2013 WLC 心得分享

2013 心得分享

黃湘婷 Huang, Hsiang Ting
鳳新高中 Feng-Hsin Senior High School

 It was an once in a lifetime opportunity to attend HOBY WLC. The very first moment we arrived at the airport, the facilitators and other HOBYs welcomed us as if we were super stars. At that moment, I knew-"I am going to have the best time of my life!" That day, when I first met my teammates I didn't know what to say , but they were so hospitable and helpful, they assisted me with basically everything! At night during group time we talked a lot about ourselves, and I realized how ambitious these people are and how they aspire to achieve their goals. We had PINK B2 ritual every night, that is to form a circle , put our arms around each other and SQEEZE !

On the second day I heard the most inspirational panel I've ever heard in my life- Rachel's Challenge! It was about a senior high school girl who was just about our age, got shot dead at school. However, she kept a journal with so much of her thoughts. For instance: She knew she was going to die young but will have an impact on the world and ask people to stay their true color despite of the environment. It is sort of indescribable for me to tell what Rachel's Challenge was integrally, but this I am positive - it inspired me so much ! For this, it also gave me the idea of "Bringing Rachel's Challenge to Taiwan" as #myHOBYstory.

On the fifth day, the long-awaited day , was when we had our service project and trip to downtown Chicago. That morning I met my twin sister from Ohio , we've been smiling at each other, hugged after the Rachel's Challenge panel, still we didn't have the chance to get to talk . She walked towards me and our lives began to be no longer parallel . We had two projects - The Heart of Arts (donating stationeries and a notebook with our words) & Kindness for kids (sewing pillows for children in hospitals). After that, was the Amazing Race , which we went through downtown Chicago! It was so much fun, cause we had to solve the questions without any cues given. Hours passed and all HOBYs gathered for our section night beside Lake Michigan, we had pizza on a vast meadow and had a wonderful night with games and fireworks and TEARS .

That night, when I walked into the hall with the Taiwanese flag , I felt really proud! I was proud of my country , my HOBY friends , and myself. It dawned on me that, were it not for HOBY , I would've never met this whole bunch of great people; never found out that I'm more capable than I think; never be the true self I should have been. I can see myself growing, with a total distinct aspect. When I ask myself , "what do you want? Who are you?" I know the answers to them all, and it is because of ……HOBY