Visiting the Korean National Rehabilitation Center again

Me in front of the
 map of the NRC

Today, I visited the Korean National Rehabilitation Center again. There, I helped the nurses finish their work and entertained the patients. I met a female patient who could not talk. She was about twenty-three years old and her entire body was curved inwards, making her look small relative to her age. I read a simple picture book to her so that she does not stay bored. The book was a series of memoirs, all of which were written by handicapps who overcame their disabilities and became renowned people. Although she could not tell me that she enjoyed it, her facial expressions and grunts told me that she loved the stories.

Beside her was another female patient, the same age as me. Her legs were paralyzed, which meant that she could thankfully use her upper body. However, she was extremely shy, barely communicating with me, except for nods and short replies. For she was an intelligent patient, she owned a special computer, in which she learned many new things every day. However, the computer was operated by her brain signals and eyes. The mouse was controlled by the eye, and the letters were written by her brain signals and slight movements in her hands. I was quite amazed by how she operated her computer.

Research building of the NRC

Finally, I also helped the workers at the hospital. I assisted in cleaning the patients' quarters, copying documents, and feeding the handicaps. Again, I felt that disablities were similar, in fact, same as regular humans. They are just as kind, if not more, as normal people, although they have a slightly different view of life. I can understand how their physical body leads many to believe that they are different people. However, I hope that I can visit the NRC again in the near future.