That Fire

I remember my time at school, we had our fair share of boring classes, pointless meetings and assemblies and unhelpful teachers. Sometimes, we did have some lecturers and classes that we enjoy and cherish even after our time there; but honestly, who really enjoys waking up early and staying back late for classes? Nobody enjoys their last day of holiday knowing that they have to get up early for school tomorrow. Well, that was West Malaysia for me, classes are not our No. 1 interest, and the teachers’ No. 1 fans are definitely not all of their students.

Bario was the first time I ever jumped into an East Malaysia classroom. I have some experience in teaching for private tuitions, but that was with at most two students. Knowing that I would have to teach a class of more than 5 students did scare me. We always have those trouble makers sitting at the back of the class in the West, making lots of noise, not paying attention to the speaker, even disrupting or skipping classes. I was unsure of how I could handle these people, considering that it has been less than 2 years since I graduated from high school. Putting aside my inexperience and young age compared to my elder teammates, I stepped in my first class with YC and Kit May, my two teammates. The class we had: Standard 5 of SK Bario.

Our class of 5 boys and 3 girls was surprisingly receptive to us, even though we had some difficulties teaching Science in Bahasa Malaysia. They ran into their class and sat in front, anticipating us big brothers and sisters to teach them something. The students may be older than the others in the other classes, but they are very polite, which surprised us a lot. If we entered a West Malaysia class, there are high chances for half the class to be missing, either skipping or genuinely having some more important commitments than us. The polite and relaxing class atmosphere in Bario is a rare sight in West Malaysia; I have never seen so much respect to any new outsider before. Although we struggled to translate the words we knew into Bahasa Malaysia to the class, they were very patient towards us. They even did the class activities and exercises with enthusiasm.

Our next assignment was Form 2B in SMK Bario, which was a much bigger class. The sight of 25 students was intimidating to me and Ai Jin. However, just like the SK students, they were receptive even when I struggled to teach them about air pressure in Bahasa Malaysia. They were also smart and grasped concepts easily. However, we discovered an ugly truth of what our education system has done. The English standard in the schools are poor; poorer than our already deteriorating standard of English in West Malaysia. They struggled to even construct simple sentences in Form 2, and heavily relied on the Bahasa Malaysia-English dictionary. 

Then, Ai Jin realised the standard of the class after she saw their recent examination results at the back of the classroom. The passing rate in the class was very low. Maybe, the students there have the enthusiasm to study, but do not have the adequate resources to strive forward. The situation in the West is absolutely opposite; many do not have the enthusiasm to study, but are flooded with private tuitions, extra classes and workbooks. I am really worried about the English standard there. Over here at where I live, I struggled to get into an international school and getting a decent score in IELTS because of my lack of proficiency in English. However, these children in Bario cannot even score high in our low English standard examinations, what more competing with the world.

Teaching for the last time to the Standard 5 class, we taught them to aim higher and strive for the best. I cannot hope for any different for them, they have the enthusiasm to strive and succeed. To the urbanites, I can only advise you to appreciate what you have; respect your lecturers, appreciate what your parents sacrifice for your education, and attend those classes. You have no idea how lucky and fortunate you are. To the students I taught in Bario as well as those of you in similar situations, well done in your enthusiasm, never die down, in fact strive for more and more. Never stop improving, push away those that undermine you, ignore the criticisms and follow your dreams. Sooner or later, you will all become great people, and it all starts with that enthusiasm to learn, that fire in you. 

Going To Teach, But Returning With Being Taught

For many years now, I have had the pleasure and responsibility of teaching many individuals in terms of language, school syllabus and even church related activities. However, this was my first time teaching an adult. At initial glance, teaching is teaching, so I figured it would be much like the many time that I taught chatty little kids. Boy was I wrong!

There were many foreign elements at play when I taught Sinah Supang. First, the age gap; second, the teaching environment; third, difference in culture and conduct.As a result of these foreign elements at play, I had to apply many new techniques to my teaching with her. Each day I had with her was a completely different and new experience. One day, our classroom would be her section in the beautiful Arur Dalan longhouse. The next, we’d be having our lesson knee deep in mud, in the middle of the paddy field. It was quite exhilarating when you  really think about it. Each day was a whole new adventure for the two of us, complete with its own set of challenges.

