Nugumbu woke up with a yawn, he was still sleepy, the commotion last night in the nursery had broken his beauty sleep. It was already 11 am, time to go out to the playground to feed and to frolic in the small pool of mud water with his new found family. This daily parade to the playground is mainly to meet the many visitors who have come to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage to see the baby elephants and to learn of their plight. Hopefully, some kind souls would adopt some of them in the form of a small donation.
The commotion it turned out was a new baby elephant that was brought in from the Tsavo region. Nugumbu learned from his family that it was a female elephant, barely a year old, rescued by the rangers from a watering hole. She had accidentally fallen in, while running frantically with her mother and herd when they heard gun shots in the night; and she had hurt herself badly trying to scramble out. "Poor child, she lost her mother just like me - to the cruel and brutal act of poachers", Nugumbu thought to himself as he looked around him. He has made many friends here, now they are his only family; most of them older than him, but all are orphans, with tragic stories of their own and how they were rescued and brought into this shelter. It will be their temporary home until they are old enough to be released back into the wild, where they belong.
Nugumbu remembered very vividly and with sadness how he lost his mother. He was only a year old when some men came in the middle of the night and shot his mother several times with those long ugly rifles. As his mother fell to her side, she whispered in her dying breath to Nugumbu to run as fast as he could to the bush to hide. He was trembling all night in the dark, behind that tall bush, wondering what was happening; and murmuring to himself several times, "mama, you must live, I need you!". Soon fatigue took over and he fell asleep.
The sun was blazing its hot rays across the Masai Mara when he woke up wondering why he was alone. Then he remembered the terrible happening the night before, and he rushed out of the bush towards his mother, crying out, "mama! mama!". To his horror, he saw his mother lying in a pool of blood, her body limp and her two beautiful ivory tusks were gone, leaving two gashing holes on her mouth and defacing her! "Mama, mama", he cried, "what have they done to you? Wake up, mama!" he willed her to answer him. He used his little trunk to touch her head and body to try to stir her to life. Tears kept pouring out from his eyes as he saw his mother not responding. He went to her nipples to suckle, there was still some milk trickling down. He stayed beside his mother all day and all night, crying and calling out to her, "mama, mama, I need you!".
That was how Nugumbu lost his mother - to the "poachers", he soon learned from his new family of brothers and sisters in the shelter; and that was how he was rescued. Rangers found him, semi-conscious, dehydrated and emaciated, still standing beside the rotting flesh of his mother, now infested with flies and maggots. He remembered vaguely being hoisted into a truck, which took him to an airfield where he was flown to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi.
For two weeks, he was delirious, hovering between life and death, with images of his mother flashing through his mind and his lips, murmuring, "mama, mama, I need you!" as the Vet and helpers tried their best to nurse him to life. That was 5 months ago, but Nugumbu never stopped yearning for his mother in his heart.
As the weeks passed, Nugumbu learned that the new comer, the female baby elephant had survived. She had fought hard for her life in the clinic, and to the surprise of her Vet and helpers, she had come out strong and healthy, and was given the name Cassia. Today, Nugumbu learned that she will be joining them in meeting the visitors. As she was being bottle-fed by her helper; Nugumbu walked shyly to her side and touched her softly with his trunk. She turned and looked at him and saw his tender eyes and felt his comforting touch, as he whispered softly into her ears, "Don't worry. I am Nugumbu, and I will look after you from now on and I will make sure no harm comes to you." Cassia smiled, and to reaffirm her friendship, she returned his touch by tenderly caressing his face with her trunk.
From that day on, Nugumbu and Cassia are inseparable...
From beasts we scorn as soulless
In forest, field and den
The cry goes up to witness
The soullessness of men.
- M. Frida Hartley -
Dear Mother
You don't have to wait until Mother's Day to know the deep love and appreciation I have for you, for being my mother and bringing me into this world, showering me with unconditional love and nurturing me into who I am today. Know in your heart that I think of you everyday with love and a prayer that you will enjoy peace and good health as you wake up to each new day.
