Journey Woman: August 2007

Last week I was at Sabah for a Self-Advocacy conference for a couple of days. It's a conference organised by persons with learning disabilities for persons with learning disabilities to learn about self-advocacy. I was there with some UV members as a supporting friend.There were about 7-8 self-advocacy clubs throughout malaysia that participated. We stayed at OBS(Outward Bound School) which is about 20 mins from KK town. I luv that place. It is surrounded by trees and just by the sea. sigh..... didn't want to come back to KL. I even asked the staff there if they are hiring or not! hahaha Anyway here are some of the highlights (both good & bad) of my trip there:

1) First time in my life that I actually like talking in Bahasa Malaysia. Most of the sabahans, even the chinese converse in Malay so I'm force to speak to them in BM. And for those of you who has heard sabahans speak in malay, you'll know what I mean...it sounds very nice... kind of like they are singing. If you have heard me talk in malay you'll understand why it is a huge effort for me to be able to even say a full sentence in BM!

2) I like the meal times not becoz I'm "wai sek". In OBS they will wait for at least 95% of the participants to come to the dining hall. And before we eat all of us will stand up for a minute of silent to give thanks for the food. Doesn't matter if you are muslim, hindu or christian, just give thanks in your own ways. Each table will seat at least 10-15 people and we will all share the food that is placed on the table. After that we are responsible for cleaning up our own plates & cutleries & the table. When I came back to KL on friday and had my dinner alone at home that nite I kind of miss eating at OBS. I mean I know my mom's food is 10 times tastier than the food there but somehow it was kind of tasteless to me(sshhh dun tell my mom). It makes me realise that sometimes no matter how good or bad the food is, it's the company that you are with that will make the food taste much better. It's a kind of community meal thingy if you know what I mean. It's nice that the conference is held in OBS and not in a hotel. Afterall it's a conference to teach them to be independent and to be leaders. I think one of the steps to being a leader is servanthood and what better way then to learn how to wash your own plates and help one another clean up.

3) On the last nite we had a farewell party and there were performances and singing and dancing. I learned how to dance the "bocor-bocor"(dun know if it's the right spelling) dance, kind of like line dancing, sabah style. It was cool.... the dance lah... not me.

4) One of the issues that were raised was about insurance for persons with disabilities. In malaysia no insurance company would sell insurance to them especially those who have cerebral palsy and suffers from epilepsy. And these are the very people who needs insurance the most. Sad..... shame on you AIA, ING and the rest. There was a lady who is the PA to the minister of welfare in sabah who says she will look into this matter. Yeah we'll probably have to wait a long, long time before anything happens.

5) I consider myself an extremely patience person but my patience was severely tested during this trip. I think I handled some of the situation quite well becoz I did not let my anger cloud the action that I took and the decision that I made. No details here but I can say that I'm glad no UV members were left behind in Sabah. I wish I was left behind in Sabah! hahaha

6) Imagine having just 4-5 hours sleep a day and having to deal with childish behaviour, tantrums, fightings and other stuff. Knowing that you are responsible for them is added pressure. Now I know how parents feels. I'm definitely staying single!!

7) Getting to know people from other SA groups is definitely the best highlight of my trip there. After hearing so much from the same group of people from UV, it's refreshing to hear from others.

Well, I had a great time in Sabah, a bit stressful but still great. We actually had some time on the last day to visit the handicraft market and went to an island. The people there are extremely friendly and the seafood is quite good & cheap. The next conference will be in Penang. After that I beg them to have it in Sabah again maybe somewhere near Mt. Kinabalu. hahahahahaha