Looking Back: An Arctic Dogs Collection

Jade - Looking Back

June 2006

Beidongshan Military Base, Mengguo

2pm

The first thing I heard on landing in Mengguo were the rumbling of the plane wheels as the military plane landed onto Beidongshan, the northernmost town of Mengguo. I was with the Singapore Red Cross contingent along with my parents, who had been Red Cross volunteers all their lives.

I was twelve at that time and preparing for the national examinations in the same year. My parents thought it would be great if we explored a country that I never heard of before, especially when that country experienced a devastating tsunami, followed by flooding.

My father was Singaporean, and my mother Swedish. Being part of a family whose parents are passionate Red Cross volunteers shaped me into becoming a helper at times of need. I passed my first-aid course recently, so I brought along my own first-aid kit and my primary school materials for the trip. "Jade, it's not a vacation," my father told me as the plane pulled to a stop an hour after the plane took off from Hong Kong. "We're here to help those in need."

Soon, the plane doors open and we got out through the back of the military plane. Many Red Cross volunteers were already at the base working with the local military, carrying crates of supplies with them. A colonel led us to a shelter where my father (leader of the contingent) gave a briefing of the current situation and delegate various tasks to everyone. That took only ten minutes.

Soon, my parents and I were on a boat with our group and we set off.

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June 2006
Around the flooded Beidongshan
3pm

While Mum and her team began setting up a shelter in Ice Peaks Primary and Secondary School, Dad and I joined two local fishermen on their boat and set off for what looked like a town flooded with seawater. My father took out something from his back. "Twinkie?" he asked.

"No, thanks, Dad. I'm not hungry."

Dad unwrapped a small cake that looked like a stick and finished it within two bites. We saw fishermen with boats full of rescued people, all affected by the floods. My father turned to me and said, "Jade, I want you to experience first-hand how your parents cared about everyone. This is the world you'll never experience in Singapore."

I nodded. Singapore experienced heavy flooding in the past, but the recent Indian Ocean tsunami never hit Singapore. I only see natural disasters on TV and in the news, but never in real life. This was my first taste of it.

"Help! Over here!"

We both heard someone shouting for help. The two fishermen steered their boat for the voice they also heard. Soon, we came to two arctic foxes on the roof of a car, one female and what looked like her son. We helped them onto the boat, their car totalled.

The female fox took the initiative to communicate with my father over what happened, but I was staring at the little white fox. He looked the same age as me and like his mother, was carrying his backpack. We sat down at the rear of the boat, the car behind us.

I started off the conversation with the white fox by extending out my arm. "Hi there, my name is Jade. What's your name?"

The white fox hesitated at first, but he took a deep breath and replied "James, but people call me Swifty. Nice to meet you too."

With that, this was the first time I talked to my future boyfriend.

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