just came back from my cip trip to sarawak. wow. what can i say? its really been an eye opener for me. got to see lots of things i didnt expect to see. both in my friends and on the trip as well. the scenary there was gorgeous. especially at the bako national park. the sunrise, sunsets, fireflies and the most spectacular one, the stars. the stars there are really really beautiful. you'll most probably never get to see these type of stars in singapore. the night sky there is like filled with stars. everywhere. and although there were no computers and tv and aircon there, i didnt really feel out of place. i didnt feel anything mssing from my life. being over there gave me a sense of fulfillment in my life. something that i feel is missing back here in singapore. i dont know why i feel this way. expected myself to be unable to adapt to not having the com and other stuff, but surprisingly, i really enjoyed myself there. their way of life is so simple and stress-free. you dont have to think of so many problems. just let yourself go free. immerse yourself in nature and let the wind and waves wash you clean. i really felt refreshed after all the mountain trekking and visits to the beach and the sea stacks. the emotions felt at that moment in time cant really be put down into words.
and not only were all these refreshing. the cip trip to the school was one of the best highlights in the whole trip. that cip visit to the school had allowed me to open myself up and just enjoy the time with the kids there. on the first day, it was still kind of awkward and all the cchs students were staying in a bunch while the local students stayed in their own bunch. however, as the day wore on, we both started to open up to each other. cchs students started to mix with the local children. thats when the fun started. we played games and sang songs. and although it was under the scorching sun, i didnt complain. i relish these kinds of lifestyles. when you have so little to bother yourself. the kids are so carefree. and i kind of envy the lifestyle they lead. although we are more technically advanced then them, we also lead more comfortable lifestyles. but it seems as if in the end they are the winners. thay are the people who lead the most fulfilling lives. they are the ones who are able to freely pursue what they want in life, whereares we here are bund by what society wants. if we don't catch up, we're out of the game. sometimes, what we want in life and what we acheive in life are totally differant. and thats the sad part bout living in these modern societies. we dont get to choose what we want. we just have to follow the majority of society if we dont want to get left behind. sometimes i feel like a train, its has only one way to go, and that is to follow the railway tracks laid for it. there is no where else to go even if it wanted to change its course.
and so as we played mpre with the children, we got closer to them and we were talking and laughing like old time friends in no time at all. when the first day ended, i had made 2 really good friends. both were girls and i looked upon them like my 'kids'. it was so funny and i could not wait for the second day. when we went there the next day, we started to mix with the kids more easily and the air of awkwardness was no longer there. we proceeded into the games as soon as we got there and saved alot of time. it was really fulfilling to me and i was extremely sad when the day cae to an end. we had to leave and we started to exchange presents. i gave my present to my 2 'kids' and they gave me a little hand made vase in return. it wasnt much, just a hand made clay vase. but it meant alot to me. the emotional pricetag attached to it was priceless to me. and xiao yan's children gave her this handmade pineapple they had woven with straws. it was so touching and xiao yan started to cry. than everyone around started crying too. i ahd to hold back my tears. its was just too emotionally charged. i have never seen her really cry and when i saw it during the trip i was just blown away. i knew she wasnt what she made herself out to be but i didnt have confirmation. this trip gave me that confirmation.
we also visited the sarawak cultural village which i can say is one of the best places we stayed at throughout the whole trip. we managed to live in their longhouses and soak up the indigenious way of living and i really enjoyed that. we also toured the place and understood their culture. than we started playing their village games. although they are really simple games, they brought about a joy in me i have not felt in singapore while playing my computer games and stuff. perhaps its the simplicity and purity of the games that gave me that simple joy in life. and we were playing on the swing when dimple fell down and there was like this really loud bang on the floor. like THUMP! it was so hilarious! we couldnt stop making fun of her during the whole trip. haha.
i really miss sarawak. i miss it because it allows me to embrace life in one of its simplest forms. i'm not plagued with the problems i face in singapore. being in sarawak allows me to forget all my problems temporarily. and i guess thats what we all need once in a while. i came back from this trip feeling invigorated and i hope we can go someplace like this in the end of yr holidays with dimple. haha.
