experience and made a lot of great memories with all my counselors, teachers, kids, and my team. It’s saddening that we will have to go our separate ways but I will never forget all the things we’ve done, and all the new friends and family I made. Thank you AID for giving me this opportunity. I will cherish this experience for the rest of my life.
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Lau, Michelle (劉明萱)
Starting from unwilling to go to AID to crying for the departure with the innocent kids, every moment of it is greatly missed. I still remember our arrival to Nanzi Elementary School in Tainan. Although it was somewhat rural, with only 6 classes in the entire school. We were lucky enough to have 63 students to hang out with for these two weeks. The staffs were incredibly nice, they cared for our living and make sure we will homy and comfortable for every segment of this program. The 8 local volunteers who helped us through our challenges with the kids were as amazing as they can be. Within two weeks since our first encounter, we became best friends like we have known each other for years. I think this is the first time where I friended with new people so quickly. I will forever remember the fun we had in class and out of school with the local staffs, volunteers and students. I'm very thankful that I have a chance to join the program and experience different local traditions and cultures with such amazing people. THANK YOU!
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Lee, Martin (李國正)
Upon completing the volunteer service, I am only more appreciative of this opportunity made available to me. The hospitable housing, the wonderful accommodations, and the welcoming attitude from students and staff alike made the experience very nice. When I first reached the school the area and community was a completely new experience. The scenic landscapes and tightly knit community was opposite to that of the city life I was used to. However I soon felt at home with the immense friendliness of everyone around me. The food was also excellent despite dishes I didn’t even know existed. Yet at the end of the experience what has made this experience more memorable and fulfilling to me is my students. From the first day my students despite their shyness showed an earnestness to learn. Their curiosity and diligent attitude in class allowed me to teach them through diverse methods rather than boring lessons. They engaged themselves and embraced each opportunity to learn no matter how new the material. The students also helped each other to learn as a class, something I felt absent in schools I’ve studied in Canada. When it came to the final performance we encouraged the students to perform without us. Through thorough practicing and hard work from them (with several of my students staying after class to practice) they were able to show the entire school what they were capable of. Though the two weeks was incredibly short, seeing the final performance performed so well by them showed the potential that my students each had. Having some students who could barely greet me in English upon initial meeting and performing a play in English by the end of the two weeks was a growth that demonstrated that each and every one of my students had the ability to improve their English through their own ability. Without a doubt the students specifically my students were what made this experience unforgettable.


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Kuo, Sabrina (郭馨媛)
These past two weeks have been an unforgettable and memorable experience that anyone would love!
I first heard of this program from my Chinese school teacher, who told my elder sister about it. My sister had no interest in applying for it, but I remember that the moment I heard it, I wanted to do it so much! But when it came time to actually apply, I actually started to worry about it, and properly think about what the program entailed. I thought, "Am I going to be a good teacher? I don't know how to speak properly in front of my own class, let alone be able to run a children's class..." I handed in my application with so many worries, and with no idea how I would react if I got chosen or not. Once April came, my mom told me, “You probably won’t get accepted; there are better, older and experienced people that will get picked.” So, she made me prepare a back-up plan for the summer just in case. But when I saw that people got their acceptance letters, I remember running on to the AID site, screaming and then showing my mom in shock my letter of acceptance. But for some reason, relief wasn’t the emotion I was feeling at that time; it was nervousness and worry. I just kept on thinking about how much it would be such a hard experience, and I wouldn’t be able to become a good teacher. When we arrived at Chientan, the long lectures and strict rules made me even more nervous about the teaching... Our group teacher also gave us so many things to do in 3 hours, which stressed us out so much more and we all became more grumpy and frustrated towards the critical advice she gave of us after we worked so hard on our materials/plans. I thought, “If we have to do this much before we start teaching, then what’s the point?” Plus, I got assigned to the lower class level, so there would be many more difficulties teaching them English than the middle and high classes. The day before we left Chientan, I was already freaking out a bit; worrying about how the kids would be, and if I would be able to teach them properly!
But it turns out that I had nothing to worry about! The moment we got off of the bus, the principal, school representative and security guard were all there to greet us, recording our every move, with a big smile on their faces. They told us about their wishes that we would give these children the best two weeks of their lives, even if they don’t end up becoming experts in English. My heart kind of just stopped hearing those words, because that was what I was worried about this whole time! From then on, I just decided to concentrate on giving the kids the best times of their lives!
On the first day of teaching, it was so extremely awkward and we had so many problems! We tried talking to the kids in English, but since they were the lower level class, they would not listen to us at all, and we had to speak Mandarin. Plus, some kids were so extremely rowdy or quiet, while a select few were very studious. My teaching partners and I thought, “What are we supposed to do to make them speak English?” We realized that our teaching plan that we made before was not suitable at all for our kids. It was way too hard! They needed more time repeating basic vocabulary and sentence patterns, so we had to spend more time reviewing with games rather than learning new vocabulary and moving on to harder things. The three of us then decided that the next day we would work harder to encourage them all to participate!
But something bad happened to me on the second day. I suddenly got really sick! I could not concentrate at all during class due to a persistent cough and a sore throat, so while my relatives in Madou dropped off something I needed to teach class, they saw how unwell I looked and took me home. I couldn’t rest though because I felt so worried about the kids, and how my partners would survive taking care of 23 kids by themselves. When I came back to the kids on the third day, I was feeling even worse and had to leave during nap time and sleep in my room. Our 主任 came up to the room after school and saw how I wasn’t getting any better, so he told me to go stay with my relatives until I felt better, since I wouldn’t be able to do anything when I was sick. But, when I was resting with my relatives in Tainan, I couldn’t get the thoughts of my school and class out of my head. I thought, “What am I supposed to do? The kids probably won’t even remember me if I go back so I was there for such a short time...” None of my relatives thought I should go back to the school, since I was still feeling sick, but I didn’t want to feel any regrets towards this once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I ended up going back 2 days after I left. The moment I came back, a few kids in my class were playing after school, and when they saw me, they yelled, “Teacher, you’re back! What took you so long?!” I was so shocked that they actually remembered me, and I just felt so touched by them. I instantly forgot about my illness, and while I felt happy that they remembered me, I felt so mad at myself for not just trying to deal with my illness and spend more time with them.
All in all, I say that the teaching experience that is something that you will never forget, and something that you have to enjoy. Even if it was hard and tiring for us every day, having to prepare teaching materials during the night the same day of teaching, having the experience of seeing kids smiling and laughing at you, hugging you, or drawing pictures for you is such a heartwarming feeling that you won’t ever feel anywhere else. Even if the time at Chientan was really restricted by schedules, the lessons we learned really helped us on how to become better teachers, even if they were a bit longer than expected! Our time at the school was really amazing; you really are able to make such good friends in such a short time, the staff were all so kind, and the kids were absolutely amazing, even though they may have been a bit rowdier than the other classes. I want to go back to my school and spend another two weeks with the kids; that’s how much you get attached to the kids, and the tears that I shed during our last two days are coming back as I write this reflection, because it makes me so sad that I have to leave the family I made. Thank you so much AID for giving me this experience; it really has changed me and given me a chance to realize that people appreciate our efforts, and that even the smallest things can make others happy, even if they are less fortunate than us.

