chinese childhood | funny personality | dragon boat racing

Childhood from a Chinese Perspective

I was born in China and I lived there for the first six years of my life. I remember being told two things that really affected me when I was growing up.
1. I would cease to exist.

2. My dad was extremely disappointed that I was a girl. The only reason he had begged my mom to not abort me despite an extremely difficult pregnancy was because he thought I was a boy.

The first one really freaked me out even as a kid. I was terrified of death because I didn’t want to cease to exist. I would go to sleep with fear that I’d cease to exist sometime during the night.

The second one made me feel like I was a mistake and unwanted. Although my mom always reassured me that I was the most important thing in the world to her, my dad made no such reassurances during my childhood. To me it felt as if my dad treated me as if I was just there, I did not feel like someone special to him.

Together these two things made me feel like my life was some kind of meaningless fluke. I was in this world by chance, but that’s ok cuz I’d cease to exist anyways. Yet even as a child I knew there had to be more to life than chance. So when I first heard about Jesus at church when I moved to the United States and His offer of eternal life I jumped at the chance. At that time I believed Jesus mainly to have the assurance and benefit of eternal life.

It was only later that I realized that Jesus is God and Jesus proved this by the miracles he performed and most importantly by his resurrection from the dead. To me, Jesus deserves to be believed in and worshipped not just because I want eternal life, but because Jesus has proven himself to be God. As for sin, I’ve come to understand what that word really means. Many people are confused or refuse to accept what it means, but sin to me means honouring or prioritizing ourselves over God or refusing to give proper recognition and worth to who God is. Basically when we sin, we refuse to worship Jesus Christ because we want to be our own little “god” and do what we want to do. I think this is where all the problems of this world starts, with our “my way or the highway” thinking. We don’t want to surrender our lives (thoughts, actions, attitude, dreams) to God – we want to be in control of our lives and refuse to allow God to participate in our life. As a result, the ultimate punishment for our sin, our rejection of God, is eternal spiritual death (separation from God).

But in spite of our rejection of God, the Bible says that God loves us so much that “while we were still sinners Jesus died for us ” (Romans 5:8). Through the person of Jesus Christ, God came to earth and undertook the punishment of physical death so we would not experience spiritual death and separation from God. I’m always amazed at the depth of God’s love for me and that he created me for a purpose. But best of all I knew I was loved unconditionally by God.

This realization and understanding of God’s love and purpose for my life took such a huge burden off of me. My life wasn’t a meaningless fluke. I was created and brought into being for a reason, to worship God I was relieved that this imperfect world with all the evil, pain, and suffering wasn’t all the life that there is. There is another life waiting.

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Hyper, Funny & Crazy

Friends and people usually describe me in three words (or their synonyms) without fail. Hyper, Funny, and Crazy.

Hyper – because I have this endless source of energy. I think I just feed off of other people. I have a “good” hyper and a “bad” hyper. When I’m hyper in a good way I’m honestly excited and enjoying whatever it is I’m hyper about. When I’m hyper in a bad way, I’m just trying to deal with my stress/worries/insecurities. I like to vent my frustrations.

Sometimes my hyperness can be a mask. For example sometimes when I talk to people I’m just talking like mad to prevent any awkward silences (I hate those!) because I feel really insecure in their presence. But then there are times when I’m so insecure that I won’t say anything at all. Hence the dreaded awkward silence. Dum Dum Dum.

This leads me to the crazy part. I guess my hyper-activeness can give off the impression that I’m cuckoo. It’s not because I do crazy things like jumping off cliffs or sky diving (I’m actually a big wimp – I’m totally terrified of heights and other things), but my personality is always full of energy.

As for funny, I never grew up thinking that I was funny or planning on being funny. It just happened within the last few years. When I say stuff, people start laughing or they tell me that I’m funny. Usually it’s just random comments off the top of my head. Most of the time I have no idea why it’s funny, but hey whatever floats their boat. I enjoy it though. I like making people laugh even if it is at my expense. I love it when people tell me I’m funny too. It’s a big compliment to me, just like when they tell me I’m pretty. Hahaha. Jokes!

