CIP Reflection

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to reflect on my CIP experience, on this Monday, 21 March.

On 21 March, the first day of term two, which is coincidentally Hwa Chong's Founders Day, the whole school was out, doing CIP activities, which stands for Community Involvement Programme. On that day, my class and I went to Old Changi Road, to a non-beneficial campaign called Care and Friends.

We were to get 3M products, and go to assigned and allocated unites and apartments of the elderly living there to install those products for them. I found this CIP activity very enriching and interactive, and it made me reflect really hard on myself.

Firstly, during this activity, i visited many houses. A lot of these houses were rather old and "not so nice". The apartment was small and rather dirty. This made me realise how lucky i am, and this made me contented with what i already have. Previously, i kept wanting more, wanting a new computer, wanting a new phone, new everything. However, now, i came to realise that those are all wants and not needs, and i better start saving up, and not spend everything i have, and my parents earn away.

Also, i came across many elderlies which were very unfortunate and pitiful, as their children have all left them, and did not contact them at all, after marriage. An example would be, there was one elderly man, and he had five children. However, non of them gave him money for his needs, and he had to continue working to support himself and his wife, at the age of 67.AT THE AGE OF 67! I feel that the children are really ungrateful, just "dumping" their parents away after they were raised so well by them. I will not follow them, and i will make sure that i do not neglect my parents when i grow up, but instead will take good care of them, and spend as much quality time as possible with them.

Last but not least, i felt really great, seeing the elderlies be happy and smiling when we installed those items for them. Even though we did not benefit physically, not gaining items or prizes, we gained many, many things mentally, such as experience.

That is about all!

Thank you!

Yours sincerely,
Mervin Lim