Uncle Piyong and Sarah Tong
Hope For Future Youth
Uncle Piyong:
I grew up in a kampong and I had to help out on the farm and help take care of the animals. When I was around 9 to 10 years old, I had to feed the animals and clean their cages and waste and use it as fertiliser in the vegetable’s plantation.
When I was older, I followed in my father’s footsteps and became a tailor. I had to deliver the clothes to the customers at their hotel. We were catering to the tourist customers. I had to wait for a few hours sometimes for the customers to return to the hotel and pass them their clothes.
As I lack interest in tailored made suits, I closed down the tailor shop and started working in bridal salons. As technology came into our life, due to the lack of knowledge, I lost out to the younger competition.
As my children grew older, I started a semi-retired life and joined my district volunteering activities and got to know people of different ages and make more friends and help them in whatever they need.
Right now, I enjoy my retired life. Every morning, I go to parks to take photos of the unique and rare birds that reside in Singapore. I also bring different groups of people to bird watching activities every month. I can exercise, interact with my friends and enjoy my hobby at the same time.
Hope For Future Youths:
To continue learning in the latest technology so as to advance more in their life.
Join local activities to know more people and volunteer your time to help older residents.
Sarah Tong:
I loved to read from a young age; my favourites were folklore and Ronald Dahl’s books. When I was 4, I remember spending warm afternoons sitting exactly where the sun’s rays hit the floor. I felt like I was encased in a fantastical bubble of my own.
Stories taught me so many things. It brought me experiences of culture far and wide, showed me how people thought, and taught me how to weigh values against each other. I thought they contained the world.
When I reached secondary school, technology brought many alternatives to books- Blogger, Facebook, YouTube… I was confronted with the stories and perspectives of real people. I began to see how stories could be complex, and how society could be fragmented or united, depending on how people reconcile differences.
I decided to study anthropology. I got to travel around Southeast Asia (and Singapore too!), and speak to people about their perspectives on social issues, and most importantly, their stories behind them. I learnt about the importance of empathy and respect for different perspectives, for a harmonious community.
I still believe in the power of stories. Today, I volunteer with children both in Singapore and overseas, reading to them stories to improve their written and verbal communication, so that one day, they may be able to write their own stories and appreciate the stories of others.
