Make a Move by Moeka Sumi

I had many good experiences through AASL. Actually, I couldn’t make up my mind which class to take before I chose this class, because I didn’t have confidence in my English. However, I thought that if I went through some difficulties, I could improve my English skills and get good experiences. That was true. The class and volunteering were not easy for me, but I learned a lot of valuable things. One of them is the importance of making a move by myself.

This is one of my experiences when I volunteered. My work was just watching children playing. Actually I didn’t have to do anything special and I hesitated to speak to anyone at first, but I realized that was not good volunteering. So I tried to speak to children and praise their drawings. Then, the children smiled and responded to me, and one of them gave me a picture she drew. She said “for you.” It made me really happy. At that time I learned that making a move by myself brings me good results. 

To be honest, this program was tough for me, but I felt a sense of accomplishment in my mind after I coped with difficulties, and I could become more mature than before. In addition, I have built up a little confidence in my English. From now on I will try to act more purposefully, and I believe good things will come back to me.

A Valuable Experience by Wanseop Kim

Taking the AASL program was a valuable memory for me. Before taking this program I just wanted to have new experiences in San Diego through volunteering. While volunteering, however, I could get a great sense of achievement from the fact that I could please someone with my small acts.

For example, I volunteered for Kitchens for Good. I helped to make lunch boxes for children every Monday. It was not that hard. I cut some vegetables, peeled fruit, and made fruit salads. Although it was easy, when I saw a picture of a kid laughing while eating the lunch box, I was really happy. I knew this is the reason why volunteering is important for our society.

Moreover, not only volunteering, but also watching videos, discussing questions, and reading articles in class was really helpful for me. Especially the video about leaders and followers was impressive. After watching the video, I could understand the crucial role of the first follower in order to make a lone leader into a real leader.

In conclusion, because of the AASL program I could feel a great sense of fulfilment this session, so if you want to make unforgettable memories you should take this program.