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Anthony |
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Bobby |
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Dorothy |
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Ellen |
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Grace |
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Heidi |
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Jacky |
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Manna |
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Sally |
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Tony |
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May We Be Always Content with What We Have.
Sally Wong
“Breakthrough for myself, leaping out of my comfort zone.” I had this in mind when I joined the 9-day service trip to Nepal. In retrospect, this leap seemed to have gone quite a long way, which has made me feel that everything in Nepal was unimaginable. I was like Alice in Wonderland — in my wonderland called Nepal.
For someone who grew up in a metropolitan, taking a shower or using the internet is something we take for granted, almost like breathing. All of these are considered basic amenities for us. We never imagine living without these conveniences, as if everything was exactly like how it should be. However, life in the mountains of Nepal has made me understand that this is not always the case. The way of living there was quite primitive — rising to work at dawn, retiring to rest at dusk, drinking from the well you dug, and eating from the field you plough. After extracting technologies from daily life, the connection between human and nature, as well as among humans, becomes so pure.
I still remember that on the fourth day of our trip, our group needed to rely on our legs to climb the mountains to teach in a village in the “vicinity”—which turned out to be a five hours return trip. The mountain paths were rugged, and we were all struggling. We were so grateful when coming on a few flatter parts of the paths. Whereas the Nepalese people maintained their pace without panic nor haste. The students there have been treading the same path to go to school every day.
It is also noteworthy that the children and the women there were always staring at us. Even though we could not communicate with each other through words, they still looked intently at us, hoping to make connections with us. The women did not express many interests in the handicraft skills that we taught, nonetheless, they were rather curious about the production process, and they made an effort to accomplish the final product together with us. They always responded with sincerity, which made a strong impression on us.
Although the women mostly do not speak English, they always listened and watched carefully every step in making the handicraft. When they saw what they made with their own hands, the smile that came upon their face, and how they immediately showed the product proudly to their friends, all demonstrated their sense of accomplishment. This experience marked us strongly as well.
Sometimes when we came across the kids coming out of class, we would chit chat with them a little bit. Mostly, they would smile shyly before they answer, boys and girls likewise. And their answers never failed to bring us back to the reality of their lives. The reason why the children were always wearing slippers to tread the mountain paths, was that it was the only footwear they have. Their activities after school were always helping with house chores … their answers always reflect the facts of their lives.
This trip has made me understand that in this big world, nothing is impossible. May we be always content with what we have.
(Thanks volunteer Man Yee for translating Sally’s testimonial from Chinese to English)
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