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I LOVE Dragon Boat Racing

Just talking or thinking about Dragon Boat Racing (DBR), gets my heart pumping, and the adrenaline rushing. DBR is a water sport that originated way back when in China, and now it’s gaining popularity all over the world, especially in Canada. Basically there are twenty two people in one really long canoe like boat. Twenty of them paddle in sync with each other. One other person steers the boat at the back end, and the last person at the front end tells the paddlers what to do.

I love DBR because of the people and the teamwork. Such great friendships develop when you’re all stuck together a few hours each week for about half the year, training on land, and paddling on the water until all your limbs feel like they’re about to fall off in addition to other nasty things…like Lake Ontario water. You bond when you go through tough times together (and good times too!)

DBR is really a team sport. The most important thing, no matter how fit a team, is for all the paddlers to stay in sync and paddle at the same time as one. There is absolutely no room for anyone to get arrogant and try to be a star during a race. That would mess up the sync of the entire boat, and lose the race for everyone. You can’t win the race by yourself, but you are key to winning it.

I got started with DBR when I was in high school. I tried out three times before I finally made the team in my last year. That experience really taught me a lesson in perseverance. The first time that I tried out, I quit after one practice because it was just too physically demanding for me. I had only gone at the request of a friend. Plus it really creeped me out that our warm-up jogging route took us through a cemetery!

I’m not a wimp!

The next year I tried out again just to prove to myself that I wasn’t a wimp. I went all out, going to practices and fundraising for the team. I made it all the way to the final cut, but I didn’t make the actual cut. I was so disappointed, frustrated, and bitter because I didn’t think it was a fair decision, but that just made me even more determined to make the team the next year, which I did. Now that I’m out of high school I paddle with fellow alumni who share the same passion for the sport.

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Shelly talks about finding her father’s love 1.2.

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who I am | my spiritual journey

The kind of person that I am:

>I have a positive outlook and I’m very optimistic. My friends would say that I’m always smiling, that I do what I say, and that I’m going places in life. I take advantage of every opportunity. I know what it takes to succeed and I focus on that goal.

>My dad gave me the advice to Carpe Diem (seize the day) and follow my dreams. Future possibilities make life worth living…knowing that God has the perfect plan for my life.

>I’m proud that I have the ability to make a difference in the world and that I use that ability.

>I don’t like spare time… it makes me tired so then I’ll just sleep. Some of the things that I do in the time that others may think of as "spare time" include running, playing guitar, watching movies, hanging with friends, thinking, etc.

>I don’t really have a room right now… but when I do I like to think of my room as organized chaos. To others it may seem like quite a mess, but there really is a system, it just constantly changes. It is my sanctuary.

>I really like ska music. I also like just about any kind of music if it’s live. Watching the band makes the music even more enjoyable.

>Food I would consider dying for: Whatever is served at the Academy Awards after-party.

>My hero? Han Solo!

>Most influential movie you’ve seen: Well, there are a lot on this list. The most recent is Oh Brother Where Art Thou. Some others are Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, Memento and the Back to the Future trilogy.

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My spiritual journey:

>I used to be driven by success… success in the eyes of my friends, family, teachers. I relied a lot on them and their praises of me for happiness and confidence. I would depend on my own attempts to understand the world.

>One of my good friends was killed in a car accident the summer between high school and university. Burying him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It made me think seriously about life and death…

>I came to realize that we’re not in control. As much as I like to think that I can control where my life goes, I realized that only God can do that. From there it was only a leap of faith and I surrendered my life to God and began a personal relationship with God… I have to trust God to lead me through this crazy life that would otherwise swallow me whole.

>I’ve always believed there’s a God, some sort of divine creator. When I was a kid, I went to church, but it was like going to school — you accept that 2+2=4. I didn’t realize how real God is, how he can really be a part of my life and not just some religious teaching.

>It wasn’t until I started searching for deeper meaning that Jesus became real to me. I had to step back from what I learned and figure out what it meant for my life.

>I still struggle with my faith… it’s an ongoing process of growth. As I get to know more about God and how he works, my faith grows. But my faith is also challenged to grow when life takes unexpected turns.

