Haiku

i

Glorious December…

ought to ponder, doubt no more,

thou shall contemplate.

 

ii

Seek intervention,

behold and put it to test,

lost nothing on it.

 

iii

Keep my fingers crossed,

east will meet the west in nigh,

a proud splendor day!

 

iv

Prepare to meet all,

in abode of queen afar,

memorable one.

 

v

Utter your wishes,

greetings will now be adieu,

see you in a while.

 

vi

Left my home out there,

no sorrow but full of hope,

no room for despair.

 

vii

Serve humanity,

embrace changes in three-fold,

change for the better.

 

viii

Eyes having no glare,

stomach aches every night,

half dead, half alive.

 

ix

Take my hand and rise,

we stay, we walk on same ground,

from morning ‘till dawn.

 

x

Each day will perish,

memories will never fade,

treasure worth keeping.

 

xi

Not in our days,

grandeur chance will be offered,

thanks to the Father.

 

 



Let me interpret to you the meaning of the above haiku.

 

i. It was December 2017 when the application for GSK PULSE Volunteer Partnerships opened. My line manager asked the whole team via email who among us were interested on it. I replied immediately stating that I was 70% interested. Suddenly my line manager asked me why it was 70% and I told her that there were a lot of works I might possible left with the team should I be selected on PULSE. She told me that we were going to think and plan about it on the upcoming month. That made me felt 100% interested on PULSE. After that our Finance Service Line Owner (SLO) gave the green light for me to apply.

My email to my line manager last Dec 2017.

 

 

ii. I started my application. I scanned through the long list of questionnaires. All applicants were required to answer the questions with at least 250 words. During my vacation leave last December, I was answering one question per day. I focused on all the information I was going to share and looked back on my previous volunteering background and any event/experience that would be useful on my application. I submitted my fully completed form on the last day of the application. Finance was busy during December and January for the year end close, hence my priority was closing instead of my application :)

 

iii. Here comes the month of February. It was midnight when I saw an email from the PULSE Team. I felt my heart was pumping so fast. With my fingers crossed, I opened the email and read it. Yay, I was selected on the first stage of application. After a week, I had a meeting with the PULSE Team for the possible assignment. I selected Malawi for my possible assignment, not because of the country but rather the Finance scenario given to me. I considered the perspective where I could help my NGO and where I could leverage my skills to create a long-lasting impact for them and the community. On March, my profile was matched on that NGO - Partners in Health in Neno, Malawi. I was so happy and immediately confirmed my willingness for that NGO. After another week, I had my interview with my NGO and they immediately confirmed me as well as their PULSE Volunteers. It's a proud splendor day for me indeed! "East will meet the west in nigh" - this was just a depiction of myself coming from the Eastern part of the world and going to the Western side to be a volunteer.

iv. It was May this year when 54 out of the total 66 PULSE Volunteers met in GSK House in UK. It was a memorable experience for everyone where we met personally the PULSE Team and amazing previous PULSE volunteers. Different stories from different people were flourishing on that 3-day seminar workshop.

v. As my departure date was already confirmed, I was counting my remaining days in Malaysia and spending it with everyone. It's gonna be a new adventure for me and everyone was wishing me to do all the best and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.



Wakanda Forever! Team Pinoy in Malaysia during my farewell dinner.

vi. June 14th was the day when I left my home in Malaysia. A 20-hour flight including 3 lay-overs in Singapore, Ethiopia and Zambia was not a joke. It was my first time to experience that kind of flight. And on the following day, 3:00 PM local time, I had safely arrived in Malawi - The Warm Heart of Africa.

vii. As I embarked on this journey on foreign land, I wanted to be an agent of change - change my self, change community and after my assignment, change GSK.

viii. My first two weeks with my NGO in Neno District, Malawi was an eye-opener not only for me but also for everyone who were reading my PULSE blog and this blog. There were people living with diseases and illness. There were people out there sleeping at night without any comfortable bed and blanket. There were people I witnessed without food in the past few days.

ix. To give hope, Partners in Health established its presence in Neno, Malawi 10 years ago, and it continued to support the community together with the Ministry of Health. PIH stayed with the community to deliver quality health care service to the people of Neno District.

x. As days passed by on my PULSE assignment, I heard a lot of inspiring stories from different people. I enjoyed working with PIH and built a strong relationship. I created memories with them in the past 5 weeks I was here. These memories were worth to be cherished.

xi. Thankful for GSK and PULSE Program to be part of this once in a lifetime experience. Not all were given the chance to have this kind of experience.

To God be the glory!