Time to leave my house!

Ranau Market

This is my second attempt at this post and let's hope that this time I succeed. My computer is having a sick turn which may result in a hospital visit soon I fear! Anyway, it seems like lots of things have happened since I last wrote and I hope that I can remember at least some to recount to you.The final zone meeting at the Sutera Harbour Hotel, came and went very quickly with a happy relaxed atmosphere. On the last day we rented the little hotel theatre and had a "premier" of the "My English!" film which I have been organising and working on with Cara and Damian from the film company of Scubazoo. Yes they do normally film animals or creatures in the sea but they have done a great job in capturing the beautiful children in the schools around Sabah and Sarawak. We are also in the final editing stages of a short film about the Storybook Initiative and last Friday they asked Anna and I to answer a few questions to fill in some gaps in the film. I arrived with my usual no make-up, unbrushed hair look to find Anna with her hair done and make-up on. We were filmed near a beach and I'm hoping that most of mine will be cut as the contrast will be like Beauty and the Beast! Here is the link for My English!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd7CN7umchg

Sabah and Labuan Zone Meeting

 The other momentous task that has been going on for months and weeks and is now printed and distributed amongst the schools and teachers is the Resource Book. It looks like a professional book and everyone seems pleased with it and only a very few will know how many hours went into all the editing, proof reading and formatting but we did it and it is finished and I can forget about it now! There are a few more storybooks in the pipeline with Linda from Oyez Books but mostly apart from just seeing my mentors for the last time, I have more or less finished all my mini projects and will now have to think of packing, clearing my taxes etc...The ringgit is losing value by the minute so lots of people have decided to spend it here before they leave so I might go on a basket buying frenzy!

Lungkiam and me

 Last weekend I went up to Ranau to my favourite Slagon Homestay and caught up with Lungkiam and Othman and saw a few friends around Ranau. I was also invited to a wonderful barbeque at one of the mentor's houses in Ranau which featured a whole roasted pig which was lovingly turned on a log fire for many hours and was delicious. I then headed off in my little Myvi over the mountain road to Pitas which is 95% finished. When Emily was a mentor the road was not sealed and now it is practically all new road to Kota Marudu and although very steep in places the car managed fine. I stayed the night with Rosniah and her family who you may remember I met in 2011 at the Bahai camp. We have kept in contact and she has now another baby and moved to Pitas where all her family are. They are just renting a very small house until they can afford to build one of their own and they were incredibly kind and welcoming and I slept on a mattress on the floor with Rosniah and the baby while the husband and the two children had the only bedroom.

The beautiful Rosniah and Tabrice

Children from the village

A kampong house in their village

  There have been mini-symposiums, meetings and consultant visits but I think no one is really interested in that but I do have some news about my house.I went to work at 9am last Friday and when I came back at 5 pm the neighbours orchard of huge mango trees, rambutans, durians had been cut down and the bulldozer was clearing the land. He has sold the plot to a Chinese family and very soon construction will start and change my quiet living. You can now see my house from the lane and I'm no longer hidden from sight - definitely time to move!!

 

The view from my back door!!

The World's Indigenous People Day 9th August

Bajau

Murut

A Dusun Bobohizan

   As I board my fifth flight of this week , stay in my second  5 star hotel in a week , I feel a total fraud and that someone is going to find me out! I know that it is not going to last and I am going to crash down to reality very soon but yesterday really did seem like an out of body experience. I was invited by a bookshop in Kuala Lumpur to give a talk on the Storybook  Initiative. They paid my flight and expenses so I just had to come and do it! I arrived in KL early afternoon and discovered that my hotel was on the route of the first City Grand Prix and it was very crowded and difficult to reach not to mention the noise level being very high but it was my first experience of being so near cars going at that speed. After managing to shout to check in I set off to find the book shop where there was a board outside saying “Fiona Wright talks on the Storybook Initiative to celebrate the World’s Indigenous People Day” ! So this was the place in the lovely Silverfish bookshop and now I just hoped that not many people would turn up. It started with about ten people and ended up with over thirty as people arrived late or just drifted in from the shopping mall. My audience was very varied and I had a few children, a group of teenage boys and every other age group up including an elderly lady. I ended up the talk with a reading of “Itut-Itut” which was unplanned but seemed  to be a success. So it was over and everyone seemed to be happy and bought some of the books. I was then taken out to dinner by the publishers and came back to a much quieter hotel.

