Find out all about Life in Borneo, as it happened. There are Trekforce Updates and letters that I sent home (TY mum!)

Borneo Expedition 04S1 – First update 

The trekkers arrived in Kota Kinabalu  after a long journey and were met by members of Trekforce permanent staff. Our operation in Borneo is headed up by Simon Amos and Christine Thompson who have been based in Sabah for the last three years. 

At once they began the initial phase of the expedition; a comprehensive package of jungle training. This consists of a timetabled build-up of training, supervision and practice, which allows the volunteers to gain the required confidence to live and work in their new environment. This phase took place n an area of jungle overlooked by the enormous Mt Kinabalu, SE Asia’s highest peak. 

A couple of days were spent with initial preparation. First off were the medical lectures and a comprehensive first aid course followed by a tailored tropical illness course and advice on how to stay fit and functional in the humidity and heat of the rainforest. A doctor, tow nurses and a paramedic headed up this part of the course. Once everyone was happy with the basics the team were introduced to their first nights living under the jungle canopy. A base camp was established in the jungle and immediately an intensive three days of further training took place. Everyone was shown how to erect a proper, waterproof shelter and how to keep their kit clean and hidden away in rucksacks at all times – away from jungle creatures! Training was given in personal hygiene, first aid, safety equipment, satellite communications, emergency procedures, stretcher building, hazards and dangers as well as more practical lessons in cooking and abluting. 

The temporary camp was all prepared and the first day was spent getting the volunteers hammocks, mosquito nets and basha sheets to stay up and be fully waterproof in the relentless tropical rains. This was the fastest we have ever seen a team installed and with only one sapling cut down to complete the whole camp (and that was a mistake), we were proud of how they had taken the teaching about minimal impact on board. Armed with parangs (small machetes) the team went on to complete advanced jungle navigation and search & rescue skills as well as self-rescue training. The final day was a survival day with a host of practical skills to learn. The team learned to build shelters with their new parangs, collect water from bamboo, make fire with two sticks and build traps. 

The group has now been split into two project teams for the remainder of the expedition. (I have only reproduced the one Sandra is on)

Danum Vally, Sabah Biodiversity Experiment (SEARP) 

The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment is essentially the first large-scale experiment to study how we can help to regenerate logged forest with the rare and majestic Dipterocarp trees. These large trees have been extracted on a massive scale through South-East Asia. 

Trekforce have planted many of the trees for this experiment (more than 120,000). Replanting trees is not new in Sabah and several projects have been undertaken to replant areas of logged forest. However, there is little knowledge of the effects of limited species replanting on biodiversity and up to the present day only small-scale projects have been carried out. The majority of this planting is now finished and scientists are now visiting the area to begin the extensive and on-going research. 

The Trekforce team will build new nurseries for the seedlings yet to be planted, and an accommodation block for the scientists. They will also work on the project itself, collecting data and perhaps planting remaining seedlings. 

We will send you another update on the teams’ progress at the end of February, halfway through the expedition. In the meantime please be assured that we will let you know immediately of any incidents or problems; otherwise “no news is good news”.

Excerpts from letters received from Sandra - 30^th January 2004

There are 24 of us in the Danum Valley group, plus Andy and Lisa who are the medics and the leaders Greg and Tom. It is 99% sure that we will be spending the last 10 days of the project at Sepilok, repairing structures that are starting to deteriorate. We will be leaving for Danum at about 8 tomorrow morning – it will take about 8 hours to get there. I can’t believe how fast the time is going – jungle training is over already! We have had lectures on such diverse subjects as heat illness, river crossing, CPR, environmental hazards, camp layout and self rescue – my brain is in overload now!

Greg gave us a detailed description of our project, we had a talk from a man who was there when Trekforce started, then a party with a barbecue which was absolutely gorgeous. We have had three days in the jungle in our hammocks – it would be really comfortable if I wasn’t on a muddy hill! We have been given parangs (machetes) to keep on our safety kit which is probably a bad idea because I cut myself with my penknife getting the duct tape off my backpack –oops! I am really enjoying myself because there are so many things for me to learn J. Everyone is really fun and the conversations are really entertaining. We had a group photo taken today which you will probably see soon.

2^nd February 2004

I know I only wrote a couple of days ago but I am now on the other side of Malaysia! We arrived at our base camp yesterday. The trip here involved an 8 hour coach journey and a 2 hour minibus ride to the Danum Valley Hostel where we stayed overnight, then an excellent 2 hour jeep ride to our project site which is a large clearing next to the river. Base camp is a 15 minute walk along the river into the jungle! The camp is pretty much finished now & we will be building an accommodation block for visiting scientists taking part in the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment. I have seen a pair of hornbills, a macaque and a python so far in Danum as well as lots of leeches, although – touch wood- I haven’t been bitten by any yet!  

