...and i'm off again!
It's these damn itchy feet, i just can't stay put in one place! This time, i've packed my bags and jetted off to Guangzhou in China. How long will i stay? I haven't a clue. But with food at as little as 30 pence (one singapore dollar) and tons of lovely lady's throwing themselves at you...hmmm.... it might be a while....
But on a more serious note, these two days here is a very humbling experience. To the people here, i'm on a ridiculously high pay package (to my mates back home and everywhere else, my pay is pathetic). These boys and girls come from all over China to live in in dormitories that are shared by 10 other people. They share common toilet facilities and have absolutely no access to things like washing machines, heaters, dryers and television. In the morning they queue up to use the toilets to brush their teeth, in the evening they queue up to bathe and wash their clothes by hand.
Life is regimental and discipline is harsh. They indeed are a capitalists' dream work force. A people bred just to fit parts on an electronic device.
Their entertainment revolves around an outdoor public screening of some obscure chinese movie, basketball and badminton.
They live on a salary of 50 pounds (SGD150) a month. And they have no other alternative to better their lives cause they're too busy performing overtime.
And this is the picture of one of the better parts of China. I havent' the chance to see a real sweat shop yet, but i would love to. At least at our place the practice of hygine is strictly observed (but still, everything around me seems to reek of some weird smell).
So the next time you power on your computer, plug in your iPod, sit on your Ikea sofa or use anything that's marked "Made in China", give a moment and spare a thought for these people who toil, slog, sweat and work round the clock to make it all possible for you.
People who, not by choice are born into this existence, do not have the resources to improve their lives and may never, ever get to use these products they make.
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