Lessons from the island (2) - rented house
Lessons from the island (2) - rented house
While on the island, my team mate and me visited another household with the others from the church. It was another household that makes my heart burdened and sad as I hear their story in their struggle to make ends meet.
The house is rented from the landlord, who runs a billard centre. In the household is a pair of elderly couple with their grandchildren. The elderly man was handicapped due to an accident many years before. The elderly lady looked after her grandchildren - the eldest grandson is currently out working in our country so as to earn as much as he could to bring back money in order to buy a house they can call their own - his sensibility and hardworking attitude was a great comfort to the couple. The second grandson is in another part of the country working. The third grandson is schooling but often plays trauncy. The youngest grand-daughter was kind of obese (somewhat unhealthy for her age) and needs to cut down on the intake of sweet stuff, which is her weakness.
The space in house that the family rented was formally bigger, but as they could not pay the rent, the landlord took back part of what he rented out and converted it into the billard centre. However, out of goodwill he still continued to allow the family to stay there, on the condition that the couple takes good care of the billard centre, making it clean and speck, proper for business.
The visit left me appreciating what I have back at home - a house that I can call my own, a space that I can have on my own, a privacy that I can appreciate. God also reminded me of the many blessings we in this country have been so blessed by - things which the islanders struggle to own and have. Isn't it an irony that although we are so blessed, yet we are people who don't seemed contented - wanting more and more, adding more and more to our endless quest for the latest?
While on the island, my team mate and me visited another household with the others from the church. It was another household that makes my heart burdened and sad as I hear their story in their struggle to make ends meet.
The house is rented from the landlord, who runs a billard centre. In the household is a pair of elderly couple with their grandchildren. The elderly man was handicapped due to an accident many years before. The elderly lady looked after her grandchildren - the eldest grandson is currently out working in our country so as to earn as much as he could to bring back money in order to buy a house they can call their own - his sensibility and hardworking attitude was a great comfort to the couple. The second grandson is in another part of the country working. The third grandson is schooling but often plays trauncy. The youngest grand-daughter was kind of obese (somewhat unhealthy for her age) and needs to cut down on the intake of sweet stuff, which is her weakness.
The space in house that the family rented was formally bigger, but as they could not pay the rent, the landlord took back part of what he rented out and converted it into the billard centre. However, out of goodwill he still continued to allow the family to stay there, on the condition that the couple takes good care of the billard centre, making it clean and speck, proper for business.
The visit left me appreciating what I have back at home - a house that I can call my own, a space that I can have on my own, a privacy that I can appreciate. God also reminded me of the many blessings we in this country have been so blessed by - things which the islanders struggle to own and have. Isn't it an irony that although we are so blessed, yet we are people who don't seemed contented - wanting more and more, adding more and more to our endless quest for the latest?
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