Chess, who drove me down to the Briefing Day, is my buddy (watch Serious Jungle to find out what that means!). We have been working on the shower area, sorting out hand washing bowls & collecting firewood today. The shower area uses the buttress roots of a giant tree as 3 of its walls. The trees are amazing & the jungle is never quiet. It is particularly noisy at about 6 in the morning when all the insects wake up. We will be doing a 5 day trek during the middle of February, leaving half of the group behind, then swapping round. I am quite nervous about that although I will be fitter by then – I feel as if I have lost weight already. Real Malaysian food is gorgeous.

10th February 2004

I am in the jungle! We started work on our project exactly one week ago & have an afternoon off as it is raining too much to do the next stage of the project. So far we have collected 24 half  oil barrels of small pebbles & 16 of sand from the beach of the river that flows past the camp & the worksite. We have also dug 22 post holes, cleared a helicopter landing site & started to dig a large hole for the wash block. The next stage is to put four 15 foot posts at the corners of the accommodation block, which we can’t do because it is too wet to mix concrete. The camp is one big mud bath at the moment because although it only rains for a few hours each day it takes ages to dry out. I went on a night drive the day before yesterday and saw a flying squirrel , which flew, and a pair of rhinoceros hornbills. Most of the wildlife we see are insects & leeches though – everyone is paranoid about the leeches because they turn up randomly, & occasionally where you really don’t want them! Toilet arrangements are avoided for as long as possible – we have to pee and poo in 2 separate places which takes a lot of control!  

Food is the main topic of conversation, as a diet of rice/pasta/noodles isn’t particularly filling. J Entertainment is mainly playing cards & top trumps, although we have had a talent show and are playing Jungle Cluedo (only 6 people left alive), with Blind Date planned fro tonight, and Secret Valentines having been given out – we all have to give something anonymously to our ‘victim’. None of us have any dry clothes anymore as the air is so humid that nothing dries. I am really looking forward to the teaching as I will get fresh clothes! It would be really great to get some letters from home & find out how it is cold in England.J The address is on this website and I will see you all in June.

Sandra Trekforce 4^th update – information from Trekforce

The Danum valley team are currently hammering and nailing like billy-o to get the researchers accommodation finished in time for them to get to Sepilok. 

With a lot of rain causing a very muddy camp, some of the team had to take time off to let their feet recover; otherwise all is well and the expedition is healthy. Despite the mud the team are having an awesome time, they have spotted Elephants, cobras, Pythons, flying squirrels, Orangutans and Hornbills to name a few and are regularly going on night drives on the logging tracks.

The team have divided into three for the trek phase that visits two great waterfalls in the primary forest (small teams have more chance of seeing wildlife). Most afternoons and evenings on trek are spent sitting around a campfire or swimming in the waterhole and is a well-deserved break from routine of project work and the mud of base camp.

The UK minister for the Environment, Elliot Morley, visited Danum Valley last week and met some of the volunteers.

The project is on target to be completed by the 8^th, though it may be a little tight!

There will be a further update after the end of the expedition phase, and for those on the four month programme there will be further updates during the teaching phase.

 The Sandra version written on Tuesday 17^th February!

I am writing this in my hammock as I have been told to air my feet today. Feet have become a major topic of conversation. We are the 2^nd Trekforce group to stay at this campsite, and the 2^nd group to come down with foot problems. (Quick aside – the people in our group, in their buddy pairs are: Shim & Kate, Julia & Michael, Alex Fenton & Big Tim, Fran & Little Tim, Emily & Jenny, Alex Stokes & Paul,  Ash & Gareth, Chess & I). Chess, Gareth, Ash & I were on admin on the day Tom had to spend 24 hours in his hammock (Thursday). The next day Alex Fenton had to do the same. The idea is to get feet clean, dry and out of the mud & to get some oxygen to them.

On Saturday we had secret valentines- Alex Stokes liked the interesting pebble (!) I gave him. Tom stopped reading his book so Michael could give it to me – everyone is amazed at how fast I read and how I can keep track of multiple books – I am currently reading The fifth elephant, The Restaurant at the end of the Universe, Life of Pi & Emperor: the gates of Rome (all good books!). I have finished Reduced Shakespeare and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.

Saturday evening was a Valentines party and the camp was left in such a state that Greg (the leader- Andy and Lisa are medic & the assistant leader is another Tom) had a go at us on Sunday morning and left us with the other leaders so we could spend a day clearing up. Unfortunately by this time there were at least 6 people who could only walk with great care and another 8 or so people with ailments in progress – the choice includes foot rot, trench foot, athletes foot and fungal spores. I was one of the few people ‘with feet’! I spent the day sorting tea bags out to dry and moving the squat spot with Emily.

