Visiting 꽃동네

 

I want to share a story to which I experienced from my voluntary work in 꽃동네, where I get to volunteer for the disabled from June 19^th to June 20^th. I got an injury on my leg and I was doing the cast. Many friends said that I would not be able to do the voluntary work because of my broken leg. However, I decided to do the chores because it was my last chance to attend voluntary work in 꽃동네 with my friends.

Students were divided into 6 groups and sent to different places. I was sent to a place named 애덕의 집, where mentally retarded women stay. At the moment I arrive, those grandmas and adjumas were welcoming me, kissing me on my chick and hugging me so hard. They all had short hair and nasty clothes. They stared at my cast, and nearly all of them asked me what happened. Among those people, a grandma named 박점숙, started to cried when I said that my leg hurts. She embarrassed me so much and she didn’t stop until I said that it doesn’t really hurt. But then, another grandma came and asked me what happened. She seemed to be very irritated by 박점숙 crying. I answered that I got injured while swimming. Then, opposite from 박점숙, she started to swear at me with hilarious words. I thought that she is such a tough person with bad personality, but since she is disabled, I thought that I should just ignore her condition.

However, people there were not that disabled or retarded, all of them, no exception fo single one had their own job to do, and they knew what to do. Some did laundry, some cleaned the room, and some took care of physically uncomfortable friends. Even the woman who swore at me, and 박점숙, was the same. After lunch when 박점숙 had spices all over her face, although swearing, the tough woman carefully wiped out what was on her face.

I was prejudiced that the disabled cannot do anything by themselves, and through this experience, I knew that I was wrong.

They are warmer than anyone, and they can cry for the others, and they know how to help out others. Although we know more than them, actually they can do more than people in health conditions.