Sinah always made working in the paddy field look like a walk in the park

I distinctly remember trying to figure out how to get my teaching across to her. The age difference was somehow a considerable challenge for me. You could say that many a times I was intimidated by this. So in the early stages of my time in Bario, teaching an older person didn't appear to be conventional. In all honesty, it had to be the hardest of all my teaching experiences. I was most often lost for words when it came to my lessons with my Sinah. In those moments, applying my past teaching experiences seemed rather useless.

As my confidence began to build, I started to realize that my teaching methods didn’t have to be constricted to just the classroom way. Either way, she learnt without any straightforward methods being implemented. One way was through her keen observation. I remember one of my final days with her when Daniel tagged along with us to do some work in the paddy field. Every now and then, when I striked up a conversation with him in English, I would catch my Sinah just observing the two of us. Later on that week, she brought up my conversations with Daniel. That’s when I  realized that she was observing how we spoke to each other and that in turn improved her confidence toward the language.

We bonded the most during our break times, over some delicious Kelabit food

In many ways, my Sinah and I, even though we come from two totally different cultures, are alike. We’re headstrong and always crave for a sense of independence. That is why our relationship with each other was a rather unique one. With the realization that we were quite closely linked, I began to find it easier to get through to her. I would teach her the way, I foresee myself being taught- subtly, without being forced. We would both share with each other stories (my favorite past time of course, and hers too) and that is when I would slip in conversations in English. That subtle approach began to bear fruit, when out of nowhere Sinah Supang would start to repeat phrases in English aloud. Moments like that, I would internally and sometime outwardly, do a happy dance.

Me casually standing over my Sinah during the Arur Dalan beauty session

The many challenges I faced while trying to teach Sinah Supang served as a great lesson to me. I learnt from the tough times that we had together. Those moments that I felt that I couldn't quite get through to her or that my efforts seemed useless, served as a lesson for me to never give up and think of a more creative approach. That in turn helped me go a mile further. Besides that, Sinah Supang taught me the importance of being hardworking. This was exemplified by her commitment to her work in the paddy field.  She implored me to procrastinate less and be more determined toward my goals during the project as well as the life goals that I have set out for myself.

Sinah Supang, the very lady who taught me lesson after lesson, just over a few days

 How ironic really. I went to Bario to teach but return with being taught many lessons.

Cultural night with my Sinah

Jedida Ravi 

We remember moments, not days

Many of us are so caught up with our goals, aspirations and our daily routines that we often look past and brush off little things that truly matter.  We are so busy doing “important” things, we fail to see the beauty of small moments, and one day we will regret it, because we will look back and realise that those small moments had big impacts. We will realise that those brief moments of sharing laughter with someone else and long conversations about everything and nothing were very special.

“We remember moments, not days.”

The 16 days in Bario with Project WHEE! consisted of many of these special moments. This experience was about sitting at the veranda in the morning, listening to Kelabit radio while watching the mist slowly slip away. It was about teaching Jenny (Aunty Catherine- ‘e e’'s daughter) how to do her homework and her insisting on holding my hand while she walked. It was about cooking with ‘e e’ and witnessing her joy when she gets an English sentence right. It was about walking into someone in the toilet and then waking the longhouse up with laughter, and it was about sharing jokes and stories with the people I love very much.

The view from the homestay veranda in the morning. 

In many ways, Bario made me realise that all these small moments are the very foundation of the relationships that we build. I will always cherish the random conversations I have with my batch mates, especially during debriefing sessions (where we were to reflect on our day, how we felt, etc) at night and at the ‘tetel’ (fireplace) while roasting (read: burning) marshmallows.

Enjoying each other's company while roasting marshmallows at the tetel

Many of us dream of going to beautiful places- Rome, Alaska, Peru, Japan. Bario is definitely beautiful, and this experience would not have been perfect if I did not share it with many other people whom I hold dear to my heart. In many cases, I feel that the place is only as good as the people you share it with, and sometimes, wherever you are, it doesn’t matter as long as you are with people who do.

Even though I only spent a total of about 10 days with ‘e e’, I couldn’t help but feel like I have known her for much longer. In that short span of time, we have managed to bond by weaving, and through conversations about our families and food. It’s been almost three months since I’ve been back, but I will never forget the feeling when ‘e e’ called me ‘anak’ (son/daughter in Malay), and when she and amam(her husband) put on bracelets that I weaved. It may have been a very simple gesture, but those moments are very, very special to me.

E e, Jenny, and I on cultural night. We were coincidentally all in red!

