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After nearly two days of extensive journeys, the fifth
medical and relief team (from Taiwan) finally arrived
at the medical station in Hambantota today. Just as
they arrived, loud welcoming cheers started to erupt.
A patient, who was originally there at the station for
treatment, told Tzu Chi members that he wished to donate
his land, and took out on the spot his certificate of
ownership to show his sincerity.
This gentleman's name is A.J.S.P. Wimalasena, aged
44. He has two children and his 33-year-old wife is
pregnant. Thus, he always told others that he already
has three children. Wimalasena said that he has a piece
of land about 600 "ping" (or 21,000 square
feet), and would like to donate it to Tzu Chi for building
an office or accommodations.
Actually, Wimalasena is also a tsunami victim. When
the tsunami came, he was swept into the water. While
struggling in the water, his eyes got infected and began
to swell. His right thumb was also injured. Before receiving
examination and treatment by the medical personnel,
he expressed his intention of making the donation. Later,
Tzu Chi volunteers followed him to inspect the land.
Wimalasena's land is at a place called Welipatanwila,
about 200 meters from the sea. From where it is, it
looks almost as if it is connected to the ocean beach.
That piece of land was one of those first hit by the
impact of the tsunami. One can still see traces of the
tsunami. Its soil is oceanic land. Strong sea wind blew
hard right on the spot. It was filled with cactus as
well as a mixture of unknown trees, grasses and coconut
trees.
After visiting that piece of land, we arrived at Wimalasena's
house. It is located two miles from that land. It was
built out of bricks and cement, with an exterior not
covered with cement. The house has two rooms, no beds.
It seems that they sleep on the floor which was not
very clean. The so-called living room was a space divided
by a cabinet, with a bed for guests. Outside the house
is a garden filled with rough soil with a couple of
flowers dancing to the wind. His family is also not
rich. Wimalasena said that he used to be a fisherman.
After the tsunami, all his fishing gears were destroyed,
and his rice paddy field was corroded by the sea water,
too.
We asked him why he still wanted to donate his land
given his own situation. Hearing this, Wimalasena's
eyes turned red and indicated that when the tsunami
came, he really wanted to help others but didn't know
where to start. When he saw Tzu Chi volunteers coming
from a foreign country and offering their assistance
to those affected by the disaster without asking for
anything, he was really touched.
Thus, he was willing to donate the land to see if Tzu
Chi could build an office or something there. This way,
Tzu Chi members would always be able to come to this
land and Sri Lanka will always have the footprints of
Tzu Chi members. Wimalasena said that he does not have
enough food or money to replenish his food stock, but
he believes that man is like a grain of sand in a sand
pile -- nothing can be taken away at the end. By donating
the land, it will benefit more people. As for him, he
can continue returning to the sea to make a living.
While Tzu Chi members surveyed the land, every so often
he would sincerely express that if the Tzu Chi members
did not like the land by the seaside, he could still
donate half of the 21,000-square-feet lot owned by his
family.
Although both lots were found unsuitable after the
survey, Tzu Chi volunteers were still very grateful
for his devotion. Seeing the injuries of his eyes and
hand, Tzu Chi members took him to the doctor and also
offered him rice cakes and fortune cookies. They expect
to keep in touch with him for continuous care or in
promoting the Tzu Chi spirit.
Miss Zareena Samidon's family of nine accidentally hopped
into a truck that took them into a jungle on the day
of the tsunami. The ride took about two hours. Without
food or shelter, they were trapped in it for exactly
12 days. Fortunately, the local residents (aboriginals)
gave them some food to temporarily relieve their hunger.
After 12 days, they were able to leave and go back home
when they found a truck on its way out of the jungle.
In this tsunami disaster, they were considered lucky.
Not only was everyone in their family safe, but the
flood stopped in front of their houses. It did not result
in any financial loss to them. After returning home,
Zareena brought her family to the free clinic for a
check-up the next morning. Although she suffered a little,
Zareena still felt very grateful that her whole family
survived. Thus, she and her sister were very willing
to join the volunteers to contribute to the local victims.
The next morning, Zareena and her sister came to the
free clinic site as volunteers. Having received a good
education, she speaks fluent English. Thus, Zareena
naturally became a translator at the free clinic. Being
intelligent and a quick learner, Zareena grasped the
body language of Tzu Chi people within a very short
time, and exquisitely expressed Tzu Chi people's humanity
and love to the villagers.
A few days ago, house-call volunteers visited the affected
families to lead a sing-along session of Tzu Chi songs;
Zareena translated the songs on the way to the visit
and even taught other local volunteers how to lead in
the sign language. The songs carried a nice message
and were coupled with simple movements; it won the villagers
over and also allowed the volunteers to get involved
with ease. In addition, for some local volunteers who
did not speak English as well, Zareena helped to completely
express the thoughts in their minds.
Whenever there was a thought-sharing session, Zareena
was the undisputed candidate for translation. She became
the angel of spreading love and ensuring that there
were no barriers between each other's communications.
The two sisters, having read the English version of
"Master Cheng Yen's World of Tzu Chi" and
the extracts of "Still Thoughts Aphorisms,"
have basic understandings of Tzu Chi. A few days ago,
Zareena donated the stipends for working as a translator.
Four other local volunteers followed her suit.
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