3 years ago, my church organized a visits to a blind school where we will spends time with them and just using this opportunity to enjoy the moment with this special children. Really they are special, I'll tell you why.
Right after we arrived at the school, we were welcome by students, teachers and headmaster. They all happy and very excited to know that we were coming for visit... This statement is kind of boring, you may say 'of course they are happy', but I have to tell you this that; this is genuine, authentic and very real kind of happiness. No fake, not acting to be happy, this is REAL.
To cut the story short, after the welcoming ceremony, we spend the rest of the day with students and we were given permission to move around the school freely. Well, I managed to find my 'favorite' student. His name is Ahmad Ridzuan. He called me 'Abang Richard' and I called him 'Adik Ridzuan' and along the fellowship I decided to call him Wan. He is born blind and living in the hostel just next to the school.
I walked around the school with him holding my hand as if I'm the one who is blind, he do the talking part along the way as if I'm dumb. At first we went to his room; where he changed his clothes and pray. There were times when he brags about me to his roommate that he has a friend name 'Richard'. When someone pronounced my name wrongly, 'Abang Cat (paint)' 'Che-Ed' he correct them,
"It's (one by one) R-I-C-H-E-R-D! Okay???" and his friends said, "Oh, Ricat~" "Correct!"
I was tempted to correct Wan, but he seems very confident that I don't want to make a big deal about it.
After visited his classroom and lunch at canteen, I asked him,
"Bring me to your favorite place."
He holds my hand tightly as he 'showed' me the way to his most secret place. His hand wildly crawls over the schools’ wall which leads us to a playground. We sit in the circle hole, it was somewhat tight for me but I just sit there with him... I looked around and there's no secret at all for the place was very visible for naked eyes. It just next to the classroom and I bet I can went there much faster than his 'secret' way. What funny was, I slips my foot when I steps at the drainage and he said to me, 'be careful~'. Oh I need to remind you again- He is blind!
We talked about his dreams, I share mine and most of the time he conquered the conversation, so let it be. I never forget when he said, "Abang Richard, you seem to be a short-temper man."
"No... I think you're wrong.” I said in defend.
"When you talked I can hear your tone." he said like always... with confident. I hate when the truth revealed. He seems to know me more than I knew myself.
"Yes, you're right." [He told me much more.]
What did the blind boy, Ahmad Ridzuan teaches me? He taught me very important lessons in life:
Right after we arrived at the school, we were welcome by students, teachers and headmaster. They all happy and very excited to know that we were coming for visit... This statement is kind of boring, you may say 'of course they are happy', but I have to tell you this that; this is genuine, authentic and very real kind of happiness. No fake, not acting to be happy, this is REAL.
To cut the story short, after the welcoming ceremony, we spend the rest of the day with students and we were given permission to move around the school freely. Well, I managed to find my 'favorite' student. His name is Ahmad Ridzuan. He called me 'Abang Richard' and I called him 'Adik Ridzuan' and along the fellowship I decided to call him Wan. He is born blind and living in the hostel just next to the school.
I walked around the school with him holding my hand as if I'm the one who is blind, he do the talking part along the way as if I'm dumb. At first we went to his room; where he changed his clothes and pray. There were times when he brags about me to his roommate that he has a friend name 'Richard'. When someone pronounced my name wrongly, 'Abang Cat (paint)' 'Che-Ed' he correct them,
"It's (one by one) R-I-C-H-E-R-D! Okay???" and his friends said, "Oh, Ricat~" "Correct!"
I was tempted to correct Wan, but he seems very confident that I don't want to make a big deal about it.
After visited his classroom and lunch at canteen, I asked him,
"Bring me to your favorite place."
He holds my hand tightly as he 'showed' me the way to his most secret place. His hand wildly crawls over the schools’ wall which leads us to a playground. We sit in the circle hole, it was somewhat tight for me but I just sit there with him... I looked around and there's no secret at all for the place was very visible for naked eyes. It just next to the classroom and I bet I can went there much faster than his 'secret' way. What funny was, I slips my foot when I steps at the drainage and he said to me, 'be careful~'. Oh I need to remind you again- He is blind!
We talked about his dreams, I share mine and most of the time he conquered the conversation, so let it be. I never forget when he said, "Abang Richard, you seem to be a short-temper man.""No... I think you're wrong.” I said in defend.
"When you talked I can hear your tone." he said like always... with confident. I hate when the truth revealed. He seems to know me more than I knew myself.
"Yes, you're right." [He told me much more.]
What did the blind boy, Ahmad Ridzuan teaches me? He taught me very important lessons in life:
- Almost certain that we can identify who is REALLY happy or not. Happiness is not for hypocrite so stop pretending.
- You cannot have everything in life, so choose few and give everything for it. There were many students in the school but I choose to spend the day with Wan, so that I can know him personally instead of having time with everyone and know only a little bit here and there.
- Be sensitive to time and place. George Sala advised, we should strive 'not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult, to leave the unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.' Instead of telling Wan that he spelled my name wrongly I just let him 'win' this time because really, it was just a small matter.
- Find your 'secret place' and rest. You don't have to go far far away, your 'secret place' might be just next to your 'school'. Rest is achievable, just look for it. Wasn't that easy?
- Do not under estimate what people have to say. When someone gives opinion, listen. When someone gives suggestion, consider it. When someone telling the ugly truth about you, appreciate it. When Wan told me to "be careful", I was ashamed by my own pride for having a pair of eyes that can see but cannot 'see'.
- Lastly, appearance can be deceived, Wan 'looks' at me with his heart not with his eyes. It took 20 years for me to admit that I'm actually a short-tempered person but it just took Ridzuan less than one day to tell me about it.
"I was blind, now I see."
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