Nik


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Tuesday, June 18, 2013 @ 1:39 AM PERMALINK

I had originally wanted to type a blog post about the wonders of coconut oil but after an evening of helping out at TWC2 Cuff Road Project, I had decided that my newest beauty obsession can wait  while I address something a little more serious.

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This is what happened to me today when I was helping out at TWC2's Cuff Road Project.

I was standing up when one of the men asked me if I wanted to sit down in the seat he was occupying. I told him that it was okay and that I was standing up because I needed to move around. He said okay but still looked a little ill at ease.

A little while later when I caught his eye again, he repeated his question 'You want to sit?' I told him that it was really okay and then noticed he was holding his back in such a way that indicated he was in pain.

Back injuries are very common amongst the men so I ventured a guess and asked 'Back pain bhayya?"
(Bhayya is Bengali for brother. I had to google the spelling and came across many different spelling variations so this is what one I'm using. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

He nodded and informed me that he had just undergone surgery on his back. He then flipped up the back of his t-shirt to reveal to me a neatly bandaged wound from the operation. 

Here was a man obviously in pain and recovering from surgery but somehow his concern was that I, a perfectly well and able 24 year old female had no place to sit down.

I told him that having just underwent surgery meant that all the more he should sit down and rest but as he smiled and nodded, I could tell that it wasn't really something he felt comfortable doing.

A little while later while I busy marking the food cards, one of the men came up to me and said 'Sorry sister, take one?' and presented me a bag of guava slices mixed with chilli. After I thanked him and took a slice, he brought the bag over to another volunteer and offered the guava to her too.

I don't particularly like guava and I have a very low tolerance for spicy food but this man had presented me with an offer I had no heart to reject.

Considering that this was a man with little to no money in his pockets and a heavy load in his mind, this guava he purchased must have been a real treat for him. Instead of keeping it for himself, he wanted to share it with all of us even taking the time to apologize because he thought he was interrupting our work.

Now, I know the cynics out there will say (and think), 'Yea, they are only nice to you because you are helping them.'

I beg to differ and here is why. While I wish I had more time to help out at TWC2, my contribution is merely a couple of articles in the bi-monthly newsletter and once a week at the Cuff Road Project.

I often lack the knowledge to confidently give the men advice and most of the time a smile and a few sentences of conversation is all I have to offer.

These are men that kind and good hearted. I have seen and experienced kindness and concern from them that I sometimes feel is hard to come by from fellow Singaporeans.

Yes, like all humans, I don't deny that there will always some bad seeds. But personally, I have yet to meet anyone particularly nasty.

I've watched as men who were strangers become pillars of strength for other injured workers. Each time they see volunteers struggle with getting information due to language barriers, they are always ready to jump in to help.

I know that these sound like very minor things but when you take in consideration what these men are going through, it is amazing that they even have it in them to be concerned about other people.

These men live in a certain limbo, uncertain of what will happen to them. Many are in constant pain from their injuries and many have to worry about the fees they owe to agents and how they are going to provide for families back home.

This is why I choose to keep helping these men and it is also the same reason why I get really pissed off when Singaporeans who have had no interaction with these men stereotype them based on their skin colour and nationality.

And no, walking next to them or sharing public transport with them is not counted as 'real' interaction and should not be an excuse to why your racist views are justified.  Post a Comment