Fireworks in Kuching

The End of the World?!

It is Sunday already and it seems like weeks ago since I last wrote, not just a week. I have been in Kuching helping, watching and contributing to the induction of 13 new mentors, some of whom I interviewed for the job. It was really interesting to meet everyone in person rather than just imagining what they looked like which is the downfall of telephone interviews. They were a lovely group of people who all seemed to gel and were a wide range of ages, nationalities and work experience and I'm confident will all be fine in their new jobs. We were staying at the Hilton which has the most amazing view over the river and there happened to be a huge conference for Tourism in Asia in Kuching that week with delegates from all over.

The view from my hotel room

 The Prime Minister of Malaysia was there to make the opening speech and of course was staying at the Hilton. I'm afraid I can't tell you that I went in the lift with him as all the lifts were guarded but I did walk over his red carpet by accident and watched and listened to his speech live on a big screen which was interesting as I was amazed at what a plummy English accent he had - UK public school I suspect. At the end of the evening there was an amazing firework display and I felt that I had the best view ever and the final firework just lit up the sky and it felt like the end of the world had come. Thankfully it hadn't and I got back safely to KK for Friday and a visit to a school .

 A busy beach nearby!

    As I am still homeless, a very kind mentor is allowing me to stay in her 3 bedroom flat which is in a huge block with about 8 other identical blocks. We are in D block which sounds charming! Having never lived in such a flat before I'm trying to decide whether I like it or not. The flat is very clean, modern and new with 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living room. There is a swimming pool, gym, badminton court etc... for everyone in the centre and a security guard at the gate. Although the corridors and lifts are rather bleak, it is all clean and there is no graffiti and everyone seems to keep behind their iron gates and doors. I can certainly see the advantages of living in a place like this but I don't think it is for me, long-term anyway and I'll wait until Rachel's house becomes vacant in March. It is Chinese New Year on Friday and the celebrations will continue for two weeks. In Ranau I usually see them practising the lion dance for weeks before but so far nothing except lots of red lanterns and Chinese music played everywhere. Hopefully this week I will see some more.

Block H beside D

Flooding and Schools

A bridge washed away

So what does a Project Manager actually do is the question that I have been trying to find out this week. One thing that I've discovered is, that it is mostly up to me and apart from responding to many more emails, attending  meetings, doing recruitment interviews....., I can plan my day as I want. My first aim is to try and get to know the areas and schools where the mentors are working and with that thought I went off to Tuaran district on Thursday. On Tuesday and Wednesday there was very heavy rainfall and flooding in the area but it was quite a shock for the mentor to find out that one of his schools had been hit by a landslide and two of the classrooms had been washed away. Apparently one of the parents had seen it coming and all the children were evacuated just 10 minutes before it hit. We went to see the school, which is now closed until they can clear it up, and walked through the oozing mud. The flooding had been the worst for over 10 years and I believe the unfortunate Philippines are still having the heavy rain and suffering the consequences.

A landslide by a road

The school hit by a landslide

 On Friday I went off to visit a couple of schools near Kota Kinabalu and much to my surprise in the middle of this city we drove off behind a shopping mall and drove over a very muddy gravel road for a few kilometres and suddenly came over a hill where a huge water village spread out over this hidden inlet. I had no idea that this village even existed and the children of the village go to school on an island opposite. The mentor caught the teachers' school boat to the island for the first time this week and was amazed about the lack of safety on the children's school boat when it arrived. Are there no life jackets for the children he asked. Of course they were all given life jackets but they all disappeared within a few weeks, was the reply! Hopefully I will visit the island school to see for myself but we continued on to visit another little school built fifty metres from a beach.

The water village

 It was so enjoyable to be back at school again and see all the lovely happy faces of the children. The buildings were a mixture of old wooden ones and a few new ones. All of the schools in Sabah have new computer labs built by the government a few years ago and it seems like with very few exceptions, hardly any of them are used due to no electricity, the electricity fusing everything, computers not working, computers missing and so on. This little school had tried once but the whole village had a black out and feared ever to try again! And so even in the big city of Kota Kinabalu, there are small neglected schools that suffer the same problems that other more isolated areas do too.

