True charitable spirit: 01 (London)

I teach Mandarin and English at a north London Chinese community centre, the Islington Chinese Association.  It’s not just a place for (mainly old) people to get together and socialise, join in the activities (qigong, taiji, ping pong, karaoke, Cantonese opera, Chinese card games), eat in the canteen.  They also organise away-tours: pre-Covid, they’d go to Europe; now, they only go to other parts of the UK.  

What’s admirable is also that they run counselling sessions for alcohol and drug addicts (all non-Chinese, as it happens).  So, it’s not just a place that serves the Chinese community, but the community at large.  

It’s a place with a truly charitable spirit.

(London, 2022)

True charitable spirit: 02 (London)

The Friday kitchen team at the Islington Chinese Association is a different group of people from the Tuesday to Thursday one. 

The assistant is Bobby whose wife is a volunteer at the reception on Fridays.

Yesterday there were two ladies I’d never seen before: a younger one (40s? 50s?) with an older one (70s? 80s?). Not sure if they’re related.

At one point before lunch was served, I saw that the old lady was in tears. (She was earlier talking to Bobby’s wife when she got in, talking about something unhappy by the looks of it.) 

Bobby, in spite of being needed in the kitchen as lunch was about to be served, kept consoling the old lady, saying sympathetic and supportive things, “Let’s go for a cup of tea later, OK?  Don’t dwell on it, OK?”  He's a big man, but he was so gentle with her.

It was the way he was handling her that moved me: so kind and caring.

(London, 2022)

True charitable spirit: 03 (London)

The Friday cook at the Islington Chinese Association is a lady called Hou jiě (Sister Hou). 

During the wild garlic season, I was picking wild garlic regularly and giving bunches away to people, mostly the ones at the centre, including Hou jiě. 

One Friday, I went in with another lot of wild garlic, and offered a bunch to Hou jiě.  She said, referring to her assistant Bobby (whom I’d not spoken to before — I’d only seen working him around the kitchen), “You’ve already given me some.  He hasn’t had any yet.  Give them to him.”  So altruistic.

I then went out to the reception and offered some to the reception volunteer.  As I was filling a bag, Bobby came out and said, “She’s my wife, you’ve already given me some, so let someone else have this lot.”  So kind and generous.

It’s such a caring place.

(London, 2022)