The past 10 days has been hectic and wildly exciting at the same time.
When I landed on Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, the immigration line was strangely short and I got through hassle free. Then I met up with other members of the first Asia Youth Forum team and boarded the bus for Pattaya, where we would stay at the Thammasat University Learning Campus.
Two weeks ago, I met with a group of orphanage representatives from Flores, NTT (Nusa Tenggara Timur) region of Indonesia. They have brought over some souvenirs: corn chips made by the orphanage students and a wonderful variety of handicrafts made out of corn husks and fish scales. The handicrafts were exquisite and I was genuinely marvelled at the creativity of humans to reuse “waste” and craft them into such beautiful art pieces.
It was a night of self-introspection, something which I (secretly, well not so secret anymore now) enjoy. During my childhood and teenage years, I could be said to be a dreamer living in my own fantasy dream world. When asked of my ambition as a child, my answers were routine, “I want to be a writer or a singer!”
One night, in my frustration, I lamented to a friend, “How do you get rich quickly? I want to amass a hell lot of money; there are just so many causes I want to help and I just can’t stand seeing things the way they are.” He laughed and told me something I would never forget.
The sad and nostalgic thing about growing older is that you will meet more and more people you care about, some of whom you may not have a chance to encounter again. As one goes through life, going places, connecting with new people, the inevitable has to come – parting.
“Just do it! Start something! Even if it’s not perfect.”
I heard these words of advice while I was visiting Drum Publications in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, where some of my friends are working at. Drum Publications publishes Karen and Burmese language books and dictionaries and is “an independent Karen community based organization dedicated to promoting education and preserving the cultures of the peoples of Burma”. (Taken from their website)
Indonesia has changed. Sovereignty is now in the hands of the people. And yet many citizens still take the standpoint of choosing not to involve themselves in politics because it’s “dirty”. This mindset is also prevalent in the Batak Karo lands in North Sumatra.
One of the best things I love about my current lifestyle is the people I get to meet. I’ve met so many wonderful people in the past few months that I wouldn’t otherwise have in my past 9-6 desk bound job. Having accepted a freelance teaching position for late April, I was introduced today to a teacher in her 20s who would familiarize me in the IELTS curriculum so I could teach it later. Her name is Malti.
We spent the morning practicing the skit and laughing at ourselves. My friend, Hui Bing (a special needs teacher), was visiting Jakarta from Singapore. As with any other person coming or living in the region, I immediately invited her to guest teach at Yayasan Prima Unggul, an orphanage entrepreneurship high school in Jakarta.
I recently went for an interview to take a teaching English course in South Jakarta. It took 2 (and sometimes 2 and a half hours) to get to, and I decided that since the course would be intensive and full time, it would be better to stay in a hostel near the center. Upon breaking the news to my mother, her answer was a vehement no.
I started this blog after deciding to fill my life with social work and experiences instead of money. This is where I'll chronicle the journey so I can look back and decide whether it was worth it. Maybe I'll realize it was all a stupid mistake, but it's the journey that counts no?
© 2012 Strawbelries. All Rights Reserved.
No Comments