nostalgia
It has never occured to me that i would ever spend 2 weeks in a place like sri lanka. Not even after i heard about the YEP trip. When the time came for the briefing, i went. Not because i changed my mind, but rather, i went because my friends wanted to. Seems rather childish and mindless, but nonetheless, it was really fortunate that i decided to follow them "just for fun".
I have learnt so much from the trip. It goes beyond the practical stuff like hammering, sawing, painting and moving planks. The locals showed us the utmost respect and hospitality, another side of the human race that we almost certainly would never see in singapore. They appreciated whatever we did for them. It wasnt much, but still, they were thankful. They would often wave to us as we walked along the roads, or stop by to say hi, or express their gratitude. Would you do the same to any of the foreign nationals who work here, especially those engaged in manual labour? Their toil makes our lives that much more comfortable. I know you wont. We are all so absorbed in the ceaseless pursuit of certificates and riches, that we often take all that we have for granted. Lets take a step back to appreciate what we have, and not complain so much.
The whole experience is not something that i can explain to everyone in a few paragraphs. Even if i could, it would only connect with those who were there. For 2 weeks, my "immediate family" included mr lim, miss tham, and my other 11 splendid friends. The back breaking work, those silly stuff we did, jokes, bridge, hearts and wonderwall at 3am... It was all great fun. Guess you have to be there to truely understand. If i could revisit some point in life, those 2 weeks would definately be one of them.
-kashing
I have learnt so much from the trip. It goes beyond the practical stuff like hammering, sawing, painting and moving planks. The locals showed us the utmost respect and hospitality, another side of the human race that we almost certainly would never see in singapore. They appreciated whatever we did for them. It wasnt much, but still, they were thankful. They would often wave to us as we walked along the roads, or stop by to say hi, or express their gratitude. Would you do the same to any of the foreign nationals who work here, especially those engaged in manual labour? Their toil makes our lives that much more comfortable. I know you wont. We are all so absorbed in the ceaseless pursuit of certificates and riches, that we often take all that we have for granted. Lets take a step back to appreciate what we have, and not complain so much.
The whole experience is not something that i can explain to everyone in a few paragraphs. Even if i could, it would only connect with those who were there. For 2 weeks, my "immediate family" included mr lim, miss tham, and my other 11 splendid friends. The back breaking work, those silly stuff we did, jokes, bridge, hearts and wonderwall at 3am... It was all great fun. Guess you have to be there to truely understand. If i could revisit some point in life, those 2 weeks would definately be one of them.
-kashing
posted by matarians at 6:23 AM
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