Finding community spirit in giving
March 31, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA has captured the heart and imagination of Andrea Glass, a German native who now works and lives in Minhang.
"I like living here, not in the center of a big center, because I don't have that feeling of tension," she said, with an engaging smile that punctuates her discourse.
Glass, 28, is program manager for HandsOn Shanghai, a nonprofit volunteer organization in the Xinzhuang area dedicated to helping needy people.
Almost every weekend, she spends her free time chatting with elderly people suffering from loneliness, boredom or depression. She also plays games with sick children in local hospitals.
"Shanghai is like my new home, and I wanted to do something for my new home," she said of decision to do charity work.
"In Germany, everything is quite normal and routine, but in China, I find new and interesting things every day," she said.
Glass studied at the University of Bonn in her hometown, and picked Chinese when selecting an Asian language to learn.
"I think Mandarin is fascinating although it is difficult to learn," she said.
She regularly practices writing Chinese characters but admits they are hard for her to remember from week to week.
Glass first came to China in 2005, arriving in Hefei to study Chinese at Anhui University.
"I felt like I was representing Germany to promote its culture and history during my work," she said.
After the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010, most of her colleagues returned to Germany, but she decided to stay on in Shanghai.
At HandsOn Shanghai, she handles volunteer recruitment, agency organization and team leader training, focusing on health programs.
She is a regular visitor to children's hospitals and elderly care centers in Minhang, Xuhui, Hongkou and Changning districts, among others, on weekends.
"The seniors are lonely, and they are happy when we visit," she said. Some of them know her well, and call her by the Chinese name "An Di."
Glass said no matter how tired she may feel working on weekends, her spirits are always lifted when she is talking to people who need love and attention she has to share.
She rents an apartment on Lianhua Road S. in the Meilong area. She enjoys eating at small Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood. Spicy Sichuan cuisine is her favorite.
Glass said she feels comfortable in Minhang's environment. "It's nice, with lots of greenery and friendly people," she said.
Qibao Old Street is her favorite place in Minhang. She discovered it online while searching for interesting local sites to visit.
"It was very crowded, but I enjoyed the trip," Glass said. "It offered a nice change from the usual work and put my mind at rest."
She is also a museum aficionado and has visited the Shanghai Art Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center.
For now, she plans to stay put.
"I won't leave in the near future," Glass said. "I want to see and learn more things about China."
"I like living here, not in the center of a big center, because I don't have that feeling of tension," she said, with an engaging smile that punctuates her discourse.
Glass, 28, is program manager for HandsOn Shanghai, a nonprofit volunteer organization in the Xinzhuang area dedicated to helping needy people.
Almost every weekend, she spends her free time chatting with elderly people suffering from loneliness, boredom or depression. She also plays games with sick children in local hospitals.
"Shanghai is like my new home, and I wanted to do something for my new home," she said of decision to do charity work.
"In Germany, everything is quite normal and routine, but in China, I find new and interesting things every day," she said.
Glass studied at the University of Bonn in her hometown, and picked Chinese when selecting an Asian language to learn.
"I think Mandarin is fascinating although it is difficult to learn," she said.
She regularly practices writing Chinese characters but admits they are hard for her to remember from week to week.
Glass first came to China in 2005, arriving in Hefei to study Chinese at Anhui University.
"I felt like I was representing Germany to promote its culture and history during my work," she said.
After the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010, most of her colleagues returned to Germany, but she decided to stay on in Shanghai.
At HandsOn Shanghai, she handles volunteer recruitment, agency organization and team leader training, focusing on health programs.
She is a regular visitor to children's hospitals and elderly care centers in Minhang, Xuhui, Hongkou and Changning districts, among others, on weekends.
"The seniors are lonely, and they are happy when we visit," she said. Some of them know her well, and call her by the Chinese name "An Di."
Glass said no matter how tired she may feel working on weekends, her spirits are always lifted when she is talking to people who need love and attention she has to share.
She rents an apartment on Lianhua Road S. in the Meilong area. She enjoys eating at small Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood. Spicy Sichuan cuisine is her favorite.
Glass said she feels comfortable in Minhang's environment. "It's nice, with lots of greenery and friendly people," she said.
Qibao Old Street is her favorite place in Minhang. She discovered it online while searching for interesting local sites to visit.
"It was very crowded, but I enjoyed the trip," Glass said. "It offered a nice change from the usual work and put my mind at rest."
She is also a museum aficionado and has visited the Shanghai Art Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center.
For now, she plans to stay put.
"I won't leave in the near future," Glass said. "I want to see and learn more things about China."
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