Friendship Village

8/21
When thay Gerard told the class that we had the chance to go see people who were affected by agent orange I was actually afraid. Not afraid of the people, but scared of the reality that I was going to face. I couldn't help but think that they were victims of their own lives. For most people including myself, our lives and futures contain to some certain extent a handful of possibilities, but what about these people? Being born with diseases and birth defects, what type of future do you think is in stored? How far will they go in their lives? Maybe a better question is, is there even a "real" future, especially for those individuals who are severely affected by agent orange? What about their family? I can't imagine how saddened the parents must be, knowing how hard life will be for their children, but powerless to protect them from such hardships. The more I asked myself these questions, the more depressed I became. I don't mean to pity these individuals' lives, but the predicament is just way too sad. Honestly, what is the point of life if this is the case? Going through all these thought processes, I knew I had to witness this reality for myself because that was the only way to find my answers.
When I arrived at the Friendship village and went into the first classroom, I was a bit shaken. They were just children, maybe around 5-7 years old. I thought for sure I have found my answers and it wasn't what I hoped to find. But, all that changed the more time I spent around these children. They became less shy and even to my surprise embracing. Seeing the smiles on their faces totally stripped all the pessimistic thoughts out of my head. I didn't care about answering my questions anymore, it didn't matter. For the moment, I was a part of their lives, just living it with them. They are no different from ordinary people, they have their own dreams and aspirations. Their lives is and probably will be much harder as one would expect, but for all that they had overcome I believe they will continue to do so and live life to their own fulfillment.
These moments really are the most endearing moments in my life. I want to thank these special kids for touching my life with their strength and smiles. Truly, thanks for the memories.