The world has changed a lot since your time. I cannot imagine the hardships and struggles you went through in post-war Malaysia to bring up nine children! - a Herculean task that not many of us women are prepared to do these days; but you did, with fortitude, courage and hard work. As a mother myself, I can now understand the challenging/trying times you must have had, by the demands made on you and with whatever limited resources you had those days. You taught us valuable lessons in thrift, honesty, respect, to be content with what we have and not to compare with others - lessons which carried us through life and which we now pass on to our children.
As each of us grow up and leave home to have families and careers of our own, you must now feel the loneliness of an empty house. But in your heart, I know you are thankful, happy and proud that we are all successful in our own way.
Now in your old age, as we visit you during festivities and family get-together, I could see the joy on your face, but I also sense an ache in your heart. Joy to know that we are doing well; joy to hear the din and laughter of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren as they gather around you; an ache because you wished we could still be with you, and the farewells after each visit is painful. I know it is difficult to let go; but there is a saying that the best gift we can give our children are roots and wings. You have given me that, and much more; and for the love you give and for all the sacrifices you have made for me, I am eternally grateful. Happy Mother's Day with all my love.
Blessed is the mother who is too busy to worry in the day-time;
and too sleepy to worry at night.
-Anonymous-
7 May 2013
Friends and acquaintances used to envy me when they learned that my job required me to travel extensively. For 14 years, I was mostly in the air; or in different countries, meeting people of all races and cultures. I would be in a plane every week, and sometimes, twice a week if I cover the South East Asian region. "Don't envy me" I would tell them. First, you would have to live off the suitcase. I used to reach home, unpack, and at the same time, started packing for my next trip! I remember my children's remarks on a few occasions when I return: "Oh, you are back! When are you leaving again?" Second, you have to put up with the disorientation of time and space. Many times, when I awake and open my eyes in the morning, I would look towards the window and try to figure out where I was. Am I in my own room; or am I in Bangkok, in Berlin or in Ethiopia?
A business trip is far from being a leisure or a holiday trip. Your mind is all charged up, meetings have been arranged, so all your time is consumed in discussions, planning, decision making. Even lunch breaks offer no relief, no matter how good the food of that country is, as you are with clients and have to be sociable and make small talks. Then when you are taken to see a popular tourist attraction which your client insists you must not miss, having traveled all the way there, you cannot absorb or marvel at the beauty in sight, because your mind is cramped with ideas and materials to deliberate at the next meeting.
I am so glad all that is behind me now. All I want now is to spend time alone, at home, in the sanctuary of my own study room, surrounded by my books, my favorite music discs and my craft materials which I use for 'scrap-booking' the hundreds of photos of family, friends and of my travels; a hobby I enjoy as it gives me a chance to pen my thoughts on what I remember of a certain place or an occasion, in the caption for each photo. A picture they say, is worth a thousand words. Mine have all the wonderful memories that I want to compile and cherish as a keepsake. My friend SN puts it very aptly: "Having given all that energy into your work, it is natural that you want to retreat inwards, to re-charge and consolidate your energy for your own self now". Yes, energy to relish simple pleasures and nourish my soul.
Home sweet home! You never know how good it is until you are thousands of miles away and no matter how grand the hotel that you are staying in, it is never like home, where you can be truly yourself; where you can kick off your shoes, change into something comfortable and really relax! What a luxury it is to have all your personal things and all your clothes within your reach! How wonderful it is to be able to walk into your own kitchen and make a cup of coffee in your own mug; and/or have that piece of cheesecake cake in the fridge! For me as well, I treasure being able to have meals with my children; it is not the food that is important; but the time together.
Now in my sweet home, I find solitude, comfort and joy, just doing the things I love... and somehow, the silence helps to sharpen my senses, and gives me that perfect chance to connect with the Divine...
"Where we love is home - home where
our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
-Oliver Holmes-
