Last Sunday, 29 September 2019, I involved myself in the Parish Sale as a voluntary worker. It was a genuine idea of my friends, Leonardo and Felix for us to partake in this event. The event was at ACCPC and we arrived there on time at 6:30 am. At first, we worked as unloading team members to carry all the hawkers’ belongings and deliver them to the designated stalls. Some of the cooking utensils and raw food materials were unbelievably heavy that we almost bent our back. Luckily, there were other volunteers who were there to offer a hand.
When things were ongoing smoothly, suddenly a heavy rain poured on us which carried on for one and a half hour. Although it was uncomfortable to work with wet clothing and patches all over the floor, my friends and I managed to cope with the condition without being panicky. By the time 7.30 am, the hawkers had all their loads ready and stalls set up primp and proper. Once the sale started, my friends and I took a break before helping out in the recycling team.
The recycling effort was organised by the Cathedral Parish, and our school’s Cor Amoris Club provided the human resource. This activity aimed to sort out all the recyclable waste such as plastic bottles and containers, waste papers as well as aluminum cans. My friends and I saw this as an absolute win to our environmental welfare; therefore we took maximum initiative to differentiate the waste and organize them into bags. However, we had to wear gloves and vest to ensure cleanliness and personal hygiene. The amount of work in sorting out the waste was incredibly unmeasurable that it almost drained out our energy in no time. At that moment, I started to regret volunteering myself, but it was all worth the effort when I thought about it wholeheartedly.
From this unforgettable experience, I had learnt and realized a lot of things. Most significantly, I learnt that unity and teamwork can always lead us to success in our life’s journeys. On the other hand, sloppiness in work can cause failure and even trouble to others. As I was putting my hands into the dump and taking out all the stinky plastic containers and tin cans, I started to realize that we, human beings, are creating too much rubbish every day until it has become a threat to our environment. From now onwards, all of us should play a greater role in reducing waste, doing recycling and stop inducing environmental spoilage.
• Lee Kian Hao (F4SP)
