Countdown to the Symposium!!

Tuaran Police Station photo with the FBI!!

This is going to quite a short entry this week as I have got a few things to finish this evening in preparation for the Symposium and then tomorrow I set off to Kuching. The contents of my suitcase seem rather strange - there are 45 sarong "Miss World" sashes for the organising team, a banner, 3 pink and multicoloured wigs, a red clown nose, 4 pairs of large glasses - all for the photo booth and I haven't got round to thinking of my clothes yet! Anyway I'm sure it is going to be great and lots of fun but at the moment I'm feeling like there is a big exam ahead...

Lots of #itis ideas at the rehearsals this week

    On Friday I received a phonecall from the Education Department in Tuaran that I had to report to the police station with my passport. Off I went a little bit later than the 4 pm appointment and was ushered into the office with a policeman from the Special Branch or FBI (he told me) and answered all his questions about my address, job, emergency contact number etc. and then he asked me whether I had heard of ISIS to which I was able to reply to. He then told me that he had decided to assign two detectives to all the "orang putihs" in Tuaran so that we could contact them directly if we were in trouble. He then showed me into the next room where there was a big tea party in progress with 3 recently arrived American Fulbright students and the 3 mentors of Tuaran. The Special Branch had laid on cream cakes, banana bread, muffins, tea, coffee etc.and it was quite the jolliest visit to a police station that I have ever had. The final request of us was that we all posed outside the police station to remember the special day that 7 white people came to Tuaran Police Station! The nice thing about it was that we now have been introduced to the American girls and spent a lovely evening with them afterwards. Tuaran seems to me a very sleepy quiet town so I wonder what the Special Branch do with their days!?