Fang Ying's Reflection

Finally we made it for the actual trip. Although it was a one day trip, it was really short as most of the time was spent travelling. Nonetheless, it was really a great experience to be away from modernization and be at Tanjung Balai where we can enjoy the peace and relax from the fast paced society for a moment. Also, we took the opportunity to interact with some of the villagers and it really amuses me to how free and easy their lives can be, and how simple their dreams may be. One of the villagers that we talked to actually has seasickness and hence, she cannot go out to fish like the others and she would sit by the door and look out at the sea daily. We asked her what her dream is and her dream was simply to visit the Palawan beach, a 1.5 hours journey away from her house. It is important for us to feel contented with what we have, especially when people there can feel contented with what they have. Also, I was impressed by the close relationship they hold between their neighbours. As we were talking to the lady, different people actually were walking into and out of her house and they were all chatting happily, this indeed is a rare sight in Singapore nowadays and we don’t really have real neighbours in the sense anymore and we are all busy living our own lives. Also, another villager that we talked to actually offered us coconuts. Even though they may not be well-to-do, they definitely are kind and generous. I think this is the kind of attitude that we Singaporeans should really learn from.

Interactions with the children were really a new experience. It was really not an easy task and it really takes effort and patience to settle them down. Due to communication barriers, it was quite difficult to explain the games to them. However, the children were still quite enthusiastic. It was a pity we couldn’t really talk to them and know more about them but it was really touching especially when we gave out the pencil box. The happiness shown from the face is unforgettable. And how they would shout “THANKYOU” together really touched me. They are so easily contented with what they have, something that we never seem to be able to achieve. On the bus journey back to the city, I was thinking about this entire journey that we had since we joined TOOP. It may not be the best nor smooth journey, but it definitely is a fulfilling one. No other groups would ever experience what we have went through and learn how to pick ourselves up through the many obstacles. Although I still hoped that we could have went to Yunnan for that 12 days, this trip was really refreshing and I’ve never regretted joining TOOP!