Today was the 25th anniversary of Operation Dawn, or 晨曦會. Operation Dawn is an organization that provides Christian Spiritual Therapy for drug addicts. By living in these compounds called therapeutic communities, recovering drug addicts at Operation Dawn are cut off from their supply of drugs and focus completely on detoxing not just their physical addiction but also their psychological cravings and dependence.
I had the opportunity to live at one of these therapeutic communities last summer. As part of my senior thesis research on substance abuse recovery in Taiwan, I sought out Operation Dawn and they sent me to one of their therapeutic communities for two weeks out in the countryside of this little town called Hukou. Of course I was pretty freaked out at the prospect of having to live with drug addicts, but at the same time I was excited to have this unique opportunity. Needless to say there I gathered some very inspiring and touching narratives. But another thing happened as well. I too was transformed. As my Harvard academic adviser told me before I left for Taiwan that summer, “anthropology research will not only shape you as an academic but it will also shape you as a human being.”
The therapeutic community in Hukou. I lived here for two weeks with around 20 other guys. Out of everyone, including the teachers and directors, I was the only one who had never used drugs before. Everyone there at one time or another was a drug addict.
We all slept together in the same room. My bed is on the bottom, the messier one. They offered me to sleep in another room by myself but I gently declined and opted to stay with them instead. This made for some very interesting late night conversations.
Every morning we wake up at 6:30am and do morning exercises out in the courtyard. The brothers live at the therapeutic communities for a year and a half. There is no TV, radio or newspaper and the schedule everyday is roughly the same. It definitely took some adapting for me.
Afterwards we took our showers here. It was funny because all the shower heads had "Eric" branded on them for some reason.
Breakfast. Before every meal we sang a little worship song and prayed. Everyone ate so fast and would be done in like 2 minutes. I was usually the last one eating because I ate slower and of course ate a lot as well.
Some of the brothers chilling under the tea shack. During our downtime in between classes or before and after meals we would relax here. This is where I heard a lot of their stories and jokes. Because I was an ignorant American they would teach me a lot of Chinese slang and even once tried to offer to sneak me out at night and take me to a strip club under the guise of "participant-observation research."
In addition to classes we did many service projects, including watering the garden and on occasion driving into Taipei to help people move furniture. I was somewhat surprised that they could leave the therapeutic community. In actuality if they wanted to they can leave whenever they wanted to because the doors are never locked and there are no security cameras...stark contrast to the prison I'm working at.
Every day for lunch we made our noodles. This is me making some noodles from scratch.
Hmm something isn't quite right.
There we go! The food there was surprisingly delicious. One of the brothers had worked in a restaurant in Hong Kong for 20 years so he did all of the cooking. On the last day he cooked up a feast with roast duck, fish, and tofu.
Pastors from outside volunteered their time and came to give sermons. One pastor decided to get creative and used movies, such as Wanted, to relate a gospel message. For Operation Dawn, it's not enough to just physically stop using drugs. People's hearts have to change as well. For them, they detox not only drugs but also sin.
Worship at night. As odd as this might sound, you were supposed to wear shoes and clothes in the classroom. I once got scolded for not wearing either (only had on boxers). Don't blame me! Most of the time we walk around in our boxers so I thought it was ok.
They had a little gym with some benches, weights, a treadmill, an ab-wheel and 2 ping pong tables. Just enough for a good workout. Once some of the brothers and I played rock paper sissors. The first loser did bench presses, the second did ab-wheels, and the third did push-ups. Yea, so manly.
On Sundays we all dressed up and went to church. If you knew who they were you would be surprised too. Each one has a unique story. All of them were addicts for years, some decades. Almost all of these brothers had been members of the underground society and had been to prison. Some of these brothers have had near-death experiences or attempted suicide. Some had relapsed many times. For some this is their first time in Operation Dawn, for some it's their third. But for all of them one thing is certain. They will always be in recovery for the rest of their lives.
At the 25th anniversary celebration on September 19, 2009. Here are the distinguished directors, teachers, and workers of Operation Dawn. Many of them were former drug addicts and they now have devoted their life to helping drug addicts struggle with their substance abuse, cravings, family problems, unemployment, and motivation to live. Essentially all of the addicts who come to Operation Dawn have hit the end of the road. They've already tried everything, including medicine, and been in prison for several years. They have nowhere else to turn and at Operation Dawn they have a chance to change their lives and live in a meaningful way.
The head of Operation Dawn, Reverend Simon Lau. He was also a former drug addict for 10 years before entering Operation Dawn in Hong Kong. There he was able to turn himself around and now he has devoted his life to helping hundreds of other drug addicts. Today there are numerous therapeutic communities around the world, and he has also set up halfway houses, vocational training centers, disciple training centers, and a specific center for addicts suffering from HIV. Reverend Lau is one of the most dynamic speakers I have ever seen because he speaks with such passion, experience, wisdom and love.
Living at the therapeutic community was powerful because it allowed me to witness and experience firsthand the transformation of these brothers. I have learned so much from these guys and I was glad to see some of them today at the gathering. This past weekend I was also an interpreter for this guy who came from India and only knew how to speak English. Adu turned out to be the director of Operation Dawn in Nagaland and even welcomed me to come live there.
Don't worry I didn't know where it was either.
Operation Dawn also has therapeutic communities in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, China, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States. Maybe I’ll get a chance to visit all of them!
It was awesome being a part of something special today and seeing how lives have been touched and transformed. Congrats to Operation Dawn!
-Eric
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