>My whole perspective has shifted from simply thinking about the future here on earth to realizing that I should be living with eternity in mind. My priorities have changed – now my relationship with God and living for him is much higher on the list.

>Having confidence in God allows for much more freedom in life. Knowing that God is with me and guiding me and always loving me helps me to go through life with a positive and optimistic attitude because he promises a full and meaningful life and gives hope for the future.

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More about Ben . . .

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Chatterbox

I am a talker. I always have been, and I probably always will be. I talk when I’m excited, when I feel strongly about something, when I’m nervous. When I was younger and people called me a “chatterbox,” I would feel really self-conscious (which sometimes just made me talk more, since I was nervous). I also, ironically enough, feared the thought of speaking in front of groups of people. I wouldn’t shut up when it was just me and my friends, but stick in a couple strangers, or ask me to give a speech, and I’d freak out.

Growing up, I shared a room with my sister for many, many years. She must have been in her second year of university (and I still in high school), when she told me about a seminar presentation she was preparing. Half an hour in front of something like thirty other people! I made a mental note that when I got to university, I would schedule my classes so that I never had to do such a thing.

Ha. Somewhere between there and here, something totally changed. I’ve led seminars of ten, twenty, thirty people. Outside of the classroom, I’ve spoken for forty-five minutes in front of thirty people. I’ve talked for half an hour to a hundred people. And, wonder of wonders, I enjoyed myself.

I no longer think that talkers = bad and quiet people = good. Yes, I need to be careful that I don’t just fill the silence with whatever thoughts are in my head. But there are benefits to being the way God made me:

• I almost always seem confident, even when I feel far from it!
• I can bring order to the thoughts in my head (Who knew there was a whole group of people that, like me, process by talking through their thoughts?! We’re called verbal processors, and we’re the people who open up about a problem and then talk ourselves to the solution without you ever having to say a word.)
• I am able to put others at ease.
• I have opportunities to teach others, to help them grow, to speak truth.

Life In University

I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I started university. I only knew this: I wanted to move out on my own, and I wanted to graduate debt-free. I chose my course of study pretty randomly; I had taken a creative-writing course in my last year of high school and I loved it. I was also a book-worm. I read voraciously, and I used words like voraciously. So I applied for English Literature.

Turns out, I loved it! I think it’s the most fascinating option out there. I learned bits and pieces of history, sociology, philosophy, politics, psychology, theology, and anthropology, all through the lens of big fat books. And some skinny ones too.

It’s always hard to balance studying hard and having fun. Eventually, I came to realize that although I wanted to do well in school, it is not the ultimate goal in life. I needed to keep my priorities in check. In twenty, thirty, sixty, a hundred years: who is really going to care if I have a 68 or an 86 in ENGL3000: The History of the English Language? I think I will be asking instead, What impact have I had on others? How have I made my life count? What matters is doing my best with the gifts God has given me. And trusting that He’ll do the rest.

In my first year, any night of the week would find me out and about, hanging out with whoever had invited me. I was trying to make friends left, right, and centre. It was fun – and exhausting; I couldn’t keep it up.

Eventually, I realized that I was acting out of insecurity; I thought I needed friends, lots of them, and if I wasn’t always available to hang out with them, would they still be my friends? Then someone introduced me to a wonderful concept: boundaries. I started learning where I end and others begin, and how, when I know who I am, I can know what I need. And what I need is not six hundred friends. What I need is love.

As for living on my own and graduating debt-free, I moved out the weekend before I started school. Living on my own was such an incredible and valuable experience; it made me start taking responsibility for myself. And I managed to graduate without any institutional debt – just a small amount owing to my parents, who thankfully, are more lenient than the bank…

Continue reading Beth’s lifestory 1.2.3.

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who I am | changes in my life

The kind of person that I am:

>When nobody is watching, I’m a guy trying to get through life like everyone else. To me, just being myself means not worrying what other people think.

>My dream? Having a Harley Davidson, having kids…I love family and would hate to be without them.

My parents were great models for me… they still are. They taught me how to love, care for others and work hard. When my dad came to almost all of my baseball games, that left a deep impression on my life.

