Pandan Beach
We visited Pandan Beach. Esther was so happy when she saw the beautiful blue sea. The main problem about Sematan and Pandan Beach (not sure about Pueh and Siar Beach) is littering. Asians love to litter anywhere and anytime. And despite the place (seaside) being litter with rubbish, they still enjoy going there to have picnics, barbeques, games and swimming. They can just sit near a heap of rubbish, lit a fire and watch sunrise and sunset. Ironic. *Sigh*
Charles and Esther were enjoying themselves swimming, collecting shells and building sandcastles. I walked around exploring the beach and took photos.
Aerobic Exercise in conjunction with the Celebration of Teacher’s Day @ SMK Demak Baru (10 May 2008)
We attend this event at SMK Demak Baru. Charles even took the initiative of finding the location of this school via Google Map. Thanks Charles. It made me realize that being a teacher gives me endless boundaries to explore my interests or strengths. For example, if I like writing and producing plays or dramas, I can coach the school team in the play or drama competition at inter-school level, division level or national level.
We met our coursemate, Nora Sahari, who was having her teaching practicum at this school. She and our principal took part in the jogathon. Our principal won the consolidation prize. He was the 5th runner to finish the jogathon. I am very ashamed of myself. I’ll definitely “kaput” 20 minutes after I start running 
We also did poco-poco. I showcased my terrible static and mechanical movement in contrast with the agile bodies of other teachers. They could tell I led a sedentary lifestyle. Well, I made a lot of mistakes but enjoyed the fun.
Photograph by Cikgu Junaid
(Cikgu = Teacher)
A Visit to Kampung Selampit
During the school holiday, Esther and I visited Kampung Selampit (Selampit Village). To reach this village, we took a ride in a boat. Pastor Wilson and his wife, Margaret took us to see a football match held at the village. This is their lovely and beautiful daughter, Dayang. She’s 11 months old. This photo is taken when she’s 9 months old.
She is a jolly baby. We stopped at a little town near the village. I forgot the name. And took a boat to the other side of the river. Riding in a small boat called “Perahu” is a new experience for me. Each of us was charged RM0.20 per trip except Dayang.
The football match was held in a primary school’s football field. I forgot the name of the school too. We saw four teams competing against one another. Pastor Wilson played football on that day too. All the teams had their own uniforms. The members were very proud of their teams too.
We also walked around the kampung (village). Perhaps getting an idea about the environment that our students grow up in. And thus, perhaps, allowing us to understand and relate to them better. In short, it may help us build good students-teacher rapport.
The villagers are mostly Bidayuh-Jagois. Water and electricity are available at their homes. However, some of them prefer to bath at the nearby river. The houses are built very close to one another. Roads are narrows. People went around on foot, motorcycles or bicycles.
Some of the villagers planted fruits and vegetables near their houses and sell them at the markets or roadside to earn a living.
Rattans or bamboos are also used as laundry lines. This road (in the above picture) leads to the end of the village and to the river.
We also saw several of this bird species being kept in cages as pets. They are like parrots. You can teach them to say phrases or words in your language. They greeted us in Bidayuh, Malay and English. Amazing.
The villagers caught these birds in the forest.
I also learnt from Esther that this area (the open space where they hang their laundry, outside the door) are found commonly in houses at villages. It is called “Tadur” whereby any activities that involves the participation of many people or require open space for example cooking are done at the “Tadur”
This trip is an eye opener. It allows me to gain a little bit of understanding about the lives of the people here.
* To be continued.
