It started with SEA Games 2005, in Philippines
I want to do explore doing something
well, beneficial, in somewhere foreign
cos I feel like a parasite here & not contributing
so I thought why not fly AWAY to the unknown
and so I send an email to the unknown
to the -sea games 2005 volunteers- where i googled
(by the way, rationally, this is quite a risky take
cos anyone can fake to be an organization...)
and start saving my money
one day out of nowhere...
just 2 weeks before SEA GAMES
I got a reply AND quickly got all my papers ready
emailed it and wait for the confirmation
there's a girl Maria Rose Narag who followed up with me
and I guess that means I'm on my way to Volunteer~
It was a race against time, to save enough $$
purchase last minute air ticket
accomodation wise, Maria told me not to worry
I only have RM2000 (converted to pesos la)
when I was in Manila, and I dont have a credit card
but I believe her completely
10 days of one of the most amazing experience
to help and to support and to learn
and to love strangers that i've never met b4
I learnt that
everyone needs a little more caring
and everyone can give a little bit more
and that luck really has to be by your side
and blessing is one of the most precious 'thing'
that you really should start appreciating
because with that you survive through the hardest
most impossible/unimaginable time
not that there were any life threatening situation
but i ate a lot of pork, balut, intestines etc
which was quite health threatening-la.
somehow... I kinda learn that I love contributing
but volunteering is a very expensive hobby
you seee.....
i want to teach english
(not that my english is great)
i want to save animals
(i dont know a lot of their habitats to begin with)
i want to constructively contribute in building
something useful for the society
(not that i have any USEFUL skills)
there is a lot i want to give
but unable to do so bcos i am not capable enough
sometimes i am so angry at myself for being so useless
seriously, there is much more i must learn
even before i think about doing it
sports volunteering seemed basic enough to start with
(trust me, i dont even eff-ing know any proper sports rules!)
ANYWAYS
The Star did an interview with me,
they found me at the departure gate in the airport,
they got wind of this Malaysian girl
volunteering in sEA GAmes...
which is good bcos i met the coolest sports editor
who by the way, has rock & roll ponytail!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
after the article was published in The Star
& also in a sports newspaper
BubbleChristina contacted me and we planned
to volunteer together in the future
the more the merrier!
BubbleChristina volunteered in Commonwealth Games, AUS
which was a bigger sporting event too!
~~~~~~~~~~
Doha Asian Games 2006 is what we both aim
to volunteer together, but I was
in Liverpool UK, pursuing my Degree
and i didnt have enough time or money
to work on this, until I came back to Malaysia,
which is like 2 months away from the Asian Games
race against time again, BubbleChristina
has great ideas abt getting sponsors for our trip
cos its really pricy in MiddleEast,
everything is in bloody USD & nothing comes cheap
we manage (after allll our emails effort)
find a few Malaysian expats who's living in Doha
to sponsor us the accomodation.
so all we need to worry is the air ticket now
but neither Qatar nor Emirates nor Mas wanna sponsor us
even after The Sun helped publish our 'public plea'
we were veryyyy sad...we were both students
and we cant fork out RM10,000 in just 2 months can we?
i cannot ask from my parents cos i use their money for LJMU
BubbleChristina is saving for her studies in Australia as well
so how??? we didnt even scrap the idea until the final week
when InfoStrada sports offered us position to be with
Media Centre, accomodation/transport included
and we get to pick the sport of our choice!
so i picked swimming/badminton/squash
but still we cant save enough money for air ticket
so we not just let our own hopes down
we let everyone who had helped us hopes down too
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The experience with Asian Games
was not too devastating but it wasnt a very
optimistic feeling either,
it really sunked my confidence
because money talks and this is reality
no one is going to help PAY for your
VOLUNTEER activities
so i aimed to get a job so i can save
PROPERLY this time!!!!!!
and i dont need to beg.
and i can do WHATEVER I LIKE
with money.
thats why people change
its the experience that changes them
and i change as well,
the more i see, the more i feel,
the more i know i must do something abt this
i dont mind telling people i am saving money
that has always been my annoying tagline
just so i can pursue what i like
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beijing Olympic Games
BubbleChristina took a lot effort to convince me,
to her this is the ultimate sports event to volunteer,
to me? fuket la...
i rather go help save dolphins or aboriginals.
by learning scuba dive or built proper things
but one part of me is not satisfied
how can i give up so easily????
and so...we email and email again
until one day BubbleChristina came across a news
abt Malaysian Volunteers ...
i have that news printed out and taped
in front of me near my office desk,
bcos its a painful reminder
and that motivates me (but quite depressing also)
we emailed MCA Youth and even tho the response was slow
at least they do answer our queries and follow up
that was in May....
its November now, we get a second email
telling us that this Friday,
there will be an interview conducted
at 1pm, in MCA.
we need to bring our resume (in mandarin)
2 passport size photos and be there
i was so shocked (too happy)
and suddenly dunno what to do
bcos my obvious pessismitic side said
"fuket la ling fei wen...wont get one la"
~~~~~~~~~
"Julian, remember the first time you interviewed me?"
