Natalie stood up as usual when one of the caregivers and I were moving the table from the living room to the dining room. To our surprise, Natalie did not walk away this time. Instead, she stumbled to us, put her hands on the table and followed to our destination. Despite the fact that she contributed more weight to the table, she wanted and insisted to give us a hand! Slowly moving the table to the dining room step by step, we adopted Natalie’s pace. ” O-ba!” me and the caregiver cheered in unison. Natalie smiled rADIantly as she knew we had made it.

“Volunteering with ADI Negev, I saw the naivest and the most genuine smiles from the residents.”

In ADI Negev, most of the resident are unable to talk. Sometimes, the residents slap on me, grasp my hands or move their position to sit on me. Getting along with them in the past seventy days, I realized that this somehow seemingly aggressive and nonsense behavior is the way they communicate. Volunteering with ADI Negev, I saw the naivest and the most genuine smiles from the residents. While the physical and mental conditions restrict the residents in certain ways, there is no limitation for them to convey their love to us. Just as the simple favor from Natalie.

Written by Angel Ding