Walking The Talk
Yesterday morning, APLYC8 delegates traveled to the Toa Payoh district to visit the one-room flats that house some of Singapore’s abandoned elderly. The
Journey started at Toa Payoh East Community Club, where delegates
were ushered to three different blocks of apartments. Delegates
either entertained the old folk or clean the apartments. The Journey
exposed delegates to the social realities of Singapore by showing
them the poor do exist in a city frequently associated with cleanliness
and efficiency, and not poverty. We followed two delegates from different
countries on their Journey to understand what its significance to
each of them.

Jessica from Australia has helped out in a Retirement Centre and the Salvation Army. She has also been involved in programs including collecting amenities such as books to be shipped to Bangladesh. Her background in service work may have prepared her for this experience, but “walking into the room and seeing the elderly” still left an impression on her. Jessica compared the experience to “jumping into another dimension”, a huge contrast from interacting with more fortunate people.

Comparing Singapore and Australia, there is perhaps a difference in the treatment of the poor. Jessica points out how we are probably more “ignorant” to the poor here, as many of the poor in Singapore are ignored. In Australia, however, the poor are more visible. To Jessica, the Journey was a good “change from the lectures and presentations”, to “physically get in there” and “get (our) hands dirty”. We have been talking about the poor around us, it is only right that we can get to “fully experience who the poor (in Singapore) are”.

When asked what her interpretation of the word “Journey” was, Jessica believed it to include some sort of “enlightenment”, and her fellow countrywoman and delegate Rebecca added that it could mean “a growth from one stage to another” encapsulating the purpose of this service learning, which is to experience mental and spiritual growth as young Lasallians.

Keane is the chairperson of the Lasallian Youth Commission in the
Philippines. Actively involved in service work, he has taken part in
many community development programmes, most recently traveling
with fellow Lasallians to various provinces in the Philippines to advocate children’s rights.

I followed Keane on his Journey, and our group was assigned to clean a corner unit on the top floor. The volunteer who brought us to the unit told us that its tenant, now living at a home for the aged, was dying of cancer and had about three to four months left to live. We were essentially to clear the flat and pack clothes meant for his funeral.

As we worked, Keane commented he felt “weird”. After we returned to St. Patrick’s School, I tried to find out what he meant exactly. Knowing that the tenant was dying and helping to clean up his things was, for Keane, “like carrying a burden”, and it was “small factors” like this that turned a simple clean-up into a unique experience for this delegate.

I asked Keane how he would interpret the term “Journey”, and he suggested “a learning encounter” and something “inspiring”. Earlier, I wanted to hear his opinion on the differences between the poor in Singapore and those in the Philippines. He said that the poor in Singapore are probably more fortunate because the government is able to extend help to them. In the Philippines, on the other hand, poverty is clearly visible. Some have no homes and have to sleep under bridges. There are homeless children deprived of an education and out on the streets begging for alms. Yet, when it comes to serving the poor Keane believes that the Lasallian community in either country can learn much from the other. “It’s about putting a value to the experience whatever the country and living out that experience at home.” Just as the Filipino delegation has shared a great deal at this congress, Keane’s Journey today will have its own lessons for him.

It is often suggested that because their government is so efficient, Singaporeans rarely see poverty in their day-to-day lives and as a result are desensitized to or unaware of the situation of the poor. I thought Keane would have something to say about that, and he did, but he also wanted to hear my opinion on the matter. In general, we agreed that though the idea was plausible it was difficult to determine the strength of its influence. Nonetheless, we cannot deny that the poor are easily forgotten by society, and hence Lasallians have a duty to bring attention to their plight. Witnessing Keane’s Journey and listening to his views reminded me of this, and that is part of the beauty of this congress. On the way to the Toa Payoh flats, Keane told me that there is a “distinct sense of attachment” between Lasallians. This connectedness enables us to step into the realities of other Lasallians, whether physically or through sharing, and absorb the lessons from these realities. Similarly, I have learnt from Keane’s sharing, and he from an uncommon Journey.