Ti-Ratana Welfare Center

By Elie - 4:00 PM

This has by far been the most exciting and productive Saturday in the longest of times for me although I'm tired to no grounds. You see, my day kicked off as early as 7 in the morning where I had to ~~climb because I'm a lazy pig and I refuse to ever part with my bed~~ get off bed and be ready to reach college by 9 AM. Yes, you read that read. I had to get back to COLLEGE on a SATURDAY at 9 AM. But it really was for a good cause I don't regret a single moment of being awake for this. ~~Except maybe those wasted hours of being stuck in that bus while we were lost...~~

I was whisked off, much to the encouragement of my friends to visit the Ti-Ratana Welfare Center in Salak South and we were given the initial expectation of going to an orphanage filled with little itty bitty children who bite, scream, squeal, annoy and do pretty much everything that would create havoc and whatever we were offered...we took it in. Of course, it really wasn't that bad. In fact, I had great fun being surrounded with children albeit only conversing in Mandarin and trust me, I am one of the WORST Mandarin speaking Chinese there ever can be.

Everything else really should be explained in pictures.

We had a fun start to our journey. Like every other bus ride, we had a member who had fallen deep in slumber! Well, some chances are too good to be passed!

Children delighted to see all these strangers with goodies.

Except maybe him...I swear, he slept through the WHOLE time we arrived. The aftermath of him waking up though...was...never mind.

I call him Sir Grumpy. I have not once seen him smile since we got there to the moment we left. Really cute little boy though.

The cheerful little darling. I loved him so much!

Kids watching in awe as Alicia and Clifford play the guitar to get them in hype to sing songs.

An irresistible picture. James "The Hulk" Tang and the little darling. The chemistry was so adorable when we notice how different their sizes are.

That's...hehe ME! Teaching little kids to line up and wait patiently for their turn to blow soap bubbles! So much enthusiasm over the tiny bottle of soap.

Keep on blowing those pretty bubbles!!! :)

My secret loves. Terrance and Trisha. The workers mentioned that they are true blood siblings and for some reason Trisha is extremely shy yet EXTREMELY cute.

Other photos can be found HERE. Oh...and excitingly cute videos of the kids singing and dancing along to us can be found here, and by clicking this as well as going over here.

Being to the welfare center taught me the true meaning of being grateful for all that I had in life. I may not be living in the life of riches nor the days of my worst but at the very least I had a family, amazing friends and a place to call my own home. I had a future for myself; vastly planned and bright as ever. I had the best things in life, I had love and I had the choice for all I want to do. I have the freedom to be myself and I had an identity. For everything I am grateful.

Of course, we didn't ONLY visit the orphanage because we en-routed to the old folks home for women and I swear to you that I nearly CRIED being there. How could ANYONE be so heartless to leave their poor mother in the old folks home, caring for themselves and being all alone? It broke my heart to hear my classmate tell me that one of the old woman requested that my friend stay because her two sons no longer talk to her. What is wrong with you people? What have these old people done to deserve such treatment that you abandon them? These are the people who have held you in their tummy for 9 months, endured pain just to give you a life, raised you to be a grown person and THIS is how they are given repayment?

Overall, it has been an amazing trip and through it I've learned so much more than just being on another random trip with friends to have fun. Being so much more meaningful, it has given me a whole lot more inspiration to do better and probably one fine day we'll be back again...possibly to bring light and to cheer them up just a lot more. Because that's all they want. Company and hope.

[EDIT] Extra pictures have been posted by the official photographer of my college! To view them, (because they are public) all you have to do is click LIKE on our college's EXPOSURE fan page then click here to see all the pictures! Oh, and if you're looking for the talented photographer who took all these vividly brilliant pictures, do visit him on his page!

[EDIT] A video has even been compiled and you're most welcome to check out the fun we had just by clicking here.