You Are What You Experience

I have to admit, I definitely underestimated the amount and value of learning I was going to gain through my 16-day Project WHEE! experience.

On and off electricity, limited internet connection, and very cold showers.

Pre-WHEE!, I was that budak bandar ("city kid") who would dread and be deterred by all of the above.

Post-WHEE!, I have a better grasp of needs, wants, the huge difference between the two, and also,  I have  realised how unhealthy and damaging it is to mistake certain wants as needs.

Before sharing too much of my Project WHEE! experience, I shall explain why I decided to be part of Project WHEE.

Primarily, I wanted to give back to the community and Project WHEE! provided that opportunity with very appealing and unique circumstances. I was particularly attracted to the idea of being placed in a different community in an unfamiliar culture. This has been a part of Malaysia I have always wanted to discover.

Frankly, I did not know anything about Bario or the Kelabit community before applying for this. But after this project, as cheesy as this will sound, the Bario folk will always have a special place in my heart. 

I went to Bario as a participant/"teacher" to an assigned lady, but I learnt so much more than I could have taught. In my next few blog posts, I hope to share as much as possible about my experience and all that I have learnt.

But if there’s one thing I can say for now is that the vicarious experience is nothing like first-hand experience, which has led me to this: You are what you experience. 

So, put yourself out there and experience.

As for all the experiences I’ve gained through Project WHEE! which have (hopefully) shaped me to become a better person, I have to thank the wonderful Bario folk and of course, my fellow WHEE! comrades.

Kan Wai Min