"We are not here to present the beautiful picture of MSF, but to tell you the harsh reality. A very crucial thing is that you have to be mentally prepared. Learn to adjust your expectations. When you are ready, our doors are always open to you."
-
"我們來的目的，不是要告訴你們做無國界醫生有多麼光輝、多麼無私。我來是要你們看清這殘酷的現實。重要的是你必須有心理準備。學會調整你的期望。當你準備好了，我們的大門永遠為你敞開。”
Dr Rhitam Chakraborty, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

“The technical part of medicine, I am sure you will learn it very well in this excellent university. You have the most outstanding teachers who will raise you all to become the best doctors.
However, there are things you have to learn on your own while working as an MSF doctor - that includes mingling with other people and putting yourselves in different cultural contexts. These take much more time and effort than you would have imagined.”
-Dr Rhitam Chakraborty, Doctors Without Borders/ Méde

“I am from Pakistan. I came to Hong Kong on my own a year ago.
I don’t have a job here. Everyday, I find a spot in the streets of Sham Shui Po, sit there, and observe every move of the pedestrians.
I like Hong Kong people, but they don’t seem to like us Pakistanis.”
--
“我來自巴基斯坦。一年前，我離開家人和朋友，獨自來到香港。我沒有工作。每天，我都坐在深水埗的一個角落，觀察路人的一舉一動。
我很喜歡香港人，但他們好像不太喜歡我們。”

“My employer’s family lives in Shenzhen. This child has been suffering from a serious congenital eye disease. His family is very worried and have brought him to a number of doctors in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the doctors said they can do nothing about the condition - the only treatment available is in the US. The family is planning to travel to the States for the cure.”
--
“我僱主的一家人住在深圳。這孩子有著先天性眼疾。他的家人非常擔心，並多次帶他來港就醫。不幸的是，所有醫生都對此束手無策 — 他們一家正計劃前往美國求醫。”

“I used to teach children with special education needs (SEN). Teaching requires a huge amount of love; teaching SEN children, many of whom are physically and mentally handicapped, demands “double love”. It’s not an easy job – very often we devote a lot of time and effort but never get the results we wanted to see.”
(She was showing the sign of the word “love” in the photo!)
“我以前在特殊學校任教。教孩子需要愛心,教有特殊需要的孩子需要的更是 ‘雙重愛心’,因為他們當中很多都 是弱智或弱能的。這絕對不是一份容易的工作 – 我們可能付出了雙倍的時間和心血, 但也得不到我們想得到的成果。”(相片中是“愛”的手語動作）

“Back home in Uganda, there are four thousand children who have been through our care. My favorite part of WATOTO is the children. They are always full of life and energy. In WATOTO, they get to grow and gain exposure. It makes them believe that they can be much more than what they have imagined. It is amazing to see the transformations in their lives. Simply mind-blowing.”
“在烏干達，WATOTO照顧過多達四千個非洲兒童。我最喜歡的當然是孩子們！他們總是充滿生機和活力。在WATOTO，他們有接受教育、成長和增廣見聞的機會。這令孩子們相信他們能做到的，遠比自己想像中的多。目睹他們生命的改變是一件十分奇妙的事。"

(As we brought a bowl of hot dumplings we just made to Tang Popo’s room)
“Merely having money is useless - there are too many things we cannot possess with money alone.”
--
(當我們把剛做好的餃子送到湯婆婆的房間裡)
"單單有錢是沒用的，這些心意是我們不能用錢買到的。”

Medical Outreachers Huadu Leprosy Village Visit

"You never know how sad this is.

When we were in Philippines, our dreams were intact. We believed that once we come to Hong Kong, we could do our very best, earn money, and rescue our families from poverty.