On Sunday night the foot problem was even worse – 7 of us were on the perfect list, 4 of whom had been on a shopping trip for the group on Saturday so had had a day airing their feet already. On Sunday night an announcement was made to say that 9 people were going to be evacuated to a hostel that we stayed on the way here for 2 nights out of the mud – mixed emotions ensued, as well as the news that 4 people would have to stay in their hammocks for 24 hours as their ailments weren’t too serious. Of the good feet people Little Tim managed to get himself evacuated by using his parang (machete) with muddy hands & cutting the top of his wrist – he has gone to the hospital, but he is ok & should be back tomorrow at the same time as the hostel people.

So to recap Andy and Time are in Lahad Datu getting Tim on a plane to KK, 7 of us with Greg & Tom set off to the worksite, 3 able footed people stay to do admin, 4 people are resting in their hammocks and everyone else is off to the hostel with Lisa in camp all day making sure everyone is ok. When we arrived at the worksite all of the accommodation block posts were in & concreted & post holes were dug for the wash block. We dug pipe holes then sent Natalie (much to her disgust!) back to camp as she could only stand on one foot. Greg left us to accompany everyone to the hostel & meet the British Environment MP who was visiting Danum, leaving 6 of us & leader Tom to put up 2 posts in the wash block in the rain & erect a tarpaulin over the concreting area.

When my feet were checked last night red patches (some sore) were discovered so I have been put onto 24 hour in my hammock today – Emily, Natalie & Kim are in the same situation with Minnie, Jennie & Paul, who were on bedrest yesterday dealing with admin. With so many people out the trek situation has completely changed, rather than two 5 day treks with the first starting tomorrow & half the group in each, it will now be 3-day treks with 8 people in each, starting on Thursday. Hopefully I will be good to go on the 2^nd trek although Chess will be on the first as, fingers crossed, her feet are fine at the moment. All this is subject to change though as the foot situation alters daily!

It was really good to get my first letter this morning. The locals are going to start for English lessons tomorrow night so I am going to make some teaching aids today – I am really excited about the teaching phase! Feet have overtaken food as the main topic of conversation, which I never thought would happen. It is surprising what has been cooked up though – we have had flapjack, pizza, custard flan & trifle to name but a few. I am also really looking forward to clean, dry clothes – nothing ever dries because of the humidity in the air & clothes are always muddy after 10 minutes. Socks have to be in your sleeping bag for 2 nights to get them dry – and they can only be damp, not wet, for that to work. I can’t believe we have been her for almost 4 weeks – the time has just flown, and, contrary to how it may appear I am enjoying myself! See you in June.

Sandra Trekforce 5^th update

Wednesday 25^th February 2004 I have just returned form the best part of my Trekforce so far!

Friday 5^th March 2004 The sentence above was my lame attempt at writing an aerogram – I got sidetracked and am now writing it in my lunch break instead.

The best part mentioned was the trek phase which was the part I was most scared about! We left camp on Saturday to go to the Danum Valley Field Centre campsite meeting the first trek group as they came, hot and happy and covered in leeches :-/ We saw samba deer drinking from the river by the campsite – a good start. The next morning we got up at 5.15 to see and hear the dawn which was amazing. We then did a 3 hour trek to a campsite next to a series of waterfalls. The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the waterfalls with four of us telling our life stories in the evening. The next day we did a 5 hour trek with just our belt kits (no rucksacks) up to the top of a ridge and back down via an amazing waterfall where we had lunch – officially voted the best picnic spot ever! The rest of our life stories were told that evening & then we went on a night walk through the forest – I saw a mouse deer & some people saw a slow loris as well. The next morning we trekked out. The best part was one of 2 things (I can’t choose!) – wither climbing a 30 foot mangaras tree into the canopy, or eating a gorgeous lunch at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge – a very upmarket place. Since then I have been on a town trip to Lahad Datu with Kim, Nat & Paul to buy supplies for the group, which was lots of fun. It was a bizarre experience being stared at by everyone and having a crowd of children following us through the fruit market. Yesterday some of us went back to the Lodge to do the canopy walkway & get taken by a good local guide up to a viewpoint with an amazing view over the jungle. It had just rained so the mist over the trees was stunning. On the worksite we are getting close to finishing the building – it should be done tomorrow but I think Sunday is more likely. The opening ceremony is midday Monday & we will be leaving for Sepilok straight afterwards. Next time I write should be from there. It was great hearing from everyone & I look forward to more news from home J

Update I spoke to Sandra on Monday 15^th March – she was in a hotel having some rest and recuperation after the Jungle phase of her expedition. She enjoyed Sepilok – although the tourists did not like the trekkers levels of cleanliness (they were still living in the jungle!) Kate

