An International Evening in Kota Belud

On Wednesday evening I was invited to join the welcoming dinner in Kota Belud for the new mentor, Wendy, from New Zealand. David, an Australian mentor married to a Japanese, had kindly invited all of the "foreigners" that he knew in the area and it was the most entertaining evening I have had in a long time. We consisted of three young American graduates on Fulbright scholarships, who are teaching in the secondary schools in the area, one of their girlfriends, and a couple and their 5 year old daughter. The husband was from Greece and his wife was from Sabah but has spent many years in the States and Greece. They have returned to Sabah to allow their daughter to learn the language and get to know her grandparents before they return to Greece eventually. So that was the international melting pot and there is of course me who really is not sure what to say and yet I ought to have a story ready as it is one of the questions that everyone asks here ! Yes, born in Northern Ireland and spent the first 18 years of my life there but since then I have never lived there and I've spent 23 years of my life in France although have never felt in the slightest bit French. I don't feel very British either when I'm in Britain,so what to say la !!

   So here we were, thrown together for an evening. Manos, had his shirt half undone to expose his hairy chest, was wearing very tight jeans and reminded me of Harry Enfield playing Stavros. He spoke English in a broken Greek way and was determined to let us know his opinion on world politics; homosexuality; terrorism ; growing cannabis in Sabah etc..just to name a few topics he touched. Most of his rant seemed to be against America and the USA got the blame for most things including the missing MH370. The interesting thing was that none of the 4 Americans present were brave enough to defend their own country. They sat there very politely listening and smiling and obviously not accustomed to outspoken attacks on America. Manos of course didn't feel he was being outspoken he was just being "Greek"and it was his wife Floria who remarked on the different body language around the table, Manos being the only one gesticulating extravagantly with arm and hand gestures and the rest of us hardly moving.

The former staff room

The former music room

 Eventually when they could get a word in, the young Fulbright graduates were able to tell us about their different life experiences growing up in the States. One was a wealthy white, one was Mexican and one was of Muslim Asian descent, born in the States and here they were sharing a house together for a year. They have obviously all excelled academically but Joel and Ibrahim  had a more difficult path than their white colleague. They were able to tell us about the subtle discrimination at schools and the blatant discrimination by the US customs every time they enter the States. However what they are able to appreciate in Sabah is how politically incorrect everyone is, meaning people are very straightforward and honest and don't seem to know that it isn't regarded as PC to make comments about your colour, age and size. Anyway, it was an interesting and fun evening which we all decided we would repeat and I do marvel at the ability of us humans thrown together for an evening from many different backgrounds and finding common threads.

A wandering calf beside my car