We received the book before the June holidays and we were told to read a certain chapter and do a reflection on a character. It came as a burden, as extra homework, at first. But it all changed as we got to know more about the character’s ups and downs through discussions. We had numerous questions forming in our minds on how these friends and classmates of Mr. Tan managed to embrace life in the midst of dealing with numerous challenges. Nothing beats meeting the brainchild behind the amazing book and Wow! We get to ask the man himself in the dialogue session on 31 July 2007.
During the dialogue session, Mr. Tan talked about adapting to changes and how the way you react to things which had happened before shape and enrich your life experiences. Somebody in the crowd asked how he felt when his friend died. Most of us were expecting the usual answer- sad and nothing more. But the answer he gave made me realize that accepting things is a very important ingredient in order to adapt to changes. And as these things happen again and again, you will learn to be calm amidst the grief, of course.
I tried applying it to my life, and it turned out great. I learned to let go of things which are holding me back, and I got to learn new things by doing that.
Isabel Cheung, North View Primary School, P6 Hope