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Tien, Grace (田綉敏)
During my AID summer, I learned so much. From living at my homestay to playing games with the kids, all the memories I made are truly unforgettable.

The first week we stayed at Chientan. The counselors that picked me up were very nice and waited for me at the airport even though I was an hour late. All of us volunteers were separated into our teaching groups for meals and we sat together at lectures and assemblies. At first my group didn't really talk to each other at meals but after working together during group activities in the lectures, we became pretty open with each other. The first week at Chientan wasn't very exciting, but we did learn a lot of fun games that we could play with the kids.

My group taught at a middle school in the countryside. The eight of us split into two groups and taught grade 8 students. The students were not as good as English as we originally thought so we had to make a new lesson every night, instead of following the one we made before. We also tried to speak only English with the students, but after a week we realized it would be better to translate some things in Chinese to make the lessons go smoother. After that, the students did become more open with us. We found out later that the first week, the students were actually a bit scared and intimidated because they thought we only spoke English. That way, they had more fun and wanted to continue to learn English.

At the end of the two weeks, many students told us that it felt like the two weeks just flew by. I thought the first week did go by pretty slow, since the students didn't really respond to our questions in class. But the second week we played more games and the kids had a lot of fun. We tried to incorporate vocabulary words into the games so that the students would remember and use the words they learned, instead of just memorizing. After this program, we all grew very attached to each other and I even found myself wanting to learn more Chinese so I can continue to communicate with them and keep in touch.
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Allum, Christopher (林思能)
Over the past three weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing some of the best memories in my life. While the first week was long and drawn out, it was made up by the fact that there were so many outgoing volunteers and counsellors that were there to support and befriend us. Although, some of the rules were very restrictive and made the diminished the experience. I managed to make many friends from both counsellors and volunteers alike, and experienced memories and moments I will never forget. I also bonded with my FULL CANADIAN group and I’m glad to say we all fully enjoy each other’s company. It is our bonds that made the teaching experience for two weeks as enjoyable as it was. We shared our grievances as well as our joys and we had a lot of fun. Personally, I connected with many of my students and I was ecstatic to see their enthusiasm in learning English. My class was filled with energetic, happy, hyper children that loved to play and socialize with us. We also had kids that were outgoing and funny, and wished the best for everyone. They made a huge impression on me throughout the two weeks and definitely enhanced the experience at the school. As well as the students, the teaching aids and military personnel at our school were all amazing people. We played basketball almost every night, watched movies, and overall shared amazing experiences with each other. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I wish I could’ve have spent much more time with both my students and the teaching aids. The two weeks seemed to fly by and by the last day, I hardly wanted to leave. The closing ceremony was extremely emotional, and many of the students burst into tears. I must admit I teared up a little bit and almost began to cry. I did not want to believe that most likely, I would never be seeing any of the kids I taught or got to know, ever again. It was a sad experience to say the least but nonetheless, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. On the day of our departure, our school arranged for some kids to come and say goodbye to us. It was extremely emotional and as we got onto the bus, one of my extremely passionate students arrived late and saw us depart. She couldn’t get the hug or goodbye that she wanted to and it was heartbreaking seeing her sad face. I will never forget the experiences I had at the school and the ones I’ve gained throughout my AID trip. I hope the rest of the tour will be just as great and that I have many more amazing memories.
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Hsu, Po Hao (許博皓)
First off, I want to give several shoutouts.
Big shoutout and thank you to my teaching partner Louise (Lulu, A-Lu) for working together with me to prepare 10 days worth of teaching material, teaching with me, putting up with my laziness, helping me grow as a teacher, and allowing me to learn many important aspects of being a teacher. You really are an amazing person with a vibrant and lovely personality!
Shoutout to my awesome group A 3-6 with my boys A-Wei and Chris and my girls Lulu, Michelle, Grace, Sabrina, and Stephanie. We had some really good times together at Chientan, during the two weeks at Nanzi Elementary School, and on the tour. All of you are intelligent and incredible to be with. I really had a lot of fun with you guys.
Special shoutout to my boys at Chientan (you know who you are :D).

