Yoga in the City!

Today i went to this event called "Yoga in the City" with my sister. Had to wake up at 5.40 in the morning because 645am latest must reach the open field at Douby Gout.

This was my first time trying out yoga and seriously, it is not easy. Some of the instruction are so weird, have to see how others do then i know. And i cannot do some of the postions, like 'lying' on one side and then suspend your body in the air, only feet and arm is touching ground.

But this 1hr yoga session was unique because is at an open field! So, while doing yoga, you can see trees as u lie on the mat and hear buses travelling along the streets.

Haha, and the freebies are really good! For $30, I got a REEBOK yoga mat, yoga pant, Candele breakfast, goodie bag and free photo! :))

29/4/2011 Sunday.

*~GuiFang~*

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Tracy's learning journey at UNACAS

This trip to cambodia gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about myself.

Firstly, being at unacas made me see how fortunate i am to live in Singapore. I am blessed with so many things. The kids and teenagers at unacas are stuck there. Their every day routine are going to school that are at least a few kilometers away from their home at UNACAS. The younger kids have to walk to school under the got sun while the older teenagers cycle to school because their school are much more further.

Then they go back to unacas and have lunch. After that, they either play or sleep and for some, have classes.... Then they have dinner. Level 1 students have english lesson after dinner.

So basically, they have their daily activities around UNACAS... Not like us, have computer, smart phone, can go shopping, watch movies at cinemas and not in some open spaces. And we have proper infrastructure like toilets, bathroom, drinkable water and no bugs or cut in the electricity. Most importantly, we have a great government that really take care of its citizens. If you see what Pol Pot did, experience the impact, see how the kids with no parents or single parents are living, i think you will really come to appreciate our government and be really grateful about our stability.

So when i was back in Singapore, i really appreaciate what i have. Like for the first time i see my bathroom and bedroom, i was really happy. Like finally no bugs or flys! And don't need to pee in the bushes and trees already. That's what we did when we were in the village building house and all the village kids were staring at us.

But i sort of miss living in Cambodia. The time at Cambodia passed really slowly. We can moved a lot of bricks and stone but the time still passes really slowly.

And for that 2 weeks at Cambodia, there isn't a lot of stress like in Singapore. In Singapore, have to stress about projects, work, money, expectation and etc. In cambodia, it is really just do and all you have to worry is that you can't help the school or what you did is not enough. So that time when the plane touches Singapore's ground, everyone was telling each other that they felt stress already, because in Cambodia, everyone forgot about the life in Singapore and felt really being part of UNACAS...

In Singapore, i slept at only 3 or 4am and wake up in that late afternoon. Then i use internet, eat, watch tv and use internet until the midnight again. It was a no-direction lifestyle. But in Cambodia, i slept at 12 am and wake up at 6am. Then we wash clothes and get ready for infrastructure work, either at village building house or at UNACAS's garden helping to build the boundary. Then get ready for lunch. Lunch was really satisfying because it was like a reward for our hard work. Everyday was meaningful.

I am really happy that i am able to interact with the kids at Cambodia. I always thought i cannot communicate with kids. I interacted with kids in Singapore but they always give me those cold reaction or just ignore me. At least in cambodia, i grew close with a few of the kids there, though i don't know how i did it. Maybe because the kids at UNACAS are more mature. I really enjoy interacting with them. Last day at Cambodia i was really sad to leave the kids at UNACAS and even cry. And it was the first time in a very long tine that i wrote letters.

I will also really really treasure my education. The people in Cambodia really studied hard because they all know that education is the only way to improve their living condition. But they don't have the opportunity to study like us. At Don Bosco, i met this girl who is the same age as me, 20 yeats old, who is studying in "printing department". But her interest was Science and she couldn't study science because it is very expensive. So she was asking me to tell her more about my science course. I also couldn't tell her much because i also not very sure what i was studying. I just told her i study bacteria, virus, plant. Then i showed her some picture of my microbiology work like bacteria growing on agar plates. I asked her why she wants to study science. She told me because she wants to be a nurse and the reason was because she wants to help people. I felt really guilty when i heard her reason. Because everytime i made a choice for my education, it was whether i can earn a lot of money. It was never about helping people. And at that moment, it sort of made me think so why did i study biotech? And i decided that i should just follow my interest and study only what i like since i have the opportunity to. Yeah, so i will change my course when i graduate from my poly.

Now i still miss Cambodia, but minus the bed, toilet, bathroom, bugs and the suntan i gotten from the infrastructure work under that super big sun. I miss the stressless life in Cambodia.

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DISCLAIMER

The photos posted in all the UNACAS posts are taken from facebook and my camera. Most of the photos are taken from the photo albums of my teammates.

