Volunteering through the Audiobook for the Blind Community Service Project in South Korea

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to give back to a community that has been so kind and welcoming to me as a student studying and living abroad. I wanted to volunteer and give back to the community in any way I could, so when the opportunity to volunteer came around, I was very excited to participate.

CIEE organized sessions where students would go to the library to record audio books in English for blind people to listen to. The books and accompanying audio would be donated to the library so that people can check them out and listen to them at any time. I am so excited to be able to contribute, even just a little bit, to such a great project.

The book I recorded was a sweet story about a dog that is too old to play anymore, so the sister must explain this to her younger brother. Although the dog cannot play, the dog can still love them and be there to support them. It was a very touching story that helps younger audiences think about and process the heavy topics of aging and death. As someone who personally struggles with this, I felt deeply connected to the story and hope that my emotions can resonate with listeners, so they do not feel alone.

I am so thankful to CIEE for organizing this event! I only wish that it was a monthly event, as it only took about 3 hours total with travel to complete, and I would have loved to regularly volunteer there.