Thursday, April 7, 2022

Worthy Experiences in Taiwan (Part 2)

Everyone has different life experiences; some may be similar but not identical. The experiences we have teach us many lessons about life. Some experiences are out of control. We can’t do anything to change the situation but we can change our reaction toward the situation.

I have had a meaningful life experience in the last few months during my stay in Taiwan. Coping with the loss of my beloved dad is one of my life’s biggest challenges and causes a lot of pain and sadness. Dealing with this difficult feeling while staying far away from my own country, I try to stay peaceful, step up, and be strong toward the ups and downs. I am aware that this takes time and is a winding journey because rushing won’t make me heal faster. However, I am also aware that God is mending the brokenness and I can always feel His presence in ways I can’t always see. There is always something to be grateful for. I thank God for my beloved dad’s life on earth and for the times and I had with him, indeed. I believe that anything happens, neither death nor life, will be able to separate us from the love of God.

Aside from learning Chinese language and culture, I joined some IofC activities in Taiwan. In the beginning of March, I joined the annual meeting with the IofC team at Fusion Space富興工廠in Taichung. It has been delightful to connect with new friends and meet those who have been involved with MRA/IofC since 1970s. After the annual meeting, I spoke in a webinar on the theme of creating a more engaging online class which was attended by a hundred teachers from around Indonesia. This webinar was conducted to bring together educational scientists and teachers to discuss about learning and teaching development. I thanked Yanni and her husband, IofC friends from Taichung who provided a room at their house during the webinar. It was my first time meeting them and I was grateful for their kindness. As the song lyrics said, “There are no strangers in the worlds, only friends we haven’t met.”

I extended my stay in Taichung and stayed at the house of an IofC friend whom I firstly met during the Asia Pacific Youth Conference (APYC) Japan in 2012. I had well-spent days with AJ Chen and Hsiu Hua Liao, his wife.

Teamwork is a core need for a community or organization to function. We have been discussing the role of youth and practice of creating intergenerational group on many occasions in IofC online sessions. The IofC team in Taiwan creates some opportunities for youth to do some voluntary activities. One of the activities was to visit community center named 復興者兵文化園區, 1950s military dependent village. This area is also known as a painting village in Tainan. Our activity there was to paint some parts of the wall where we could express messages through what we depicted.

It’s also been great to be given a space to share with students at Municipal Yongfuguomin Elementary School. During my first visit, I felt so excited watching the students playing around and having conversations with their friends. As a teacher, I have been missing the feelings of returning to offline school. I was given a chance to share about Indonesia. Indonesians including migrant workers and foreign students are one of the largest communities of foreign residents in Taiwan. During my second visit, we talked about friendship. One student asked how to get a good friend. I then said, “If you want to get a good friend, be a good friend. One of the essential things we can do is being a good listener.”

Well, everyone has a story to tell and every story matters.

Our stories may feel ordinary to us but they may bring hope and inspiration to others.

What are your stories?

 

Yofrina Octika Gultom

The first article: https://id.iofc.org/worthy-experiences-taiwan