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By Mr Aidil Bin Idris, PE Teacher, Meridian Junior College |
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| Service
from the heart overcomes all language barriers. |
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As a non-Mandarin speaking person, it dawned on me that I would
be facing a challenging experience as a Malay-speaking individual
in China. However, as the days of the expedition passed by,
I did not have to depend much on my colleagues to communicate
as our common goal of service overcame all language barriers.
I saw how my students rallied together and observed how their
own boundaries fell away as we helped each other adapt to our
new lifestyle in a foreign land. We also tried to teach English
to the villagers while struggling to complete the biogas tanks.
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is really hard work. |
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At the end of the expedition, I felt blessed to have been given
the opportunity to be a part of this expedition team – to serve
and make a difference in the lives of the villagers, to see
our students blossom from being mere participants to persons
making an impact on the lives of the children in Yunnan.
I was further heartened to learn that as a result of their experience
in Yunnan, this very same team took the initiative to plan and
organise a fund-raising project in January 2005 for the tsunami
disaster victims. They were able to raise a total of $15,000
as a college for the Singapore Red Cross Society.
The expedition changed all of us in more ways than one, it made
us realise that caring for one’s fellow men goes beyond the
boundaries of language, race and religion, and, especially beyond
self.
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To
know even one life has breathed easier because you have
lived;
This is to have succeeded |
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Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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