2013 essay contest winner William McHenry\u27s  How an Orphan Taught me to Smil

McHenry, William

English

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How an Orphan Taught Me to Smile

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Linfield College DigitalCommons@Linfield 2012-13 Postcards Postcards from Abroad 2013 How an Orphan Taught Me to Smile William McHenry Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_postcards_1213 Recommended Citation McHenry, William, "How an Orphan Taught Me to Smile" (2013). 2012-13 Postcards. Article. Submission 12. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_postcards_1213/12 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield, with permission from the rights-holder(s). Your use of this Article must comply with the Terms of Use for material posted in DigitalCommons@Linfield, or with other stated terms (such as a Creative Commons license) indicated in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, or if you have questions about permitted uses, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. How an Orphan Taught me to Smile William McHenry My name is William McHenry and I am a senior at Linfield College in McMinnville Oregon. I am majoring in Political Science and minoring in International Relations. I have been lucky to have been given the opportunity to travel, work, and study abroad. One trip stood out above the rest. This past summer I volunteered at the Yaowawit School in a southern rural region of Thailand. Yaowit is a German funded institution that provides food and boarding to underprivileged children—along with a first-rate English-based education program. Through a contact of my academic advisor, one other student and I were given the opportunity to assist in a kindergarten classroom. Both of us were apprehensive about the experience given that we spoke little Thai and lacked formal education training. How could we even begin to relate to the children? Would they even be able to understand us?  Any reservations we had vanished as soon as we entered the classroom. On the first day, as I was introducing myself to the teacher, I was mobbed by a group of kids. They trapped both of my legs with affectionate hugs. Each child smiled in the brightest, most innocent, way imaginable. It was an unforgettable moment, and it occurred every morning before class began. We were celebrities. These Thai students were so eager to learn they were willing to openly embrace foreigners. I have never been so warmly embraced by a culture. By the end of the first day we had nicknames. Within the first week I began to feel part of a family. We ate with the children, played soccer with them, and taught them traditional American songs while they taught us Thai equivalents.  Among the students, there was a five-year-old orphan girl named Fa who was as bright as she was confident. Every day she would take pride in whispering the answers to me before other students could respond. She was never wrong and always smiling. Not only did I admire her intelligence but also her generosity towards others. During mealtimes, she would make sure to help other younger children serve themselves before helping herself. Fa did not let her unfortunate circumstances hold her back. Instead, she embraced both her fellow students and her education.  I left Yaowawit with a deeper appreciation for the human spirit and with respect for the children I had opportunity to educate. Sometimes the smallest moments can change one’s entire perception of the world. My moment came from the smile of an orphan. Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”.    

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How an Orphan Taught Me to Smile

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