My team went to visit a total of 4 homes. The homes we visited were at this few blocks at Marsiling. I've never gone to Marsiling in my whole life, I think. It's an especially rural part of Singapore, just past Woodlands. Looking at this place, as compared to Raffles Place, or something like that...the difference is extremely stark.
The few block of flats had solely one-room rental flats. This one-room flats are cheaper, and are mostly reserved for the poor/elderly. We were warned that not just the elderly use these homes - they also house large poor families who can't afford anything more. Apparently, some of the homes are used by drug-abusers too, and other similarly illegal activities. During our visits, I saw some things that I guess you don't normally associate with this seemingly prosperous country of ours.
The first home we visit broke my heart. It was home to an elderly Malay lady, who was about 80 years-old. She couldn't walk properly, and she was partially deaf. Moreover, she had her daughter living with her. I'm guessing that her daughter was about 50-years-old...but her daughter was wheel-chair bound, and had Parkinsons, if I understood correctly. The house was a mess. There was a pile of clothes everywhere, and it was dusty, and there was the faint smell of urine in the house.
We tried our best to help them. We cleaned the dishes, the toilet, and rearranged the furniture. We talked to them too, but the more they told us their story, the more helpless I felt. Because at the end of the day, the only thing we can really do, within the scope of our project is to clean and talk to them.
The second house was much better. The lady had been featured in the newspaper recently, as a former resident of Bukit Brown. She willingly shared with us her story, and talking to her was something that I really enjoyed. The house itself was quite clean, and required minimal labour; as such, we spent more time interacting with her. The same goes with the fourth house. It was encouraging; most of the time, this elderly don't really get out much, and I could tell that they enjoyed talking to us very much.
Let's back track to the third house now. It's by far the most disgusting home I've seen in all my life. There were syringes on the floor, dust, and broken glasses. The toilet had acquired a strange hue of green, from algae or moss. The amount of dust felt like something out of a construction site - way too much. There were no proper furniture. Newspapers lay scattered around the floor. There wasn't a proper bed in sight.
I kind of felt used in this case, because the elderly there didn't stay to talk to us as we cleaned. Instead, she walked off to a neighbouring flat to chit-chat, while we cleaned up her mess. I'm not sure what her situation is, but I'm guessing it's kind of dire. We did our best, anyhow.
At the end of it all, we cleaned a total of 20 homes. Each group had it's own interesting story to tell. On the whole, it was a very interesting and enriching experience. While what we could do is indeed limited, it's important to realize that at times, even the simplest gestures can go a long way. When we talked to them, you could really see it in their eyes that they have been looking forward to talking to someone, and share with us what they know, and what they've been through. Moreover, there's simply some chores which are hard to do for the elderly, and that's where we come in, with our muscles, and our youth.
Still, more can be done for these folks, I think. The overwhelming poverty...it's alarming, to say the least, and frightening too. I'm quite lucky to be where I am. I'm in my own air-conditioned room, typing away on my own laptop, playing music. My maid cleans up after me, and I never ever have to think about hygiene, or anything like that. My parents provide for me, and I never worry about having food on the table. It's things like this which I take for granted all the time - it's not my right you see, but sometimes, I do see it as such.
There's an unhealthy sense of entitlement prevalent in our generation which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We expect more and more and more, without ever being content or thankful for what we have, nor recognizing the fact that there are folks out there with so much less. And we also need to recognize that one day, we'll be old too. The clock's ticking, and our time will run out, eventually.
You won't be young forever.
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Here's a little Thank-You card I made for our volunteers. It looks nice, but making it is actually quite simple. I'm pleased with it. :)
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