Temasek Overseas Outreach Programme 2009

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Yangyang's reflection

The one day trip to Balai finally signals the ending of our one-year long TOOP journey. Though it is a pity that we could not be able to make it to Yunnan last year, the experience in Balai is still enriching and unforgettable.

We set off from Singapore at 7 in the morning, after two hour’s journey on the ship, we finally reached Tanjung Balai. The first impression of Balai reminds me of the experience of Outward Bound Malaysia last year. I found that there were many similarities between Indonesia and Malaysia, the streets, the housing for example.

There was another hour’s bus ride before we reached the small fishing village. As soon as I got out of the bus, I saw the land under my feet was sand but not soil, I suspected that there was no agriculture here and this was proved later during our visit in the village. Another thing that was piercing to my eyes was the scattered trash in the sand. As I walked into the village with the unforgiving sun burning the ground, I found out that the sanitation here was very poor. The houses were built upon many poles, which elevated the house 1 meter above the ground. Rubbish was directly spilled on the sand below the houses. The school was actually a huge shelter, with no windows and no doors. The desks were kept in a small room and were only moved out when there was a lesson since the shelter is a multi-purpose hall to the villagers.

After lunch, our team took a walk around the village and I had a deeper understanding of the villagers’ lives here. This is the period when I learnt most.

We had a home visit of a household first. We went into her house as she was cleaning the floor. The house was really simple and shabby. It was totally constructed by primary material like wood and stones. There was a thin plastic covering the wooden floor but it is still bumpy. The conversation with the lady was quite awkward for me as I cannot understand Bahasa Malayu at all. Izza was our translator and besides waiting for her translation, the only thing we could do was to observe the house. I am not sure whether our presence was polite to the lady, as she appeared very timid and careful. I learnt that she was only 23 years old and she had 4 children already. Hence, she might have her first child at the age of 16? It was quite surprising as she appeared to be more sophisticated than her age. I still find that the conversation very ineffective. We couldn’t have a real talk and for me, I could not obtain information from her words and hence develop the conversation and ask more substantial questions.

Leaving the house, we walked in the village. It kind of reminded me of the rural area in China, all the disorganized houses, strolling animals and the less developed infrastructure. The only difference was the tropical weather and coconut trees. I often saw people’s happy faces; their expressions conveyed the enjoyment of their lives to us, the kind of life which seems peaceful, simple and harmonious, at least from an outsider’s eyes.

However, after the whole visit, I had several concerns. I did worry about how the village would develop: the scattered rubbish, the less educated people and the rampant industry of prostitution in this area that I heard about. All these suddenly give the peaceful village a dark and negative impression. I left the village with many questions bearing in mind. Was our service indeed helpful? Should we teach the kids and the villagers more knowledge on protection of environment or the importance of education? How could this village finally come out from the vicious cycle of property? I think the answer may ultimately lie in the hands of local people themselves.


The Creator TEACHER ADVISORS: Ms Ang Ms Azyanti Mrs Goh TEAM LEADER: Edwin ASSISTANT TEAM LEADER: Sau Yee TREASURER: Jia Ming FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE: Grace Jin Yi Li Meng Magdalene Zhi Lin Zi Yong PUBLICITY COMMITTEE: Aonan Chin Hwee Iyn Yi Yangyang Yiguan PROGRAMMES COMMITTEE: Ashlene Charmaine Edwin Fiona Han Le Jing Lin Wen Qing Sau Yee LOGISTICS COMMITTEE: Fang Ying Izzah Jia Ming Roy Selvie Shirlin Si Hui ARCHIVES MINUTES Minutes 01 Minutes 02 Minutes 03 Minutes 04 Minutes 05 Minutes 06 Minutes 07 Minutes 08 Minutes 09 Minutes 10 Minutes 11 Minutes 12 Minutes 13 Minutes 14 LET'S TALK PHOTOGALLERY Gallery Thank you Layout & css by:kynz gerl IMAGES:images Blog contents copyright © 2009-2009	Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Yangyang's reflection The one day trip to Balai finally signals the ending of our one-year long TOOP journey. Though it is a pity that we could not be able to make it to Yunnan last year, the experience in Balai is still enriching and unforgettable. We set off from Singapore at 7 in the morning, after two hour’s journey on the ship, we finally reached Tanjung Balai. The first impression of Balai reminds me of the experience of Outward Bound Malaysia last year. I found that there were many similarities between Indonesia and Malaysia, the streets, the housing for example. There was another hour’s bus ride before we reached the small fishing village. As soon as I got out of the bus, I saw the land under my feet was sand but not soil, I suspected that there was no agriculture here and this was proved later during our visit in the village. Another thing that was piercing to my eyes was the scattered trash in the sand. As I walked into the village with the unforgiving sun burning the ground, I found out that the sanitation here was very poor. The houses were built upon many poles, which elevated the house 1 meter above the ground. Rubbish was directly spilled on the sand below the houses. The school was actually a huge shelter, with no windows and no doors. The desks were kept in a small room and were only moved out when there was a lesson since the shelter is a multi-purpose hall to the villagers. After lunch, our team took a walk around the village and I had a deeper understanding of the villagers’ lives here. This is the period when I learnt most. We had a home visit of a household first. We went into her house as she was cleaning the floor. The house was really simple and shabby. It was totally constructed by primary material like wood and stones. There was a thin plastic covering the wooden floor but it is still bumpy. The conversation with the lady was quite awkward for me as I cannot understand Bahasa Malayu at all. Izza was our translator and besides waiting for her translation, the only thing we could do was to observe the house. I am not sure whether our presence was polite to the lady, as she appeared very timid and careful. I learnt that she was only 23 years old and she had 4 children already. Hence, she might have her first child at the age of 16? It was quite surprising as she appeared to be more sophisticated than her age. I still find that the conversation very ineffective. We couldn’t have a real talk and for me, I could not obtain information from her words and hence develop the conversation and ask more substantial questions. Leaving the house, we walked in the village. It kind of reminded me of the rural area in China, all the disorganized houses, strolling animals and the less developed infrastructure. The only difference was the tropical weather and coconut trees. I often saw people’s happy faces; their expressions conveyed the enjoyment of their lives to us, the kind of life which seems peaceful, simple and harmonious, at least from an outsider’s eyes. However, after the whole visit, I had several concerns. I did worry about how the village would develop: the scattered rubbish, the less educated people and the rampant industry of prostitution in this area that I heard about. All these suddenly give the peaceful village a dark and negative impression. I left the village with many questions bearing in mind. Was our service indeed helpful? Should we teach the kids and the villagers more knowledge on protection of environment or the importance of education? How could this village finally come out from the vicious cycle of property? I think the answer may ultimately lie in the hands of local people themselves.