I'm back from Hainan!!! Guess wat... i miss the villagers there!!! Seriously speaking, i wasn't looking forward to going back to S'pore. My heart was very heavy to leave the small Xinjing Village.

20 days in a foreign country has made me a different person... a better person. Life has more meaning to it now. I used to not care about other people. I used to only think of myself. Now i know that whatever actions i take, there is a multiplier effect. Everyone around me will be affected by my every decision... by my every action.

Although the villagers lead a rather simple life, you could see the happiness in their eyes... in their very soul. They know how to appreciate the simpler things in life, they know the balance of nature better than us educated city kids, they know alot of stuffs that we don't. It was a real eye opener for me.

Life may be harsher for them. Working in the padi fields at the break of dawn, feeding the chickens and pigs, preparing meals for the family... but all these only made them stronger... physically, mentally and spiritually.

If given a chance, i would love to go back to the little village in Hainan called Xinjing Village. I really miss the people there especially the children. What a bunch of energetic kids!!! I also miss all the fruit trees, the cows, the chickens running around... and not forgetting the times spent making the longkang.

May the memory last for a lifetime... Xinlu Hainan 2002, u guyz are the greatest! Xinjing Village dwellers, miss u terribly much!