Novatek Volunteers Accompanying Visually Impaired Students in Miaoli Yuanli’s Brick-and-Tile Industry and Low-Mountain Agrofood Education
Volunteer Service
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Volunteer / Yu Cheng-rong
This was my fourth time participating in the visually impaired student volunteer activity organized by the Novatek foundation. The morning event took place at the Brick and Tile Museum in Yuanli, Miaoli. The student I accompanied this time was more lively—he would often suddenly speak or sing loudly, making the atmosphere occasionally boisterous. While interacting with him, I learned from more experienced volunteers how to gently guide and discourage inappropriate behaviors without affecting the other children, and how to remain patient. This made me more confident and adaptable in my interactions with him.
At noon we went to a ranch to enjoy a milk hotpot. Perhaps because he had expended more energy in the morning, he became relatively quiet at lunchtime and was able to chat and eat with us, which made the atmosphere much more relaxed. He was particularly fond of my Apple Watch—he often borrowed my left hand to play with it in the morning. It was my first time seeing a visually impaired person use consumer electronics, which I found fascinating; he was also very polite and would proactively restore my settings after using the device. After the meal, I took another child who was very interested in cows outside to look for dairy cows, and sure enough we saw dozens grazing and resting in the paddock. The sight reminded me of my childhood and felt both fresh and heartwarming.
In the afternoon we went to Lishan Shu to learn how to make tofu and douhua (soft tofu pudding). At this point, the child I was accompanying was really tired—he spent the first half of the activity lying on the table sleeping—but he recharged quickly. While the instructor was still explaining how soy milk is turned into tofu and douhua, he would occasionally respond to the instructor’s questions while leaning down, and that was when we realized he had woken up. The scene was very endearing. Accompanying a more energetic elementary school student on this outing taught me greater patience, on-the-spot flexibility, and communication skills. These experiences helped me better understand the importance of accompaniment and respect, and reminded me to be more flexible and empathetic when assisting others. |
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