While volunteering last year in NYC, most activities more expensive than free were difficult to budget for. One of my roommates kept insisting that if we would just explain that we're volunteers, the doors would open widely for us, as if "volunteer" was some secret password. We then decided that the reason for this would be because we were the equivalent of something we termed "peace ninjas".
Well, in Malaysia, people seem to have caught on to this idea. This week, I was treated to a three day, three night trip to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in Lahad Datu on the east coast. My KK host mom (I have two host families, one in the village and one in the city) works for Borneo Tours, and was going there to attend a "green practices" workshop. She had asked me to go when I first arrived in Malaysia, but all I heard was "green conference"..."east cost"...trip....and gladly agreed to go anywhere. I didn't realize the location was a swanky lodge in Danum Valley rainforest, a place I could only hope to visit maybe 10 years from now once I get some real income coming my way...
Needless to say, both the manmade and natural environment were beautiful! I got to eat western food for the first time in a long time, went trekking wearing "kampung (village) adidas" which I borrowed from a guide since I was so unprepared to be where I was, saw a leopard cat, orangutan, red leaf monkeys, lazy loris, and many birds, amphibians, insects, and reptiles. I also got to hang out with the staff the whole time and learned a lot about ecotourism! The woman leading the workshop was from the Netherlands and had lived at the Lodge for nine months previously to help them "go green", and it was great to hear about someone else's challenges as the sole orang puti (white person) in an organization. One of the guides was also very helpful in explaining some of the finer points of cultural differences that no one else had explained to me. Unfortunately, after this, I realized how many people I've probably irreversibly, and completely inadvertently, offended. I was also offered a job there (probably a joke, but...) as a tour translator. I feel I could be like a "green supervisor" or something too ;-) And, now I have contacts in the Sabah tourist industry so wow!
On Monday, I go back to the village, hopefully rejuvenated and positive.
Magda Moves to Malaysia
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Rural Development
Time is expanding and shrinking. Distance doesn't make any sense either. Reflections on two weeks of placement, go:
Awkward is my default state. You're scared of me? Well, I'm scared of you. People are not aggressively curious as in South America or the Caribbean, but rather shy. My own shyness, which I thought I had mostly outgrown, reemerges as a result. The language barrier doesn't help. If they would just stick to one, I could probably get a grasp on it, but that's not the case. Bahasa Malay and Dusun or mostly Dusun? is/are spoken in the village. They mix and switch and jump. They are, however, rather surprised that I don't speak BM... So, I'm pretty disheartened linguistically most of the time. I do have to give everyone credit for speaking, or attempting, English. And, after all, English usage is what I'm here to inspire.
The projects are all valuable, and I'm starting to see how they fit together. The hostel is there to provide a home away from home for the children who come from very remote villages while they attend school, and clearly serves its purpose. The Rural Training Center is there because the hostel is there. The children in the hostel don't belong to the same community where they live five days a week. However, the community technically hosts them, especially since the building they use is an extension of the church. So what does the community get out of letting Pusat Kabajikan Good Shepherd (PKGS) run the hostel? The Rural Resource Center, which is supposed to belong to them. The goal is for the facility to be used by the community for training, meeting, development etc. but they've yet to embrace it as their own. So, twice a week, the staff (who are natives but not locals) run programs for all the children in the village. The idea is to reach the adults, especially the women, through the children. The Mobile Resource Center does a similar thing but in more remote villages. My role is to support the staff of the different projects to develop the programs and provide ideas and examples from my own experience, so broaden horizons with cross-cultural diffusion.
All of this was not obvious to me as I spent the first week feeling like an interloper. Everyone seemed to have everything under control as far as I could tell. There was definitely a need, but they were taking care of it. So, I opened my mouth. It's hard to know when you should share and when you shouldn't. Although I felt better once things were explained to me, and my options outlined, much better in fact, some of the solutions were less than ideal. Already I've had to back out of some, and may have accidentally made some things more difficult for myself. At least the lines of communication have been opened. The passage of time also helps. Already I'm starting to interact more with the kids and the community and feel like I'm settling in.
