Prolonged Results

Some people in the United States take food for granted; they throw away left-overs, complain about what they have to eat and do not think about what they should eat. In the late 1950’s to early 60’s, there was a widespread famine throughout China due to natural disasters and mismanagement by the government; as a result, it brought hardship to all low income families. During this time, families had to conserve food and eat in small amounts to be able to have enough for the next day. My mom’s side of the family especially knows firsthand what things were like because they grew up during this period of history. Families ate what they had and saved what was left over. Times were tough, but by working together, people in the village were able to overcome the famine.

My mom’s side of the family resided in the rural southeast China, which was one of the most affected areas during the famine. The distance away from the major cities and the lack of economic development are one of the many reasons for being the most affected area. She remembered only eating in small amounts each day in order to have enough for the next day or even week. Living in a family of seven, there was not much food to go around. My grandma and grandpa would skip days without food just so my mom and uncles would have enough to eat. Anything that could be eaten was; even an animal that was no longer useful was eaten. There were days when my grandpa would go out to hunt for food to bring back home. Families all across the village would combine what they had to eat in to a big meal for all. In the light of all this, people have big hearts when faced with disasters.

As time passed, the famine grew even worse and more people started to die either from the lack of food or other causes. My grandma’s longtime friend died as a result of an illness that she had caught from the spoiled food that she ate. Some committed suicide by starvation so they can get out of the situation there in and some ran away from home. There were also many life lessons learned from this as well. Because of a lack of food that was going around, families learned to eat what they had. Some saved for later if there was leftover food, and never let food go to waste. There were many sad times and this affected all who were involved.

During the height of the famine, there was a flood in the southeast region of the village, and this devastated the crops and plants that were almost fully grown. This caused even more starvation, and everyone was in desperate need of food. The government was slow in responding to the flood, and it took them more than two weeks to send in help and supplies. Everyone in the village pitched in to save what was left and tried to make something out of everything. Due to eating in moderation, the villagers took the crops that were saved and made soup that lasted for days. As a result of team work and cooperation, no one in the village starved.

As the famine finally came to an end, there was a new appreciation of life, family, food and community. Many people who went through this period still have that mindset. There was a prolonged effect on the population and caused people around the word to think about conserving food. As of now, my mom still conserves food and never lets it go to waste. At home, she would save leftovers for later and would eat everything off her plate. During the holidays, she donates money to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, so no one goes hungry. She told me she doesn’t want anyone going through what people back in China experienced. I learned to have a greater appreciation of food from talking to her about her experience during the famine. Many things can be learned from what have happened. Everyone in the community united as one to help out those in need. No one was left out and everyone was included. Life was challenging, but everyone all worked together and got through it as a community. In light of all that was happening, disasters bring the good out of everyone. As it shows from the famine crisis the community came together in a time of need and this should reflect on all the people of today in the world.

Big Love- Small disease

Love can always show when people face big struggles. Even though many people think Hong Kong is a place that lacks a human touch, during the year 2002 SARS disease, I could feel Hong Kong is like a big family, which is silent but cheering with each other from our hearts. SARS was the biggest event occurred in recent years. Over three hundred people died because of this disease. However, this made my mom worked under a dangerous condition and my family and I lived in haunt and fear every day. School was closed, and my grandmother turned into a SARS patient for one day. SARS did not the only affect the public, but it had also did big effect on my family.

SARS was the biggest struggle that happened to my family. My mother is a nurse and she worked in the public hospital. During the outbreak of SARS, everyone was worried about if their family members would get the disease, because once you were confirmed to have SARS, you had to be separated in the special department of hospital for seven days with same kind of patients. Also, the hospitals are a dreadful place for everyone during that time. However, my mom worked there every day. Despite the SARS outbreak, she still had responsibly to go to work. Every day she went to work, my family and I were worried that she might catch the disease. Nevertheless, my mom knew that she worked under a dangerous condition; she was more concerned about us. She worried about if she go back home after work, she might bring the virus with her, and it might inflected her family. Therefore, she preferred to stay in the hospital after she got off from work than come back home and be around her family.

During the period of SARS, Hong Kong was suddenly turned into a city of the dead. In Year2002, I was in my primary school. One day, the government announced that schools in Hong Kong is going to close for a month. As a nine year old girl, all I could do was cheer, and I couldn't wait to share this good news with my best friend. However, this long vacation was the beginning of my nightmare. I realized that the city had suddenly turned into a dead zone. The streets which used to be crow in one minute crossed by three hundred people, during that time, were only crossed by three people. Everyone was wearing marks in the street. Moreover, I was not allowed to hang out in public places either. My parents forced me to stay home every day. Therefore, no one could really enjoy this long "vacation".

Furthermore, my grandparents were included as the high-risk of getting SARS. The government encourage people to check their temperature every day. Once they had a temperature higher than normal, they were not supposed to go anywhere but the hospital. However, one day my grandmother was checked and she had a high temperature. My mom was so worried about her and my entire family was wondering is we should take her to the hospital, even if she didn't get the SARS, still she had to be separated in the virus department with all kinds of sick patients. Therefore, my mom decided to let her stay home on the first day, and she was looked after by all of my family members. Luckily, she got well by the second day, and then we all had breathed out the stress.

Between the period of SARS, a lot of people lost their cherished family members. This disease was like a trial from God. Some people run through the trail and learned how to love, but some people weren't that lucky to have a chance to pass this trial. However, I learned how to treasure our love. I realized that family is the backbone of my life, no matter how bad situation I am in , only family will give me unconditional love. When my mom preferred to stay alone in a feared condition than let her family get in danger. It showed me that love can overcome any disease.