Yunnan banner
Monday, December 1, 2008
Farah's Post-Trip Reflections
10:47 PM


Hey All! I'm finally here for my reflections after spending the afternoon rolling around on my bed... I love reading all of your reflections and they do bring back sweet memories (: I hope everyone's feeling better already! As for me, I can't believe I've gotten so freaking dark and everyone around me can't stop saying how gross I look now ): I spent close to 40bucks on face whitening products can you believe it. This is what I call desperation. So anyways, here goes!

I first came for the trip with doubts and insecurities because honestly, I really didn't know what to expect. I was almost very homesick on the first day but I kept telling myself that things will get better and true enough, it did. Each day it got better, and with friends around me who are just so hyper and full of life, the effect did rub off on me too. And for that, I thank you, LEGO for being such awesome peeps with great positivity and personalities (:

Like everyone else, adaptibility was key for me. Personally, I've done things on the trip which I have never expected or imagined myself to do. Putting on five layers of clothes in Singapore would be nuts, in fact it's an understatement, but back there I found that five layers couldn't even keep me comfortably warm. I guess it's due to my low threshold for cold but gradually I began to get used to the weather and managed to cope better. Not bathing for five straight days nearly took my sanity away because I started developing rashes and feeling uncomfortable but come to think of it, it wasn't as horrible as I had imagined. The weather was cold and not humid for one, so not bathing there was more bearable to a certain extent. Having survived the toilets there is one of my biggest achievements too. I am quite a hygiene and cleanliness freak so the toilets were pretty much a big deal to me. I'm very glad and proud of myself that I didn't complain much and accepted the conditions as they were because in a way, it made me happier and helped me cope better. And I also remember telling some friends back there "Wow now when I go to the toilet see shit also no kick already!" This is the part where making do with whatever we have, with positivity no less, really comes to play.

I am quite moved by the home visits and they made me reflect about what I have here in Singapore. During our walk to the homes, it struck me how much the children there value education that they really didn't mind braving the weather, the rocky terrain and the long journey just to get to school. It somehow puts me to shame because my school is very accessible to me including an efficient public transportation system in the country yet I whine about school and find it a drag. I'm honestly hoping that this will change my attitude towards school and maybe motivate me to produce better (academic) results.

I am also really awed by how hospitable the villagers are towards us although they didn't have much to offer. It was definitely a very humbling experience because it showed me that one can still feel at home and comfortable, even without possession of luxury items. They really made us feel at home; personally, I don't think that I'll ever reach that stage of hospitality in handling guests and to me, their hospitable nature will always remain as beyond amazing in my memory.

One interesting thing that some of my group members and I observed is that the families there are very close to each other, despite parents spending long hours working at the fields and children spending majority of their time in school. This is the case for Singapore families too but I feel that it is rare that we find close-knitted families back home. This might sound like a sweeping statement, but this is just what I feel. Could this be due to the lack of effort in maintaining good family spirit or do we simply consider it less important a responsibility compared to say, completing our tasks at work/school?

Teaching the kids in Tu Qiao was a very sweet and enriching experience for me too but it was such a pity that communication was a problem for me. I admit that at times I do feel frustrated because I felt that there wasn't much I could do and my interaction with the kids was quite limited. I guess that was why I wasn't thaat emotional when we had to leave them for Xundian although I deep down I was sad and would definitely miss seeing their happy and innocent faces every afternoon. When we first started teaching, the kids seem to be very shy of us but as time passed, they became more outspoken, responsive and active. This put a smile on my face because it showed that they were enjoying our lessons and that we were somehow having an impact on them. I was exceptionally overwhelmed by their reactions during English lessons. Despite not having an English background, they were very eager to learn and from where I was standing, I could see how much their faces lit up and their concentration and enthusiasm in reciting the alphabets. It was also very heartwarming when the kids gathered around my hip in front of the blackboard to clarify their doubts. I felt immense joy and satisfaction in helping the out; the rush of emotions I experienced was just amazingly undescribable.

Lastly, throughout my 14 days in Yunnan, the one thing that I noticed in the people is that they're easily contented, not that it is a bad thing at all. It is the little things in life which makes them really happy - that is going to school for the kids and for the parents - just the fact that their children are receiving the education they deserve and also simply by being surrounded by their loved ones. Again, it made me think about my own life and how I am hardly satisfied with things. Somehow, there is always something for me to be unhappy about, be it bad grades or the most trivial of things. Through this trip, I am now open to the fact that when you really think about it, actually it indeed doesn't take much for you to be happy.

I know this has been very long and difficult to read but I really appreciate it that you all have spent the time reading a piece of me thoughts. It has a been one amazing journey with every single one of you... I have emerged from the trip a better and more mature person, and I'm very sure all of you have, too.

Very very lucky to have seen a shooting star,
FARAH!
wilkommen
ur daily OCIP updates..




Yunnan
Nov





The Links

Announcements
Reflections
Photos




The team (;

Ms Azyanti
Ms Liew
Ms Tan


Adeline
Bing Hao
Chaiyong
Chuwen
Danielle
Daphne
Farah
Glenn
Jasper
Jiayi
Jimmy
Jingjing
Joanne
Jun Han
Kah Hui
Kehui
Leonard
Marcia
Nimat
Samuel
Sauyee
Shihan
Taufiq
Vanessa
Yunru
Yvonne