A man who overcame his shortcomings of being blind, worked hard, and became, a tour guide, from his struggles of coping with his blindness, to living, comfortably, as a visually impaired person, translated…
My first impression of Wen-Chien Lo was how he’d worked as a system operator of the voice tour guide system at the Palace Museum, his job made the visually impaired individuals better able to access and use the machines that helped them with the tours, it’s, a very huge role in the system that he’d taken up; but the first time I’d met him, it was surprising to me, that he had, stories to tell. But who doesn’t? And yet, as he’d, told of his tale, with no hints of emotions, that’s, made his story have an even bigger impact on me.
That day the path became slippery after the rains, it was loud outside of school, he had his guiding cane, stepped out very steadily, guided me into the university he was studying in, “Today, allow me, a blind man, to be your tour guide.”, there was, that hint of humor in his voice too.
There were, the uneven steps of the staircases of the school, the roads weren’t flattened, the direction the wind was blowing, how it’d felt on my skin, the scent from the lawn…………he’d used them as guides. He was leading me, and, turned his head back towards me, to introduce where we had walked; as his cane tapped onto the lawn, he’d immediately turned, and kept going; he’d used the cane, and tapped at the lamppost, the brass post gave off that crisp clean ring, he’d laughed dryly, told me, “I loved the sound of that”. Shortly after we’d entered into his school, he’d asked me to turn left on our way, “Let’s go to the café together”. Hey, it’s a straightened road, there wasn’t, any marks, “how do you know there is a left turn here?”, turns out, the echoes from the cane, tapping the floors, sounded differently, and, if this became, a freeze frame, I’m sure, that there was, this sharp contrast to how at ease he looked, versus, how shocked I was.
As we entered into the café, Wen-Chien greeted the clerk, from how they’d interacted with ease, this certainly, was his, territory all right! It’d, made me look forward to the rest of his tour now.
Wen-Chien was blind from birth, he’d grown up, in a home for handicapped children. When he was just six, he’d gone home on a holiday, and his mother was there, he was so excited, he’d run toward her, to get a hug; but his mother didn’t know how to react to her own estranged, and visually impaired son, she’d, taken a step backward, which caused him, to fall, flat on his face, but he didn’t cry at all, instead, he’d, turned around, and started playing with the toy cars lying around the floors. And, that memory of sadness, sorrow, of being unwanted stayed in his mind ever since, and, perhaps it’s because of it, he was, forced to grow up, to become, strong.
He’d used a few short lines, to share the tracks of his growth, his father was sent to prison for dealing illegal substances, his mother died of suicide last year, being on his own, he’d, from time to time, head back to his maternal grandmother’s home, to find some love; but, that sense of security, the love from his family, that place where he belonged in, were all, wants he could, never have.
He’d turned the subject, and, there was, that confident flair about him again, he not only, acted as me, a seeing person’s tour guide, and, he got the chance, of leading the tour for the visually impaired tourists also. There was once a mother who’d cried, “What do I do? My daughter hid out in the house, refused to come outside, she believed that she’d become blind, so she could no longer play the piano anymore, can you, help me, console with her?”
And so, Wen-Chien set up a one-day tour for this young lady, and “show” her how the visually impaired can live a “normal” life too.
Early that morn, he’d used his cell phone, found the maps, called the Uber for her, to a breakfast shop she’s used to eating in, as he’d paid for the meals, he’d taught her how to differentiate the bills and the coins, and how to organize her wallet, “as visually impaired people, we need to, classify the items”. He’d also, taken her to a movie, as they’d entered into the theatres, he’d called on an attendant, “being visually impaired, we need to, know how to ask for help.” The grand finale of the day was, taking her to visit a piano shop, he, being a music major, flipped open the lid to the piano, and played a song, “Being visually impaired, we can also, play the piano too.” In the end, he’d, given her a ride home; as she’d entered into her own home, this young lady was so emotional, hugged Wen-Chien, and continually thanked him.
helping someone in need, illustration from online
And, the “hug” that the girl gave him, “reappeared” after he’d, given me the tour.
He’d touched me first, made sure of my position, with his arm around my shoulders, then, moved into me, told me in a light voice, “I’m playing coy with you right now!” I’d, recalled how his mother backing away from him, which made him fall flat on his face, and suddenly, I’d, understood what he was needing from me, I’d, hugged him tightly too, told him lightly, “Good child, you truly are, amazing!”
And so, this, is this man’s trials of being visually impaired, and, he’d, proven that humans can adapt, that if you work hard in what you do, then, fate will bless you, and, if something was taken from you, then, something else will be, given to you in return, and this man didn’t give up on himself, and that, was what’s, most important.
Life, the Obstacle Course 