Bidayuh

Iban

This morning I was able to enjoy a very lovely breakfast and was tempted to take a photograph of my salmon and asparagus but thought it would show me up as the fraud I am. I even ended up talking to a gentleman who was involved in the Australian racing team which seemed rather strange too as I know nothing about car racing. I had a quick call into the  KL British Council office which was full of an amazing mixture of people from all races all striving to learn English I suppose - there was even a buddhist monk on his way to class in his orange robes. The one thing that I have really noticed in KL is how many women are wearing full burkas. No one wears full burkas in Sabah and I never noticed it in KL before - a sign of the times. So I am waiting at the new terminal 2 in Kuala Lumpur airport writing my blog and people watching and feel that I ought to give a plug for Air Asia. They won the world’s best low cost airline for the 7^th year running (flight magazine!) and I really do think that they are one of the best airlines I have travelled on. The Allstars as Tony Fernandes calls them, are always so nice and helpful, the planes are new and they run on time and have enabled me to travel, and millions of others to many interesting destinations. Continue the great work! So on Wednesday I am off to yet another 5 star hotel in KK for the final End of Year meeting which in many ways is sad but all good things do come to an end and the end is getting nearer!

Part of the leaflet as proof that it was me!

Rungus girls holding the books

Sunsets and Blue Blood

Over the past week I have seen some amazing sunsets and been fortunate to meet lots of lovely new people which thinking about "normal" lives we don't do that often as we tend to stay in the same environment. Firstly I met some very interesting people in the resort of Manana last weekend - possibly a very distant cousin who had an Ulster Smiley in his family tree and then this last week in Kuching with the global delegates. The study tour began at 8.30 am and it was amazing how far everyone had come for such a short time. I think the furthest was Samantha who had come from darkest Peru and it had taken 40 hours to get there. There were representatives from India, Israel, Thailand, Uzbekistan, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, London, Iran, Singapore etc... and they all seemed to be so interesting and interested in our ELTD project. We had to do quite a few presentations and then there was a visit to some schools and a few focus groups with mentors, teachers and education officials. Of course the ambience was helped by the charm of Kuching and we went out for a lovely meal together overlooking the waterfront. So all in all it was a very pleasant week - full of chat about everyone else's project and plans for the future which gives me an idea of how huge the British Council actually is.

The only other interesting thing of note is that Andrew discovered via Ancestry that both of us are direct descendants of Robert the Bruce. He is Andrew's 22nd Great grandfather by his grandmother and my 21st Great grandfather by my grandmother. So as Patrick pointed out, everyone can probably trace themselves back to royalty if they go far enough back and I expect are millions of us related to him but still it gave us both a slight thrill which didn't last that long and there is not much more we can do with the information is there?! So with my veins running with blue blood I continue to keep working and I am thrilled to announce that the resource book is now at the printers and there has been yet another weekend spent doing the very last formatting etc...It will be ready for the book launch in 2 weeks time.

Kuching from the 12th Floor of the Hilton

Selamat Hari Raya 2015!

Hari Raya 2011!

This will be a short post just to let you know that I haven't forgot about you all. I have been saturated in editing the Resource Book that is in the final stages now but my eyes are suffering from eye strain and I just want it to be at the printers and finished now! As I write I can hear the fireworks exploding outside and the festivities for Hari Raya Aidilfitri are definitely in full swing. The traffic in the past few days has been terrible as people are doing their last minute shopping or heading "balik kampong" (back home) so they can be with their families for the occasion. I have decided to escape to Manana tomorrow and relax for a couple of days away from the computer and all the excitement around Tuaran.

Main street of Livarot with Lisa and Patrick in the crowd!

Patrick at the end of our lane

  Talking about excitement in the air - Livarot was one of the "Etapes" in the Tour de France and Lisa, Remi and Patrick were there to join in the festivities. Over the years we have witnessed many Tour de Frances whizz through Livarot but this is the first time it has actually started there and the first time I remember it actually going past the end of our lane. So Patrick and Lisa were able to sit at the end of the lane and get a good view without having to move. They went into Livarot after the cyclists went past and enjoyed the show and singers that were put on for the occasion.