>My life is like Seinfeld! Weird stuff happens to me all the time…

>Saying sorry is always a difficult thing to do… I’d even say it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done!

>If I could meet someone past or present, I would want to meet the apostle Paul in the Bible… That guy was crazy!

>My room is semi clean and conservative… my wife makes me clean and won’t let me keep my junk in there.

>In my spare time, you’ll probably find me trying to figure out what’s wrong with my computer.

>Food I would consider dying for? A REALLY good pizza.

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My spiritual journey:

>Being accepted used to be a huge thing for me. Because of this, I made me make a lot of bad decisions in every area of my life: money, relationships, fun. I used to rely on friends for happiness, sometimes drugs.

>I always believed in God and Jesus because I grew up going to church, but that never meant anything to me until one day I was at a breakfast with a bunch of pro football players who were talking about Jesus.

>It just clicked and I realized I could actually have a relationship with God because he sent his son Jesus to bridge the gap between people and God. He came to walk and live a perfect life on this earth, to die a death on the cross he didn’t deserve, a death to pay the cost for my sin/rebellion and separation from God so that I could know God personally.

>I used to feel that I didn’t DO enough for God, but I realized that God just wants me to love Him. God often answers my prayers by placing people in my life that impact me.

>Five years ago I was a bartender and drug dealer. I hated people. I honestly couldn’t stand being around people. Now I’ve learned to love all people. I still have trouble liking some people, but I can love them with God’s love.

>When you let Jesus take away all of the crap in your life, it’s much easier to focus in on school, family and friends.

>We all have a god… for some, it’s a relationship, for others, it’s booze, music, maybe even your degree, but I’ve found that the only thing with lasting value is God himself.

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More about Brent . . .

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my faith | how I changed

My spiritual journey:

>I used to be mainly interested in boys and relationships with boys. I also liked school, volunteering, and sports. Because I was so interested in boys and their approval of me, I made a lot of bad relationship decisions. I got involved sexually at an early age.

>Growing up going to church, I have always believed in God and Jesus, but I didn’t know much about them. I was mostly religious.

I relied on myself. I had a great family. I did well in school. I was relatively popular. I tried to be a ‘good’ person. That gave me confidence.

>In my first year of university, I got involved in a Bible study group with some Christians on campus. People kept talking about accepting Christ. I realized that I had never done this, and could not think of any reason not to, so as I lay in bed one night, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and to come into my life and change me.

>There were no outward changes in my life until about a year later. That’s when Jesus became real to me. Suddenly, there was a definite heart change, from within that came from God. I certainly didn’t cause the change.

I was always singing, and I was just so delighted with God. I had a huge desire to study the Bible, and I learned to look at Him and his words (the Bible) for answers, rather than myself. He has a much better plan than I do.

My priorities changed. And I focused more time getting to know God.

>I struggled a lot initially with my faith. It wasn’t so much a struggle of believing in God, but it was more of a struggle of living a life that would please Him. There are some things I wanted to change in my life that I know weren’t good for me, but I didn’t know how.

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Overcoming hurtful relationships:

>I wanted to change my bad habits in relating to guys and getting involved sexually. God’s greatest way of helping me was to bring a strong man into my life – a man with great integrity – who would not initiate any sexual activity with me. I married that fine man.

I stopped caring what guys thought of me. In fact, I started avoiding guys altogether. I had enough!! That was the biggest change in my life.

>Now I have something good to offer people. I’ve become excited to share my faith with other people. As He’s changed me, He has used me to influence other women and help them know Him and grow in Him.

>God has helped me find purpose through His Word, and His still, soft voice. I love God. He is exceedingly kind to me. My purpose is to know Him and to help others know Him.

>Every student needs God. We think we are so smart, but we really know very little. Only Jesus brings the satisfaction and direction we are all looking for.

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More about Celeste

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my fantasy world | food and image | my hope in life

Living in the real world:

I struggle with living in reality versus living in my fantasy world. When I was a teen, I had no idea that my safe haven was living in my dream world. When I was upset, I would start dreaming about life ever after in a world where I was living with prince charming, where he made me feel safe, secure and loved. My mother and fiance had made comments about it, but I had no idea what they were talking about.

