Saint Augustine, a Bishop of Hippo in Algeria, once said that “the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page”. His words from over a thousand years ago still ring true today. This is especially so when travel has been made easy for us, which in turn has allowed us to appreciate the diversity of different cultures and their unique appeal. It would be a waste, indeed, if we did not travel and simply choose to ‘stay on the same page’ all our lives.

Recently, from 6 to 18 April 2008, I embarked on a new chapter of that “book” and participated in an Overseas Community Project organized by the Temasek Informatics & IT School. 18 students from the Diplomas in Information Technology, Mobile and Wireless Computing, and Game and Entertainment Technology, together with lecturer Mr. Jet Lim, flew to the Hainan province in China.

Our main aim there was to assist in the construction of a primary school’s extension block to house a new computer laboratory. In addition, we helped to paint an existing school building and taught conversational English to the students there.

We also had the opportunity to visit a secondary school where we were warmly welcomed by the students and teachers. We joined a number of their classes and experienced their education system first hand, even getting to eat lunch at the school canteen!

Although we did some teaching on our trip, I personally feel that we, as participants, learnt so much more from the students and the trip as a whole. One of the things that struck me was the fierce determination that the students had in wanting to attend school and learn as much as they could, even beyond their school’s curriculum. Their determination remained strong, despite having to travel long distances, at times in harsh conditions, as well as having to study in spartan classrooms. I felt embarrassed thinking of the times I was lazy and dreaded going to school, even though I was provided with state-of-the-art equipment and learning tools in my school in Singapore.

The positive attitude was not confined to the primary school students. The secondary school students we mingled with also impressed me with their positive mindset. They were living in the school’s hostel with up to twelve students sharing a narrow room, sharing a single toilet and having little personal space. Despite this, they proudly showed us the “home” they have been living in for the past two years. From the looks on their faces, we could tell that they were happy staying there. Their optimistic attitude proved to us that no hardship is unbearable when you look on the brighter side of things.

Despite the differences between our cultures, we managed to get along very well with the Chinese students and form new friendships. Talking about common interests such as computer games like Counterstrike and websites like Yahoo! helped us to break the ice and bond with each other. Even though I am back in Singapore now, my newfound friends and I still contact each other to talk about our common interests.

All in all, I have learnt to be appreciative of the things that I have and to treat every difficulty in life as a learning opportunity to develop myself holistically. With the correct attitude in life, one can overcome any challenges faced and emerge a better person at the end.

Mr. Jet Lim also had this to say of the trip, “It is a meaningful and enriching experience for both the students and me. The opportunity to see and learn from the locals is priceless, as no lecture or textbook is able to provide that kind of impact in our lives.”

Indeed, the Hainan Trip is truly an unforgettable and eye-opening chapter in my life, and is an experience which I will cherish dearly.