Time Flies...
(A tremendously looooong entry)
It's been 2 weeks and i'm back in SG... arrived 10 hours ago.
Really cleared most of the Phnom Penh area during the first 3 days. Perhaps the only problem was the heat and the immense amount of dust and exhaust everywhere on the roads. By the time the rest of the team met up formally to buy stuff and for recce, I was practically the tour-guide and the "Cambodian" in the group. I have to thank B for being there the first 3 days "tahan-ing" my nonsense, whims and fancies - shopping and eating habits.
I had great fun... My room-mate was totally wacky... and the fact that we were also on the same planning and executing committee for this trip made it all the more fun. Didn't really know her very much from the little meetings we had this time around so really got to know most of the lot during the trip per se. The 4 of us, me, my room-mate - S, J and L did a lot of things together. There was much to do and see.
A few days before the trip, I was informed of the change of plans... Really caught unawares... but well, since i was trusted enough to be made I/C i tried my best not to fuss too much... (No hard feelings, T) Anyway, I gained soooo much from that change. Originally, we were supposed to be a rather huge group of pple heading down to this place called "Little Sprouts" - fortunately, or unfortunately, T was informed by them tht they didn't want so many pple crowding in tht place, and also another place named "La Valla" sent in an invite for us to visit. And tht was basically how the 4 of us plus B and A get sent there for the 1st 2 days.
My take aways for La Valla. (La Valla is a school run by the Marist Brothers. Every pupil there has some form of physical disability - be it through birth defects, accidents or through diseases. Pupils there come from several kinds of background) I realised then that disabilities can come in many forms... Physical disabilities are the most obvious to the naked eye but the most dangerous of all is the mental state of a person. S and I are both teachers and we were so amazed by
1) their culture - how well they were able to carry themselves - Confidence is the key here.
2) how quickly they moved from one place to another - compared to our SG kids who dilly dally and walk as if they've no feet... (some of the La Valla pple literally do not have feet - yet move more briskly and with greater purpose than those who DO!)
3) their absolutely positive attitudes and their willingness to learn
4) their being able to care for one another in the school
It was really unfortunate that we could spend only 2 days there... but I really thank God for this opportunity - it was really better than nothing as I really saw that Heaven could really be a place on Earth. La Valla was proof!
The 2nd thing that us 4 girls did was to be put together with youths of the PP parishes for the youth seminar. K led while T joined us as participants too. Eye-opening session not only for the Cambodian youths but for me as well. I've definitely picked up some pointers during this Seminar which we were supposed to facilitate. This was when we really got to know the brothers of the seminary as well. Br Borei, Ros and Sok Na were all very very friendly and really made us feel at home. The youths who attended the seminar were really warm too. By the end of the seminar on the afternoon of the 2nd day, it felt like we had already known one another for ages. Sure, communication through language was still a problem but other than that it was really fulfilling. A smile, a bow, a hand-shake did it... I will definitely remember the very first mass we celebrated at the Seminary - The second the brothers started singing their entrance hymn, tears welled up in my eyes and suddenly everything was just so peaceful and I felt so very comforted by the voices and the singing - even though I couldn't understand a thing!
The rest were supposed to spend 4 days at this Vietnamese Village named Wat Champa... Me and S had to leave... this is day 3 at Wat Champa and I'm home becuz of mtg. I felt that this village is a really interesting place. Still running ideas through, still thinking how else and what other things could be done here. I know plenty could be done but priorities and our abilities to do so is a big question.
I really should be sleeping now, but I'm not tht tired... it's only 11 pm PP time and yesterday we were still writing stuff in journals at this time. I didn't even get to bed till 3 am SG time - not tht i slept much. I think too many thoughts were running through my head.
I was really worried about this particular person's emotional state and so decided to let T, our leader, in, on a bit of the issue. And well, what i thought was going to be a short talk ended up in talking about quite a lot of things that happened and how we both felt about the trip and the things that had happened. As promised it'll be kept within the 4 walls of 522, thus i will make no mention of any of those things here. The great part was that it was really a heart-to-heart talk and it seemed like it was something we both needed to do - perhaps. "perhaps" if we had done this earlier, some problems might not have appeared?(Maybe it wouldn't have made much of a difference) Anyways, i ended up only heading back to my room after midnight after a whole hour of talking - but not without stealing half a brownie and a cake from there... the talking really made me hungry! Just glad that we ironed out some issues before I left. Headed to J's room and continued talking till PPtime 1plus, close to 2 - tht's SG 3am!
I would like to head there again, soon. Hopefully some ideas would start coming to me. I don't think I would ever be able to run, plan and organise things the way T did so I definitely wouldn't be thinking of any leadership role. I just want to be there, to be able to help - our fellow SGreans through the trip and also of course the ONES we actually go all the way there to help!
