One of the things from
Bario that I wish I could store in a glass jar to bring home would be the
memories I had with Sinah Sarina (meaning Mother Sarina) and her family. The
lessons I learnt from being with her are things that I would like to one day look back at in the future.
Firstly, allow me to
introduce my assigned lady, Sinah Sarina. She works at SMK Bario as a janitor
and I would normally spend the first half of the day cleaning and sweeping the
school compound, then in the afternoon we would return to her house where she
would prepare lunch and we would have it together with her family. It was
through the time I spent at her house I got to meet four of her lovely
children.
They never stopped blessing me with food and gifts that they could afford. During my stay in Bario, I was
blessed with endless local Kelabit delicacies. Every time I went over to
their house, Sinah Sarina or her mother would welcome me to
dine with them at any time of the day. While I was approaching my last few days
in Bario, Sinah Sarina and her mother gave me a few Kelabit necklaces that they put
together themselves. A few months after I returned to Miri, she had a bag of
Bario pineapples and nuba' laya' (cooked Bario rice wrapped in a leaf) delivered
to Miri for me. I came to understand the spirit of giving comes very naturally to them. They never want anything in return but for us to accept their gifts.
I do not have to be an
accountant to know that they are tirelessly trying to make ends meet. They are
merely making enough money and planting enough Bario rice to feed their own
family. So, when they pay for your meals, share their lunch, or do simple acts
like giving you a bag of their best harvested rice; you should know that they
are giving you a token of their appreciation for the little that
we have done for them.
Wendell
Berry says, “I believe
that the world was created and approved by love, which it subsists, coheres,
and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed
only by love.”
To come to experience
unconditional love from people that you have only come to know in two weeks is
something you get once in a while. I certainly did not feel that I deserved all
that was given to me, I have always thought being independent and to go get what
you want is most important, but for them, it is about service for others.
In love, there is no give and take. To love you
know only to give unconditionally.
