From total strangers to close friends within 14 days. This is what 21 of us have managed to do. This serve trip has given me the opportunity to work with 20 exraordinary youths each unique in their own special way. I'm honoured and delighted to be part of Serve China 2007. The many activities that we had together will leave a lasting imprint for the rest of my life. The fun that we had and the joy that we experienced from our interaction with the kids at Bo Ai School in Suzhou together with the sense of achievement that we had after we construct a garden at Hua Mu Home in Shanghai are things that I will always remember. In addition, I've had a deeper insight into kids with cerebal palsy. They are just like any other kids and they have the perserverence needed in order to overcome the many obstacles placed upon them in life.
Both our teacher-in-charge Mrs Koh and Mr Lim have put in great efforts in making this serve trip possible. At first, I thought they were strict and unapproachable after my initial contact with them at the selection interview session. However, during the trip all this misconceptions had been corrected. They are fun and friendly. Plus they really took great care of us just like their own kids making sure everyone was safe and healthy. Unfortunately for many of us who fell sick, the experience of falling sick in foreign soil was indeed something not very nice but it was somehow lessen by the concern from our tutors. In addition, at one of our post-trip gathering at Fish & Co, Mr Lim was so generous that he paid the tab for all of us. We were really greatful for that although we were the one "instigating" him to foot the bill albeit in a jokingly manner at first and we really felt bad as the bill was not cheap.
In conclusion, this serve trip has broadened my horizon on the Chinese culture and the joy simplicity brings to people. From the small acts that we had done for the kids at Bo Ai and how they had enjoyed themselves in our company is an unforgettable experience. Chinese people treat their guests with respect and they were friendly and sincere. In fact, I wouldn't mind accepting a posting to China later on in my career if I were to be given the chance.
To all my Serve China 2007 friends, I wish you all:
All the Best!
Take care,
TH
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Recurring thoughts.....
As we spent our time interacting with the kids, what we see is the smiles that come from their hearts and what we hear is the laughter that comes straight from their hearts too. They do cry too, especially during physiotherapy sessions. It is indeed saddening that these kids have to rely on physiotherapy at such a tender age and for how long must they do so, we do not know so.
I am sure many of us agree that Bo Ai plays a very crucial role in these kids’ lives; without Prof. Liang and the team of dedicated teachers, the kids will not be where they are today. However, I feel that parents of these kids are still the most important, not Bo Ai school.
Though we have fun playing with the kids, but one strongest feeling that keeps surfacing to me is still the sense of helplessness. The kids are after all, still young and naive. They do not know what life has in store for them in the future. As kids, it is reasonable that they do not understand the process of growing up. However, everyone will grow up one day. I realize that Bo Ai cannot take care of them for life, and eventually, the responsibility of taking care of them will fall back to the hands of their parents. If they are able to recover during their stay in Bo Ai, it will be really great……but how many of them can fully recover? For those who cannot, how are they going to survive in the land of China? Bo Ai is not able to look after them indefinitely; as new young cerebral palsy kids are continuously coming in and Bo Ai has limited funds and resources.
During our stay in Bo Ai, I noticed that we tend to pay a lot more attention to the younger kids between 4 to 10 years old and by so, we neglected those bigger kids above 15 years old. In such a small community, this natural but cruel trait is already exemplified by us. That is why I am concerned of how the kids are going to fend for themselves in the society in 20 years down the road. There is no need to rely on the government to take care of their welfare as China population is simply too, too overwhelming. The government does not have the time and effort to look after the welfare of these disabled kids. Therefore, parents must be socially responsible by looking after their kids for now and MORE essentially, in the future.
From what I understood, some of the kids have not seen their parents for ages to the extent that they may not even recognize them anymore! For these parents, they have failed themselves in life. I understand that these parents may face some difficulties, such as hometown location, financial problems and emotional barriers of facing their disabled kids.
Yes, it can be hard to overcome these difficulties. But with souls like Prof. Liang around, problems can be resolved step by step. Parents should understand that Prof. Liang is there to assist and provide support for them in bringing their kids up as normal person, and not take over their roles as parents to love the kids for life. This life-long responsibility of the kid should still lie in the hands of parents, not Bo Ai School.
On the whole, I feel that what touches me the most is the accompaniment of the kids. Though we had planned some programs like colouring and fruit-printing for them, I still prefer the simple interaction with the kids because it brings us closer to them. Instead of completing a task, it feels like fulfilling my heart more. We may not be as good as the previous serve team in the eyes of some, but does it matter? As long as we are able to convince ourselves that we brought some laughter into the lives of the kids, it is mission accomplished……
I am sure many of us agree that Bo Ai plays a very crucial role in these kids’ lives; without Prof. Liang and the team of dedicated teachers, the kids will not be where they are today. However, I feel that parents of these kids are still the most important, not Bo Ai school.