After my fiance and I broke up, a counselor helped me to see more clearly. When I was dealing with issues, I came to realize that escapting to my fantasy world was a coping mechanism.

God is helping me through it by making me aware of the times I am letting myself run away, whereas before I wasn’t even aware of it. When I recognize it, sometimes I still stay there, sometimes I pray and ask God for help. I often repeat things to myself, ‘No don’t go there, this is not a good thing." Or "Stop it Christina, remember that this isn’t reality." God wants to give me strength to live in the present reality.

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Struggling with food and image:

I tend to rely on outward appearance and looking good for confidence. So I struggle with my image and controlling my eating. In high school I was close to becoming anorexic. My parents realized it when we were on vacation. My mom talked to me and took me to a doctor to see what my healthy weight was, to help me to see what was normal. I didn’t care.

I struggled with weight and food issues all through high school. I was thinking I needed to deal with it, but didn’t do much about it. I talked to someone, who recommended a book, and I eventually finished that. It wasn’t until I broke up with my fiance that I began talking to a counselor specializing in eating disorders. She gave me homework every week, not always related to food, often related to other things. I saw a nutritionist who’s helped me see what healthy eating patterns are and helped me be accountable which I did not like.

My counselor gave me a prayer to pray every day that another food addict had written, which helped me tremendously. It’s a prayer of choosing to give my life to Jesus, choosing the truth of Jesus satisfying more than the empty promises of food, choosing not to be controlled like a puppet by my unsurrendered desires, choosing to give control to God who is my loving Father who accepts me just as I am.

Knowing God’s love for me comforts me when I felt like crap, and has given me the strength to face my suppressed emotions and thoughts; he helps me to face the truth because he’s a loving God.

I still struggle with it. Every time I share it with people, I’m reminded. I know what I should do but I don’t do it. I want to be free, I don’t want to continue living like this… I know I need accountability and ask me how I’m doing so that I learn how to take responsibility for my actions. What I need is accountability. You can’t explain your actions, you need to take responsibility.

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Knowing God through difficulties:

God is my source of comfort every time that I am feeling down with situations — like feeling I don’t have any friends or wanting a relationship with a guy to work out. Or there are times when I feel like my problems are unsolvable and life spins out of control with too little time to do everything.

Very rarely is there an answer in the practical sense — I don’t get a clear voice that says "This is what you should do." But as I look to God and choose to trust him that he knows what he’s doing, a peace comes from trusting that if I look to him he’ll work things out for my good according to his purposes. But if I don’t look at him, my focus is unclear. He does have a purpose and plan for my life. Then the answer unfolds. Not knowing adds excitment, even though I hate not knowing! It really is a journey and an adventure to follow Jesus.

Knowing God personally gives you hope. It means that there’s someone to help you through your problems. There’s someone who affirms you and believes in you when everyone else doesn’t. There’s hope.

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More about Christina . . .

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who I am | my spiritual story

A little about me:

>My dream job would be to be a volleyball coach by day and a Broadway singer by night.

>A dream I hope to see realized one day is to finish the works of Marcel Proust.

> If I could meet anyone past or present, it would have to be Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther.

>My best qualities are that I’m optimistic and joyful.

>Something I would like to change about myself is my unwillingness to show weaknesses

>I’d hate to be without my Bible, guitar, pen and paper.

>My most embarrassing moment was when I drank that lemon hand cleaner that Swiss Chalet used to give out at the end of the meal because I thought it was dessert.

>My room is a sociological experiment in progress.

>In my spare time,you’ll find me running, writing, and listening to tunes… folk rock and rap. I also enjoy volleyball.

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My "brush" with spirituality:

>Playing sports, getting good grades, and being popular. My life was about trying to show the world how well put together I was intellectually, emotionally, physically, even spiritually.

>No matter how good of a job I did at living my life, it was a stressful and burdensome life trying to plug every new weakness that popped up while realizing that I was probably doing my best from unravelling.

>I figured if God was there, he was a composite of George Burns, Santa Claus, and Zeus. I assumed that he would also be quite smart, quite busy, good teeth, but grossly irrelevant to the everyday world. Besides, if he was real, why can’t I feel him? Hear him? See him? This lack of physical evidence didn’t exactly appeal to my scientific leanings.

