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Bosco |
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Rita |
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Martin |
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Sabrina |
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“Our biggest regrets are not for the things we did, but for the things we didn’t do.”
Rita
“Our biggest regrets are not for the things we did, but for the things we didn’t do.” I like this quote very much, which encourage me to embrace new challenges all the time. If I didn’t join the Nepal Service Learning Trip, I would be very regretful because it is really a life-changing service learning trip. It allows me to know more about myself and truly listen to my heart. In Neal, we had quality time every day to self-reflect, we were always reminded to live in the moment and we were always acted as a team.
Before the trip, I expected that Nepal has a stunning scenery with blue sky, clean air and peaceful roads. But when we arrived at Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, I was quite shocked. The road was bumpy, the air was smoky, and the houses and cars were yellowish and full of dust. It gave me a feeling of an abandoned city. From this view, I realized the power of an earthquake to a poor and slow-recovering country. Also, I discovered that we often frame our perceptions before we truly understand the whole situation and these will become biases. It is better for us to be objective, stay open-minded and not to have prejudice so that we won’t limit our insights and won’t judge others at the first glance.
During the five days in Lamjung, we enjoyed every moment and we built a strong bonding between us. On the first day in the village, everyone was exhausted because the rebuilding and farming work required lots of energy and we were not get used to them. After moving the bricks and soil, we had to do the farming work. It was the most difficult and tiring work as we had to squat down and remove the weeds. I really appreciate the locals there can squat down for an hour and remove all the weeds for a piece of farm. But we, as a team of 13 teenagers, had to stand up every 15 minutes and can only finish a piece of farm in an hour. Although it needed time for us to distinguish the plants were weeds or crops, I thought Hong Kong kids are really too blessed and they never know how much sweat spent behind every bite of food. At that tiring moment, I was angry at the one who waste food and wanted to bring them to experience farming.
After the first day, I was adapted to the environment and I felt energize every day when I woke up. Roosters crowing, birds singing and wind breezing became my alarm. I used to remind myself my daily schedule when I get up. In those few days, our daily routine is rebuilding and farming. When I tell myself of this schedule, I felt so relaxing. On a contrary, my routine in Hong Kong, which is studying and working, I am so pressurized when I think of them in the morning. It was a valuable opportunity for me to put down the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.
The days in the village cured me physically and mentally. We had a short yoga time before breakfast. We scratched gently and felt every single part of our body quietly. Closing our eyes, listening the sounds of the nature and feeling the sensation of muscle, I found peace. We also had debriefing session every night. I love this very much as I can talk to my inner self and have personal growth. Every night, without electricity, a torch placing in the middle of the table created a warm and mysterious atmosphere. The darkness let us to share our deepest feelings and to reveal the truest self with one another. We shared the sorrow and joy in our life and we comfort and support each other. At that moment, I was relived and be reminded that I am not alone. We also need to give thanks to one teammate and appreciate ourselves every day. It is always easy to appreciate others but it is quite hard to praise ourselves. This activity gave me a chance to say thank you to myself. We never have chance or have time to do these stuffs in Hong Kong but through this trip, we can face the sincere self and follow our heart.
In this village, happiness is very simple. A big rock can be treated as a slide. We couldn’t notice it until the children were playing happily there. I was affected by their laughers so I joined them and played together. I got the biggest and truest smile when I slide down. The children there are so cute and they really remember me. I was touched when they held my hands, helped me to tie my hair and shout out my name. I won’t forget these beautiful moments. Besides, I learnt that we cannot get things for granted. We are so blessed to have clean drinking water, flushing toilets and having bath daily. We think these are normal and right but actually there are so many people in the poor countries can’t get access to them. So we have treasure everything that we have.
The most precious thing that I got from this trip is friendship. The friendship is very pure and full of love. We are a team and like a family. A group of people working together does not mean teamwork but I think we could fully represent teamwork because we are sincerely working towards the same goal and we trust one another fully. After two days of cooperation, we knew each other well and we don’t even have to discuss our planning but just simply start working with implicit recognition. During the rebuilding, we formed a human chain to pass the bricks. Then we move the soil to thicken the road and move the rocks to build a wall. After a few days of hard work, I was so surprised by the power of teamwork. I am so proud that we can transfer all the bricks to the roof of the one floor school and build a wide long wall. We laugh together, sweat together and grow together. This friendship is irreplaceable and being with them, I can be myself. Thank you for being my biggest support. |
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