This weekend I went to one of my co-worker's village (kampong). People in the kampongs are mostly farmers (rice and fruit) and rubber harvesters. Their homes are simple, and it really makes me reflect on how little people actually need...especially if they live in tropical climates. Every house I've been to has had running water, not because they're connected to a public grid, but because they have gravity water systems. Rain water collects in large, raised vessels, and water flows down through the pipes when you turn on the faucet. Not everyone has electricity though, so they may have generators or solar panels or just kerosene lamps and candles. Of course, none of this would work in most developed countries due to climate...which makes me wonder why so many people live in such inhospitable climates? And also how dependent we are on the government and the market system for access to basic needs...
Awkward is my default state. You're scared of me? Well, I'm scared of you. People are not aggressively curious as in South America or the Caribbean, but rather shy. My own shyness, which I thought I had mostly outgrown, reemerges as a result. The language barrier doesn't help. If they would just stick to one, I could probably get a grasp on it, but that's not the case. Bahasa Malay and Dusun or mostly Dusun? is/are spoken in the village. They mix and switch and jump. They are, however, rather surprised that I don't speak BM... So, I'm pretty disheartened linguistically most of the time. I do have to give everyone credit for speaking, or attempting, English. And, after all, English usage is what I'm here to inspire.
The projects are all valuable, and I'm starting to see how they fit together. The hostel is there to provide a home away from home for the children who come from very remote villages while they attend school, and clearly serves its purpose. The Rural Training Center is there because the hostel is there. The children in the hostel don't belong to the same community where they live five days a week. However, the community technically hosts them, especially since the building they use is an extension of the church. So what does the community get out of letting Pusat Kabajikan Good Shepherd (PKGS) run the hostel? The Rural Resource Center, which is supposed to belong to them. The goal is for the facility to be used by the community for training, meeting, development etc. but they've yet to embrace it as their own. So, twice a week, the staff (who are natives but not locals) run programs for all the children in the village. The idea is to reach the adults, especially the women, through the children. The Mobile Resource Center does a similar thing but in more remote villages. My role is to support the staff of the different projects to develop the programs and provide ideas and examples from my own experience, so broaden horizons with cross-cultural diffusion.
All of this was not obvious to me as I spent the first week feeling like an interloper. Everyone seemed to have everything under control as far as I could tell. There was definitely a need, but they were taking care of it. So, I opened my mouth. It's hard to know when you should share and when you shouldn't. Although I felt better once things were explained to me, and my options outlined, much better in fact, some of the solutions were less than ideal. Already I've had to back out of some, and may have accidentally made some things more difficult for myself. At least the lines of communication have been opened. The passage of time also helps. Already I'm starting to interact more with the kids and the community and feel like I'm settling in.
This weekend I went to one of my co-worker's village (kampong). People in the kampongs are mostly farmers (rice and fruit) and rubber harvesters. Their homes are simple, and it really makes me reflect on how little people actually need...especially if they live in tropical climates. Every house I've been to has had running water, not because they're connected to a public grid, but because they have gravity water systems. Rain water collects in large, raised vessels, and water flows down through the pipes when you turn on the faucet. Not everyone has electricity though, so they may have generators or solar panels or just kerosene lamps and candles. Of course, none of this would work in most developed countries due to climate...which makes me wonder why so many people live in such inhospitable climates? And also how dependent we are on the government and the market system for access to basic needs...
