MEMORIES CAST IN STONES
By Sr Del Kang
There was a time when travelling abroad for whatever reason was rare as a blue moon. One had to be truly frugal to save enough to make perhaps the only trip of a lifetime. And to buy a souvenir during that trip required an ‘anguished’ decision. Buying one item would mean giving up others and tightening the travel budget.
In this 21st century, travel has become common place. With the ‘shrinking’ of the world, mushrooming of budget airlines, high remuneration, ease of travel, the world has indeed become a global village. Travel fairs increase to more than one a year and are reportedly sold out before each school vacation. Parents bring their children out, some at every break and others at least once annually. With higher spending power people are buying much more than they need, souvenirs, during travels included, among other things.
During the intervening years, when there was ease of travel people bought souvenirs that they treasured and gifts for family and friends who appreciated them. We know they have been to places from the display of mementos on their shelves or the magnets on their fridges besides the numerous pictures they take. Family and friends used their gifts with pride that some kin had thought of them while on their overseas trips.
Shepherd’s Cove, the project that recycles and raises funds for poor missions has received hundreds of souvenirs from almost every country around the globe and have met a number of people who had not opened up their travel souvenirs after years of buying them, and have gifts that were never opened. And though they have been purchased at some cost, they hold no value for people not associated with the places. The collected ‘souvenirs’ are resold for a very low price or are given out for free when no one wanted them.
It is inevitable that Shepherd’s Cove is landed with so many interesting articles as many people visiting other countries still have the itch to keep buying a souvenir or two as they can’t resist the temptation to buy them, then their interest wanes when they return to base.
I had just added two souvenirs to my collection. They had cost me nothing, and occupy a very small space on my table but are very precious mementos.
Inscribing the name of the places from which they came and a date on which each was picked up, these little pebbles become treasured souvenirs. I have had my first collection in 2010 when I was privileged to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land which included many towns and villages in Israel, a land with much desert sands and rocks. These stones do not tell of the beauty, the scenes and buildings of the places we visit. But nothing is lost since in this day and age pictures, videos and other visuals are aplenty for free access in cyberspace besides our own ease of capturing them digitally with mobile phone cameras.
Souvenirs, after all hold meaning mainly for visitors to the various places around the world. Mine are cast in small stones, as you can see from the following photos.