(A tremendously looooong entry)
It's been 2 weeks and i'm back in SG... arrived 10 hours ago.
Really cleared most of the Phnom Penh area during the first 3 days. Perhaps the only problem was the heat and the immense amount of dust and exhaust everywhere on the roads. By the time the rest of the team met up formally to buy stuff and for recce, I was practically the tour-guide and the "Cambodian" in the group. I have to thank B for being there the first 3 days "tahan-ing" my nonsense, whims and fancies - shopping and eating habits.
I had great fun... My room-mate was totally wacky... and the fact that we were also on the same planning and executing committee for this trip made it all the more fun. Didn't really know her very much from the little meetings we had this time around so really got to know most of the lot during the trip per se. The 4 of us, me, my room-mate - S, J and L did a lot of things together. There was much to do and see.
A few days before the trip, I was informed of the change of plans... Really caught unawares... but well, since i was trusted enough to be made I/C i tried my best not to fuss too much... (No hard feelings, T) Anyway, I gained soooo much from that change. Originally, we were supposed to be a rather huge group of pple heading down to this place called "Little Sprouts" - fortunately, or unfortunately, T was informed by them tht they didn't want so many pple crowding in tht place, and also another place named "La Valla" sent in an invite for us to visit. And tht was basically how the 4 of us plus B and A get sent there for the 1st 2 days.
My take aways for La Valla. (La Valla is a school run by the Marist Brothers. Every pupil there has some form of physical disability - be it through birth defects, accidents or through diseases. Pupils there come from several kinds of background) I realised then that disabilities can come in many forms... Physical disabilities are the most obvious to the naked eye but the most dangerous of all is the mental state of a person. S and I are both teachers and we were so amazed by
1) their culture - how well they were able to carry themselves - Confidence is the key here.
2) how quickly they moved from one place to another - compared to our SG kids who dilly dally and walk as if they've no feet... (some of the La Valla pple literally do not have feet - yet move more briskly and with greater purpose than those who DO!)
3) their absolutely positive attitudes and their willingness to learn
4) their being able to care for one another in the school
It was really unfortunate that we could spend only 2 days there... but I really thank God for this opportunity - it was really better than nothing as I really saw that Heaven could really be a place on Earth. La Valla was proof!
The 2nd thing that us 4 girls did was to be put together with youths of the PP parishes for the youth seminar. K led while T joined us as participants too. Eye-opening session not only for the Cambodian youths but for me as well. I've definitely picked up some pointers during this Seminar which we were supposed to facilitate. This was when we really got to know the brothers of the seminary as well. Br Borei, Ros and Sok Na were all very very friendly and really made us feel at home. The youths who attended the seminar were really warm too. By the end of the seminar on the afternoon of the 2nd day, it felt like we had already known one another for ages. Sure, communication through language was still a problem but other than that it was really fulfilling. A smile, a bow, a hand-shake did it... I will definitely remember the very first mass we celebrated at the Seminary - The second the brothers started singing their entrance hymn, tears welled up in my eyes and suddenly everything was just so peaceful and I felt so very comforted by the voices and the singing - even though I couldn't understand a thing!
The rest were supposed to spend 4 days at this Vietnamese Village named Wat Champa... Me and S had to leave... this is day 3 at Wat Champa and I'm home becuz of mtg. I felt that this village is a really interesting place. Still running ideas through, still thinking how else and what other things could be done here. I know plenty could be done but priorities and our abilities to do so is a big question.
I really should be sleeping now, but I'm not tht tired... it's only 11 pm PP time and yesterday we were still writing stuff in journals at this time. I didn't even get to bed till 3 am SG time - not tht i slept much. I think too many thoughts were running through my head.
I was really worried about this particular person's emotional state and so decided to let T, our leader, in, on a bit of the issue. And well, what i thought was going to be a short talk ended up in talking about quite a lot of things that happened and how we both felt about the trip and the things that had happened. As promised it'll be kept within the 4 walls of 522, thus i will make no mention of any of those things here. The great part was that it was really a heart-to-heart talk and it seemed like it was something we both needed to do - perhaps. "perhaps" if we had done this earlier, some problems might not have appeared?(Maybe it wouldn't have made much of a difference) Anyways, i ended up only heading back to my room after midnight after a whole hour of talking - but not without stealing half a brownie and a cake from there... the talking really made me hungry! Just glad that we ironed out some issues before I left. Headed to J's room and continued talking till PPtime 1plus, close to 2 - tht's SG 3am!
I would like to head there again, soon. Hopefully some ideas would start coming to me. I don't think I would ever be able to run, plan and organise things the way T did so I definitely wouldn't be thinking of any leadership role. I just want to be there, to be able to help - our fellow SGreans through the trip and also of course the ONES we actually go all the way there to help!
posted by lesmjuzycyan at
11:09 PM
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