Be Inspired: Getting More Than She Gave

A nice story of Sabrina Ong to be shared with you all. Article from The Star, dated 18th June 2012 by S.Indramalar. Be inspired...

WHEN Sabrina Ong signed on to be a volunteer on a tsunami relief mission to Japan last September, she was prepared to devote her time, energy and love to the victims of the devastating tsunami that hit the northeast coast of the country in March 2011.

Having seen footage of the disaster trail left by the tsunami, Ong braced herself for the worst.

“In my mind, I pictured rubble all around … like the scenes I saw in photos and on TV. I was expecting to help with casualties which is why I listed my knowledge of first aid on my application form – I thought it might be needed,” recalls Ong, who is a trainer with Prudential.

Apart from physical damage in the affected areas – homes, buildings and even towns were torn apart – the Tohoku tsunami claimed about 16,000 lives and injured some 20,000 people. The disaster was compounded when a radiation leak was detected from three damaged reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

“We arrived in Tokyo and after an overnight stay, we got on a bus to head towards Ishinomaki, one of the cities worst hit by the tsunami.

“I was amazed by what I saw on the journey there. There was literally no evidence that this country had been so badly hit by one of the worst tsunamis ever. Everything was so clean and pretty. It is amazing how quickly the Japanese bounced back,” says Ong, 33.

Ong was part of a 37-strong delegation of volunteers from Prudential Asia Pacific. They went to Ishinomaki, a small fishing town with a population of about 150,000. A report in The Japan Times stated that ocean waves overcame 46% of the town’s land; about 3,000 residents reportedly died and thousands remained missing.

In Ishinomaki, the volunteers were split into two groups – the first to help clean up debris and the second group to join Project Yui, a programme for children affected by the tsunami. The purpose of Project Yui is to help the children regain some measure of normalcy in their lives.

“I was placed in the second group. In the mornings, we helped sort through the many donations that the volunteer centre received for the children.

“Once again, the Japanese really amazed me. We were sorting out stationery and everything was categorised. They even separated the coloured erasers from the plain white ones. I couldn’t understand why – shouldn’t we be sending these supplies off as fast as we could instead of sorting them to such detail?

“I asked a fellow volunteer and he explained that if things were sent out to the schools unsorted, the teachers would have to spend their time doing the sorting. To avoid taking the teachers out of the classrooms, the volunteers do all the work. Wow. Who would have thought of such details?” muses Ong.

In the evenings, the volunteers spent time with the children. They were cautioned not to bring up the subject of the tsunami with the children or to ask them too many personal questions. Photographs of the children were also not allowed.

“We were there to play with them. I expcted the children to be really fragile and after having gone through such trauma. I thought they would need to be cheered up or something. But you know what? Those kids were just so full of joy and instead of us comforting and entertaining them, they entertained us!” she says.

Ong was in Japan for nine days. Looking back, she feels that her experience there was fulfilling in more ways that she could have ever imagined.

“What I saw and experienced in Japan really moved me. I was amazed at how quickly and well they have recovered. And, even after they have lost so much, they are still so kind and so positive. I went there to help but I think my time there helped me more than anything.

“I gained a new perspective on life. I used to complain a lot. I was not happy with this and that and everything but after witnessing what the Japanese have been through, especially the children, many of whom have lost their families, I realise how blessed I am,” says Ong.

Source: The Star, dated 18th June 2012

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