I breathed the fresh air as I walked to the Ras Al Hadd beach, the location Bank Muscat chose for this year’s annual retreat. Being the head of Operational Risk Management department I got invited. I stopped walking as I reached the beach.
I was shocked! I couldn’t see them from faraway, yet here they are. Plastic trash covered the sand; seeing plastic bags, bottles, cutlery and boxes on our beautiful beach saddened me. How could someone leave trash on an animal sanctuary when there are lots of rubbish bins around? I picked up the trash and threw it away.
I stopped at the shore. I saw some Loggerhead turtles and didn’t want to get too close to scare them. However, something startled me. One of the turtles was choking on a plastic bag that the other turtles were trying to get out, but they didn’t look like they were succeeding. The poor choking turtle looked like it couldn’t even move. I rushed to help the turtle. Even though I was very close the turtles stayed where they were. I suppose that is what animals of the same species do. They try to help each other. I carefully pulled the big pink plastic bag which was stuck in the turtle’s throat.
I looked at the turtle on the sand as tears streamed down my face. The turtle began to move. I breathed a sigh of relief. The turtle was alive. It was breathing. I was proud of myself for helping a distressed animal in need.
“Thank you so much for helping me,” said the turtle. “I mistook this pink plastic bag for a jellyfish. I’ll be more careful next time. Some people who come here throw their plastic on the beach. My name is Hawra.”
“My name is Zainab, Hawra. I am glad I can be of help. I will try to spread awareness about the issue of plastic by talking to the people I know and writing about it on my blog. I’ll include this incident in my review of the movie Addicted To Plastic. We should reduce, reuse and recycle plastic. Biodegradable plastic should be preferred when plastic use is necessary.”
“I am Hawra’s sister Zahra. I saw you picking up those bottles. Thank you so much for helping us. You saved my sister’s life. She’s the youngest amongst us. We are very grateful for your help. We must go now. People will start coming as the sun will come out soon.”
I smiled as I watched the turtles crawling away. That turtle could have died had the plastic bag stayed in its mouth. Plastic is a non-biodegradable pollutant. Plastic is dangerous if disposed of carelessly. It should be used consciously. Only biodegradable plastic should be used. The demand for it should be reduced; plastic should be reused and recycled. We should take care of ourselves, the creatures on this Earth and our environment. We humans need to come together like the turtles did to help each other and the planet. By doing so we will be expressing our gratitude to God for giving us so many blessings.
Storytellers Collective
Hiya, I am Zainab, a volunteer at SCCAN :). Throughout my years of being a student, I found it easier to understand concepts when they were conveyed in a story.
As a medical student, I tend to remember facts that I learned in the context of patient cases, as opposed to just trying to recollect textbook words.
I was more greatly inspired to overcome my struggles with getting bullied by reading about others going through similar struggles as opposed to simply going through articles outlining how to handle bullying, as I found that reading about someone else’s bravery and courage motivated me. That sparked my love for storytelling.
I hope that my story will help someone.