Great Scot - The Scotch Family Magazine - Issue 151 September 2017 GreatScot_Internal_Sept_2017_FA | Page 41

Turning darkness into light
Sitting at a beachside restaurant in Dili, East
Timor, looking out over the ocean, you could
believe you were at a beach in any privileged
country. However, it is when you look inland that
you see contradictions. East Timor is a country
with beautiful people and a rich culture, and it
would cause you to rethink the term ‘developing
country’.
This is a country immersed in poverty, ruins,
and the burned remains of buildings, standing as
a constant reminder of the unforgettable atrocities
committed during the war for independence. By
contrast, I found the people to be happy, with
religion being an integral part of their lives. The
level of education is also encouraging as I saw
many schools with children proudly wearing
clean school uniforms and polished shoes. The
country is receiving a lot of foreign aid in many
areas, but particularly in the fields of education,
medical facilities/services, roads, buildings and
other infrastructure.
I made my own humble contribution, along
with two of my close family friends. I did this by
teaching English to some of the hospital staff
in Baucau hospital over a week in July. It was
a challenging experience because we weren’t
aware of their current experience with English.
Therefore we prepared for basic communication
skills, as well as vocabulary enhancement
games. We also focused on grammar and
sentence construction.
It was a very enlightening and enriching
experience for me to be a part of the Rotary Club
of Wagga Wagga’s ‘Darkness to Light’ project.
The project, aimed at providing eye care and
surgical services to the visually impaired in India,
the Riverina region of New South Wales, and now
East Timor, was initiated in 2005 by my father, Dr
Alok Sharma, an ophthalmologist, when I was
just a toddler.
I have joined my father at many eye camps
he had organised, but this was the first one I
attended where I had a definitive role; taking the
initiative and planning lessons. This experience,
once again, taught me how lucky we are to live
in such a beautiful country, where we enjoy basic
privileges of which the people of East Timor can
only dream.
I would encourage everyone to engage in the
world around them and look for opportunities to
make the world a better place.
VAROON SHARMA - YEAR 7
ABOVE: VAROON SHARMA JOINS OTHER VOLUNTEERS
TEACHING CHILDREN IN BAUCAU AT THE EAST TIMOR
EYE PROJECT.
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