It's been a couple of months since the OCIP trip. If anyone remembers, I guess I would be the one everyone associates as the nutty fella who calls out every animal she sees or the one who doesn't know how to do anything and yet dares to admit that she is pampered. Well, for one, I am positive that despite my usual ‘mean’ attitude towards charity, I have never regretted OCIP.

When I first embarked on this trip, my first thought was that we were just there to help them, but what I never expected was that I would pick up a few learning points myself. One of it would be that I learnt never ever to take the goods and services that we consumed for granted. I got that from construction. Appreciate the banglas! Ok... that was a little too extreme but yea, I do have respect for these people after I got back because I experienced the hardship of digging the ground, picking up stones, etc. I used to term these people as ‘low class’ or foreigners who snatch the jobs of locals but, oh well, that’s in the past.

I also learnt something really interesting, that actually the simple things in life do and can keep you happy. Sweets, pencils, a star keeps these children happy; so unlike us where happiness means the latest ipod, converse jacket, etc. So that has changed my outlook in life. So that's a couple of what I learnt.

Challenges. For me, OCIP was really a far cry from my comfort zone. I was taking one step further than what I would usually do for charity (don’t donate/slack), and that step was a big one. I had difficulties getting used to construction because I just didn't know how to do it! But eventually, I got used to shoving sand, digging and throwing stones. And if anyone knows, I didn't have the courage to visit the school's toilet until the last few days, not because I was afraid that it was dirty but rather I had this fear that the toilet would be so small and dark that I would fall into the loo. Call me pampered or spoilt, but that's true.

OCIP allowed me to discover myself as a person. It allowed me to feel a sense of satisfaction when I see the happiness the children exhibited when they see us. And a lot more, words simply cannot describe my feelings and experiences during OCIP. Despite the challenges that I faced, I grew to love the school and its people or rather its kids. Poor, but happy. Shy, but yet friendly. That's Tavan which will always be in my heart. I miss it and someday, I hope to return to this place which holds great memories of friendships between 2 different cultures, brought about by fate and her helpers.

Labels: Jacintha