3B Ng Ian Kiat (24)

The service-learning experience has been an eye opener for me. My class decided to visit the Zion's Home for the Aged, where my classmates and I got to spend some time with the old folks there. We solved some puzzles and chatted with them, but the highlight of my visit is the time we came together as a class to entertain the elderly at the Home. Even though it lasted slightly shorter than an hour, I was still content with the fact that we had thoroughly entertained our audience, and their applause as well as the joyous expressions on their faces reassured me of that fact.

This experience has changed my mindset and it has made me a better person. It has taught me to be more considerate and to give back to the community.

Interacting with the old folks has also been an interesting experience for me, in spite of the language barrier (as many of us were not fluent in the various dialects). I also saw my classmates in a new light as I witnessed their gentler side.

I can definitely see myself helping out in the community in my college and adult days as community service is not a form of punishment, but rather a commitment. We should all do our part to give back to the community, and that is what this service-learning has taught me. Seeing the smiles on the faces of those we have helped is a reward in itself; the knowledge that we had done our part to make their day a brighter one.