>My background in science told me I had to evaluate God. In considering God, I never assumed that I was the problem. In so many ways, I had broken God’s laws and gone my own way. That was why God seemed so naturally unreal to me and why he would also seem unreal until we do something about it.

>I knew there were things I was ashamed of and hoped no one would ever find out. I could see that logically, this was a feasible explanation for the sense of God’s remoteness and unreality. If he did exist and if I had turned my back on him, it would make sense that there would be breakdown in communication.

>I knew I needed to turn to God and be forgiven by him, made possible through Jesus dying for me. The results of God’s forgiveness were epic. I no longer felt like my life was spinning out of control. I was relieved of the weight of constantly being vigilant of my image and status.

>For the first time I felt free from guilt, confusion and stress — things that were directly attributable to my self-value being derived solely from money, status, relationships, and grades. What a wonder it was to no longer feel like I was constantly trying to prevent my eventual unravelling to pieces.

>I know that whether I bomb a test, can’t find a journal, or bounce my rent check, it doesn’t stir one iota the peace and joy I experience from knowing God. Life is worth living when you know the secret of being content in all situations.

>Most students seem to ignore spiritual things during their university tenure. From my own pains and heartaches, I’ve seen that despite our own perceived success in life, there are things more important than material and personal gain. We have all had experiences and feelings that we could not explain. We ignore brushes with the spiritual world because it feels ‘weird’ and ‘awkward’ and ‘what the heck would people say about me?!" when deep down, the truth resonates inside of us like the shattering of a window.

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What Chuck learned about himself and life in university . . .

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reaching a breakdown | finding a way out

A destructive lifestyle:

>Once I was climbing a mountain. I thought that when I reached the peak, I would see something wonderful and it would speak to me and fulfill me. When I reached the peak, the other side looked the same, no better.

I realize that this was a picture of my life. I was always looking for the next mountain’s peak.

>I tried alcohol and drugs. Occasionally I grasped that feeling of freedom, though it came at a price leaving me physically devastated and unmotivated, which is unlike me. But the freedom was always elusive.

>I had developed an eating disorder and was considering doing heroin to shut out the voices in my head. I didn’t want to die but I wanted something to numb my brain. At my lowest point, I seriously considered how I might commit suicide, wondering if I could find a gun somewhere.

>I knew how much my way of life was destroying my body and mind. I knew there was more to life than I could see. I decided to quit everything… I needed to find a way to see reality without the drugs.

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Finding freedom:

>I was looking for solutions. I turned to a New Age organization. I was attracted to it because it was spiritual, and because it went against the grain — it was something different.

>I had been drawn to church a few times before but would leave when anyone said that Jesus was the only way to God. But I would still sit outside of church, to feel God’s peace without having to hear about Jesus.

>I set goals to break free from my addictions and by one miracle after another was successful. I was finally free but I remember thinking, "Something’s still missing. If this is it, what’s the point?"

>One day when I was in a church again, God’s presence was so clearly there and he was extremely real to me. I became very aware of my selfish nature and actions, realizing that my selfish and rebellious nature offended God and separated me from him.

>I realized all the good things God had given me. I quit drinking and drugs. He gave me people that helped me find freedom from addiction. I asked God why he had given me so many good things. I wasn’t expecting an answer. But I heard a voice as clear as day, "Because I love you." It was so clear I couldn’t deny that it existed and that I’d heard it.

>Later that week at home, I read Jesus’ claim again, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." I made a decision to accept that Jesus had died for my wrong doings. I said to God, "If this is the way to you, ok."

>God has given me a joy I was always looking for in people, places, and things. And he’s given me a lasting freedom in my relationship with him.

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More about Dana . . .

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Quirks and Quacks
The kitchen is on fire!

A chef in Malaysia once told me that there were only two jobs in the world that were absolutely certain: a doctor because people will always get ill and a cook because people will always need to eat.

Until leaving home, I couldn’t cook to save my life but motivation from that infinite source of inspiration for a man (if you guessed a woman, you’re right!) prodded me to give it a shot.

