I have recently found the time away from responsibilities to sit down and enjoy the memories I’ve made, looking to old photos and videos of times that were far from the loneliness of isolation. I was a child who did (and still does) not like candid photos being taken – not the kind of candid where people pretend they’re acting natural, real candid photos.
Why? For the sole reason of vanity.
I don’t find myself particularly pretty, or the opposite. I think I’m quite average, but I just have high standards and it is quite the double-edged sword; in this context, it is more of a bad thing. Don’t get me wrong, I do not bother with putting on makeup everyday or even putting on sunscreen. As a kid I absolutely dreaded putting on sunscreen because it was super oily and I didn’t like how it felt on my hands. It’s probably the reason why I’ve ended up with freckles – far from the porcelain complexion of East Asian beauty standards. Do I regret it? Sometimes, maybe a little.
Once upon a time I hated my freckles; now, they’re just there. One thing I just do not get is why people are so obsessed with freckles. People even draw them on! Why blemish your perfect skin?
Back to what I’m actually getting at: I recently re-watched a video I made of my time at mission this year. It pulled all the right heartstrings and the nostalgia was there. I really miss the time I had with them and I can’t wait to (hopefully) see them again at Cessnock Alive next year. This highly depends on how well New South Wales does at containing COVID-19 but I know things will work out for the better, because it always does.
I have made so many versions of this video for different audiences. This one is the final installment of six videos! Most of the other videos had content more catered to showing content that happened during the program we organised, but this video was for the team. It’s a little love letter to the friends I love dearly and a little reminder of the fun we had.
A video can only say so much. It can be extremely biased when showing content. I’m not going to lie, mission was not just sunshine and rainbows. For me, a big struggle was waking up early and it was exhausting having to do that everyday! But a part of mission involves commitment to small sensibilities as that, consideration of your peers and the kids. The first few days aren’t a big problem, but when the lack of sleep and alone time catches up, it can be a big ordeal made from something very small.
I don’t remember if there was an issue like that during this mission, however, an outbreak of gastroenteritis does seem pretty up there. It began with someone on the team; he threw up a lot, but was shortly back to good health. It only went downhill from there. Before you ask, yes, I was one of the unlucky ones. On the last day of the program, my mind was everywhere – I couldn’t shake the lethargy from my body and missed team time as a result. Later that day, my duties as a leader was relieved on the account of a fever and headache. But by the grace of God, this did not incapacitate the whole team – about half the team went back to Sydney with gastro, but for the most part, we were alive and well!
I really miss the team, and can’t wait for the chance to see everyone again.
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