Amazing Day!

Today I volunteered my time at Pathlight School. being older and somehow enlightened by readings, I decided that I should contribute back to society regardless of how minute my efforts will be. At first I was seriously apprehensive because
1. none of my friends were going,
2. and I never had intimate experiences with Autistic children before.

I woke up at 6.30, left the house. As usual, I disembarked the bus one stop late because I was unfamiliar with the place. I had to walk 20 min to reach the school. I didn't know Ang Mo Kio had industrial parks. Found out more about my country today.

So I went into the school compound, feeling quite uncertain with myself. I know that having a friendly and cheerful disposition would not hurt my image with the kids, so I put on my TYPICAL HC smiley 'with a grin' face. I thought I was late, but it seems that camps never start on time. Things were going quite smoothly. I met the other volunteers and we sort of got on quite finely. Then I met the kids and we sort of got on together well. There was this young boy who was quite shy initially, but he came over to the bench and sat beside me and put his head on m shoulder. I was like, 'Hey, my usual charm's radiating again'.

The instructor set the tone very well. He warned us not to be overly lenient with the children, and boy was he a good practitioner of what he says. He was strict and firm but somehow the children respected him and actually listened to him. He was experienced and he knew every single one of the children there. He knows their personality well, and gave us specific tips on how to handle every child.

In the morning we played soccer with the kids. The soccer session was to enhance their motor skills and to enable them to gain confidence on the pitch. At first I would have to admit it was quite tough to coordinate the actions of all the children, but it gradually got better and it was really heartwarming to see the children having fun without the boundaries of a strict classroom environment.

Being autistic, they did not really speak to each other a lot, so I just went around talking to all the children. I discovered that they are actually very smart children. One boy, for example, could tell me the exact URLs of numerous websites. Another girl reads scientific books a lot and she can easily beat any of us with her knowledge of the stars. However, when you speak to them, you have to be really patient and adopt a 'Do not be afraid to get dao-ed' attitude because the children will actually dao you if they are afraid of you. You have to patiently get closer to them and understand their way of thinking.

After soccer we did some simple station games- obstacle courses, archery, darts, remote-car racing and rocket balloon. Some of the children were very hesitant to participate, but the others were very enthusiastic. I had to break a fight between two enthu kids who were fighting over a dart. Then I had to encourage this really pretty girl to play the games because she kept holding on to my hands and singing a song. I had to teach the children to be patient, to wait for their turns to play the games, and not be afraid to try new activities which they have never seen before.

We had lunch before we headed out to Macritchie for a long hike. That was when my headache started. Oh crap. However, I would not allow some small minor malaise to spoil the wonderful time I was having. So we went to Macritchie and hiked to the Jelutong Tower, which was 7 stories high and provides the climber a scenic view of the picturesque central catchment area. By then my headache was torturing me and I really felt the entire tower shaking. Thankfully, a few kids came to me and held my hands and I seriously felt better.

After 3 hours of gruelling hiking under the scorching tropical heat, we finally exited the Nature Reserve unscathed except for a few minor scratches and bruises here and there. I was really exhausted but heavily rewarded. I had boosted the confidence of a few kids, trained a few to be leaders by getting them to lead the way, taught them a few new words and stuff, and got them to open up their inner selves so that they can enjoy themselves without any fear of the people around them. I had lots of fun with them. My only hope is that these really cute and adorable children can one day, finally get to fully enjoy the fellowship which our society provides. I am very positive they would have no problems with that=)