Finally I get a time to update the information on the long house trip previous week. CV! Curtin Sarawak in conjunction with John Curtin Charity Week (JCCW) had organized a few events but I only get to join the events which are the long house trip held on 6th October ~ 7th October 2007. Catherine Chia, our Organizing Chairperson and me as her assistant. The long house we went to named Rumah Ampik (hope I did not get the name wrong) and the tuai rumah of the house is Tuai Rumah Ambik.
Day 1 (6th October 2007)
We departed from campus around 6.45am in the morning and arrive to the destination around 7.45am. I have decided to drive there with my baby (Si Kancil) and 14 of us (including Muslim participants) are quite shock with the short distance to the long house and later we found out that the long house we staying in is the nearest to town compared to the other 3 long houses. Tuai Rumah has already waited for us and he welcomes us to his long house with a warm smile and friendly attitude. After we have settled our stuffs and belongings, we have a short session of breakfast before we begin our community work. Well, actually there isn’t so much to do there because we end up planting plants along the roadside and helping out in the kitchen. Within one hour we all get the stuff done. Fast leh?? Daniel who is our exchange student was very worried when comes to cutting the heart of oil palm tree as the culinary style is different from the western style. Lolzzz….
Lunch time!!!! Well, this is the time that we are really started to enjoy the whole crash course of visiting long house. All sorts of my favorite dish are there!!! Pansuh (Bamboo Chicken), sweet potato leaves, curry, BBQ chicken and more. Those are the foods that really can make you eat quietly. Hahaha.. everybody seems to enjoy the food so much. Too bad those Muslim participants are puasaing. We have a short rest and bath after lunch and preparing for the function in afternoon which is the ceremony of receiving fire extinguishers from Leo Club Miri at 2.00pm. Kayren and I have to dress up with Iban costume to officially welcome all the VIPs and Catherine too have to dress up with Baju Kurung (Trust me; she is really GORGEOUS with that). The whole outfit is very heavy and I have to wear some painful accessories on my hand and leg. Wearing the outfit surely is painful but I think its all worth it.
After all the functions over, we finally have our own free time. As we thought that we can actually have a nap for a while but we are wrong. Tuai Rumah drags us out and starts to drink Tuak (Rice Wine) from one house to another. Then we stop for drinking for a while until dinner is done and started drinking again. Some of us start to feel dizzy and couldn’t stand anymore so they went back to rest. Haiz.. The effects of Tuak sure are strong because even I feel it after drinking so much. Unfortunately our OC collapsed and sleep in her room and left me the assistant alone to handle everything. The feast started and we all are enjoying the performances, dancing and singing all the way until late night and we all went to bed.
Day 2 (7th October 2007)
Woke up at 7.15am, took a bath, dress up, have breakfast and continue to work for the second day. Well, it is so called “working” but we did not. We walk a long distance under the sun to visit their farm. Their land sure is HUGE. We stop by at a Tebu farm and potato field. After that we headed back to the long house for lunch. Then, we are invited to join a ceremony called “Ranyai” where all of us have to dance around the oil palm tree in the long house and cut a thing off the tree. Haha.. Everyone surely enjoy it so much.
After that, we also perform our dance in front of them as a sign of thank you and appreciation towards the whole long house and it’s too bad that we have to leave the long house today. Feel sad because we have our loving foster parents there who are very friendly and welcoming. We took a lot of pictures with them before we packed and leave the long house. I really miss my foster mum, I can still recall her sad face when we are about to leave. T_T Thanks mum for the well treat for the whole crash course.
The worse thing is before we leave we get to drink Tuak again… haiz… all of us are dizzy on our journey back to campus. Hahaha… well, I think that’s about it. I really hope that I will have a chance to go back to the long house to visit them again. Actually they have invited us for Hari Gawai next year. Hahaha… so happy… this long house trip surely give us the experience for our lifetime that we hardly forget. Sob sob… although this is the third time I been to long house but I really love it man.. Fellow readers have to experience it in order to feel the spirit of the people and culture of Iban. No regret man!!!
P/S : A Crash Course Turn Out To Be An Experience That Could Not Forget For The Lifetime
Regards,
Angie
May God Bless You Always +
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