Today has been exhausting, and that is a severe under-exaggeration. Up at 6:00am, bright and early, and at 8:00am we began the 30-40min walk to the project site in the centre of Tinangol village. Before starting any work, Kenny took us on a tour of the village and its three main longhouses, where all of the residents live. I know its cliché, but seeing how little the people here have and yet how happy they are really is eye-opening. The villagers are all really friendly, eager to wave and say hello, especially the children who want nothing more than to play with you; to be hugged or picked up and whirled around. And the smiles on their faces as they laugh excitedly with a toy as simple as a piece of cloth...
The project work itself involved weeding the area on top of the new water tanks being built for the villagers, and levelling it out with stones and then gravel. Lots of lifting and carrying back and forth! We had our first experience of a tropical thunderstorm last night (which was actually really soothing to drift off to sleep to), and again during the project work, but to be honest we were all grateful for it as the rain was refreshing and made the physical work a lot easier. Many of us didn't even bother with our raincoats after a while as it wasn't at all cold, and we soon got used to it.
By the afternoon we were all soaked to the skin, but none of us cared. After lunch we took part in a bead-making session, creating our own traditional Malaysian bracelets from seeds and beads. It took a while to get your head around the process, but once you did it was simple enough, even if it did take ages to finish. As everyone was finishing their bracelets at different speeds, we played games with some of the local children before heading back to camp once everyone was ready.
By this time we were all really tired and the rain had stopped, quickly followed by the sun coming out again with a vengeance, so the walk back to camp was a lot harder than it had been in the morning. It was mostly uphill and rough terrain, and I had to stop to rest for a little while, but with some help I eventually made it back, and I have never been more grateful for a shower in my life.
8:30pm
Dinner was spaghetti bolognese and was delicious. All of the food here has been pretty good so far, if a little repetitive (even two days in we're all getting used to chicken and rice in various forms for breakfast, lunch and dinner!)
I'm currently sat in long sleeves and trousers, as that what's recommended in the evenings to try and escape the mosquitoes, but I am absolutely boiling hot still - it must still be at least 30°C. So far I've managed to avoid any mosquito bites; I know I haven't been here long at all, but some people are already well and truly munched.
After dinner we had a Malay lesson where Kenny taught us some basic conversational skills that we can use throughout our expedition.
Selamat datang - Welcome
Selamat pagi - Good morning (dawn until 12:00)
Selamat tengahari - Good afternoon (12:00-1:00)
Selamat petang - Good afternoon/evening (1:00-sunset)
Selamat malam - Good night
Selamat tinggal - Goodbye
Selamat jalan - Safe journey/see you soon
Terima kasih - Thank you
Sama-sama - You're welcome
Apa khabar? - How are you?
Bagus! - All good!
Siapa nama kamu? - What's your name?
Nama saya... - My name is...
Hopefully I'll be able to remember some of it on my journey! All the villagers try and speak English to you, including the children, so it will be nice to try and speak to them in their language in return.
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