Sandra Trekforce 6^th update 

9^th March 2004 Our project is finished no, although it looked a bit hairy at times. The opening ceremony yesterday was a quiet affair and it was weird leaving camp and the building. I am amazed at knowing I will probably never see it again. We stayed in the Danum Field Centre Hostel last night – showers & toilets- and will be at a B&B in Sepilok tonight setting up camp tomorrow. I have realised that I have not told you anything about the animals I have seen – I am one of the few people who hasn’t seen big wildlife – elephants/orang-utans/15 ft pythons- but when I think about it I have actually seen a lot. The ones I can remember are: 2 types of kingfisher, skinks, geckos, black-crested monarchs (birds), argus pheasants, 2 ft python, tortoise, leopard cat, civet cat, eagles, hornbills, giant red flying squirrels, sambu deer, barking deer, big spiders , many different kinds of butterfly, including a few that float like lace, and more leeches that you can shake a stick at! I hope that I will see orang’s tomorrow and will definitely have seen them by Friday J 

10^th March We left Sepilok B&B at 7 after we had to get up at 5.30:-\ We brought all of our kit up to the main centre which was a 30 minute road walk – I did it twice for necessity and once for enjoyment! We then got stared at by the nice clean tourists while we were given an introduction to Sepilok & were shown a video. Our base camp is a 40 (?) minute walk into the jungle along a nature trail. The camp is really small compared to Danum but feels more homely. We walked through the nursery so have seen small babies & an adult male – the difference is amazing. I volunteered to do another kit run because I (unusually) had a lot of energy. When we got to the centre we couldn’t go through the nursery because it would be too intrusive so we walked along the tourist boardwalk which was closed to visitors as it had a pair of young orangs & a large group of macaques on it – it was so fun to see! I am on the team (1 of 4) working on the nursery bridge. 

11^th March Our first day on the project was marked by a lot of tool runs, which meant waiting a while as we are 30-40 minutes form camp depending on who went! The bridge I am repairing with Gareth, Paul, Julia & Kim is at the entrance to the nursery so we can see the baby orangs and a group of sunbears all day and are also really close to the toilets!J We have made a plan and started removing rotten wood. We will achieve a lot more tomorrow night now that we know what there is to do ! 

12^th March Kim was on admin (at camp) today so we had little/machete Tim in our group instead. We have replaced the main beam on the right of the bridge which was broken when a tree fell on it and meant that the bridge was warped. With clever use of a car jack by Martin (a carpenter from Baria) we have straightened  out the bridge. We now need to build it back up by replacing floorboards, banisters and steps.

13^th March After having got up at 3.30 this morning to stop rainwater pooling in the middle of my basha site I thought today was going to be really bad, but it turned out a lot better than I expected. I have seen a Striped Bronze Back Snake & Macaques. The bridge repair is going well with some floorboards and banisters already being replaced. We should finish tomorrow, greatly helped by the expertise of Martin the Malay carpenter. An orang utan walked straight over the surrogate bridge next to the one we are repairing today, stopping about a foot away from me to look in a bucket full of nails – it wasn’t impressed when it realised there was no food there! 

14^th March We have finished our bridge! Despite some slight hiccups with getting nails through rock hard bilian wood we have managed to replace all of the floorboards, banisters & steps with one day & about 40 minutes to spare. We will be getting woodstain tomorrow for the bird tower, and hopefully there will be enough left to make our work last, at least until the next tree comes crashing down! 

15th March I was on admin with Shim & Julia today – which meant I have been cooking for the whole group today. Julia & I were in the group visiting the rhinos kept for a breeding programme  - I got a really good view for over 30 minutes – and then going to the feeding platforms – overrun with macaques and soap smelling dazzling white clothed tourists! When we got back I wrote my aerograms and then we spent a good evening after we served the meal recapping on the whole expedition! I can’t believe that this is my last night in the jungle L  

18^th March I am at breakfast in the hotel on the night after the end of the expedition party with people waking up with bad hangovers. I’ve had a great time and am going into Kota Kinabalu today. 

19^th March We are not back at Kiulu where we had jungle training. We have had culture lessons, a lesson completely in Swedish (Saya is a Swedish English teacher married to a Kayan tribesman living in Brunei!) and did some presentations. It is all fascinating – I am really excited J  

20^th March We have had more lectures – all about teaching now. We have given our first lessons in pairs teaching vocab. They were videoed and we had useful feedback. 

21^st March We have been told where we are going today. I will be  in Long Napir with Sarah & Jenny both from Danum. We have our own bedrooms a toilet and a ‘dribbly’ shower. Aerograms will be more irregular as I’m not sure how good our access to post will be. We have done another lesson today, which wasn’t videoed and went a lot better than yesterday. We had another Swedish lesson today which I will probably do with my kids in English as it involved classroom instructions. 