Friday, September 24, 2010
My Schedule
Monday: Rural Training Center (enrichment afternoon activity)
Tuesday: Asrama Desat Pukak Youth Hostel 9-5
Wendsday: Kg. Monturan Mobile Resource Center (overnight stay in village)
Thursday: Rural Training Center (enrichment afternoon activity)
Friday: Asrama Desat Pukak Youth Hostel 9-5
Saturday: Rural Training Center english lessons 9-12
Weekends: Go and stay with one of my two host families (one in the city, one in the village) or follow my co-workers around to their villages for visits
Tuesday: Asrama Desat Pukak Youth Hostel 9-5
Wendsday: Kg. Monturan Mobile Resource Center (overnight stay in village)
Thursday: Rural Training Center (enrichment afternoon activity)
Friday: Asrama Desat Pukak Youth Hostel 9-5
Saturday: Rural Training Center english lessons 9-12
Weekends: Go and stay with one of my two host families (one in the city, one in the village) or follow my co-workers around to their villages for visits
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Week One
As of today, I think I've visited all of the Pusat Kubajikan projects in Sabah. The organization has been in the regional paper (Sabah Times) at least four times since I've been here. Once for the My Constitution Campaign, which aims to teach Malaysians about the document and about their rights. Malaysia is a democracy and has a system of checks and balances, as well as federal and state governments similar to ours in the US. The country is 47 years old (not 53) and Malaysia day is Sept. 18 (not August 31), facts that aren't in wide circulation at this point. Between the various ethnic groups: Malay, Indigenous, Indian, and Chinese (the big ones) the 13 Federated States plus 3 (?) territories, a major issue here is a lack of unity. I know a lot about the constitution at this point, including that a person does not become a citizen immediately upon birth in Sabah or Sarawak, and that university students can't participate in any type of political meetings. The constitution has been amended over 700 times.
The Suri Murni Crisis Center for pregnant teenage girls has been in the newspaper the other three times. "Baby dumping" or abandoning newborn infants in dumpsters, alleys, etc. is a big problem here. Abortion is illegal, but I'm not sure what the situation is exactly with contraceptives. Religion, especially Islam the dominant faith, definitely does not promote premarital sex or discussion about the subject. So girls get pregnant, whether through consensual or non consensual sex, and keep the pregnancy a secret. Nobody asks, and the families don't see what they don't want to see. The Crisis Center is a place that these girls can go, where they receive medical care and take part in enrichment programs, and can decide whether to give the child up for adoption, give it to a family member or friends, or keep the child. Apparently, in some places, a girls can offer a gift (penance?) to the village in the form of like a slaughtered water buffalo, and then they can't talk to her about her baby born out of wedlock and she's accepted back. As the paper said "this is not the end of the world".
SMCC also serves as a place where girls who have been victims of trafficking can go for help. Immigration is another problem in Sabah, with undocumented workers coming primarily from the Philippines and Indonesia.
As of Monday (I believe) I will be starting work in the village of Pukak. I have visited it twice, once to go white-water rafting, and another time to visit the facilities and staff. It's a beautiful location, right by the river and among lush mountains. I'll be living at the Retreat Center with two local girls who also work at the Youth Hostel, Petrolina and Valentina. There are water buffalo hanging around by the river, all kinds of lizards, and four puppies. I'm excited to start being useful although I'm not sure how this is going to work. The kids speak both Bahasa Malay and Dussan although the staff does speak English.
I won't have much Internet access as of Monday, so if you want to get in touch, now is the time!
The Suri Murni Crisis Center for pregnant teenage girls has been in the newspaper the other three times. "Baby dumping" or abandoning newborn infants in dumpsters, alleys, etc. is a big problem here. Abortion is illegal, but I'm not sure what the situation is exactly with contraceptives. Religion, especially Islam the dominant faith, definitely does not promote premarital sex or discussion about the subject. So girls get pregnant, whether through consensual or non consensual sex, and keep the pregnancy a secret. Nobody asks, and the families don't see what they don't want to see. The Crisis Center is a place that these girls can go, where they receive medical care and take part in enrichment programs, and can decide whether to give the child up for adoption, give it to a family member or friends, or keep the child. Apparently, in some places, a girls can offer a gift (penance?) to the village in the form of like a slaughtered water buffalo, and then they can't talk to her about her baby born out of wedlock and she's accepted back. As the paper said "this is not the end of the world".