Though we have fun playing with the kids, but one strongest feeling that keeps surfacing to me is still the sense of helplessness. The kids are after all, still young and naive. They do not know what life has in store for them in the future. As kids, it is reasonable that they do not understand the process of growing up. However, everyone will grow up one day. I realize that Bo Ai cannot take care of them for life, and eventually, the responsibility of taking care of them will fall back to the hands of their parents. If they are able to recover during their stay in Bo Ai, it will be really great……but how many of them can fully recover? For those who cannot, how are they going to survive in the land of China? Bo Ai is not able to look after them indefinitely; as new young cerebral palsy kids are continuously coming in and Bo Ai has limited funds and resources.
During our stay in Bo Ai, I noticed that we tend to pay a lot more attention to the younger kids between 4 to 10 years old and by so, we neglected those bigger kids above 15 years old. In such a small community, this natural but cruel trait is already exemplified by us. That is why I am concerned of how the kids are going to fend for themselves in the society in 20 years down the road. There is no need to rely on the government to take care of their welfare as China population is simply too, too overwhelming. The government does not have the time and effort to look after the welfare of these disabled kids. Therefore, parents must be socially responsible by looking after their kids for now and MORE essentially, in the future.
From what I understood, some of the kids have not seen their parents for ages to the extent that they may not even recognize them anymore! For these parents, they have failed themselves in life. I understand that these parents may face some difficulties, such as hometown location, financial problems and emotional barriers of facing their disabled kids.
Yes, it can be hard to overcome these difficulties. But with souls like Prof. Liang around, problems can be resolved step by step. Parents should understand that Prof. Liang is there to assist and provide support for them in bringing their kids up as normal person, and not take over their roles as parents to love the kids for life. This life-long responsibility of the kid should still lie in the hands of parents, not Bo Ai School.
On the whole, I feel that what touches me the most is the accompaniment of the kids. Though we had planned some programs like colouring and fruit-printing for them, I still prefer the simple interaction with the kids because it brings us closer to them. Instead of completing a task, it feels like fulfilling my heart more. We may not be as good as the previous serve team in the eyes of some, but does it matter? As long as we are able to convince ourselves that we brought some laughter into the lives of the kids, it is mission accomplished……
Yet another long story...
It's been three weeks since I've returned from Suzhou/Shanghai and the memories are still fresh in mind and everything seems to have taken place only yesterday. I'm glad that I've embarked on this fun-filling and meaningful journey.
Initially, when we started to get to know the children in BOAI, there were fears within me, fear of how I am going to help the children and whether I am to help them or not. There were many of them, most of them with cerebral palsy. Some others are suffering from autism and behavioral problems. They looked so normal and so adorable, but yet, heaven is cruel to them, to play such a joke on them. I remembered the first two days, where I felt quite lost, wondering where to start with. Should I just observe the kids and do nothing, or should I get myself involved with their physiotherapy? But I didn’t know anything and I was afraid I would be disrupting their progress, so I looked on quietly. Frankly speaking, the first two days were quite an ordeal to me because I felt very bored, just staring at them. But fortunately, I started chatting with the kids and making them comfortable with my presence.
By the third day, I was actually quite used to their slow movements. I seemed to somehow have treated them normally, just like us. Day passed on very quickly and I didn’t realize we are coming to an end of our 11th day stay at BOAI. I was so reluctant to leave because I’ve grown so attached to the kids and the place. But we cannot be there forever; we have our own lives too. Compared to the kids, yes, I am more fortunate because I can lead a normal life, but what I don’t have is their determination, patience and independence. They are so young, yet they are very strong-willed. They did not cry no matter how painful their physiotherapies are. I felt so ashamed, when I complained about the little pain I suffered. How can I compare my pains to theirs?
The visit to the orphanage in Suzhou was short but memorable. The children age ranges from 1-15 or so. Some of them are perfectly normal, some suffered from muscle problems (cerebral palsy) and some are with Down syndrome. I was with this very quiet and cute boy, who apparently can’t stand or walk. He sits there all the time, silent all the while. We spent only about one hour there, because the kids got to leave and have their dinner. From what I’ve heard, the orphanage is actually not opened to public visits unless they are there for adoption. Thanks to Principal Liang, we managed to visit the place.
In Shanghai, we went to the Hua Mu old folks home to do some gardening. We were to help plant some flowers and tidy up their garden. Before that we had some sing-a-long sessions and pass the ball game with the old folks. Immediately after lunch we went straight to gardening! Everyone had their job. Some were planting and some were painting the benches. I was painting the benches and I realized it’s not very difficult.
The next two days was a day where we really immerse into the culture of Shanghai. We went to the wholesale centres at Qi Pu Lu to shop around for clothes, shoes and bags. There are too many things to see and it’s very tiring. After shopping for a while, you’ll feel like going back.