So I urge you to stop for a little while. Stop to look up at the sky and admire its beauty. Stop, enjoy the company around you and appreciate the laughter shared between you, because life isn’t all about deadlines and work. It’s also a lot about appreciating the people and things around you, and the relationships that you’ve built.

Some of the people who made this experience a great one. Here's to the inside jokes and friendship we share.
#doublechocolatechipsmore #diamondcutters

As for me, I only hope that I will be blessed with many more of these moments; moments that will make me smile when I look back on them one day. For now, I shall enjoy this blissful moment of a warm cup of green tea in my hand and the sound of good music in the background.

Rachel Khoo

Walking A Mile In Her Shoes

When I first arrived in Bario and met Lendra, the granddaughter of Tepuq Sina Doh Ayu, I was told that she had been really sick the previous week. She was on her way to recovery, although Tepuq, with worry written all over her face, would tell me that Lendra still did get fevers now and then.
   
We were glad that by the middle of my first week in Bario, Lendra was finally strong enough to go to school. Unfortunately, our relief was short lived. Lendra developed a fever one morning and complained of pain in her throat. That morning, we started the long walk from Arur Dalan towards the only clinic in Bario.

It saddened me that this little girl would have to walk under the heat of the sun for nearly an hour for healthcare. I had gotten accustomed to our walks back from school punctuated with jokes and songs but this walk felt uncomfortable. None of us spoke except to ask Lendra if she was okay or needed to be carried. She turned us both down and I remember praying that someone would be able to offer us a lift. Sure enough, help came in the form of a four wheel drive.

Upon reaching the clinic, Lendra was found to have a serious throat infection. Her previous round of antibiotics hadn't worked and the doctor wasn't sure of the next step. He attempted to find out if the previous course of medication had been completed but language became a barrier, with neither my Tepuq nor the doctor being able to understand each other. I  attempted to translate the best that I could and after 10 minutes or so, the doctor had a better picture and medicines were prescribed.

As the doctor  made further inquiries about Lendra's health, I couldn't help but notice a young girl in the next counter brought to the clinic by her father. He appeared exhausted as he explained to the doctor that his daughter was not well. After the check up, the father was told that she needed to be given more food and milk because she was underweight and therefore needed more nutrients. I overheard the father promise to work harder before they left the room together.

That day, I couldn't help but realize how very fortunate I have been all my life. We're all told not to waste our food and to be appreciative of the little things we have. But that morning drove the point home. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we, myself included, complain about the most trivial of things without realizing that we have so many things to be grateful for if we take the time to look around.

Anna

Thanks for the memoWHEEs!

"But most importantly, try to surround yourself with people you like and make cool stuff with them. In the end (at least in my experience), what you do isn't going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you do it with."  - John Green

Without downplaying the importance of this project, I think there is so much powerful truth in the quote above. So here's to all my batch mates, because really, you deserve a blog post.

Sixteen days... There are some moments in my life that I won't ever forget and within the sixteen days, I had many of those moments; walking to Joe's Cafe for ais kacang, playing ball in the sawah (paddy field), rolling down a hill, cleaning out the hydro-dam, last minute practice before performing at church, actually performing at church, staying in an actual longhouse, freaking out about not having enough clothes to wear, conversations around the tetel (fireplace), failing at dancing, and so much more.

I think to some extent, when friends start talking a bit (inside joke here) like each other, you can consider that to be a friendship level up. And the next friendship level up comes with the increase of inside jokes, like, "Hey, remember that time we almost burnt down a longhouse?!" (Don't worry, we did not burn anything down) 

Anyway, on a somewhat more serious note, I also truly appreciated all of our meaningful and also, meaningless conversations. This made me realise the importance of knowing the fine line between work and play - work when it's time to work and play when it's time to play. 

Of course, the rules of this fine line are not stringent, which leads me to my next point: attitude matters. This applies to literally everyone. In the context of working in and as a group, this becomes significantly more important - your attitude can greatly influence someone else's attitude.

And so here's my last point and also, probably the most important life lesson that has been so strongly reinforced for me - and this is that people matter.

To my batch mates (and two project coordinators) : 

Thank you so much for being such amazing people. The memories that we have shared, I will forever cherish. On my canvas of life, there's a picture of a bunch of people who are a bit crazy quite ambitiously "winging it" climbing up a super steep hill.  Interwoven with inside jokes, I'm so infinitely thankful for this picture on my canvas of life.

Allow me to end this with another quote by John Green, "What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to be remarkable?"

Kan Wai Min aka Lian