22^nd March More lectures – discipline, teaching different levels of ability & grammar teaching. We did our first lesson teaching as 3 which went well. Please put a link to www.orangutan-appeal.org which is for the Sepilok Orang utan appeal UK – they paid for the wood for all of our Sepilok projects -  I might be in their next newsletterJ 

23^rd March  We have had our last teaching lectures and done our last lesson today – apparently it was great! We go to KK tomorrow – I have a shopping list as long as your arm! It has been decided that I am the responsible one in our group so I will get our med kit, sat phone and emergency funds to look after. We are going by express boat to Labuan then on another to Limbang -  not sure how easy that will be! (Long Napir is not on at atlas but I have found the following web site  http://www.calle.com/world/MY/11/Long_Napir.html) It is slightly north of a place called Long Seridan if not. 

Extra information from Trekforce – received 1^st April 

Borneo’s reputation for harsh, steamy jungles and unusual animals has been borne out by the two teams that have just completed their expeditions there. 

Pygmy Elephants, Mouse Deer, Pythons, Gibbons, Leopard cars, Bays cats, hornbills, and many others have featured in the lives of our volunteers in Borneo this year not to mention a smidgeon of mud, a few blunt saws, many bent nails and the odd cracker and spoon of porridge. 

All expeditions, to a greater of lesser degree, involve enduring hardships in order to completed the challenge and these expeditions have been no exception. Two great projects were completed by teams that showed grit and determination under a lot of pressure and in difficult circumstances, not to mention the fact that they were in the jungle! 

At the Danum valley the Trekforce team were embroiled in a harsh and testing challenge. The Royal Society’s Rainforest Research Programme in South-East Asia has embarked on one of the most audacious experiments ever attempted, this experiment aims to address on of the most pressing issues facing governments and organisation responsible for tropical rainforests; How do we rehabilitate forests that have been logged so they maintain their biodiversity?  

The team were tasked with building accommodation for scientists who will be working on the project and to do this they had to set up camp in what turned our to be the wettest hectare of forest in the whole world! Mud that was described as ‘margarine-like- and copious quantities of leeches were just the home life for these trekkers, they also had to complete the project under these conditions. 

Many of them suffered with immersion foot and at one point the challenge was tending to all those who were confined to hammocks to rest their feet; but the weather eventually cleared for two weeks and the project was built. 

The team then travelled to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre to repair some previous Trekforce bridges that had been damaged by falling trees after a storm, for this hardened team the job was a doddle and they had a great time with the animals there. 

That Sabah’s protected areas are a little better off should make all those who supported and sponsored the trekkers feel good about their contribution, I am sure that the trekkers will ensure that you all aware of just how difficult it was and how tough they have become. 

Further updates will now be provided via the ‘News’ section of the new Trekforce website (www.trekforce.org.uk) which is due to go live in mid-April.

Sandra Trekforce School update

26^th March I’m in the village where I will be spending the next 2 months of my life. We have our own little ‘house’ with our own bedrooms, although Jenny and Sarah are sharing. It is so nice to have my own space again – I will organise it and make it mine.

27^th March I have stuck up photos and sarongs to make my room more personal.

28^th March I went to church this morning the service is over 2 hours long & there is no pastor so the people take it in turns to do the sermon. It happened to be Roland’s turn. I played volleyball for the first time & can feel the bruises developing! We also played games with the kids.

29^th March It was our first day at school today – just observing fortunately. I should be taking 7 periods (3.5 hours) of Y6 English, plus 2 periods of 1/3 English and 3 periods of Y2 Science. I have been given textbooks and shown CD-ROM’s and am now on a bit of information overload! Tonight was the school birthday party for everyone who has January/ February/ March birthdays – we were all included as we will miss our parties J The food was gorgeous. We have played lots of games with the kids today, like pairs & ladders – our house has turned into a child magnet J.

30^th March I watched more sessions today & started my first preparation – creating pairs cards using animals. Pairs is a big hit – Jenny & Sarah were playing active games on the field while I got the cards our for 4 of the quieter kids who weren’t joining in – within 5 minutes I had about 21 kids split between 3 games playing until they couldn’t see the cards! J

31^st March I watched 2 English lesion & had a brief on the Year 6 class I will be teaching tomorrow – on a test they did last week the standard ranged from 0% for students who can read in Malay but not in English to 51% at the highest. I have to go back to basics with them. They have their SAT equivalent in November and at least 3 of the children only came to school for the first time this year! :-/ I found out that I lost 8 kg in the jungle. However, I expect to have put all that and more back by the time I come home – the food is so nice!

1^st April I had my first lesson today- suffice to say it didn’t go well. I had to go through the rest of an exam paper, which had open-ended questions, or I didn’t know the answers. I was bored and the children were falling asleep after 30 minutes – there is not way they could understand. It was a Y6 class of which 8 are fine at basic English and the other 4 started school this year and can read in Malay but not in English so never know what is going on! I have planned my next session with the aim of making it more fun. I have also watched a Y2 science class– they are a very rowdy bunch but luckily my first class with them is just 30 minutes on Monday! I helped Jenny & Sarah in one of their classes too.