The last day we went to this Sun Yat Sen museum. It was interesting because I’ve heard of his great name but never truly understand the story behind him. I feel so ignorant about China’s history. Mrs Koh’s words always reflect in my mind, China is a country with thousand over years of history and we, Singapore has only about 42 years of history, how can we compare to them? True enough. We should really read up more on China’s history.
All in all, I’ve really learnt a lot from this serve trip. Everyday is spent wisely, unlike in Singapore, where my days are sometimes gone without doing anything. I’ve become more conscious of the people around me, my family and friends, learning to appreciate them and love them. There are too many lessons learnt from this trip and they are forever etched in my heart. If I was given a chance to go for another serve trip or to visit Suzhou again, I’ll definitely go for it.
Initially, when we started to get to know the children in BOAI, there were fears within me, fear of how I am going to help the children and whether I am to help them or not. There were many of them, most of them with cerebral palsy. Some others are suffering from autism and behavioral problems. They looked so normal and so adorable, but yet, heaven is cruel to them, to play such a joke on them. I remembered the first two days, where I felt quite lost, wondering where to start with. Should I just observe the kids and do nothing, or should I get myself involved with their physiotherapy? But I didn’t know anything and I was afraid I would be disrupting their progress, so I looked on quietly. Frankly speaking, the first two days were quite an ordeal to me because I felt very bored, just staring at them. But fortunately, I started chatting with the kids and making them comfortable with my presence.
By the third day, I was actually quite used to their slow movements. I seemed to somehow have treated them normally, just like us. Day passed on very quickly and I didn’t realize we are coming to an end of our 11th day stay at BOAI. I was so reluctant to leave because I’ve grown so attached to the kids and the place. But we cannot be there forever; we have our own lives too. Compared to the kids, yes, I am more fortunate because I can lead a normal life, but what I don’t have is their determination, patience and independence. They are so young, yet they are very strong-willed. They did not cry no matter how painful their physiotherapies are. I felt so ashamed, when I complained about the little pain I suffered. How can I compare my pains to theirs?
The visit to the orphanage in Suzhou was short but memorable. The children age ranges from 1-15 or so. Some of them are perfectly normal, some suffered from muscle problems (cerebral palsy) and some are with Down syndrome. I was with this very quiet and cute boy, who apparently can’t stand or walk. He sits there all the time, silent all the while. We spent only about one hour there, because the kids got to leave and have their dinner. From what I’ve heard, the orphanage is actually not opened to public visits unless they are there for adoption. Thanks to Principal Liang, we managed to visit the place.
In Shanghai, we went to the Hua Mu old folks home to do some gardening. We were to help plant some flowers and tidy up their garden. Before that we had some sing-a-long sessions and pass the ball game with the old folks. Immediately after lunch we went straight to gardening! Everyone had their job. Some were planting and some were painting the benches. I was painting the benches and I realized it’s not very difficult.
The next two days was a day where we really immerse into the culture of Shanghai. We went to the wholesale centres at Qi Pu Lu to shop around for clothes, shoes and bags. There are too many things to see and it’s very tiring. After shopping for a while, you’ll feel like going back.
The last day we went to this Sun Yat Sen museum. It was interesting because I’ve heard of his great name but never truly understand the story behind him. I feel so ignorant about China’s history. Mrs Koh’s words always reflect in my mind, China is a country with thousand over years of history and we, Singapore has only about 42 years of history, how can we compare to them? True enough. We should really read up more on China’s history.
All in all, I’ve really learnt a lot from this serve trip. Everyday is spent wisely, unlike in Singapore, where my days are sometimes gone without doing anything. I’ve become more conscious of the people around me, my family and friends, learning to appreciate them and love them. There are too many lessons learnt from this trip and they are forever etched in my heart. If I was given a chance to go for another serve trip or to visit Suzhou again, I’ll definitely go for it.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
China Bits
I met someone special.
I admit i wasn't very nice to her ALL the time.. because i'm v impatient and i hate kids who don't listen to me or when they become too rowdy.. She's no less different from other kids though.. but she stuck with me even when i was angry and frowning at her. I don't really know why she stuck with me. Whenever i 'JIAJIA!' she'll automatically come to me... i miss her. She was special in a her little ways i don't know how to mention.
I admit i wasn't very nice to her ALL the time.. because i'm v impatient and i hate kids who don't listen to me or when they become too rowdy.. She's no less different from other kids though.. but she stuck with me even when i was angry and frowning at her. I don't really know why she stuck with me. Whenever i 'JIAJIA!' she'll automatically come to me... i miss her. She was special in a her little ways i don't know how to mention. ok.. she bites when she's angry.. but i think i did that when i was a kid too.
