By OW JI JING
I have always been inspired by the stories of people who volunteer to help victims in catastrophic areas. I always hoped to do the same.
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines badly. Without a second thought, my friend and I decided to join a two-week volunteering programme in the Philippines to help the victims to rebuild their houses.
We thought it will be an exotic adventure, but little did we know it would teach us some valuable life values.
Generosity
We were assigned to Fatima Village, a small and poor fishing village, in Kalibo. Some of the villagers did not even have a pair of shoes, but they gave so much despite how little they possessed.
My host family offered us to sleep on the only bed they had and they slept on the floor instead. Besides that, they will bring us coffee and snacks every morning that cost them a bomb. They even offered to help us wash our clothes and shoes.
I am deeply touched by their generosity. I also felt ashamed, for being selfish in giving, despite having so much more back in Malaysia.
Family-like community
After a week of building houses, I had infected wounds due to the unhygienic environment. One evening, a young boy noticed it and to my surprise, the whole village knew about it the next morning. Once they knew about it, a group of them put herbs on my wounds and even checked on me consistently.
They treated a stranger like me as their family and that made me felt at home, even when I am far away from home.
Disconnect with the world occasionally
Throughout the two weeks, we were asked to cut off from any form of media so that we could focus on our mission and spend more time with the villagers.
It was difficult at first, but I learnt to love it eventually. We did a lot of things with the villagers. We went fishing in the ocean, climbed trees to pluck coconuts and even played hide-and-seek with the kids.
It made me realised how much I have missed out in my life back home. After coming back to Malaysia, I constantly remind myself to spend more quality time with my loved ones.
I flew to the Philippines with the intention of giving, but I received and learnt so many valuable life values. The experience changed me and I could never thank God enough for this opportunity.
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines badly. Without a second thought, my friend and I decided to join a two-week volunteering programme in the Philippines to help the victims to rebuild their houses.
We thought it will be an exotic adventure, but little did we know it would teach us some valuable life values.
Generosity
We were assigned to Fatima Village, a small and poor fishing village, in Kalibo. Some of the villagers did not even have a pair of shoes, but they gave so much despite how little they possessed.
My host family offered us to sleep on the only bed they had and they slept on the floor instead. Besides that, they will bring us coffee and snacks every morning that cost them a bomb. They even offered to help us wash our clothes and shoes.
I am deeply touched by their generosity. I also felt ashamed, for being selfish in giving, despite having so much more back in Malaysia.
Family-like community
After a week of building houses, I had infected wounds due to the unhygienic environment. One evening, a young boy noticed it and to my surprise, the whole village knew about it the next morning. Once they knew about it, a group of them put herbs on my wounds and even checked on me consistently.
They treated a stranger like me as their family and that made me felt at home, even when I am far away from home.
Disconnect with the world occasionally
Throughout the two weeks, we were asked to cut off from any form of media so that we could focus on our mission and spend more time with the villagers.
It was difficult at first, but I learnt to love it eventually. We did a lot of things with the villagers. We went fishing in the ocean, climbed trees to pluck coconuts and even played hide-and-seek with the kids.
It made me realised how much I have missed out in my life back home. After coming back to Malaysia, I constantly remind myself to spend more quality time with my loved ones.
I flew to the Philippines with the intention of giving, but I received and learnt so many valuable life values. The experience changed me and I could never thank God enough for this opportunity.