{"id":1323,"date":"2013-05-13T01:45:26","date_gmt":"2013-05-13T01:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web02.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters2\/archives\/1323"},"modified":"2015-05-24T07:07:02","modified_gmt":"2015-05-24T07:07:02","slug":"3-day-life-in-sham-shui-po","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/archives\/1323","title":{"rendered":"3-day life in Sham Shui Po"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last month, I took part in a programme called \u2018Swapping Roles\u2019. \u00a0I had to stay with a single parent family in Sham Shui Po for three days. \u00a0Before the stay, I had only heard the word \u2018poverty\u2019 in the news, but now, I have had a taste of poverty for real. \u00a0I am glad that I grabbed this golden opportunity and had an eye-opening experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

The family that I stayed with is the Chan family. \u00a0The single mother works around the clock as a street cleaner to make a living. \u00a0She has not applied for the CSSA. \u00a0She wants to be self-supporting so she can have dignity. \u00a0However, her meagre wage is eaten up by the high rate of inflation. \u00a0Her salary barely covers the expenditure of food, schooling of her daughter and rent. \u00a0The family is struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

On the first day, I was introduced to the family early in the morning. \u00a0Even though I had mental preparation of what the environment would be like, I was absolutely shocked to see how substandard their flat is. \u00a0They live in a sub-divided flat with poor ventilation, poor sanitation and blocked fire exits. \u00a0It was quite hot that day so the room was like an oven and the air was stuffy. \u00a0The flat was too small to swing a cat and there was hardly any space to move about. \u00a0I asked the 11-year-old daughter Grace if she was worried about the fire risks. \u00a0She answered, \u201cI hope it will never happen, but if a fire really breaks out, we\u2019re doomed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve being waiting for the public housing for five whole years, still we\u2019re on the waiting list,\u201d the mother added. \u00a0\u201cThe Government doesn\u2019t help us. \u00a0All I ask for is to have a decent place to live and a life without hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n

By dinner time, I really felt sorry for them. \u00a0To me, it is common to have a dish of meat and vegetables for dinner. \u00a0However, the Chans could only eat rice and canned food they obtained from the Food Bank. \u00a0As we all know, such minimal food is certainly not enough for a growing girl. \u00a0Due to increasing food prices, fresh vegetables and meat are already luxuries to the grass root family.<\/p>\n

At night, I slept on the floor, in my sleeping bag. \u00a0Grace and her mother slept on a worn-out and wobbly bunk bed. \u00a0I thought to myself: They are such kind and friendly people. \u00a0Why do they have to suffer? \u00a0Why can\u2019t they have better quality of life?<\/p>\n

The next day was Saturday. \u00a0As there is a lack of money, Grace cannot participate in any paid extra-curricular activities. \u00a0She loves drawing very much but the family cannot afford the tuition fees and the tools. \u00a0Without a rich portfolio of extra-curricular activities, she would definitely be disadvantaged in the competition for secondary schools. \u00a0All we did that day was playing in a nearby park. \u00a0The fresh air and the spaciousness were really refreshing. \u00a0It was such a relaxing place where all the troubles seemed to vanish into thin air. \u00a0Grace said, \u201cThis is the only entertainment in my leisure time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, it was time to leave. \u00a0During those days, I established a close relationship with the family and it was hard to say goodbye. \u00a0I wished them good luck and we exchanged our phone numbers so that we can keep in touch.<\/p>\n

This experience would be the most memorable one in my life. \u00a0I have gained a lot from it. \u00a0I have learnt that I should not take things for granted because not everyone is as fortunate as I am. \u00a0We should cherish what we have and help others who are less fortunate. \u00a0Giving brings more happiness than receiving.<\/p>\n

The programme has truly fulfilled its goals. \u00a0It enables me to experience how the lower income family lives and I really value more of what I have now. \u00a0This personal experience helps me understand poverty in a real life situation. \u00a0We should always treasure what we have. \u00a0Living in a decent flat and a life without hunger are not a must to everybody.<\/p>\n

I think the programme is very meaningful. \u00a0Not only did I go through the harsh life myself, but I also reflected on my lifestyle. \u00a0I realize that I should live a simple life and devote time to helping the needy in society through donations and voluntary work.<\/p>\n

This programme is worth participating in. \u00a0If you are interested, do not hesitate to sign up. \u00a0You are bound to have an unforgettable experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last month, I took part in a programme called \u2018Swapping Roles\u2019. \u00a0I had to stay with a single parent family in Sham Shui Po for three days. \u00a0Before the stay, I had only heard the word \u2018poverty\u2019 in the news, but now, I have had a taste of poverty for real. \u00a0I am glad that I grabbed this golden opportu.........<\/span><\/p>Read More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","language-en","schoolyear-34"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1323"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3173,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1323\/revisions\/3173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}