2^nd April Sarah’s birthday today – not much has happened!

3^rd April Thank you for my book – it is great timing as I have nearly finished the first 2 books I bought in KK (A Tale of Two Cities –1, Robinson Crusoe –2) and still have 7 weeks without bookshops left! Sarah and Jenny got me some earrings. I have spent the whole day playing all sorts of games with the kids. Some of them made ma a sign from cut grass saying “Happy Birthday Miss Sandy” – how sweet! I swam in the river for the first time – it is so nice to be cool in the water when it is so hot. Definitely a birthday I won’t forget J

4^th April Roland and Sarah have gone this weekend as they are going to Miri for Serina to collect her long service medal – she has been a teacher for 25 years. I went to church by myself today – Sarah banged her head badly yesterday and has had a headache ever since so Jenny stayed to look after her. The church is a single room about the size of Thomas Telford’s restaurant. It has a stage at the front raised 6” above the rest of the floor complete with drum kit, bass guitar, acoustic guitar and mikes! The seating is 3 blocks of plastic chairs – pinky white on the left, purple in the middle and green on the right as you look at the stage. There are fuchsia pink curtains behind the stage. The service consists of one person leading the singing with groups of people going up at various points. The children are always one of the groups – today they did a variation on the Hokey-Kokey! After singing someone does a sermon. The singing always seems quite fun but the services are really long and I can’t understand a word of it! We had a thunderstorm this morning that started at about 4am – the thunder was actually shaking the house! The river is raging now – luckily the bridge is a suspension bridge so we can still get over to the village. The windows are slats what you can open with a wire grill over them to stop the bugs although they only seem to stop them getting out, not in! There are no curtains so the windows are frosted. There is a ceiling fan in each room but the generator is only on from 7 til 2 and 6.30 til 10 so it is normally really hot. We have a squatting rather than a sitting toilet and a cold tap to wash in. I have tried to wash my jungle clothes but got bored and hung them outside – I am hoping the rain will do my work for me, but if not I will take them to a laundry in KK during my holiday – it cost Kim & Nat RM 20 (£2-£) each to have all of their jungle clothes and their sleeping bags washed, dried, ironed – some of their brown shirts were even turned white/pale grey again! I’ve been learning lots of English Grammar – we speak a bloody stupid language!J If you see any really simple second hand grammar books will you get them for me because they will be useful when I TEFL. Lunch now… was vegetables with tiny fish in, rice and sausages with chilli sauce which is fine- particularly as they didn’t put as much sauce on as usual so the rice took the taste away! J It is raining again – I love watching & listening to the rain and knowing I don’t have to get wet, although I do miss sleeping in a hammock- I have to find somewhere to put it up at home.

5^th April I have had my first successful Y6 lesson- at last. I think it worked ( I will find out on Wednesday when I try to recap!) as well as covering some lessons for absent teachers. This afternoon I played volleyball and can feel some serious bruises developing! This evening we all went to Martina’s house. Martina is 21, works in the kitchen and speaks very good English. She showed us photo’s and we watched some very American TV. They gave use bananas- fresh fruit is so nice! Most of the bananas we have had are only 3” long and very fat. They taste slightly sweeter than bananas in England but very nice.

6^th April I had really good Y3 lesson today. We had to look after Y1, 2 & 3 all day today as the elder kids were cleaning up the school ready for a VIP visit – I haven’t found out who from. It has been too hot to do anything today, despite the storm this evening.

7^th April I have had 2 good lessons today – family with Y3 (lovely pic of Steven on his 15^th birthday) and Proper Nouns with Y6. There was pineapple at break this morning. The pineapple here is gorgeous – I could eat a whole one myself! We went to Martina’s house again tonight. I showed her my pictures and then we all watched TV.

8^th April I had a good Y6 lesson and even managed to get the slower students to complete a task properly. I ran out of work with 15 minutes to go and had to make up some exercises on the spot.

9^th April It is Good Friday today so there is not school and a lot of the teachers have gone away for the weekend. We have a collection of kids on our balcony. Sometimes it feels as if I am in a zoo because the kids just stand in the doorway or at the window and stare at us, regardless of what we are doing! I have finished Robinson Crusoe so I will have to borrow or re-read books now. I have also started to write my report for the Mercers. We played volleyball with the older kids, which was fun rather than competitiveJ

10^th April  We have been fishing with about 10 of the guys from the school today. We drove upstream in motorised longboats for about 40 mins with a net being cast occasionally then had no luck catching fish on lines. Luckily some of the others did so we had a barbecue and ate our food from plates of leaves (slightly larger than A4 J) Then most people went swimming – I thought the current was too strong for me so didn’t go in. We then did the 25 min journey back. I really enjoyed myself, and the only way it could have been better was if I had caught a fish! We went to a ‘party’ at the long house tonight, which was basically dishing out lots of rice parcels wrapped in leaves to everyone (about 10 per person) with a few other delicacies like fish soup & bamboo shoots- both very nice. Basically though one person’s portion was far too much for any 3 people to eat, so we brought a lot home. A good day all round!

