Having not gone to a third world country before, this trip enriched me with how bad poverty could be. But at the same time, the people there are seemed happier than those living in the city. The children in Hope village, despite not having the luxury to play with portable game sets or to watch TV, are certainly happier than we do. They do not have to face the stressful lifestyle that we have, nor do they have to compete for grades. What they have is the luxury of time, that an afternoon of just table tennis or soccer will be enough to make their day.
Before arrival at Hope Village, I thought that the orphans will be rather pessimistic with life and are filled with negative mindsets. It was totally different to see how most of them strive to work hard in school and in their favourite sport – soccer. Through the teaching sessions that we had with them, we realised that some of the students do have some capabilities in studying, but lacked the opportunity. This is where we could actually learn to cherish our opportunity to study.
On the other hand, the children at the village where the welling was done were far more fascinated by the cameras we brought along. Perhaps, they have not seen their own faces before. They were not even properly clothed and more often than not, they walked around bare-footed. Their houses had holes in them, that it is only good for shelter when it is in the sun. While schooling is free in Cambodia, these children may not get the permission from their parents, just for the simple fact that the parents want them to work instead. When there is rain, the children would just jump into the muddy pool, just like a swimming pool. How many parents in Singapore will actually allow that? I wondered about whether that kind of restriction is the protection that our parents give us, apart from a proper shelter at home which those villagers do not have. It really saddens to see that the villagers and the children stood by the well drilling place when we started in the morning till when we ended in the evening. It seems as though it was really important to them, or if not, they really had nothing to do.
We had to adapt to the living environments in the Hope Village. I did not have any expectations to begin with, as I feared disappointment and so I decided to just go and experience. The one soup dish, the pool of water for bathing which had crickets swimming in it, the muddy ground, the mosquito bites, the dusty roads, the humid dormitory with different kinds of insects and the wet clothes which never dries, are all part of the non-exhaustive list of what I was trying to adapt. There was no such thing as pampering there, as all have and ought to be done by me. From washing clothes to hanging clothes, from taking your own food to washing your own plates, from taking care of yourself to taking care of others, there were no maids to serve you anymore.
Furthermore, with the absence of all those electronic gadgets that we possessed, we learnt to be occupied with things apart from those. There were no anti-social device used, instead, we opened up to one another and had many heart to heart talks during the night time. This is where we bonded closer as a team. When one by one fell ill during this trip, when one of us fell down in the toilet and the blood steamed like a river, and when we screamed for help whenever there are cockroaches or frogs jumping around, a helping hand is always near to heart.
All the activities went quite smoothly except on the fourth day, when the guys went back to the drilling ground for the third consecutive day. As these guys knew that they had to make a second well near the first one they made, and the fact that they would not be going back again, this motivated them to finish as much as they could for the villages. Thus, they finished till late night. But little did they know that the truck will break down, and that they were then trapped at the “one-moon” hotel. These guys have not eaten for nearly 12 hours and water was running out. I do not know how they were feeling then, but when we got there to help, they were really exhausted and hungry. This setback did not put them down, but instead gave us an opportunity to look at the beautiful stars in the darkest sky. The helpers from the Hope Village were more than just being determined, there was no complaints at all from these people.
While Singaporeans emphasized on the importance of hygiene here, to the Cambodians, it was never a point of concern to them. The chickens in the marketplace were covered with flies that they became a black chicken instead.
While Singaporeans emphasized on the importance of cleanliness that everything has to be sparkling white, to the Cambodians, it was the price that determines. The marketplace was so pitch-dark that you will never know what is clean and what is dirty.
While Singaporeans emphasized on the importance of a balanced diet, to the Cambodians, a meal was just to make them be able to work. There was no proteins to talk about, carbohydrates and fibres are more than sufficient; vitamins are just a bonus.
While Singaporeans emphasized on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, but still go on to drink drank drunk, and continue to smoke their money away, as well as slog their life into the nightlife, to the Cambodians, they worked from dawn to dusk, just for a living. The true healthy lifestyle has to include workouts from the work you do and having sufficient sleep and rest.
To sum up, this trip gave me a complete different perspective to view things. There are always two side of a coin, and perhaps, both have their good points. Learning to cherish may be better than learning to give up. Team spirit plays in every single part of this trip from preparation to execution. It is easier to see how unfortunate others might be, but it is better to see how fortunate we are. It is good to go with an open mind and come back with an enriched mind.