Like Michael Jordan, I felt the only thing I could impress a girl with was being a “kitchen-mack.” That juvenile ambition soon blossomed to genuine passion when I discovered that people didn’t die from food poisoning and most even enjoyed my dishes.

My favourite recipes are those which combine different ethnic flavours – even though fusion cuisine is so ubiquitous in big city restaurants I still get a lot of pleasure from trying my own concoction with Thai, Indian, East Asian, Italian, Greek and Mexican mixes.

Knowing what you are putting into your system, making healthier (and often cheaper) food choices and having the ability to make simple, delicious meals is definitely an asset (and yes, it makes you a very attractive person!).

It is something I think anyone can be good at and should try out. I really enjoy cooking with friends and family; it is something that definitely brings people together like few other things can.

College Living Tips

• Recipes all students should know

Patch Adams: Please write me if you can

Another hobby of mine is collecting post-cards from around the world (and sending them on occasion). I’ve built up a modest collection of about 30 all over the globe from Taiwan to Hungary. I love receiving handwritten stuff in the mail and a post-card from a friend from a different location never fails to brighten my day.

It all started in 2002 when I watched the movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams and realized that it was a real story. This inspired me and I went surfing for more information. I soon found the real Patch online and discovered that he enjoyed receiving postcards. I sent one from Brunei never expecting to get anything back. But a month later, the man himself sent me a letter and postcard from Japan! I’ve been a post-card junkie since.

Dreams, Hopes and Ambitions
When I close my eyes

Nothing has fascinated me as much as the World Map or a globe. The whole earth with all it’s people, places and needs. With this in mind, finding work that is meaningful and that I’m passionate about is very important to me. And I truly want what I do as a career to have an impact at the place where I am and also to the world at large.

I care deeply about the spiritual condition of people, health issues, social justice, the environment, music and sports. I want what I do to inculcate each of these aspects or at least some of them.

But sometimes, less can be more – I’m learning not to compartmentalize things in my life or try to do too much. I have a problem with over-committing and having a lack of follow through. And I know that the “real world” is notorious for killing dreams.

I still think having faith and refusing to let circumstances dictate your life are keys to living beyond mediocrity. This may mean embracing the arduous reality of a disciplined life where the unglamorous rigours of staying faithful to the basic things that bring you towards your goals needs to happen day in and day out.

• Caught the Travel Bug?
• Eyewitness: Poverty in Bolivia
• Meeting my sponsor child
• Travelling in Search for Life

The Road More Travelled
The places and faces while growing up

I was born on the coastal town of Madras, in South India. I was an only child and since I was two, I would barely see my dad for the next eight years as he traveled overseas to work.

I grew up with my mom and grandparents and my mom really struggled to make ends meet. But she would never let me see her suffer, would always placate to all my demands and wishes. Life was simple; playing cricket, board games and stealing mangoes (an important rite of passage) were my primary activities.

When I was about 10, my mom and I moved to a little country called Brunei where we rejoined my dad. It was very different – language, culture, people and environment. I really struggled to fit in. But somehow, I picked up fast and made some great and amazing friends.

Since Brunei is a more diverse social environment, growing up there helped me develop an awareness of and ease in other social settings. Even though it is a very affluent country, my family was only lower middle class. We had to live out of a re-furbished car park for over five years. And since East Indians are a small minority, there was the definite presence of both direct and indirect forms of racism and discrimination. Thus I was very self-conscious about my background – both of my ethnicity and socio-economic status.

One factor that was constant in my family was our Christian faith. In India, it is very common to be nominally Christian and flaunt that status and discriminate others (see Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things). But due to separate spiritual experiences of my grandmothers, faith in the person of Jesus Christ was very much real and very important in my family. This is where I learnt the difference between being religious and being spiritual (i.e. having an active relationship with God).

I moved to Canada when I was 18 to attend at the University of Waterloo. This would be the genesis of change and challenge both tumultuous and joyous.

Daniel’s adventures in Canada

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Related reading:

• Finding your passion and working in it
• Were you designed for a greater purpose?
• Read more student profiles