I taught at Nanzi Elementary School in Tainan. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed. The school made sure we had everything we needed such as hygiene items, utensils, sleeping materials, drinks, and snacks. I am very thankful for the school as the people there cared for us deeply and always made sure we lived comfortably.

Along with A-Lu, I taught C Class which was the most advanced class out of the three. There was a mix of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. I remember that I was very nervous the first day. So many students arrived before the time that class was actually supposed to start. I was thinking what do I do? But, Lulu told me to calm down. The first day was very calm and most of the students went to sleep at nap time. However, when the second day came, it seemed as if the students were very interested in Louise and I. I still remember a very cute girl in our class who played with my hair and laughed at me because I had dandruff. From those days on, students never wanted to sleep during nap time again.

Out of all three classes, our class was the most behaved. Whenever the class became loud or was not listening and me and Louise would tell them to quiet down, they immediately followed us. Also, all of the students were always enthusiastic as when we posed questions to the class, we would frequently see hands shoot up rapidly. I will always remember their enthusiasm and hilarity. There was one student who would sometimes speak Taiwanese and it would always make me laugh so hard. There was also another student who even though sometimes did not listen to our instruction and was not focused, he truly was a smart child. Of course, he was also hilarious. Sometimes when we asked questions to the class, I would hear him say in Taiwanese 'A Zai!' One time, the fire department came and taught the students about safety. One of the lessons was about stop, drop, and rolling if your clothes catch on fire. After it was time for students to come back to the classroom when break ended, this student was not here. I look outside and see him outside another classroom rolling to our classroom!

I disliked waking up at 7 AM, but when the thought of teaching those 21 students came to mind, I was fine waking up that early. It was refreshing and rewarding to do something different once in a while and teach English to children far away from home. It was quite interesting getting know each and every student. I found mutual interests as one of the students also was learning violin like I used to.

In two weeks, these 21 students became dear to me. During the last day, as we were practicing for the closing ceremony, I broke down in tears. It was as if we came full circle. These children were our children and in two weeks, they grew so much and we had to go. I walked out of the classroom several times that day so I would not let the students see me cry. However, it was noticeable at the end. I remember the students also became sad and told me not to cry. It was so emotionally heartbreaking to me that there would be very few chances in the future to see them again.

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Chiu, Wan-Ting (Angela) (邱琬庭)
AID Summer is an organized, eventful, and meaningful program. This program is structured in a way that prepared us volunteer teachers in the first week so we were able to teach on our own for the following two weeks.
During the first week, classes taught by experienced teachers helped us gain insight into teaching in Taiwan - a field many of us are not familiar with. Some teachers demonstrated various fun and interactive activities we could apply to teach students and some teachers introduced the teaching environment in rural parts of Taiwan. All of the teachers shared their helpful knowledge and experience in teaching. These classes became a good training for us volunteer teachers.
As well, I personally want to thank all the counselors for their help throughout AID Summer. I cannot stress how helpful they were. They supported and took care of us as our guides, but they also talked with us as our friends. Without them, this program could not have been this much fun and successful.
I was one of the six volunteers placed at Dawu Junior High school. As I first arrived in Taitung County, many things were unexpected: the living environment, the amount of insects and animals, the people in the neighborhood, and the students. For the two weeks of teaching, my partner and I taught grade nine students who were all very bright and – surprisingly – interested in learning English during their summer break. In the two weeks of teaching at Dawu Junior High School, I have learned a lot from both the teachers and the students. The teachers were our mentors and guided us through when we needed help. The students were passionate and talented in many different fields of interests – such as music, singing, dancing, and drawing. With these various talents, they were all engaged in learning English throughout the two weeks. I learned some dances from these students; some students even taught me phrases from their own local native language! Therefore, though I was the volunteer teacher, I felt I was also constantly learning from members of the school.
Overall, I enjoyed spending time at Taitung County and teaching English there. The students also seemed to enjoy the interactive and conversationally-focused type of English education. One student even said that our lessons sparked her interest in learning more English.
I really want to thank AID Summer for this amazing opportunity to learn, to experience, and to have fun.
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