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Giving Thanks

in Tijuana, Mexico

In Tzu Shao, high school students learn the joy of service.

Orange County Tzu Shao

uring relief distributions in Tijuana, excited to simply dance with us and ecstatic
Mexico, in the early 1990s, Tzu Chi when receiving even a simple high five.
Dvolunteers were deeply moved by the
difficult conditions faced by the impoverished Their upbeat and cheerful attitude despite
local community. They vowed to support their lack of material goods made me realize
education to help the younger generation rise how fortunate I am to live in middle class
out of poverty, building La Escuela Primaria suburbs with all that I have. I was more grateful
Tijuana Tzu-Chi, which opened in the Morita
community in November 1996.

For nearly two decades since, Tzu Chi
volunteers from the United States have
continued providing heartfelt care to local
students through frequent outreach visits and
financial support. In November 2014, Tzu Shao
high school volunteers from Orange County,
California, traveled three hours south to share
their Thanksgiving Day with the students and
experience the true meaning of thankfulness.

Terry Yau (Tzu Shao)

In America, the fourth Thursday of every
November is dedicated to Thanksgiving, a
holiday when friends and family gather, not
only to eat a lot, but also to give thanks for all
the blessings in their lives.

This Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough
to be able to spend my Thanksgiving with a
family bonded not by blood, but by love and
choice, as we visited an elementary school in
Tijuana, Mexico. Upon our arrival, I was struck
by how different the local students’ learning
environment was from ours. While we have
high-tech classrooms with central heating and
expensive supplies, their setup was much more
rudimentary. However, the students were not
fazed in the least. Instead, they were beyond

6 2 TZU CHI USA SUMMER 2015