A Bridge Between Taiwan And The Philippines
By Joy Ampiloquio and Jojoh Lepatan
The authors are members of the Teresian Association (TA or Institución Teresiana) working in Taiwan. Joy, from Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, has written for Misyon before. Jojoh is from Cebu City. Here they report on the experience of a group of students from Tainan, Taiwan.
Last July, on their return from a two-week stay in the Philippines where they had done volunteer work and had an experience of learning English, thirteen young people from the Poveda Friends group in Taiwan expressed their satisfaction and their willingness to go back and do it again this year.
Annie Lin, a first year junior high school participant, taught a kindergarten class and upon coming home remarked that she needed to go back to see her ‘18 children’ again. In her evaluation of the experience she wrote ‘Nobody is perfect, we need to be nice to others’.
Judy Lin, a second senior high school student, would like to invite her friends to join her for this year’s program. She learned ‘how important it is to try’.
The objectives of the program that took place from 5 to 16 July were: to gather young people in the TA family and experience life in a different culture, to do some service and volunteer work and to improve English skills.
The youth shared their Chinese culture with the students in MAKABATA, a school for street-children in Barangay Sta Lucia, Pasig City, Metro Manila. The Taiwanese kids taught Chinese games, art, songs and basic Chinese expressions. And, of course, taught them how to use chopsticks.
They spent the mornings teaching and being with MAKABATA kids. In the afternoons they attended classes at Saint Pedro Poveda College, Quezon City, listening to English lectures and learning how to interact with students from a different cultural background. For five days they were housed with host families and they spent two days at the TA retreat house in Tagaytay City for processing their experience and praying about it. The other days were spent in sightseeing and cultural visits.
The volunteers were accompanied by Francesca Chang, Jojoh Lepatan and Marina Ferro. Before returning to Taiwan they attended a series of preparatory formation sessions in English. Among the topics presented were: Discovering one’s values and gifts; basic attitudes towards and respect for people of another culture; serving others and getting to know St Pedro Poveda and how he founded the Teresian Association.
Full of enthusiasm and excitement, the children set off on their trip on 5 July after Mass celebrated by Fr Lito Salvador SVD who gave them an encouraging message on the importance of opening their eyes and minds to a new culture and new language. It was that message which the children brought with them as they traveled to Manila.
Although there were many inconveniences from the moment of departure and during the daily activities, the students remained enthusiastic and spirit-filled. They were tired and uncomfortable at times but were responsive and responsible enough to carry on.
Two follow-up sessions for the participants were held in August and September so that they could share the experience with parents and friends. The students had made new discoveries in sharing their culture with children of another culture, an example of what it is to have ‘the young teach the young!’ The parents of two participants from Tainan were extremely glad as they observed that, after coming back from the Philippines, their girls ‘have greater self-confidence and a greater spirit of service’. After an evaluation, TA members in Taiwan made a decision to continue the program this coming July. Formation sessions are on-going at present.
First year junior high school students James Hsiao and Ruby said that they had discovered that it isn’t easy to be a teacher, even for a short time, and that they needed more training and preparation to do it well. At the same time they said they enjoyed their experience very much and were willing to go again with better preparation.
You may email Joy at it.taiwan@msa.hinet.net and Jojoh at joleps@yahoo.com