Youth with a mission
Teen opts for Costa Rica instead of studies
K. Rachel went to Costa Rica to learn how people in other parts of the world live.
ALOR SETAR: Eighteen-year-old K. Rachel believes that there are many things one can do before joining the mad rush to enrol into a college.
So, she packed a bag and got on a plane to Costa Rica, Central America, to learn how people in other parts of the world live, and find what she wanted to do in life.
“I decided that after finishing school, I didn’t want to just join the rat race.
“While friends were joining specific courses, I decided not to make the mistake of going to college only to drop out after losing interest,” said the second of three siblings.
Rachel, a student of SMK Convent Alor Setar, was introduced by her parents S. Kuilan, 53, and Winnie Lee Lai Yee, 50, to an international Christian volunteer programme known as Youth With a Mission after her SPM in 2010.
Her five-month stint from Sept 22 last year until Feb 10 saw her visiting orphanages and helping the needy, including problematic cases such as drug addicts and prostitutes.
“One of the saddest things I realised in Latin America is the lack of women’s rights. While interacting with red light district workers, I found that they were forced into the job as it was the only way they could earn a living,” said Rachel.
Rachel said the trip made her appreciate Malaysia even more. “When you are with the underprivileged, it really makes you thankful for what you have. I love Malaysia more than ever now.”
She added that being a Malaysian had given her an advantage over her international peers as she can speak English, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, Hokkien and Mandarin.
“As the only Malaysian, I was a little nervous at first but the volunteers from the United States, Germany, Costa Rica, Canada, El Savador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, were welcoming and helped me blend in immediately.
“Surprisingly, the concept of having three different major races living together in a country was difficult for the other nationalities to digest,” she said, adding that her trip made her realise that although education was important, there was more to life than the pursuit of academic excellence.
“What I learned was much better than any class could teach. It was a maturing experience as I learnt real responsibilities.
“In a way, the trip has made it clearer to me what my career path should be,” she said, adding that she has considered furthering her studies in Psychology.