This summer is the 19th summer of my life. For the past summers, I have never done anything too exciting, memorable or rewarding; thus, this summer is yet the most rewarding summer for two main reasons - (1) going on the Habitat for Humanity trip to Chile, (2) being an intern at a bonds/securities/stocks investment company "中投证劵". These two experiences have filled my summer with excitement, laughter, friendships, and life-long, heart-warming memoires.
HFH Trip:
Going away on a 2-week, volunteer trip to Chile is like departing reality into a new world of living with a group of previously unknown people, building friendships with them, local volunteers and our families, eating and drinking freely every night, working at the work site fives days a week, and sightseeing. The new world is parallel to the world I'm used to, since both involve work, food, friends, and family. Therefore, my experiences in Chile is much more than a simple getaway trip; it is about meeting new people, about sharing your feelings with your new friends, about promoting standard housing for everyone, about reaching a goal with like-minded people.
Our team worked with two families over the two weeks. Our first family had a 14-year-old boy with cerebral palsy; we had to build a new and bigger room for him so he can be more comfortable, because when we arrived he was staying in a room with a few other family members. Also, he could not move around in the room in his wheelchair. The mother, as a typical Chilean, was extremely hospitable; she kept serving us coffee, tea, and traditional Chilean desserts. When we first arrived at the work site, I was not sure if we could finish the room in five days, because all there was were four concrete walls and a roof (no ceiling, no windows, no door, no drywall, no flooring, no sidings, no painted walls.) However, each day, we managed to finish what we set out for in the beginning. The ceiling took the longest, because we had to first hammer in wood pieces for the later installation of drywalls. First the long, horizontal wood logs, then the little, vertical wood blocks, which means continuous sawing, cutting, noise and wood dust everywhere. I thought that was challenging enough, but the most challenging part was putting up the drywalls. Three people had to hold up a 50kg-ish piece of drywall, while two other people hammered it in. Cutting the right-sized drywall is the most excruciating job, because even if the measurements are right, sometimes it just doesn't fit. After a lot of frustration and concentration, we still managed to cover the walls and ceiling with drywalls. Johanna Ward and I did the sidings of the outter wall on our own! Well, most of it anyway. I received the greatest sense of accomplishment, because we completed our task with minimal help from the maestros. Measuring, cutting, hammering......On the last day, everyone either had teary eyes or cried out loud as the mother gave a moving, gratitude speech. It really felt like I was part of her family, and it is what the trip is about - treating people like they are your family and providing them with a home they deserve.
Our second family needs a new room for a prematurely born baby, who was still at the hospital while we worked there. Same things - ceiling, drywalls, flooring, painting. But this time, we finished in four days! Amazing. The grandmother of this family served us home-made empanadas (a typical turnover filled with diced meat, onion, raisins, olive, and a piece of hard boiled egg.) She made three empanadas filled with just cheese especially for Johanna, who was a vegetarian.
One of the greatest rewards from this trip is meeting great people who made up our team - Christian, Susan, Chris, Hamilton, Judy, Sonam, Johanna Fernandez, Laura, John, Raj, Johanna Ward, InJe, Bianca, Meg, and Gary. Everyone had different backgrounds, stories, points of view, but, together, we made a great and interesting team.
I want to especially thank InJe, my roomie, for being so kind to me. I really enjoyed our late-night talks because I can freely express my thoughts without being judged. I like how I can talk about anything or any feelings in front of you. Also, thank you so so much for being there for the three times that I cried on the trip (I still can't believe I cried that many time!) Your kindness, your caring, and your consolation made me feel so much better since I have somebody to rely on in a foreign country.
Internship:
I'll just write a few sentences about my internship, because I want to share my feelings with the four other interns on my new Chinese blog from QQ. Our main jobs were to organize files, lots and lots and lots of files and pieces of paper. I also scanned about 400 accounts booklets. However, the greatest reward is meeting four of the kindest, nicest, keenest, funniest people of my life. :)