11^th April Happy Easter – I went to church this morning and realised I forgot to tell you about one of the weirdest things for me. At the end of some hymns prayers are started before the music has stopped. Everyone says their prayers out loud so there is a babble of voices which gradually tails off until there is just one man whose prayer is twice the length of all the others! Today I was lent a hymn book so I could start practising my Malay pronunciation instead of just clapping along in timeJ I have been learning family words and some grammar. I found some of the last volunteers lesson plans and worksheets on the laptops, which is great as it saves me some workJ

12^th April Crappy Y2 lesson – I hate teaching that class as they are completely undisciplinedL Really good Y6 lesson- they are a great class and I think they may actually be learning something. I am learning lots of grammar with a bit of vocab every now and then  - today I have learnt prepositions (in/at/under/on etc) and that the word for library is perpustakaan – useful I know!

13^th April I love my Y3 class – I asked them to draw their families & both of them drew, rubbed out & drew again multiple times until between them they had 2 very food line drawings – the care and attention that went into it was lovely J We went to Martina’s again tonight. She had us dressed up in some traditional Kebbit clothes, which were actually surprisingly comfortable – from the little I saw in the mirror I think they may have suited me.

15^th April I wrote a list of things that would be weird for me when I go home, like carpet and mobile phones – it filled 5 sides of A5 paper! Good lessons (Y6 & Y3). We helped clear out the stockroom and discovered lots of things the staff had forgotten they had like microscopes, 4 different sizes of recorder, a model body (the one you can see all the insides on) and lots of useful English resources. Today I have used the projector & CD ROM for the first time for my Y2 science class – it is easier than having to stand at the front, but also really annoying because the laptop only sends a little over 1/4 of the screen image to the projector so you have to keep moving the mouse so the kids can see. I had a bit of a surprise with my Y6 class 3 new Y6 and one Y5 arrived yesterday for their first day of school since early March – all of them came to school for the first time in January. Raymond (Y5) is too insecure to go to his own lessons so he trails round after Terry (Y6) and was in my lesson – I found out about the extra people 40 minutes before the lesson – just enough time to sort some worksheets out for them J I also found out something I had suspected – some of the Y6’s are over age – Isabella and Senorita are 14, Terry and Kennedy are 13 – the rest of the class are 11 and 12 – its all a lot of fun and keeps me on my toes! This afternoon I managed to tie back my hair in a single ponytail – I was quite surprised as I didn’t realise how much it had grown!

16^th April 2 good lessons today, although Y3 already knew  ‘Head, shoulders, knees & toes’ so that lesson was slightly pointless – luckily it was only 30 mins so I managed to make up enough stuff to fill it J Jenny, Sarah and I are going to Limbang with Serina tomorrow – she is collecting Roland from a course. We will find out when we are getting post – I haven’t had any since March 25^th – as well as a replacement sat phone and having our visas renewed – it should be in the next week as our visas expire on the 25^th April (next Sunday).

23^rd April We are finally back in Long Napir- we ended up spending 5 nights in Limbang and got back in the dark last night. Most of the roads here are logging tracks and everyone has 4x4’s. I ride outside whenever I can – it is not as comfortable as cushioned seats, but it is cooler and a lot more fund than sitting inside – the best way I have found to travel! It was strange being in Limbang on Saturday because there were a lot of white people there – I don’t know why. Most of them went on Sunday, but there were 2 left on Monday so when I was alone in the lobby I asked them why they were in Limbang – it is not a touristy place at all! One of them started to say it was hard to explain and they to this teaching thing with 18 year old school leavers from England so I told them I was with Trekforce. It turned out they were from Gap Projects visiting some of their volunteers and one of them knew Simon & Christine! The 3 Penan children who turned up in my Y6 class last week apparently ran away back to their village on Wednesday night – such is life here! On Wednesday and Thursday this week there has only been 1 teacher in the school 5 of them are on various courses and the rest of us were in Limbang. Those on courses won’t be back until Sunday – if their transport works that is! There is a disgusting plague of black flies this evening – I think it is because of the rain – I am very glad I use my mosquito net as the top of it is covered in them – they would be all over me & my bed without it – oh for no insects!

25^th April today I am out on the logging tracks walking. I left at 6am and arrived at a gorgeous mountain view at 9:45, I am really pleased I got here as I wasn’t sure how far it was & I was only letting myself walk until 10! I have seen a squirrel on the way & a pair of hornbills while sitting here as well as hearing loads of animals, including woodpeckers. I have been planning to do this for 3 weeks but haven’t due to fishing and Limbang so it is nice to finally be here J I forgot – last night we had dinner at Martina’s & then watched MTV Asia music awards, with awards presented by Blue, Liberty X and Gareth Gates.

