I can't believe I'm actually posting something I read on TopClass (the Medical Faculty's e-learning website). But do read on...
This article is truly inspirational, and right to the point.
Welcome to Holland
By Emily Pearl Kingsley.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability –
to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand
it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…
When you are going to have a baby, it’s like you are planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Colosseum, the statue of Michelangelo’s David, the gondolas of Venice… You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After all the months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says “Welcome to Holland.” “Holland!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy. I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”
But there has been a change in flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is they haven’t taken you to some horrible, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. An you must learn a new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met otherwise.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and catch your breath, you look around and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills; Holland has tulips; Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy; and they are all bragging about the wonderful time they had there. And the rest of your life you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go; that’s what I had planned.” Thepain of that loss will never go away because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But if you spend your life mourning for the fact that you didn’t get to Italy you may never be free to enjoy the very special, very lovely things about Holland.
16 comments:
tony: Hi, thanks for dropping by :)
Hmmm but i want to go Japan...
touching story =)
study hard =)
my last paper on wednesday... party anyone? hehe =P
nice...very nice
leo: I wanna go to Japan too! Shopping is good :) And all the Jap food *yummm*
Next Wed?? I haven't even started my first paper mannn! :(
mouse: Touching hor? Gives perspective of how it really feels.
what next wed! this wed day that is tomorrow lol
study hard
my 1st paper is 2moro! *shudders* not enough preparation! ><
I like the article, it's a great analogy.
leo: This Wednesday?? So Soonnnnnn!!! I'm sooo jealous! *hmph*
kelly: Good luck!!! :) Wah!! First paper tomorrow and you're still reading blogs? Hehehehe.
But oh well, I'm like the pot calling the kettle black.
Touching touching..
That's a very nice way to relate to the situation, very nicely put, but true nonetheless..
Where on topclass did u find this article anyw??
Oh man.. cant believe the other ppl are finishing already.. and I am only starting to cram! *sniff sniff*
and all I wanna do is SSLLEEPPP!!!
and ED is not fun this time :(
heys, just realized this..
your blog is extremely photo-deficient.. need to go *click snap click snap*!!
*grin*
ade: Hhmmm.. yeah. I think so too! This weekend, babe! *winks* Hehehe
ade: It's under Child And Adolescent Health - Welcome to Holland. I was wondering what it was, such a random title. So I clicked on it. :) Hehehe.
Yeah man! I'm soooo wayyy behind time! It's super duper scary! I haven't even covered half the syllabus! I am just hoping that luck will bring me through this! :(
john vain: It's just an analogy. It's just the writer's perspective, and not the general consensus.
Chill :)
I went to Amsterdam, and I absolutely love it!
louise: Holland's beautiful, ain't it? I wanna go too :( But no moneyyy *boohoo*
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