Ice Breaker Speech: Myself by Ang Poon Kenn

Good evening everyone, my name is Ang Poon Kenn, everyone calls me Ken. Today, the title of my speech is about Myself.

As far as I could recall, me parents were not staying with me since I was 3 years old; they went overseas and started their new working life for some reason, and did not come back ever since. I'm staying with my grandmother, and she look after my elder brother, younger sister and me. I actually have not met my parents for more than 18 years and only communicate through the phone and social media. Can you imagine, 15 years of not seeing your own parents? 18 years of not having parents around the house, school and life.

My grandmother take over my mother's role, she does all the housework for us. She takes care of us. My relative, they are not rich but they sponsor me for my education and pocket money. However, even though I have the love from my grandmother and relatives, I felt that I'm different from others. They have parents accompany them during weekends and holidays; they can talk their hearts to their parents like buddies; their parents send them to school. I am very envious of them. Why? Why? Why? There are a lot of unanswered questions in my mind and life. I asked, why is my life so different as compared to others, why is it me? Why not others? So I started blaming, I blame the GOD, I blamed my parents. Because when I face problems, I can only seek help from my good friend whom I met when I was at secondary school. Because I felt the my "home" or "family" cannot help to solve my problem. They provide the financial, but there is a void inside my heart.

Last year, I got the chance to go to find my parents and at the same time to travel. My aunt sponsored the flight ticket for me. It was the first meeting after 18 years! However, when I first met my parents, there were not strange feeling. During the week, I talked a lot with my parents until my mother cried, and then I just understood, that they stay there not to enjoy life, but toiling for us. They work so hard is because of us. They have to stay in a foreign country for us. They have to speak foreign language, adapt to new working life, all because of us. So I started to understand and think, what I have is actually more than a lot of people. My parents are my parents, and I have my grandmother to look after us, and I have my relatives who plan everything for me. I actually have a very warm and large family. I feel grateful towards them. I am thankful for my family after the visit.

I felt very guilty that I blamed them. Now, I understand, without them I will not be here. And GOD always arrange the best things for us. Therefore, don't blame and complain even though you think the things that happened are bad. It's actually the way to make us grow. It helps us to be stronger, courageous and hopeful.

Back to you.

~ Ang Poon Kenn, 12th January 2015