She's autistic... i bet nobody believes it. Cos she's too damn noisy larrr... i hope she recovers soon and .... stop biting..She's a super control freak... she likes everything to be in order.. and make all the kids queue! By grabbing their hands and screaming! Sometimes, she gets a bit stressed up over these kind of things... i hope she... chills.
She's damn cute right...
Being in China was definitely a great exposure for me due to me being really underpriviledged and not been out of Singapore for 18 years of my life..... Interacting with the children there and deriving many many points of motivation from them really spurred me on in life..... Such strong willpower and such determination from kids of that age can be rarely found in Singaporeans of the same age. Kids of the same age would most probably be throwing tantrums for not getting the toy they desire..... Most probably I was that too but I cant remember .. :)
These has broadened my scope and has allowed me to carry on in life with new meaning, new endeavours... The serve china team is a great one and really became an integral part of me although I was constantly being laughed at.... lol....
-Jieming
These has broadened my scope and has allowed me to carry on in life with new meaning, new endeavours... The serve china team is a great one and really became an integral part of me although I was constantly being laughed at.... lol....
-Jieming
Monday, April 23, 2007
Reflections.. china experience
Life in china was really an awesome experience for me. It was really an eye opener for me cos i've never seen so many disabled kids before. Throughout these 10 days of interaction with the kids, i've grown to like and admire them because they perserve with this disability of theirs and have the "never say die" attitude. Looking at their strong determination and their will power to carry on living despite of the many obstacles that come their way, i am simply blown away and i really take my hat off to them. If you read the papers in Singapore over the past few years, people are commiting suicide and taking their lives easily over little matters.. Relationship problems, exam results etc. I feel that they've got lots to learn from these kids in Bo ai.
Throughout this period of 14 days in china. The bond i have with my serve china peeps have indeed grown stronger. They were like family to me. I believe you would feel the same way too. Everyone was caring and looking out for each other when they were sick and even crossing the road. I would like to express my gratitute to everyone who has showered their concern over me when i was sick during the first few days of serve china trip. Thanks guys, love you lots.. =)
As for the accounts thing.. Tianhao, i know how you feel and i cant help but agonize with you cos i was with you. I too was feeling frustrated everytime we couldnt balance. And that feeling sucks a lot esp if you have 3 years of accounting background and that you have managed to balance ur balance sheet during accounts exam. haha. But, anw, i'm glad we managed to solve the accounts eventually without resorting to creative accounting. haha.
P.S. Ai, i'm still wearing those pink socks. heh. ;)
Alright. Take care all you lovely people. God bless =)
Aloysius
Throughout this period of 14 days in china. The bond i have with my serve china peeps have indeed grown stronger. They were like family to me. I believe you would feel the same way too. Everyone was caring and looking out for each other when they were sick and even crossing the road. I would like to express my gratitute to everyone who has showered their concern over me when i was sick during the first few days of serve china trip. Thanks guys, love you lots.. =)
As for the accounts thing.. Tianhao, i know how you feel and i cant help but agonize with you cos i was with you. I too was feeling frustrated everytime we couldnt balance. And that feeling sucks a lot esp if you have 3 years of accounting background and that you have managed to balance ur balance sheet during accounts exam. haha. But, anw, i'm glad we managed to solve the accounts eventually without resorting to creative accounting. haha.
P.S. Ai, i'm still wearing those pink socks. heh. ;)
Alright. Take care all you lovely people. God bless =)
Aloysius
Reflecting...
It was a fun trip.
My 14 days in China made me reflect on certain issues such as the need to care for those around you and to cherish them.
I was telling some of my friends that I lose sight of why I wanted to be part of this Serve Trip in the midst of our preparation.
We interacted with the children at BoAi on the 2nd day of our trip. I was hesitant and I didn't want to interact with the kids because I did not expect them to be in the condition that they are in, and somehow, I just can't bridge the "imaginary barrier" that I have with them.It took me quite a while to warm up to the kids as compared to the rest in this trip. Everyone began to talk about the kids at BoAi, and I realised that "hey, why am I not as excited as the rest" or "why is it that they are able to interact with the kids so quickly?"
The break came on the 3rd and 4th day. I met this group of kids who went for their morning walk with the teachers in BoAi. I began to think about the training that they went through, began to think about their perseverance and the love that these teachers have for them. I took the first step by approaching one of the kids who, well, can't talk due to his medical condition.Slowly, I began to interact with other kids and enjoyed their company. It can be really tiring at times.And finally, we had to say goodbye...I was thinking about what was done, i.e. dance, wayang etc.
My personal thought is this. We have done our best, I do not know if they understand us, I am not sure if the teachers at BoAi felt that we have helped them in anyway, but I'm very sure that we have brought laughter and joy to the children over there, which I feel, is the best present that we could ever give.
Alvin
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