wake up call

Being to Cambodia , to me , was a trip of a lifetime. not only that it was enjoyable, got to know many fantastic people ; of whom previously i do not know, it was more than fulfilling , and a wake up call for me.

prior to the trip, i believe that everyone was feeling the same uncertainties, of whether we are able to bond as a team, whether there are going to be conflicts within ourselves, whether the kids there are rowdy , whether we are going to be accustomed to the food there, whether are there hygiene issues, whether your bunk mate snores at night ....

i believe we had handled every aspect of the uncertainties very well, i mean personally , i believe that i couldnt have done better. but apart from that . i find that , it was indeed a huge step down , from where we are right now. Living in Singapore, i cant help but to say , i am indeed a lucky, spoiled but yet blessed brat, taking life over here for granted. only after looking at the kids in Cambodia, i have realised how freaking lucky i am being born in Singapore.

for instance, drinking water is so rare in Cambodia, people there had to either, filter their water before consumption, purchase distilled mineral water, or in the worst circumstances, drink directly from the well, which i don't think any one of our Singaporean stomachs will be able to handle. not only do you know mentally its not clean enough for consumption , but you could see how unclear it is , how yellowish it is, how murky it is, as compared to Singaporean tap water.

but yet ! back in Singapore... although theres always an issue saying how precious water is to our country , i couldn't see how is it that we have the cheek to say that, when we can even afford to play with water; clean, distilled, drinkable water.

and take education for example, every Singaporean child will have to go through a compulsory 10 years of basic education . but over at Cambodia, have you ever wondered how lucky you are if only you could afford education? and for those who could afford it. you would well wish that theres some quality education going on and a conducive learning environment. but sad to say . its a big no.

just as we have our man made eco ponds, they have a makeshift 'lake' caused by rain. just as we have our soccer field, they have a vast piece of unmowed grass patch. just as we have plastic tables (of which often falls victims to vicious metal rulers), they have unfinished shabby wooden tables. just as we always have textbooks for reference, they have only their own notebooks to depend on . just as we have air conditioned half filled lecture halls, they have congested classrooms, where about 80 kids squeeze into a classroom about 3/4 of ours.

imagine those circumstances, but yet the children had no complains, because they have this never dying thirst of knowledge, because they know that education is their only way out of poverty. a university education is the only way they could possibly work in the bank , which earns them about US$80 a month- about SG$ 120...

i admit that it is the fact that we are living in Singapore. in this materialistic, extravagant, concrete jungle for the high fliers.

and i do admit that we cant possibly immerse ourselves in the lives of the Cambodians. that i believe, indeed we do have a difference in the course of life . but the least we could do is that there is a serious call for a change in attitudes. do be aware of the difference in situations, only then , do we know about how blessed we actually are, and how much already we had taken this blessed lives of ours for granted...

be thankful that we are not born into a place :
where potable water is scarce,
where education is rare,
where having new clothes to wear is a luxury,
where the roads never fails to bring you motion sickness,
where your bed is a grass mat on a wooden bunk,
where you have only one dish and plenty of rice for every single meal,
where the drainage is a two way traffic (it comes in and out !),
where your teachers plays truant instead of you!
where you have only your pair of flip flops , for all occasions !
where you visit the zoo everyday,
where your definition of wild wild wet, is a little stream by the padi fields,
where you don't know just how many family members do those bugs have,
where you could kick a freaking hard sphere thinking its a football , barefooted !
where the idea of a cement mixer, means you mix it .... by hand !!
and when you have only 12 hours of electricity everyday.

just be thankful .......