As volunteers, we should do what the patients want us to do, not what we want to do for them. One day, a patient asked him to buy some letter paper. The more familiar with the patients you are, the easier it is to forget about the line between volunteer and patient. The volunteers are generally very enthusiastic. However, this enthusiasm might easily offend a patient.
Volunteers often start a conversation with a patient with such a question.
However, that question infringed upon the privacy of that particular patient because it was a sensitive issue which he didn't want to discuss. Learning from this observation, Shih built up a close, trusting relationship between himself and Ah-chiang, a patient who had kept his heart shut from other volunteers. Actually, Ah-chiang and I seldom talk to each other. I don't know how to describe my feelings. People don't plan out beforehand how they are going to relate to each other.