Sunset at Manana

 I'm off to Kuching on Monday for a Study Tour which I'm not quite sure what that means but there are fifteen delegates from all over the world - Peru, Myanmar,Israel, China, Egypt etc....who are coming to study our project and we are facilitating with that process. I think it will be very interesting meeting all these different people and then of course you all know that I love a visit to Kuching and I haven't been since March so a visit is definitely overdue!
  I wish all my Muslim friends a very happy Hari Raya celebration!

Mangoes Galore!

Yes I never thought in my lifetime that I would be dealing with a glut of mangoes. Pears, apples peaches, blackberries, plums are fruits I have had to cope with before but the exotic fruit mango, well that is a new challenge. At the moment there are mangoes dropping and rotting from trees everywhere. It has been an exceptional crop and I hadn't realised that there were so many mango trees around. The two mango trees that I am "harvesting" are actually in my neighbours garden but overhang mine and I am just picking the fallen fruit before they rot which is incredibly quickly. I seem to be in competition with dogs, birds, insects and occasionally my neighbour but apart from using them in salads when they are greener the Sabahans don't seem to be using them as much as I thought they might and there must be tons rotting around the place. They are an awkward fruit to peel and especially with the big stone, not to mention the bugs inside! Anyway I've persevered and the many things that I have been doing with the mangoes apart from eating them as a fruit are yoghurt and mango smoothies and put in the freezer become yoghurt and mango sorbet/icecream ( delicious!) mango juice with or without a splash of gin goes down very nicely too but the most time consuming and successful mango use has been my mango chutney. I have done 3 batches - all a bit different depending on what I have in the house but all very nice. I think my favourite one is mango and ginger and the difference in the mango chutney that I have bought is that mine is really chunky and you can see the mangoes. One of the reasons for embarking on making chutney is to encourage Sophia, my dear friend and neighbour to start making it to sell to the tourist market. I keep telling her that it is all about marketing and selling the jungle of Borneo aspect. Anyway for those people who have asked about Sarong & Ko, well after I broke my arm my sewing slowed down rather but Sophia has continued to take orders and  I am acting more as her "advisor". She now is at the stage where she is going to work a four day week and spend one day at home sewing and making chutney (perhaps?) So before the end of my contract which is approaching quickly, I'm hoping to see her established in her self-employed career.

My Clever Gen at her graduation

  Last weekend was Gen's graduation which of course I wasn't present for. That was a very hard decision and I would have gone for just the day if she hadn't been so vehement that it was a silly plan. However Andrew, Patrick, Tanya and Anthony joined Naomi, Neil , Matthew and of course Gen for a weekend of celebrations. They had a wonderful time together and it was difficult and sad for me to be here but they were very good in keeping me informed with photos from start to finish - mobile phones are wonderful things and of course I was able to skype too. So for those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning, Gen started university in Glasgow in the September after I left for Borneo in 2011. She has managed to work as a waitress, sing, dance, travel, have fun and still come out with a very good 2:1 (0.13 away from a first!) in Business Studies. I'm very proud of her and thrilled that she has been offered a graduate scheme with a proper salary starting in September in Dublin. Andrew and I are proud too that Gen is the last of our five clever children to go through university and that now all our children are in employment - hooray!!!

A Harry Potter party last weekend

Wonderful Solidarity and Water Mountains in Ranau

The different Mount Kinabalu

Last Monday and Tuesday there was very severe rain that particularly affected the Kundasang and Ranau area creating the most frightening landslides and flooding; sweeping away houses and a huge amount of trees. The result being that the reservoir in Ranau was full of trees, the water polluted and the water supply for the area was cut off. There seemed to be no timeframe as to when the situation would be resolved so both mentors from the area were evacuated to KK .The seeming lack of action being taken by the government in supplying water for the people in the area brought about an appeal made by the priest in Ranau, Nicolas Stevens, on Facebook for people to send water up. I don't suppose he ever imagined such a response and action from the people of Sabah but my goodness have  they showed their solidarity, generosity and care for their fellow Sabahans.



   On Saturday morning I filled my car up with boxes of water , which I might say are hard to come by now in Tuaran as they have been sold out, and made my way up to Ranau to volunteer to help my dear Sister Caroline, who has been working eighteen hours a day at the water depot/ St Peter's Church. The church is attached to St Benedict Mission School that I worked at, so it was familiar territory although I must say I wasn't expecting the sight that I came to. The whole journey up the mountain there was a trail of vans, lorries, 4x4s and cars full of water and this went on all day and I expect is still continuing today.