"yeah?"
"i told you that I volunteered in SEA Games right?"
"yeah?"
"Well, today, i received an invitation to attend an interview
for the Beijing Olympics"
"awesome!"
MaryBerry was there, I looked at her for help
"but um....."
"but what?"
MaryBerry immediately cue in
"But the interview is on a weekday, this Friday"
"well, i dont see any problem of you going for an interview"
(@_@)
"REALLY????"
"yeah, why not"
"but what if i dont get it" (sooo pessimistic!)
"well, dont worry abt it, just go..." then Julian was
saying something something but i was too deliriously
happy to even listen to him and GRIN at MaryBerry!!
THANK YOU!!!!!
2 comments:
I admire your volunteerism, and also agree with your stance on Beijing Olympics. I am skeptical on this event because of my observation on China's corruption is getting worse than ever. even though certain human right records have improved, but it destroys certain poor people in Beijing and elsewhere in China. Many hutongs have been demolished to pave for more facilities and flashing Americanized Dallas-like buildings.
While paying more attention on promoting the events, why wouldn't the Chinese government spend more time to improve their poor citizens' livelihood?
Olympic is a good event to renew a nation's fame and bring the spirt of sport with a message for peace, but it also destroy certain things for the sake of the event. At here in Vancouver, my primary home is in the heart of Vancouver on Oak Street and it is close to a district where the future Skytrain station would be located (King Edward and Cambie). Since there are a lot of construction sites along Cambie Street, most businesses slumped for more than half of their usual rate after bulldozing. Many small busineeses couldn't survive for six months and collapsed.
Another direct experience for me is my permanent home (my parents live there) in Lions Bay, whereas it is next to a highway between Vancouver and Whistler (where the sliding events would be held). Before the road widening project, there were a lot of protests from Lions Bay residents in concerning there would be a more noise caused from rushing skiers to Whistler or back to Vancouver upon the this project is done. It is mainly because of the Olympic in 2010 that has led to this construction commenced immediately for the "safety" of the those drivers to Whistler; although this proposed project has been discusses for more than a decade or two. After Lions Bay area has widened, it has proven us wrong that the noise is still good; since my home is by the beach at the foothill and about 250 kms from the highway.
HOWEVER, we noticed a change in ecology because of the construction. Since Sunday, there was a storm with strong wind at 100km/h until Monday noon, it knocked down more trees than ever. There have been similar storms in the past, but none were as devastated as in the past two years. The worse is in winter because we will be freezing in a house at close to zero degree with no heat. Last year was the worse for us as my parents were trapped for 6 days with no heat at -5. I had to take my father out and back to my home in Vancouver due to his health problem, and my place is quite secured because of having less trees (waiting to fall) and the electric wires are underground instead of using poles as in the countryside. The same thing happened again recent Sunday evening until Monday morning, creating the same damage but this time the power outage only lasted for 14 hours, but it was fearsome since it reminded us such an unbearable experience of last year.
We began to question why are there more fallen trees than before? It is very likely that due to the Olympic led to an initiation for this road-widening project caused such a change in our environment. In order to make space for widening, more trees are chopped down and the soil might have been degraded and weakening. Therefore, it would cause more trees fallen down due to the weaken soil and the electric poles are next to the highway.
Yeah, I also like your compassion for the indigenous folks. Teaching English is a good idea but it can led to an impact to their culture too, unless those folks know how to treasure their identity and community; unlike my experience in Beijing where I had met many Chinese bourgeois who became "modernized" (more likely "Americanized") and forget where they came from. I have never question about that until I realized how impactive globalization can be.
Globalization began in Victorian age when transportation and communication networks started to bring people around the world together. It is very much like your previous discussion with your friends whether it is a coincidence or fate; indeed, the world is getting a LOT smaller. Victorian Britain, although a ruthless imperialist regime, they were bounded with some morality and conscience. Things have changed when America has replaced Britain after World War II, their globalization is operated by multinational businesses like Coca-Cola, Disney, Nike, Gap and others... It seems to me that people in all over the globe are willing to sacrifice for those products, either in the U.S. or outside. In the end, certain local cultures, if unaware, they maybe a slave to American consumerism.
Nevertheless, please keep up your dreams, because it is a good cause.
- Alex
alex.... omg. (-_-)
u might as well just send me email!!! LOL
hey, quick question, can acrylic and water color go together in one painting???
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