I would like to thank them for their wonderful photos! Without the photos, i won't be able to write these blog posts. =).

Thank You very muchie!

14/4/2012 Saturday.

*~GuiFang~*

Tracy's Learning Jouney at UNACAS (English Lesson)

In UNACAS, the level 1 kids have english lesson from 6pm to 7pm (cambodian time) every night. For us, we conduct english lesson for the LEVEL 1 students and taught them simple english words. Words like beside, shapes, things in playgrounds and gardens. We are quite lucky that everyone at UNACAS knows a bit of english so we can all communicate easily.

Everyone get to solo teach a lesson while those who are not teacher on that day will be assistant teacher. I had to solo one lesson and i really felt nervous because i cannot host a lesson. That day when it was my turn to taught, i really felt that there isn't a lot of things for me to teach them about, other than the words i am suppose to teach. I was really grateful when my team mates helped me to come up with extra ideas that will reinforce what i had taught that day. I felt that i am not a good teacher.

My teammates conducting the lessons =).

With the teacher of Level 1 students, he look really fierce when he is not smiling...

A class photo!

GroupMan-U

Group Dragon Boys

Group Kara

Group SP

Polarides for the class!

Sand painting activity for the kids on our last lesson!

The kids absorb what we taught very fast. It is like the moment we taught finish and they had already memorise the spelling and every thing. I think it was because they really treasure their education and every opportunity that they are given that they were able to learned so fast.

The original teacher of level 1 was a student of level 4 (highest level at UNACAS). He is actually teaching what he had learned to his juniors. It really made me see the meaning of "contributing back to the society".

I should learn from him....

13 April 2012 Friday.

*~GuiFang~*

Tracy's Learning Jouney at UNACAS (Cambodia)

UNACAS stands for Unaccompanied Association and is by NGO. Most of the children there have either no parents or are from single parent family. But they are living there because their parent could not afford their living condition or education. So for 10 days, we interacted with the kids and teenagers living there. We stayed at the church that was within walking distance from UNACAS.

UNACAS

Their Playground, but most of the facilities cannot be played.

The girls' dorm.

The boys' dorm. Upstairs is where my team conduct english lessons.

Entrace of UNACAS.

Road to the church, where we stayed for 10 days.

In the church

The hall where we slept in. The tentsare mosquito nets. You know how many bugs and flys there were in the church once it was dark? If you never close your tents properly, you will be spending your time inside the tents trying to 'kick' those bugs out and spraying insect repellents at those irritating flys.

Where we wash our clothes and hang them at

The pink colour towel is mine!

There are 4 cubicles (2 of them with toilets) there and there are 26 of us. So every night, we have to bath really quick and have to 'fight' for the cubicles if you don't want to queue later. So you have to be quick in choosing your clothes for the night. But that was not the most irritating part. The bugs flying around while you bath is the most irritating part. By around day 3, you sorta get used to them. Once you see them, you just use water to splash at them. Anyway, I still don't like bugs.

And there were also blackout frequently. Like we may be teaching our english lesson halfway, the lights will just close up and fans will not be working because there was a cut in the electricity. It was a good thing I never met with a black out when i was bathing.

13 April 2012 Friday.

*~GuiFang~*

Departing for CAMBODIA!

Went to Cambodia from 28 March to 10 April 2012. It was a really fun, unforgettable and meaningful oversea service learning trip. I think I learned quite a few things from this trip and honestly, after going for this trip, i really treasure a lot of things. Especially my education, bed, bathroom, toilets, facilities and infrastucture i had in Singapore and maybe my government also.

I still remember feeling a bit nervous at the airport as this was the first time i was going oversea without my family and for 2 weeks! It really made me feel that i am independent but don't know if i can cope with it. After all, for the next 2 weeks, i have to step out of my comfort zone and do things i never did in Singapore, such as washing dishes, clothes, help building house, standing under the hot sun for long hours and teaching in english lesson. And, there would be no place that i could hide if i want to anymore when I am oversea. So i was nervous and all...

Group Photo at Changi Airport Terminal 1 before we board the plane!

My group mates for Cambodia! (In departure hall)

Arriving at Phnom Penh International Airport!


On the bus to UNACAS, an orphanage at Cambodia. This bus is so small that there was not enough place for all our luggage. We had to place at the last row of seats behind and some people had to sit on the floor. Lucky the bus ride was not a long one! I am at the back at left side of the photo =).


Our first lunch in Phnom Penh! Got beef strew with breads. It was really nice, especially the coconut ice-cream! Got durian, chocolate, vanilla, raisins, sea coconut and atap seeds inside the coconut. After our lunch, we made our way to UNACAS!

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