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The last couple of years haven't exactly been the best for Malaysia. Politically, economically, socially. A question I constantly hear is "Don't you want to migrate? Find a job elsewhere and not look back?"  While I do not fault those who live elsewhere for their decision, I think that my experience in Bario is one of the reasons why I don't think that leaving this country is an option. Living with the Kelabits has made me realize that we do have a responsibility to give back. Malaysia is home after all.

This blog post isn’t so much about Bario. It is a plea to anyone reading this that we can learn so much just by going out there and doing something new instead of just reading about the negativity that we see everyday. When I first signed up for Project WHEE!, I had been on the fence about my future, whether I should stay or consider ‘greener pastures’ because I was tired of the way things were.

Having met Tepuq Sinah Doh Ayu and all the other people that have touched the project participants' lives in one way or another, I know for sure that there is no other place that I’d rather serve than this country I call home. Why? Simply because of the people. Learning about the Kelabit culture and way of life made me see them as real living individuals. Sure, I knew of the Kadazans and the Ibans and a few other communities, all of which we learnt about in our textbooks, but having experienced Bario, I think that it is important as Malaysians to know that these people are so much more than the pictures in our books of colourful clothes and longhouses. 

It isn't enough to just read about something only to forget about it in the days or months or years to come. I choose to believe that complaining about the way things are and running away from it isn’t the best way to deal with it. Bario showed me, that equipped only with the language I speak and the strength in my back, I could make a small difference and for that, I will forever be grateful for my time there.

There is so much to be done and so much to learn just by taking a leap of faith and doing something small to help out. Trust me when I say that the moment you start, it will not seem like work at all. All it took for me to make up my mind to stay was this tiny little town called Bario that we the participants can’t ever seem to stop talking about and we have the Kelabits to thank for that. We consider them family – not by blood but in all the other ways that matter. Malaysians, just like ourselves. Part of the country we call home.