:) my reflection
There was a quote I placed in the box during the bonding camp in Punggol, during the Serve Philippines 2005 YEP group reflection time. We would sit in a big circle, scribble down our thoughts and feelings for the day and put it in a box. There was a day where I finally realized how meaningful this trip would and could be, and how lucky I felt to be part of this group.
“From nothing to something, from something to everything.”
It was a quote taken from a close friend, and it described this whole mission well. We all came from different lives and backgrounds; Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Teach Me Inc and Andrew and Grace Home. Being part of Andrew and Grace Home, I was apprehensive on how the other organizations would look at us. Do they see us as a bunch of mischievous girls who do not know right from wrong? I was also wondering how seemingly normal young adults from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and differently-abled people from Teach Me Inc could possibly blend in and do something meaningful. I was indeed doubtful.
Right in the beginning, I was not told that it was a combined trip. And many others like me did not look forward to the bonding camp in Punggol. However, the camp brought out a spark within; it gave me hope and showed me a glimpse of what team spirit can do. Highly geared up from the camp, leaving Singapore to take on a whole new mission was an easy task.
Honestly, living in such unfamiliar grounds with 32 other acquaintances is not as simple as it seems. Throughout the trip there were some hiccups, some disagreements, some conflicts. We hid them with cheery “Thank you very much”s and uncontrolled laughter during contact with the Filipinos. We went all bitter and some were ready to give up, wanting to fly back to Singapore immediately and to forget that this trip ever happened. And I was one of those few, until realization hit me.
I was helping a fellow teammate wash up. She was wheelchair-bound and had difficulty climbing the stairs, going to the restrooms and bathing. It took her much effort just to step out of the room. And as we went to the room where she was going to bathe, it just hit me right on the spot. There we were, upset about such petty and trivial things, that we did not see the simplest logic behind it all. We all came to learn. We came with hearts to inspire and give. We wanted to help the Filipinos and at the same time, learn from them as well. Some might have even come on this trip in order to understand the plight of the disabled and to offer them a helping hand. Most of us want to make a difference.
Like the colours of a sunset, it is how you look at it. Some might choose to look at the darkening hues that are highly hung, while others might focus on the watercolour reds below, the remains of the sun. Many times we come with a purpose, but leave with bitterness. I am glad to say that for this trip, however, we came back changed. And we did make a difference, when tears from our Filipino friends fell from their eyes. It was something out of plain nothing, which like our team leader said, “making things happen”, where we took it in our own hands and made that something everything.
