This morning I was woken up at 5am by torrential rains! The claps of thunder were shaking the building and the lightening flashed through the window. I went out to the communal area to see the rain and little kids were running outside with sleepy eyes to cover their ears from the noise. Men were bringing in motorcycles and women were bringing in laundry. It was the closest to cold I have felt in a while. The rain is much needed here. They haven't had any in two weeks and they depend on it as a water source, not to mention to cool the weather down a bit.
I was so excited by the rain I never went back to sleep.
We all enjoyed a breakfast of fruit and a type of pansit at 7am. After breakfast I was taking out the trash when I saw the biggest scorpion I've ever seen, well that I've ever seen period. The chief came out and killed it with a machete.
Around 8am Zoë, Ashlee and I went with a lady on her wooden canoe to help her clear some land. It felt surreal gliding down the river with the mist rolling over the hills. With four workers clearing the little plot of land, the work got done pretty quickly. The weather, although humid, was much, much cooler thanks to the rain earlier this morning.
I washed the mud off in the river when we got back to the village and enjoyed a little down time to study.
While I was helping prepare lunch I tried learning Malay words from the chief's wife. One word I learned was "maccan" which means "eat" in Malay. I think she appreciated it and I was happy to learn. Finally, after a week and a half, I can discern words from conversations. It isn't just "Charlie Brown" language as Zoë would say.
The chief brought in a durian and we took a break to sit down on the ground and savor the fruit. I have to say, it was actually really good! Up until this point I have tried it and it's tasted bitter, this one was sweet and delicious.
Before lunch the boys had to bathe in the river after planting pepper all morning. It's required to bathe before meals, but makes sense since they sweat so much in this weather.
I also had a few cultural lessons during lunch. For example I tried sneaking by without rice to save on the carb intake. I should have known better. The pastor noticed right away and the cooks were a little offended. I then proceeded to take a little rice which put smiles back on their faces. Dr. Perumal finished his plate completely, what we would consider polite. The chief asked him if he was hungry, Dr. Perumal replied no. So what did the chief do? He loaded him up with another bowl of rice. Apparently if you finish your rice that is a sign that you want to keep eating, so it is best to leave a little rice on your plate.
I also learned that traditionally, if there is a stove the men sit facing the stove so they can refill it with wood and the women face the men to serve the food.
After lunch the chief rolled up his short to let his belly breathe. It made me think. In cultures where hunger pains are not that far off, being a little fat is something to be happy and proud of because it is the opposite of starvation.
In the afternoon we visited a wooden longhouse, which is rare now because they burn down easily.
We also went to a school where the kids were super excited to see us. We played soccer, took pictures and played hopscotch with them.
When we returned we bathed in the river and swam with some of the kids for an hour to cool off. The current was very strong though and I was impressed the little kids were such string swimmers!
On our way back we saw some moms making mobiles for babies out of straws. It was creative and pretty. They invited us to join them and were patient helping me, although I'm sure they thought I was artistically challenged!
We had dinner on the back patio and as they women were finalizing up dinner they asked us to walk around so everyone could see us. I suppose it's because the people are curious.
After dinner I played with the kids, who have definitely warmed up, spinning them, singing with them and communicating through sign language. At one point there were so many kids all over me and pulling me they had my skirt and shirt almost pulled off. They are so happy and full of life.
One of my favorite parts of the day was singing worship songs with the kids and the families in the communal hall. It was one of those "I can't believe I'm here" moments that are truly special. After a nice worship thought by Zoë, translated by the pastor, we all retreated to our rooms for a little alone time.
The hardest part by far has been the lack of privacy, but I am really grateful for this opportunity and am learning so much from the Iban just in this short time we have been here. Tomorrow we have an early breakfast at 6:30am before we head out to plant pepper. Time to get some sleep.
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