Letter to Mrs Sim

Dear Mrs Sim,

How have you been? Ever since you left the school, literature lessons were never the same again. I still greatly miss the interactive and enjoyable lessons we, had as a class.

Starting fomr this year, the dance club had a change in choreographers. Though it may seem like catastrophe to the club, I feel that it was a blessing in disguise. Firstly, I need not face the infamous ferocious Mr Benedict Soh and secondly, we have now three choreographers! One of them was the mentor of our ex-choreographer! The first item that we put up for the year was for the Chinese New Year celebrations held on the 29th January 2008. We were only informed of this, three weeks before the actual day and the next few dance lessons were a rush: A race to complete choreographing the dance. The dance itself was not the usual ballet dance which the school had gotten bored of, given the high standard that dance holds. It is one dance that is youthful, light-hearted and a contemporary dance. A dance that the dancers prefered dancing to. The costume itself was supposed to be casual whoch was a far cry from what we wore on the actual day. If I were to tell you how the girls got to wear those hideous costume on the actual day, I would probably take up two pages hance I'd rather not tell. But I can tell you that what I wore, stood out like sore thumb as it was a total contrast from what the girls wore. What I wore was a polo T-shirt with a vest over it, together with a chequered white three quarter shorts. The performance I guess was quite a hit as we received a roar of applause and Fatimah was doing the Hitler salute!

The next and final thing I am going to talk to you about is something I have never ever expected to hear from an elderly person as I would never hear such things during my visit to my grandmoher who is living with my third uncle.

The school held the youth hands-on day on the 1st February 2008 where students would do their part to help the community and the environment. For the seondary four students, we were to go to the elderly's home to clean their houses and to befriend them. My team was assigned to go to Geylang Barhu where most flats were one room flats. The first flat I went to was small, cramped and dusty. I have to admit that we did not do much there other than wishing them a prosperous new year and asking them about their family background as they did not want to trouble us by cleaniong their house as the touch community would do so every monday. The first flat we went to was owned by an elderly couple who have great-grandchildren and since they had two rooms, they rented out one of the room to a man with a belly! We felt that other teams would need help and hence, went to their aid. The house that I went to was something that has made me more appreciative of those around me.

The house was a one-room flat with ceramic tiles and had adequate amount of sunlight coming through the window to light up theneat and clean house. It has occupied by a 78-year old widow who had gone through several emotional and physical pain and has no children as she has given her son up for adoption due to her health. As she slowly unveiled her story, salt water started to well in her eyes. The physical pain she has to endure for the rest of her life is the back pain. It started when she accidentally slipped and fell, breaking her spine. She underwent surgery and doctors placed a metallic disc at the spine causing her to sleep in a seated position which was why there was no bed in the house. The next is the emotional pain that she has to go through starting with the heart disease that took away her husband six years ago and the hospitalisation of her sister due to her being senile. She said that when she visited her sister, it was so painful for her for her sister not being able to recognise her. She continued that it started when her sister's grandchildren was taken away by the current while fishing at Sentosa's jetty and it had taken a toll on her that she wept for days. The elderly lady mentioned taht soemtimes themideicine prescribed to her for her back was so costly that the thousand dollars the government gave her was used up quickly. So much so that she tried refusing to purchase the four tablets for seventy dollars. Given her age, she said she feels so useless in the world that she cannot do anything for herself that shje tried committing suicide at the window. At that time, Mr Chong was there and together Mdm Anita, Shen Faye, Aaron and Li Xian, we consoled her and comforted her.

The trip had made me understand why the elderly would rather want companionship to luxury. They have contributed so much to society that is why we are able to live the lifestlye we take for granted today. Why are some of us living in luxury " dumping " the elderly in a tiny flat thinking that the governmentwould look after them? After all, they raised some of us up and i feel that it is unfair to treat some of the elderly like garbage, like a chore to look after them. I now know why my uncles and aunties are spending time with my grandmother. When will the youths and young adults wake up and appreciate elderly. All they ever want is a listening ear! ( Is that too much to ask)?

I hope that this letter would be able to tell you what the school is doing to inculcate the value of heart of a saint in us. Do reply to tell me your opnion.

Yours truly,
Ernest