Thank you Global Perspectives class of 2010 who have made my trip so spectacular and unforgeable. I will cherish those moments until the end of the world.
Good luck Fijians and future Global Ed. students. I hope you all experience a safe and memorable trip in near future.
Kevin W.
I am sitting quietly on a pile of rocks watching Matheny use a power saw to cut the last pieces of wood for the walls of the building. The soon to be school looks great and I am surprised how fast everything is coming together. The little “outhouse” on the side of the school is also coming along very well. However today’s blog is not about last night’s cultural event or the progress we made these past few days. This blog is dedicated to the amazing experience the dentists and Christina showed me today.
I do not know what clicked for me while I was assisting the dentists today. Whether I was because I felt important and useful making sure everything was organized and perfect, or it was just working hard to watch the satisfaction on a patients face as they leave the room. I really did not have a lot of time working with the dentists and Christina, but I truly wish that I had more time and I would help them.
Today I really need some alone time to think of a possible life for myself as a dentist in the future. People have been telling me that they feel like I am distant from the group and I think it is true. This trip is my chance to really figure out what I want to do in my life and a clear vision for me to follow. I am sorry if people are wondering why I am such an outcast but I really appreciate your care and consideration towards me. To my parents, I think this may sound completely over the top and stupid, but I really think that being a dentist would be something I would wake up in the morning everyday and look forwards to doing. This might just be the motivation I need to help me get into university, so please support me one last time.
Kevin W.
So our group is staying at a high school dorm with working heating after a chilled minus 30 degree sleep inside the yurts. Sleeping in a room with 12 other guys is pretty fun until you get sick. Ning, the sleeping bag is not very good at insulation and I should of brought better gloves and way more socks. I cannot believe how I managed to sleep through a night in the yurts with my toes freezing up every five seconds. However the teachers have been absolutely amazing taking care of us and helping us adapt to the different obstacles we have encountered.
The cultural events that our group went to theses past two days were unbelievable. Our group were guests to another cultural event last night, the first being very traditional, the second was held by a group of private school students, all roughly around our age. The amount of effort they put into the night was just amazing. They had done a lot of research about Canada and their dances and performances were flawless. They were so friendly and involved us into many of their activities such as singing and dancing, which made me feel like I had known all of them forever. I even gave out my number and email address to four girls already! I do not even know what our next cultural events will be, but I am sure they will wow us again.
Kevin W.
I guess you know a gist of what has happened these last couple days. There has been lots of ups and downs on our trip so far, not everything is predictable or going as planned but our group is amazing at adjusting to every situation and staying patient with the hard working teachers.
As I just mentioned above, there has been countless obstacles delaying our ecstatic group from our big project. With a flight cancellation from Korea to Mongolia, a brutal cold night in the yurts which made us move at a different location, and an emotional incident after finding out that we had been mislead about our the situation of our work-site.
However everything is working out all right. I feel tighter as a group and I have also met a lot of new and interesting people including Christina (the dental assistant), Jeff (the photographer) and other members of the dental team. To top it all off, the Mongolian students who have been organizing all our cultural events have been spectacular to everyone in our group. I feel at home even though there is a thick language barrier between us but that does not stop us from being friends. I miss you Ning, mom and Ella but thank goodness I do not have to change diapers on this trip!
Kevin W.
For those who do not know me, my name is Kevin Wang. I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 1, 1992. I was born a typical Canadian but a proud one. I am not here to tell you my life story, but I will mention specific people and past events that have shaped me into who I am today.
My father passed away on the May 8th of 2005 due to liver cancer. It was a day I will never forget, as I could relive every second of that day if I close my eyes and remembered the sequence of unforgettable events.
However, today is not the day to dwell in regret of the past, but a day to move on and be thankful for our fortunate lives of the present. From the instant I waken to the moment I sleep, not a day goes by without a feeling of emptiness inside me. I am not asking for sympathy, nor am I asking that you try to comprehend my loss. But I want you to know that my father has given me the greatest gift of all.
He has given me his generosity, his kindness and his compassion towards others and has greatly changed the way I view life today. It is true that when one passes away, they never really leave us. In a sense, they have passed on their knowledge, their unique character and their distinctive personality to us. Giving us the opportunity to build and shine upon our own individuality when it is their time to go. My father was not the only one who has given me a gift. My wonderful mother has given me the gifts of becoming more open, outgoing and not making conclusions through first impressions, while my beautiful (she makes me say this all the time…) sister has given me the gifts of responsibility, courage and determination.
I am proud to say that my family has raised me well because my morals and the traits that you see in me today are taught and passed on by my family. I can strongly say that I have changed so much to become the person I am today as the passing of my father helped unlock the better side of me. For that, I cannot thank my family enough for supporting me through everyday of my life and being there through thin and thick. This is why I wanted to join Global Perspectives. I wanted to show my parents the positive traits I have seen in them, to make my parents proud of their grateful son, to make my sister, my mother, and my father proud.
Everyday I live my life not only for myself, but for the ones close to me.
Kevin W.
*Note: Tony – Manually edited for it to show on Global website.
