Recollecting Recollections ll

9th April 2007.

Unpacking my luggage and sorting out my shopping buys, I looked out of my open window and saw...
Happy families passing by. Smiling faces of friends. Joyful visage of children running toward that nearby shopping mall.

And there I was, enclosed within the four walls of my room. For once, the Silence irks. Unpacking my experiences, I tried to adjust to the new environment…or so it seems; “new”. I couldn't digest the fact yet that this was the place of my originality. It was just so hard to believe what I have gone through. 2 days since I arrived in Singapore and 14 days of experience was still fresh in my mind.

Fresher than that vegetable my Mom just bought yesterday, I tell you.


The ambivalent feeling of sudden isolation and the past happiness that still zips across me makes me feel like exploding these four walls and pour all emotions unto those passer-bys and even unto the whole world.
I just want to tell them what they don't realise. I just wan to tell them everything, what is truly happening out there…from the beauty of Suzhou to the pungency of the public toilets.

But I guess we know that no matter how hard we try to say and explain it, only we know how it truly feels. I can’t even put it to words, what everything felt like when I was there. Talk about “first hand” experiences, I guess this is what it truly meant.

For a start, after traveling for 5 hours in an 800km/h flying airplane over the distance of 3800km, I was greeted by children, no older than the age 10 that rolled their way…all the way from wherever they are to merely welcome us to BoAi School. All I could honestly do was to stare at them who were beside the soles of my shoe. Out of curiosity, I kneeled down and gently touched them on the head. Yes, they were real…

As days passed, with waking up in early mornings and walking on foot to the nearest neighbourhood centre for breakfast, braving through the morning cold, we got closer to the kids, and soon enough, we found them special.

Very special indeed.

There and then, I thought about my past. What have I been doing all these while? How come no one ever mentioned to me about BoAi? How come, this place which is a mere small dot on the country’s map, in a corner of an ordinary busy street, but yet bustling with so much love and care wasn’t known to me? How come…


If only money is unlimited.

If only money is unlimited, I would want to open up and show the whole world, what BoAi School truly is.
If only money is unlimited, I would pay for the children and their families to come along with us on our trip back to Singapore.
If only money is unlimited, I would cut that Meeting Room where we all shared our feelings and emotions and paste in somewhere near all of us in Singapore.
If only money is unlimited, I would buy a time machine where all of us could reverse time back to 19th March 2007.
If only money is unlimited, I would drag along the whole BoAi School back to Singapore.
If only money is unlimited, I would actually pull China to the empty southern part of Singapore.
If only money is unlimited...I would just want to experience again what I went through. I'm really sure all of us want to.

But maybe there's a reason why money is limited.
I realise, if I were to only experience everything again, the Appreciation, the Miss, the Care and the Love I have for the whole trip would be lesser, more subtle until it no longer means much to me.

Maybe that is why opportunity only comes once.
And Experiences are best felt once.
It's that Once that makes everything.
Because it is Once, let us all share as much as we can.
Because it is Once, let us all cherish as much as we can.

StLukes.BondingCamp.Departure.BusRide.VanguardShop.BoAi.TheChildren.TheTheraphy.TheBreakfasts.TheLunch.TheDinner.TheReflections.TheBunks.TheConflicts.TheResolve.TheMeetings.TheFines.ThePark.TheNightWalk.TheCountrySide.TheCountryClub.TheEmbroidery.TheSilkIndustry.TheUniversity.TheCulturalImmersion.TheLibrary.TheGym.TheShoppings.TheOrphanage.TheDance.TheSongs.TheWayangKulit.TheCheers.TheSmiles.TheLaughters.TheTears.DepartureFromBoAi.TheHotel.TheOldFolks.TheMoreShoppings.TheTrainRides.TheMaglevRide.TheMissingMrLim.TheBusJourneys.TheSongOnThePlane.TheArrival.

Maybe that’s why I feel so blessed getting chosen to go and have completed this whole trip.

I got to see sadness that I never knew existed.
I got to see happiness that I never knew could have existed.
I got to see the unwavering smile of a handicapped child.
I got to see tears that could have filled up River Nile.
I got to see students living with students and only students.
I got to see a blossoming tree that I learnt it couldn’t.
I got to see the wrinkles of a 75 year old youthful man.
I got to see skyscrapers inspired by a metal can.
I got to see what I never thought I would see.
I want to see it again, maybe when I’m 30.

May our memories be etched into our hearts and only dissipate when the art pieces turn into dusts.

Thank you, Everyone.

Ai love you guys. And girls.

Truly.