Smile Away

Attended Eco Camp 115 as facilitator, where the participants are primary school students aged between 10 to 12 years old. Funny it seemed to be, as the slightest movements were able too give them a good laugh, hence hugging us and started to call us mom. Simple as us pretending not remember anything including our names, to making funky expressions along with exaggerated actions while teaching them games, songs and claps. Guess this is one of the reasons why many would like to travel in time back to the older days when we were still innocent and not know the word burden. Compared to the people around our age and above, smiling has somehow become a form of business, where we trade it with attention from others, hence attracting more customers as they feel welcomed and warm. We don’t find many things as funny as they used to be when we were much younger and we certainly do not laugh to a point where we would start rolling on the floor over the silliest action or expression shown. Perhaps it is due to the reason that we’re so obligated with the responsibilities we currently possess and the worries over our future achievements, that we not remember how nice it once felt when we get to have a good laugh, even if it costs us stomachache and tears of joy rolling down the cheeks. Yes we used to cry over the least significant incidents taken place and yes we would be running around screaming whenever we encounter the insects which are million times smaller than our size, nevertheless, the smile would always be there on our faces, as though the previous unwanted events have been erased from our memories, not leaving a trace, unlike us now, putting on the mask, not smiling anymore, from the bottom of our hearts.