Happy Faces

Water tanks in city schools

  Tomorrow I fly off again to Kuching where I will be facing 12 new mentors on their induction. I am only leading one session but it does seem a bit surreal when I remember being a new mentor too... hopefully they won't read my blog!

A New Job!

Chinese New Year is approaching

Well although it is less than a week since I wrote my blog it seems like a month ago! Apart from being delayed in Colombo and missing my connection in Kuala Lumpur and arriving late on Sunday evening in KK, the flight was uneventful. I seem to go into"a long flight" state of mind and the hours seem to disappear without seeming too long. Sri Lankan airlines were very good and I would have loved to have had a quick look outside the airport in Colombo  however I did have a lovely view of Sri Lanka when we flew over. The induction started at 9 am on Monday morning and it was good to see lots of familiar faces that  I recognised at breakfast despite the fact that it was the middle of the night in France. The Director of the project Tricia was presenting the induction and as I walked in she took me aside and said  "Congratulations  on your appointment- I will be announcing it later to the other mentors."

Kuching

Congratulations on what, I hear you asking? Well,I have been appointed as a Project Manager and I'm still rather shocked, surprised and dazed by the fact. I had a phonecall on Christmas Eve telling me that I had been short-listed for an interview; on Monday 28th December I had an interview in Tanya's flat in England, which I really thought had not gone well and on the Friday 3rd January, just as I was packing, I received an email telling me that I was successful. Why me I wonder? Andrew said that they were probably desperate ( which filled me with great confidence! ) but they are still interviewing and have turned down quite a few people who applied. So I don't know why. I feel like that it is mistaken identity and somehow the correct person may appear.

My delightful colleagues

 Anyway, as soon as we finished lunch on Tuesday, I flew off to Kuching for a 3 day induction with 2 other new project managers. I felt I had to pinch myself as I walked into the marble pillared lobby and fountain of Merdeka Palace Hotel in Kuching. Is this really happening to me?! This time last week I was quite happy baking brownies in the kitchen while listening to Radio 4 and now I seem to be in a play where I've got the wrong part and don't know the lines. Fortunately the other new Project Managers are a charming couple who feel very much like me and we will certainly be able to give each other support. The induction was rather overwhelming as there seemed to be so many things to remember but I expect we will get used to it all eventually. Andrew tells me he has often been in the wrong play too but eventually you get to learn the part and my wise daughter Naomi also reminded me that I didn't know what I was doing as a mentor either! So here I am, a week since I left France, with a new role, new car, new computer, new phone but I hope I'll stay just the same old me!

Au Revoir et Bonne Annee 2014

This is going to be a very short entry on my blog. It is 7 a.m. and I'm sitting with my cup of coffee with Phoebe beside me trying to explain to her that I'll be back soon and that there will be someone around to take her for walks and give her cuddles. Yesterday we took down all the Christmas decorations and it was then that I started to really think that I am actually leaving today. I still can't imagine it but in two hours I will be leaving my lovely La Ferme des Vallots and going off to Paris with Andrew to catch my plane, going via Sri Lanka this time. I have still some more last minute packing to do, papers to print and I'm sure other things to do such as plant the rose that I bought! It has been very stormy and wet but there seems to be a lull today before another storm sweeps in tomorrow. I have so loved being at home especially when all the family are here and it is a full house. However,Patrick returns to university tomorrow and Andrew is off on his travels next week. So a new chapter or part 2 of Fiona in Borneo starts and this time it will be in a different place with different adventures and experiences. Thank you all for your support and encouragement about continuing.... Happy 2014 to you all.

Champagne!

Cracker jokes!

Games with the Tickners

Preparation for the wedding

silly hats!

Presents