Today my dear mother took me to the orphanage. This was all a set up as she said that today we were going to see something different. So mum came to pick my brother and me up straight from school. After a long and tired day of school I was all set to have some fun. after half an hour of driving, we reached our destination. I stood shocked as the heading on the building read ''The Singapore Orphanage''. I stared at mom but she asked be to be quiet.
I stepped through the wooden frame which held the dilapidated doors. A riot of light and colour greeted me. It was a small courtyard, surrounded by four walls and a ceiling of sky, with the peals of laughter bouncing of the walls. A bunch of children were running and playing with light-heartedness in a whirlpool of sunlight.
All of a sudden they saw an intruder. There was an instant silence and they stopped in their tracks. They stared at me as if I was an ugly alien. The tallest child, maybe the oldest among the girls, ran into the dark interior and emerged with their caregiver.
Slowly and slowly I managed to get to know about some of the girls and interact with them. I will have to say that it was quite hard to get them talking but unfortunately the boys were out on some excursion.
When the girls told me their pitiful backgrounds, my heart broke. Some came from poor families who could not afford to give them their basic neccessities. Others had been raped or their parents suffered from problems like mental illnesses and could not care for them.
To the girls, home is where the heart is. The orphanage is their home because their caregivers love them. They are always thankful for a plate piled high with white rice topped with a little curry sauce. They never know what hamburger's, french fries and those kind of food are. Electricity supply is from eight inthe morning to eight in the night. When there is no water for them, they leave without their water bottles and without brushing their teeth.
Today I really learnt alot of things. I have learnt to live with greater gratitude and commitment and be more thoughtful towards others. Constantly, I remind myself that when I am in rome, I must do as the romans do.
Just before i flew out of the dusty, house , my thoughts were-How can i do better than that drop in the ocean? Better still, how can i inspire them to inspire them to dare to dream to make a different in others' life. Today, I really thanked my mum for bringing me hear and I could say with my head up that this was not that bad.
Regards,
Yash
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