I've gained so
many priceless experiences in my life so far: volunteering in various
organizations, playing the guitar in nightclubs and on the street, being a
scout, babysitting and a plenty of other things. I believe that every moment is
an experience. Using an opportunity and making the best of it could change your
life forever. I dare to leap into every opportunity because I don't want to be
a person who will look back and wonder: “What if I'd only tried?”
Volunteering has
always been an important part of my life. When I was 17, my high school offered
us the opportunity to volunteer; to work in a home for orphaned and abandoned children.
The employees in the home couldn't cope with the large number of children and
needed some help. I immediately enrolled in the project and helped out whenever
I had free time.
My
responsibilities in the home included playing with the children who were between
5 and 10 years old, taking them to the swimming pool and helping them with
their homework assignments. It wasn't a
big deal for me. These kids didn't ask for too much. They didn't have any
secret ingredients to happiness. A short story or a soft smile from me was
enough to make their day. You cannot imagine the smiles on their faces once when
I brought them a few packets of chewing gums.
Soon, however, I
started to realize that this experience was a double-edged sword. I quickly
became attached to a little girl whom I called Sunshine. Her younger brother
and older sister were also in the same home. Their mother visited them once,
pregnant with a fourth child. I told myself: “This must be joke!” Her three kids
were already in the home and she abandoned them because she was too poor to be
able to look after them. Even today, I don't understand why she became pregnant
again. I also assume, and fear, that her new child must have ended up in the
same home just like its siblings.
More than 80
percent of the children in this home were abandoned by their parents because of
some kind of superficial reason; one of them being that they felt overwhelmed
by having children and didn't want to continue the journey with them. It's
unbelievable but true! I understand when parents leave their children because
of a family breakdown or chronic unemployment, but NOT because they feel "overwhelmed.”
Luckily, there
were people who came to the home and applied to adopt some of the children. There
were all sorts of people who came to adopt; many who simply wanted to provide a
safe and nurturing home regardless of the age, gender or appearance of the
children. But there were also those who were interested in adopting “beautiful
children.” Luckily, the process of adoption wasn't an easy one in this home. Psychologists
and experts in various areas would conduct interviews with the potential
parents, visit them at home, observe them and rule on the parent's suitability.
Many of them didn't receive adoption grants even after months and months of
talking to experts. Those who received adoption grants were obviously relieved
and lucky because you could see big beaming smiles on their faces. But still,
it could be a difficult time because the children were sometimes "emotionally
unstable" and needed some time to bond with their new family.
This experience completely
changed my life. A year later, after I'd finished working in the home, I told
myself: “This is what I want to do in the future. This is what I really want to
do, and I'm going to pursue this career!” I know that working in a home for
abandoned and orphaned street children isn't an easy job, but I also know that
I'd take it on with passion and commitment.
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