* Yunnan Expedition *
.......a whole new world, 云南 **
5 YEARS AGO, in 2002, a group of NUS students embarked on their first community service trip to Yunnan, China （云南，中国）.
With only one thought in mind to serve the people in China, a 5-man team (3 'boys' and 2 'girls') were sent out to Yunnan, best known for her rich and colourful cultural heritage, yet behind the facade lies a community of people, wanting care and love.
.......our dreams and visions **
OUR VISION had been clear from the start:
We wanted to step out of our comfort zone to places we have never been to before, and we intend to be of service to the people in Yunnan, regardless of our religions, nationalities, beliefs, ideas and values.
Our first priority is to mould our characters into one, with a heart filled with compassion & a global vision for the needy.
a vision for the nation, a heart for the individual **
Reflections of a Houseman
"5 years in medical school paradoxically made me immune to humanity. Patients were more like organs than human to me.
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I remember freaking out as I realised that I had lapsed into the very mistake that I had always reminded myself never to commit. I suppose that when my patients become reduced to bed numbers and diseased organs, something must have gone awry. What has gone wrong? What is going on in me?
The red flags went up and my internal alarm bells started screaming. This is no good! It broke my heart when I discovered that I was not alone! Many of my peers and colleagues faced the same issues, mainly due to the system and how we are being educated, having to maintain a front of "professionalism" being the most convenient excuse. We need to do something about it.
There is a need to nurture people who see beyond textbooks and exams, to delve into the hearts of man, into places where textbooks cannot reach.
