A Big Dream
A Big Dream
Tay Tsz Ying, Tiffany's Story
Faculty of Business and Economics / Faculty of Law
When Tiffany Tay visited Colombia, she walked into a slum which was
packed with shabby housing in poor hygienic conditions. She was surprised by the fact that the slum
was not far from the commercial area. It
only took her five minutes to walk from heaven to hell.
During the Joint University Study and Cultural Tour held by
University YMCA (HKU), students visited Peru and Colombia for two weeks during
the summer break. The programme
consisted of three parts, including sightseeing, cultural exchange and service learning.
In the service learning part, HKU students
got a chance to walk into the red-light district and deliver care and love from
Hong Kong to Colombian children.
However, without the help of
local volunteers, services in Colombia and Peru would not be carried out
smoothly. Language was the main barrier
between Hong Kong students and the local community. Translation service provided by local volunteers
bridged the two parties together.
“I now understand that I should not take things for granted. I am looking for more service opportunities.”
Students had a deep reflection on
their role in society while exchanging thoughts with Colombian volunteers. Local volunteers whom Tiffany collaborates
with received help from YMCA before. “They believe that they had taken from the
institution, so they want to repay the society via YMCA as much as they can,”
said Tiffany. “I now understand that I
should not take things for granted. I am
looking for more service opportunities.”
Tiffany is astounded by Colombian’s dedication to their nation. She witnessed their excitement when the
country entered Round 16 of FIFA World Cup 2018. All shops were closed, national flags were
swung, and people ran to the streets to support their country. Local volunteers were also passionate about
Colombia’s future. They have already had
plans to make their country a better place even though they are college
students only. The dream is big, but it
is worth trying. “Their passion inspires
me to carry out an actual plan to achieve what I really want.” said Tiffany.
Faculty of Arts