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My name is Chichen. I am 17 years old, a student at Zhong Shan Industrial and Commercial School in Kaohsiung City and a Special Olympics athlete from Chinese Taipei. It’s a vocational school and I’m learning about cars and how to keep them in good condition.
I grew up in the mountains. I am Bunun, an indigenous person of my country. For me and my family, life has been a bit difficult. My parents died of illness when I was three years old, so my aunt and grandmother raised me. I have worked with family members since I was a child and also help them hunt. I love being in nature and the mountains make me feel free.
I’ve always struggled in school. I don’t attend regular classes and I used to get angry when I had learning difficulties. I often feel lonely. This changed when she was introduced to Special Olympics.
My school became A Al Batal Unified SchoolWe shared physical education class with all the other students. When I first tried to play sports with these other students, I felt shy and didn’t know what to do.
Through Special Olympics, I gradually began to feel more comfortable and practice sports with other students. My teacher invited me to join us Unified football teamAnd it was a wonderful experience. We trained three times a week, and my Unified partners and I became good friends. They didn’t treat me strangely, and I could express myself on the football field. We also talked and played games together, just like normal high school students.
Our unified soccer team trained together for a year and competed in Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. It was the most honorable memory of playing in Berlin. I met people from other countries and exchanged gifts with them. I celebrated my birthday in Berlin, and my team planned to celebrate with me. I was so touched I wanted to cry, because it was the first time so many people celebrated my birthday, and so many people said “Happy Birthday” to me.
I would not have had all of these experiences without Special Olympics. Thank you for helping me try bravely and strive for victory. I want to introduce more people to Special Olympics, and I hope I can share my stories with other people so more people can participate in the activities and it helps them, just like it helped me.
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