Since the beginning of march, when I signed myself up for the trip, so much has happened – different experiences, different emotions, and of course different people. Somewhat and somehow, the whole journey has come to an end and to think that I find everything slow moving in the beginning. I still remember sitting in a classroom with a sea of unfamiliar faces one evening in April not knowing what to expect from this trip. Despite the uncertainty surrounding it, I took the risk, completed the trip and perhaps have gotten the most I could out of it.
Pre-trip
Though the trip was only 2 weeks but it took a whole 8 months to plan. I must admit that in the beginning I was shocked that the teachers want all of us to be involved in the planning. It was truly something that I didn’t expect. I thought that I am simply just going there to give my all and help the people there (that’s why I was at the big S, small L). Nevertheless through the numerous activities and meetings the teachers painstakingly planned, my perceptions on the trip changed. This trip is not only about the people the people in Yunnan but about me learning too. I still remember being in the fund raising team and those activities we organized – selling drinks, movie marathon, book sales, jigsaw sales. Though these events has been reduced to a few words but the memories of them is still within my mind. To think about it, we have spent so many activities and meetings together even before the trip began.
The Beginning - the HARD time
This 14 or 15 days is an out of the world experience for me as it was my first time visiting China. I still remember the day of the flight, a few friends and I were at the airport and they were teasing about how harsh the conditions in China were. At that time, I was really worried and lots of things were going through my mind and for once I felt a tinge of homesickness though theoretically I was still in Singapore. I boarded the plane, hoping to get it done and over with.
My first impression of China came across as “like any other developing country I been to”. After all, driving on the roads to the village, I was bombarded by the sights of tall buildings, wooden houses, shophouses, roadside stalls, huge trucks and 3-wheeled vehicles that seem familiar to those I had seen in Thailand.
Naturally, that was in the city and town and the big shock came when I stepped foot upon the first village. Firstly the scenery was breath-taking, rows after rows of fields, tall green mountains, sandy roads and mud-brick houses. It was like those documentaries and drama serials I had seen on China but without the stench from the toilet, the bumpiness of the roads, the hidden bugs and the grains of sand constantly whiffing about in the wind.
When we were preparing the rooms, I was shocked to see it infested with ladybugs and flies fluttering around plus crawling about the straw mats. However, nothing can be compared to the shock I gotten from the village toilet. The smell and the flies struck me so badly that I did not even dare to step into it, plus it doesn’t help that there were rumors of maggots sightings by the guys. When I returned to the girl’s room, I finally cried. For the first time, I asked myself “Why am I here?”, “How stupid was I to come here instead of remaining in Singapore?”,etc. For a moment, all my reasons for coming to Yunnan was reduced to nothing, I felt really helpless as I still have 13 more days to go. Thankfully, I remembered that God is with me all the time, whether I am in Singapore or Yunnan and he will be constantly looking out and protecting for me. It was this thought that I managed to settle down and kept me through the whole trip. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it!
The children
We went to 4 different primary schools throughout the trip and we taught in each one of them. Though in the beginning I was apprehensive to approach and interact with the children but I soon realize that they are just like any primary school kid in Singapore. Teaching the children really makes me feel that the whole trip is worthwhile, though maybe naughty and disrespectful at times but the smiles on their faces radiates the purest form of happiness that is absent from the cold world of adults.
Of all the schools we have been, I thought that the experience at Lu Chong Xiao Xue was the most enriching for me. Though the students there are the most mischievous but I can see the change in their attitudes towards us as we came back and taught them the second time. They were more friendly and enthusiastic to us not. It is not that the children and the other schools weren’t but to see such change really showed that we have managed to impact them in some way or another. I felt glad that the team had given the children there an insight of foreign volunteers.
I shall not talk about the wood-cutting trip but it has shown me how to appreciate life more.
The villagers
They are really very nice. Even though they may not be rich but they are certainly friendly. We had received numerous invitations to come to their house for a meal though we do not know each other in a single walk alone. Through the home visit and the 2 dinners we had at the villagers’ house, it showed me their generosity and how big hearted they could be, giving us the best treatment they can. Somehow after the 2 dinners I could not help but feel guilty, wondering how much have these kind villagers spent on preparing such a grand dinner for the 28 of us. I was also envious of their closely knitted community.
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Gosh, I dislike writing about such trips. There are so many things, so many feelings deep down and incidents to keep a record of. There are so many scenes flashing through my mind and it is impossible to put all of them down in words.
I shall just conclude now. This trip may not be a smooth sailing one but it has impacted me. It opened my eyes to the world around me and taught me so many things. How a group of us, in a short period of 10 days would leave an everlasting impact on the people there. Also Yunnan has made me appreciate my family and life in Singapore much more. Most importantly, it has shown me how much I have grown and more about myself. This trip has given me the an enormous sense of accomplishment that I could never get out of my academic results.
Thank you Ms Koh, Ms Fong, Mr Cheng and the YELL team for making this trip an unforgettable one for me (:
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