But Hong Kong is the place where our dreams are crushed."
—
“你永遠不會明白這有多麼慘痛。

在菲律賓的時候，我們對未來充滿著期盼。我們相信，只要我們來到香港，努力工作，就能掙足夠的錢養活全家。

但香港是讓我們夢碎的地方。”

Domestic Helpers Health Education Local Service, jointly organized by Medical Outreachers and Bethune House Migrant Women's Refuge

“One piece of advice for medical students?”
“Try to feel passionate about something. It doesn’t matter what other people say. It doesn’t matter if that doesn’t help improve your grades. This way you can wake up refreshed and energized every morning. Do whatever you like, make mistakes and learn something from them – that’s how you become more of a human.”
—
“給醫學生的一個忠告?”
“尋找一件你真心喜歡做的事吧! 不要在意其他人的目光，不要在意這件事能否令你學業進步。只有這樣你才能精神充沛地迎接每一天。做你喜歡的事，犯一些錯誤，然後從中學習 – 這能令你更有人性。”

☆ A New Year's Eve Special
"People tend to believe that life is split into sectors like pie, including the "family" slice, "work" and so on. I tend to see life as a symphony of different seasons, during which you have to do different things, experience different emotions and overcome different challenges."
--
"人們總是覺得生命就如餡餅一樣，被分割成不同部分，如家庭，工作等等。而我卻視生命為一首混合四季的交響曲，在當中你需要嘗試不同的事物，體驗不同的情感，和跨越種種難關。"

"Is studying medicine your wish or somebody else's?"
"Oh, it's mine."
"Good! Because only if you really like what you do, it will come from your heart."
--
"當初選擇讀醫科是你自己還是別人的意向？"
"哦，是我的。"
"那很好！因為只有當你真的很喜歡自己所做的事，做的事才會出自你的心。"

☆ A Christmas Eve Special
"When I was a kid, I used to peek through the peephole to see the decorated Christmas tree, which was not allowed until Christmas Eve. Once I was caught and scolded by my mom. But that one-second glimpse? It was just magical."
--
"還記得小時候，我會在平安夜前透過門鏡偷看已掛滿裝飾的聖誕樹。有一次，我被母親發現後被她罵了一頓，但那一秒，那一瞥，真的很奇妙。"

"What's more important than healing a man's body is healing his heart. Even when nothing can be done to save the patient's life, you should do all you can to heal his heart; to give him the faith he needs in order to put his life in your hands with complete trust, whether or not he survives in the end."
--
"比醫病更重要的是醫心。就算醫不了一個人的病，也要醫好他的心；讓他願意把生命全意交給一個醫生，不管最後是生還是死。"

"我曾經有一個客戶，她的丈夫和癌症鬥爭了三年之久，在這期間，她辭去了工作待在他身邊，不離不棄。醫生總是告訴他們還有希望，她的丈夫一定會好起來的，即使隨著時間的流逝，他的病情越來越嚴重。直到有一天，不過是眾多手術中的其中一次，他死了，就死在了那張手術台上。但令整事情悲痛到無以復加的，是他們夫妻二人都從來沒有想過，這樣就突然走到了生命盡頭。他們一直都抱有希望，最後卻連一句道別也沒能來得及說。"
Mr Rex C.O. Wong, Centre Director,
The Comfort Care Concern Group 贐明會
Official Website: www.cccg.org.hk
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/cccghk

"On my first MSF mission, I thought, if this patient were in my hospital, I could have saved him. But very soon you will understand that it really is no one's fault."
--
"在我的第一個無國界醫生任務中，我想，如果這個病人在我的醫院裡，我可能就救得了他。但很快你就會明白這不是任何一個人的錯。"
Dr Rhitam Chakraborty, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

"I've been working here for a long while now, and I haven’t seen my family in three whole years. Still, I can’t quit my job because nobody is willing to take up my spot; discrimination is very serious here."
--
"我在這裡工作已經有些日子了，我已經整整三年沒有見到自己的家人。但我還是無法辭掉這份工作，因為沒有人會願意頂替我的位子；這裡的歧視很嚴重。"
Medical Outreachers Leprosy Village Visit