Foreign volunteers see the rewards of their work
By Fei Lai |
April 22, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR Isaac Asare, from Ghana, volunteering is "a good way to know what's happening in this city."
Asare, aged 29, has just completed his master's degree in industrial economics at the Business School of Donghua University and has been involved in a variety of voluntary work, including teaching middle school student English and visiting senior citizens' homes. For him, one of the most memorable experiences was volunteering during the World Expo Shanghai 2010.
"Volunteering is an opportunity to make friends, practice my Mandarin with local people and also do something meaningful in my spare time," says Asare.
"I feel really happy and satisfied through volunteering."
Arriving in Shanghai in 2008, he has a great interest in Chinese culture and also thinks that being able to speak Chinese will provide him with more future opportunities.
To Asare, volunteering is also a good way to learn new things and "make true and real friends."
Asare will further his education by studying for a PhD degree in business administration at Donghua University in September. And he hopes to continue to make a positive impact on the lives of people around him.
"What I would wish the city to develop is its people. The city's infrastructure is well advanced but most residents' knowledge of the cultures of people from different parts of the world is very poor," he says.
"Showing concern for one another should be encouraged as should the notion of respecting and helping the elderly in society."
"Kids should not be over-pampered and should be well-disciplined for them will be responsible in the future," says Asare.
Asare is one of the volunteer team of Donghua University International Cultural Exchange School. Established in 2006, almost 500 overseas students from more than 60 countries and regions have participated in a variety of voluntary work.
Major volunteering projects include: helping at local homes for the aged, welfare homes for children and at special education schools; classifying foreign books at Changning District Library; raising money for quake-hit areas; and advocating AIDS prevention.
German-American Jason Dulis, 21, is involved in many volunteering programs, such as River of Hearts, Organic Garden Program by Shanghai Roots & Shoots and Habitat for Humanity program.
"I gain the satisfaction of helping people and understanding that there are those who need help in many different ways. It also allows me to interact with many different kinds of people," Dulis says.
"The world is becoming a smaller place every day and we have to understand that we need to help each other to make it a better place."
Arriving in Shanghai in 2010, Dulis enjoys living in this vibrant and lively city. "I grew up in Germany so the lifestyle compared with Shanghai is very different."
"Germany is calm and if you grew up in a village of less than 500 people, as I did, everybody knows each other and life becomes narrowed down to the people around you," he says.
"Here in Shanghai you have to take all the people into consideration."
"Many foreigners I meet feel offended by the way the local people interact with them - such as speaking loudly or not having eye contact while talking - but I believe that this shouldn't offend them since this is the culture and we have to accept the way people are," says Dulis.
Hoping that more people will get involved in future volunteer programs, Dulis plans to start a small volunteer program of his own.
Lico Yoon, from South Korea, especially likes undertaking voluntary work in a social environment. Since joining the International Students Association in Donghua, the third-year student has participated in a number of volunteer programs.
So far, she has helped take care of the elderly people at homes, assisted in an orphanage and lent a hand in a library.
"By doing these voluntary activities I can reach out and see a lot of aspects of life that I have never known before," Yoon says.
Asare, aged 29, has just completed his master's degree in industrial economics at the Business School of Donghua University and has been involved in a variety of voluntary work, including teaching middle school student English and visiting senior citizens' homes. For him, one of the most memorable experiences was volunteering during the World Expo Shanghai 2010.
"Volunteering is an opportunity to make friends, practice my Mandarin with local people and also do something meaningful in my spare time," says Asare.
"I feel really happy and satisfied through volunteering."
Arriving in Shanghai in 2008, he has a great interest in Chinese culture and also thinks that being able to speak Chinese will provide him with more future opportunities.
To Asare, volunteering is also a good way to learn new things and "make true and real friends."
Asare will further his education by studying for a PhD degree in business administration at Donghua University in September. And he hopes to continue to make a positive impact on the lives of people around him.
"What I would wish the city to develop is its people. The city's infrastructure is well advanced but most residents' knowledge of the cultures of people from different parts of the world is very poor," he says.
"Showing concern for one another should be encouraged as should the notion of respecting and helping the elderly in society."
"Kids should not be over-pampered and should be well-disciplined for them will be responsible in the future," says Asare.
Asare is one of the volunteer team of Donghua University International Cultural Exchange School. Established in 2006, almost 500 overseas students from more than 60 countries and regions have participated in a variety of voluntary work.
Major volunteering projects include: helping at local homes for the aged, welfare homes for children and at special education schools; classifying foreign books at Changning District Library; raising money for quake-hit areas; and advocating AIDS prevention.
German-American Jason Dulis, 21, is involved in many volunteering programs, such as River of Hearts, Organic Garden Program by Shanghai Roots & Shoots and Habitat for Humanity program.
"I gain the satisfaction of helping people and understanding that there are those who need help in many different ways. It also allows me to interact with many different kinds of people," Dulis says.
"The world is becoming a smaller place every day and we have to understand that we need to help each other to make it a better place."
Arriving in Shanghai in 2010, Dulis enjoys living in this vibrant and lively city. "I grew up in Germany so the lifestyle compared with Shanghai is very different."
"Germany is calm and if you grew up in a village of less than 500 people, as I did, everybody knows each other and life becomes narrowed down to the people around you," he says.
"Here in Shanghai you have to take all the people into consideration."
"Many foreigners I meet feel offended by the way the local people interact with them - such as speaking loudly or not having eye contact while talking - but I believe that this shouldn't offend them since this is the culture and we have to accept the way people are," says Dulis.
Hoping that more people will get involved in future volunteer programs, Dulis plans to start a small volunteer program of his own.
Lico Yoon, from South Korea, especially likes undertaking voluntary work in a social environment. Since joining the International Students Association in Donghua, the third-year student has participated in a number of volunteer programs.
So far, she has helped take care of the elderly people at homes, assisted in an orphanage and lent a hand in a library.
"By doing these voluntary activities I can reach out and see a lot of aspects of life that I have never known before," Yoon says.
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