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Bosco |
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Rita |
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Martin |
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Sabrina |
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Learn to appreciate all the little things
Sabrina
During the 4-day stay in the village, there are so much for us to see and feel, yet never enough time.
The environment there is not packed as in Hong Kong, and it allows people to slow down and appreciate things around them. People there actually live a different life than ours, they just do what is enough, there is no competition, no prejudice or pressure.
When the environment cuts you off from the internet and your phone. Your focuses will not be internships/ grades/ assignments anymore, instead, they are at the soils, waterfalls, stars in the sky. Having your eyes shut actually opens a whole new world to yourself, where the birds sings, the raindrops dance, and the water triumphs. I remember distinctly that there is only one tiny dirty mirror at our homestay. I first thought that I was going to have a hard time not looking at myself, because I am very cautious about my appearance. To my surprise, I didn't even notice that I wasn’t looking at the mirror at all, as I was occupied with other things, and being part of the village, it was perfectly normal to have no makeup or perfectly set hair, because it was the way it is in the village, nobody cares whether if I had messy hair or pimple on the face. It’s all natural.
Cutting off internet does more than shifting our focuses. It also makes us explore the same world which we have been living in all along, but in a whole new perspective, knowing what you did not know before, coming to realization that you have notices and enjoyed so little about life. How many times we have stuck our heads into computers and mobile phones when the sky is a clear blue one, and how many times we have chosen movies or just strolling around without any purposes over going outdoor, when you can smell the freshly cut grass or the saltiness of the sea. Nepal brings it back all to me,
Through the stay there, I also learn to appreciate the little things. In Hong Kong, we grew up with TV, smart phones, good food, however, it seems that we never get enough, or we are never satisfied with what we have, because we always see that what the others own is better than ours. However, during the stay there, it seems that I always hear children’s laughter, they seem to be so content and joyful all the time. The local people have neither abundant of resources nor lots of access to the outside world, they are satisfied with what they have, a small old ball, or even just a balloon. We don’t need to be loaded or have everything in the world to be happy, we can just take some time to appreciate the mornings that we sleep well, fruits that are fresh, friends that never left.
Also, be thankful for everything, even though it is the slightest convenience in our lives. I remember distinctly that there was a shower one night, so the electricity of the entire village got shut off. Our teammates took out their torches and pointed them towards the ceiling. It was nothing much, torches can be easily accessed, but what’s not easy was our hearts to be indulged in that moment, appreciating the beauty of indulging ourselves in the dark. It was a beautiful night to remember, not just because it made an incredible lighting to watch, but also for the way we got along with nature. Since we have never experienced any power shortage in Hong Kong, we just have our lighting in the usual way all along, clicking the switch on the wall, and the room will be lightened. We are just too used to the way things have been, and take things for granted, but we have never thought of any other ways out, we are so stuck in the norms.
Teamwork also plays a really important during the service. There are a lot of works that can’t be done alone, they have to be done as a team, for example, moving bricks at the school site. I was never an engineering or architecture, I had absolutely no idea on how to move the bricks from elsewhere to the school rooftop. I had to rely on the expertise of others and listen very carefully on the instructions. I came to realize that hard work is not the only way to getting things done, sometimes it also requires learning from the others and trusting their knowledge. Trusting people has always been quite hard for me, I can’t help myself but to do things by myself when it comes to group work, I don’t really find my group mates reliable most of the time. Even though it may start off slow when working with people, but as time passes by, things get smoother and we could actually see progresses. It’s all about trusting your teammates.
However, teamwork is far more than just getting things done, it’s also about caring and understanding one other. There are numerous hands when I see people offering a helping hand or just finishing work of others subtly. Don’t count the work or whose responsibility, but to complete our common goal together. We all have different abilities, some may have a stronger body, some may be detail-minded. Helping doesn’t mean that the stronger ones doing the weaker ones a favour, instead, it allows us to utilise our own expertise and apply them in where they should be. None of us can be perfect, we all have our strengths and weakness, understanding one other can better allow us to make up for one another. Besides, when we are a team, we are not colleagues working and fighting, we are going through the hardships and difficulties together. We are to take care and look after one another.
The service trip to Nepal is not just giving out, because to be honest, there is not a lot that we can help with the local people, instead, we are taking things in from them, revaluating our lives and learning to slow down, appreciate what we have, and to be happy. |
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