It was 730pm, and it was raining heavily, 3rd Jan 2012, Sha and Aswad called my cell phone and asked, will I not join the volunteer trip at Kg. Bangau- Bangau , Sabah? Huhhh..OK!.... Sha embarked me upon an incredible journey promising to offer unsurpassable experiences of ‘travelling' in both education, social and cultural environments vastly different from our own. I wanted to be moved by what I saw, to return home changed for the better, humbled and wiser to the kids in the standards of education for them and later to the world.
DAY 1 (7 Jan 2012)
Journey to Kg. Bangau – Bangau took me about 2plus hours in the flight and journey from Tawau to the village , kind of 2 hours too, driven by our becoming Himilton F1 Driver , Mr. Arwanto. Around 2PM, We already reached the village ,have experienced walking on the pathway of water houses (rumah air) driven me through! EXCIITEEED ( that’s the best word can think about ). Weather : hot !!
After a very chaotic & frenzied registration session at the balai ( hall ), - call name, ask the same question, and same, and same, and same!! hhehhe...Took about 2 hours i guess, lastly, the class was started !!
1st thing first ---- hygiene instruction -- SANITTIZINGGGG.... and there we gooooooooo – A,B,C,D,E,F and L,O,V,E to see those kids participated in the first module of our education programme .This module emphasised the fact that the students’ entire life revolves not only on the ABCDEF...and etc BUT , to make them realize that their future is about to be changed by today!
Mazuin led the session, supported by Arwanto and I. The children SHOUTED, SMILED, CRIED, YELLED A,B,C.. and some of them were like 13 years old, I think
? Some of the new students, were cajoled into new pencils, book, pocket file, and hopeful they won’t leave those in spiderwebs in years to come and als
o their daily lives.
End of Work : 600pm Evening , then to the floating hotel.
If Julia Roberts said à EAT , PRAY,LOVE, I want to add some, + SLEEP – TIGHT –SNOOZE – LOUD-..heheh..Good Night Semporna underneath creatures detected : ,turtles,jelly fishes,fluorescent fishes and floating rubbish ( errrr... )!!!
DAY 2 (8 Jan 2012)
Miss Volunteer, Wake up, wake up ,it’s a Sunday Morning !! – hushhh, rushhh...
It was a very good morning at the balai which newly registered kids learnt 4 letter of A,B,C,D.. way into the afternoon. Freebies to those who answered correctly and most
quick! Last but not least, guesss what? ASSESSMENT towards the end to amke sure they could memorise all those hurufs!!! (*_* ) It makes me feel like I am too old to remember that time has flown me to 20 years back!! Ohh noo....
There were hundreds of kids that arrived with the prospect of getting something unknown,unidentified so called knowledge no like others,SCHOOL!!. Over half were deemed to have insufficient need of education when balanced against those with greater need and the available opportunity like this.
I drew several deductions about the availability of education awareness, the delivery of this awareness, the state of education and the level of importance..maybe.
It was clear that while having a whole host of struggles to combat these 2 days, education was relegated down the extensive list of priorities.
The resultant lack of demand for education awareness was reflected in poor availability for those that sought it.
End of Work : 530pm Evening
My favorite memory was teaching the children and getting to know them. It really touched my heart when I noticed that some of them really has to struggle, accompanied their parents for fishing, drive wheelbarrow to load carriage for people and get paid as low as RM1 a day, maybe and education being neglected. The pictures I took will make me miss them and wish to be here again.
Having spent 2 days in Kg. Bangau – Bangau, it is difficult for me to put my experience into words. The best way to describe it would be as a myriad of magnificence, warmth and fun! Thanks for the opportunity by K.I.D.S babes!
-- Love, afikahrahim --
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