SMCC also serves as a place where girls who have been victims of trafficking can go for help. Immigration is another problem in Sabah, with undocumented workers coming primarily from the Philippines and Indonesia.
As of Monday (I believe) I will be starting work in the village of Pukak. I have visited it twice, once to go white-water rafting, and another time to visit the facilities and staff. It's a beautiful location, right by the river and among lush mountains. I'll be living at the Retreat Center with two local girls who also work at the Youth Hostel, Petrolina and Valentina. There are water buffalo hanging around by the river, all kinds of lizards, and four puppies. I'm excited to start being useful although I'm not sure how this is going to work. The kids speak both Bahasa Malay and Dussan although the staff does speak English.
I won't have much Internet access as of Monday, so if you want to get in touch, now is the time!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Selamat Detang
I don't think I could have traveled any further before I would have started heading back...how can I check this? 36 hours of travel (24 in flight) one night rest + another 2.5 hour flight = waking up in the middle of the night (or your afternoon) with the worst leg cramps ever. I guess stretching isn't always enough.
Surprises:
Most people here use cars to get around. They drive on the left side of the road. At first, trying to get into the driver's seat was funny...I didn't realize how hard it is to break some habits.
The rainy season has started early. Therefore, it is not nearly as hot as I thought it would be. In fact, I'm not hot at all.
People do in fact speak English. However, I can't figure out how they choose to speak what language when. Many (most?) people are tri-lingual...so just when I think I'm about to hear something I can understand...the second part is told in Bahasa. I need to figure this language out fast.
Ok, postings in the future should be more coherent ;-)
Surprises:
Most people here use cars to get around. They drive on the left side of the road. At first, trying to get into the driver's seat was funny...I didn't realize how hard it is to break some habits.
The rainy season has started early. Therefore, it is not nearly as hot as I thought it would be. In fact, I'm not hot at all.
People do in fact speak English. However, I can't figure out how they choose to speak what language when. Many (most?) people are tri-lingual...so just when I think I'm about to hear something I can understand...the second part is told in Bahasa. I need to figure this language out fast.
Ok, postings in the future should be more coherent ;-)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
First Post
A blog. This is scarier than public speaking.
In exactly one week I leave for Malaysia via Alaska and Taiwan. Making this the farthest distance I've ever traveled. Already, plans have changed. Instead of spending two weeks in Kuala Lampur to acclimate and orient, I will spend one day in KL. During this time I will get to meet Tabea, a volunteer from Germany, who is heading north to the crisis center in Ipoh for three months. Together, we will meet the residents in the Teenage Center and, that same evening, I will fly to Sabah. On the 18th, the Sabah team will be working in collaboration with the Msian Bar Council to launch the MyConstitution Campaign. The Ipoh Echo explains "Issues such as Islamic versus Secular states, Article 153, Rights of Citizenship and the Perak Constitutional crisis of February 2009, had necessitated the Council to go back to basics – understanding the Constitution". What better way to get to know a country than through its constitutional struggles? I alternate between fear of the unknown and amazement.
In exactly one week I leave for Malaysia via Alaska and Taiwan. Making this the farthest distance I've ever traveled. Already, plans have changed. Instead of spending two weeks in Kuala Lampur to acclimate and orient, I will spend one day in KL. During this time I will get to meet Tabea, a volunteer from Germany, who is heading north to the crisis center in Ipoh for three months. Together, we will meet the residents in the Teenage Center and, that same evening, I will fly to Sabah. On the 18th, the Sabah team will be working in collaboration with the Msian Bar Council to launch the MyConstitution Campaign. The Ipoh Echo explains "Issues such as Islamic versus Secular states, Article 153, Rights of Citizenship and the Perak Constitutional crisis of February 2009, had necessitated the Council to go back to basics – understanding the Constitution". What better way to get to know a country than through its constitutional struggles? I alternate between fear of the unknown and amazement.
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