MARIAM SPECIALS: Why I Love The Bario Mountains?

deep thoughts

If you see me when I'm at home at Tepu' Sinah Rang's place, I'm always chilling by the white verandah. It's either during the morning when the toilet gets crazy clogged (13 people brushing teeth & doing other morning rituals can take hours before the toilet clears), after breakfast before work, after work till lunch time, pre-dinner tea time, after dinner...

Yup, you can tell that my time in Bario is mostly spent on the white verandah. It's my little solace from the craziness of the day and also what made my trip feels more at home (our homestay host ,Tepu' Sinah Rang's delicious food sure helped too).

Day 1 & 2 of my arrival was such a culture shock for me. I went from commuting in my personal X-trail to walking everywhere. The luxury of a washing machine is now replaced with hand-washing my clothes. Hot water is "forbidden" because we were told that it was off limits -- cold water showers everyday.

I felt absolutely miserable for my first few days in Bario. My comfortable life is now super basic! Basic is not a bad thing (nor is it a good thing either), it's just a really simple lifestyle -- a lifestyle that I was not used to. Heck, I did not even know how to hand wash my clothes!

So, my seat by the white verandah was the escape from all this "basic" hell. It was a safe zone that I could run away from all the icy cold showers & hand-washing turmoils. It allowed me to just stare into the sky & mountains to get lost in it somehow. Munching on my Kuachi seems was also my form of escapism.

The kuachis were the only thing I knew of kampung living. Trust me, it was the sit-down-and-do-nothing that made me a little panicky. Also, seeing how others could cope wih the slower-paced life made me feel inferior, almost.

Yes, the kuachis I would eat even though I just had dinner. Perhaps it's the sweet sunflower seed or the crackling that made the white verandah more lovely.

It took me some time before I figured that a little hot water won't hurt anyone, and also found a detergent soap that really foamed like mad. So, all it takes is just a little perseverance (and a few packs of kuachi or two) to pull through.

I would say even on the flight back to KL, I was still adjusting to my life in Bario. All the bugs at night, the mud, the sometimes calm,  quiet corner of the house when other parts are buzzing with chatter.

For future WHEE participants (or even "city people" about to live a more basic lifestyle), it's okay to feel alien in a different culture. It's normal to have to adjust to the "new" norm of your home community. Sure, some people may adjust more than others (some become at home). But, remember that it's totally okay to take your time at it.

There's no point forcing yourself into a foreign culture, know what I mean? Just always be open & polite (about what you may find disturbing/ offensive, etc) when dealing with others.

Take it one day at a time, my friend. You'll be surprised at how much you'll receive when you're ready to open your heart.

When pen meets paper
(and when inspiration comes from after cutting grass)

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Author's Note: "Why I  love the Bario Mountains" is Part 1 of a 3-part series of MARIAM SPECIALS. In case you're wondering "who's Mariam?", well, it's the author's Kelabit name! Fun fact: that's also her assigned lady's first name. #nameception