A year abroad

Hi Clive McCoy,

I’ve just read your comment about your experience abroad being disappointing. I don’t really agree with what you say. I’m sure all the help you have brought to these people means a lot to them, it made them happy and made them realize that they are not alone.

Instead of being disappointed, you should be proud. Everything that you have done is important even if you feel like you’ve done nothing.

I had the opportunity to do an experience like this in my life two years ago; I had been living in New York City as a volunteer in an association for young disabled people for one year.

I got to play with those kids, help them read, teach them things about life that I hope will be helpful for them later.

It made me so happy to see them smile, knowing they’re going through so much difficulties.

Moreover I’ve met wonderful people with a giant heart, we’ve laughed a lot, but I’ve also met other people such as parents, and colleagues with whom I’ve had many interesting and moving conversations.

In addition to that, on my free time I discovered the city, tasted the food and saw the iconic monuments of NYC such as the Statue Of Liberty or the Empire State Building.

I had such a great time in NYC, I definitely want to go back there someday.

But my #1 goal was to satisfy these young people and I did, and it made so proud. I learnt so much because of this experience, it made me realize that we are so lucky that we don’t think enough about the others who don’t have much or have issues.

I discovered a new way of life that I thought I would have never experienced,

interacting with these unfortunate young people provided me a new insight into this unfair world, we need to do something: they should be treated the same way.

I hope I’ll have the opportunity to do another experience as amazing as this one was.

In a nutshell, I hope I made you realize that your action was something big to those people even if you feel like it was just "a drop in the ocean" like you said in your comment.

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