The church has been converted into a water depot but the organisation and the smooth way in which it was all being onloaded and distributed was quite astounding. There seemed to be three areas A,B,C where you collected your water and you had to register at the desk, tell how many people were in your household, (babies entitled you for an extra box) and then take your ticket to the depot A,B,or C. Meanwhile some people were directing a one way traffic system where cars, lorries and vans were directed to a depot to unload and then the unloading was done efficiently and swiftly with volunteers. This has been going on from 7 in the morning until 11 pm for days but I believe finally the water is beginning to be connected again. I know that people and NGOs have been working 24 hour days in order to try and get the water connected too.



   So my very little contribution was quite humbling seeing the size of the operation. I was put on to making tickets for the water distribution which involved stamping and cutting and then later I was allowed on the table to write down the quota per ticket! There were equally as many Muslims as Christians coming for the water which was again humbling to see as apparently there had been a refusal of water to Muslims in other places as it was the beginning of Ramadan on Wednesday. There was food laid on for the volunteers too and of course I managed to have a chat with Sister Caroline which was lovely as she has been on a course in Indonesia for three months. I left after about four hours and made my way back down the mountain but one thing that Sister Caroline and I both remarked on was how different Mount Kinabalu is since the earthquake and landslides. She looks bare and full of huge scars from all the landslides. The sun was shining and she looked like a huge bare lump of rock with no greenery at all. I know in the grand scale of things this is just a comma in the huge long book of a mountain but I did find it strange and kept taking photographs again!

The Earthquake on Mount Kinabalu

    Andrew and I went over to England last week to visit his mother and it was on Friday when we went down to Starbucks to get some wifi and catch up on emails that I suddenly saw lots of messages sent from Sabah! An earthquake had struck Ranau at 7.15 am 5th June at 6.0 magnitude and there were landslides on Mount Kinabalu! My first thought was that I knew someone climbing the mountain but fortunately for her it was the day before. I had to contact all my mentors just to check that no one had been up the mountain and mercifully most of them were off the island when it happened. However as you may know there were eighteen people died up the mountain, four guides and two, Singaporeans that were only confirmed dead yesterday. I have been in contact with many of my teachers and friends around Ranau and it seems that there is some structural damage and cracks in some schools, the mosque and the hospital but nothing major as most of the buildings are low. It is interesting people's perspectives who are used to earthquakes, like New Zealanders and Indonesians, told me that it wasn't more than just a few seconds of the houses shaking whereas other people who had never lived through one found it very scary. A very long time ago I lived through one in Afghanistan but it was over before I realised what was happening.

Sunrise at the top of the world 2012

  Anyway as with all natural disasters there is discussion and controversy and sadly the earthquake managed to get on the BBC news not because of the tragic deaths but simply because of the stupid insensitive actions of some tourists who decided it would be amusing to take their clothes off. I noticed that my post on my blog called Aki Nabalu has been looked at a lot since the earthquake which explains the significance of the mountain to the people. Mount Kinabalu is considered by the Dusun people to be sacred and where the souls of people go to rest when they die. There is a war memorial in Kundasang facing the mountain for all the prisoners of war who lost their lives in the Death March in 1945 and this is explained at the memorial and to the climbers of the mountain before they ascend the majestic mount.

Throughout the colonial period conquerors usually have managed to ignore the local people's beliefs and feelings which is exactly what the British Hugh Low did when he climbed to the top of Mount Kinabalu in 1851. To appease the disruption of the dead souls it was agreed that a sacrifice of a white cockerel I believe, was made before each climb and this is still adhered to but reduced to once a year now. There are very few people here now that are animists but in times of tragedy we all look for something or someone to blame and I haven't heard anyone honestly think that the earthquake was caused by these ignorant tourists but more of an outrage that people would think that it is acceptable human behaviour to do such an insensitive act.

The donkey ears that are broken after the earthquake

I leave you with this quote from the brother of one of the brave guides who lost his life in the earthquake.
"It is not about laws or superstition, but about having mutual respect among human beings. As a Christian, I too do not believe in superstition, but I adhere to the advice and beliefs of the elders out of respect. It is part of being humans, we don't do things that will offend our fellow-human beings whether they are Muslims, Christian or Animists. This is something we are taught here."

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