26^th April I saw another squirrel on the way back yesterday, as well as at least four places with better views than the one I chose – I couldn’t see them because of the mists L I had even stopped at one of them for a break on the walk out! Everybody here now thinks I am strange – apparently I am the first person to walk on the tracks like that J Last night there was a barbecue at Martina’s – it gave me a chance to practice my chopstick skills again – they are definitely improving! Today we were given name badges so now we are proper teachers! As it is Monday we had assembly – it is about time I described it to you J Firstly all the students are counted by class – today I discovered my Y3 class has doubled in size from 2 to 4 students and that I have 3 different new students in my Y6 class. It all takes place in the Y6 classroom with the teachers sat in a line at the front facing all of the students. Next is the prayer, which can take up to 5 minutes depending on who is saying it. Then everyone sings the school song except us because we haven’t been given the words yet. There is a speech by whoever is giving assembly, then all the teachers are asked if they have anything to say – inevitably Bunyau is the only one to respond so he then talks for a few minutes. Then the leader hands over to Roland for a 10 minute talk, usually about uniforms and/or stationery, before a final talk by the leader, the National Anthem – which we also don’t know – and the end of assembly. Obviously being in Malay we don’t understand most of it, although I do catch the occasional word, which always pleases me J This afternoon we have been putting braids in the children’s hair, eventually running out of light leaving a big queue for tomorrow and 4 braids in my hair as the guinea pig!

27^th April My Y3 class now has mixed abilities which will make teaching them more challenging – more to think about. I finished my jigsaw this afternoon and when I looked up out of my window a crowd of children was crossing the field towards our house – I didn’t think anything of it until I squinted (no glasses on) and realised they were being followed by 2 white people – Simon & Christine have arrived bringing a newspaper, stories & news from other trekkers and a sat phone – something else to remember the situation reports every Thursday- luckily there are only 3 left so it shouldn’t be too hard. I am getting really into making worksheets for the kids when they generator is on – I have them saved on disc so I can use them when I teach again, although by the time I do they will probably look really old fashioned with the way technology advances! None of the teachers get special ICT training. The schools are sent computers and everyone is expected just to pick up the skills they need as they go along.

28^th April Simon & Christine gave us crisps, bread, noodles & cereal today – I love them! I have been playing around with PowerPoint to use in my Y2 lesson tomorrow, so I hope it works. I am hoping they will actually learn something from me! I have been playing cards with the younger kids this afternoon, which is nice as it is normally the older ones who play J

29^th April I tried using PowerPoint with the kids in Y2 today – they liked that part of the lesson but then switched off when I gave them a sheet as usual – I hate teaching that class. They are great kids outside school but they are a pain in the neck in the classroomL Luckily I had a good Y3 & Y6 lesson to make up for it. Thursdays are definitely my most stressful day! We have started thinking about an ‘English Night’ to do in our last few days here – whether it will actually happen/ work I don’t know!

30^th April It is a holiday weekend here as in England, so no school Monday or Tuesday. Everyone goes back to their respective homes so there are 2 teachers, less than 20 students and a whole lot of new faces for the next few days. We have finally managed to do a sit rep (phone Trekforce) it should have been yesterday but the battery lost charge because we forgot to take it out of the teacher. We had fun playing cards at Martina’s tonight – they have their own generator so we didn’t have to leave at 10 when the village one went off.

1^st May We visited Theresa for lunch today. She is one of the school admin staff but only returned to school on Monday after having a baby in January. We discovered that she is married to Ningkan, a very quiet teacher here, who I never really heard speak until today. They live in a house at the other end of the village with traditional rattan wicker hats and baskets all over the walls. The whole thing was quite strange as we were given lunch there but ate by ourselves and didn’t really spend much time talking to Theresa at all. This evening we made pizza, had the kids watching Lion King & Cats & Dogs on the laptop and played cards next door. I have restarted learning Malay today.

2^nd May Church this morning was really dull as there are so few kids, so it was mainly speaking with very little speaking for us to join in L It is stupidly hot today – I hope the weather is warmer there for you because otherwise I will get a complete shock when I come home – I will have to spend all of my time in the Esporta pool as that will be the only place to get heat that is anything like this! I find it strange that you only have my descriptions to picture my surroundings and that you really don’t have any idea where I am, what I can see or what I can hear. I need to get a microphone to with a laptop, or a Dictaphone so I can record sounds from the places I have been as well as pictures. I will really miss the sound of the kids singing and playing outside our house, the sound of proper heavy rain (the kind where you can only hear the person next to you if they shout) and the sound of the kids singing their good mornings and thank yous every half an hour through the school day.