As my first month in Sabah ends, I am deeply grateful for all that I have experienced in such a short matter of time. Our arrival feels like a lifetime ago, even though we have just begun to settle and immerse ourselves within our new life and home. The house we are lucky enough to stay in is warm, inviting, filled with character, and accompanied by a gorgeous garden in the back. Shortly after our arrival, we began to explore our new neighbourhood. Life in our little city of Donggongon (about twenty minutes outside of Kota Kinabalu) is slow yet vibrant. The complexes surrounding our area are colourful, noisy and filled with people. Whether it’s excitement or perplexity, as we walk through the streets of Donggongon, there’s a tangible essence of, “how did they make it to Sabah”. Many wonderful conversations have occurred with locals who are incredibly excited that we are here to experience the culture. There is delicious food everywhere, endless stalls of amazing fruits, treats and more. I am quite in love with Donggongon. On Sundays, the square fills with street vendors selling spices and vegetables from nearby villages and a multitude of eclectic vintage clothing. Slow Sundays at the square are lovely; I jalan-jalan (walk and enjoy) the day with a cold drink, trying different food and chatting with vendors.
Starting with PACOS Trust has been nothing but an absolute pleasure. PACOS is an organization dedicated to supporting Indigenous communities in Sabah. The span of work and villages reached by PACOS is vast. Approaches to capacity building are rooted in promoting agency and facilitating the growth of communities’ traditional practice. Areas of work include natural resource management, health promotion, education, biodiversity projects, and more. PACOS demonstrates a deeply rooted community ethos, not only in the work itself but in staff’s day-to-day practice. The office demonstrates the longevity and reach of PACOS’s work, stacks on stacks of books, projects, past proposals, awards, accomplishments, and photos of the community surrounding me as I work. There is so much beauty, even just in my day-to-day at the office. I’m excited to have a new friend Rachel, a fellow intern and doctoral candidate from Taiwan who is studying at Cornell. We share a desk and always have lunch together. Rachel is incredibly insightful and has added depth to slow moments in the day, answering my constant questions with patience and care.
Another reason for my love for my placement is the Lasimbang family. The family includes twelve incredibly high-achieving siblings whose life work focuses on Sabah. The bubbly Anne Lasimbang is the director of PACOS. The home we are renting belongs to the lovely Rita Lasimbang. My fellow intern, Santiago, is supervised by Jannie Lasimbang, a local politician. All the Lasimbabngs are profoundly humble and kind. So far I have spent time with six sisters, strong women who demonstrate a perfected balance of tenderness and grit. The Lasimbangs have welcomed Santago and I into their homes, to take part in their family and community celebrations.
A major part of the last month has been celebrating Kaamatan, a Kadazan festival which pays thanks to the rice gods and brings forward bountiful harvest. We were swept into festivities as soon as we arrived, not just by the Lasimbangs but also by the local community. The celebrations occur all month, and on our first night in Donggongon, we were welcomed to strangers’ tables to share stories, rice wine, food and music. Arriving during Kaamatan has been wonderful, demonstrating what makes Sabahans unique. Unwavering good nature, generosity, and eagerness to learn about others while sharing what is meaningful to their community. Over the last few weeks, we have enjoyed many nights filled with dancing the Sumazau, a traditional Kaamatan dance and some less traditional Karaoke. New friends from work and the community demonstrated so much care that we enjoy Sabah and Kaamatan. Often, we would be dancing, and suddenly, an arm would appear with a skewer of crispy pork or some other mysterious meat we “must try!” Of course, in all cases, something delicious. The basis of Kaamatan is to come together and share food; many locals even feel frustrated with the commercialization of the holiday for larger events, as profit or personal gain contradicts the point of celebration.
In addition to all the festivities, I was also invited by PACOS to assist on a village trip to Rumantai, which is about four hours inland from Kota Kinabalu. The evening before I was told to arrive at the office at 5:30 am for our departure. Our purpose in going was to conduct blood glucose and pressure checks. Additionally, Dr. Helen Lasimbang was to present her recently created Women’s Health Journal, Jurnal Kesihatan, to the community. The day began in the dark. Myself, my supervisor Rojieka, Dr. Lasimbang and another staff of PACOS loaded into a truck and ripped off into the jungle. The environment was like nothing I have ever seen; mesmerizing mountains accompanied by lush rainforest and tropical trees the size of old-growth Douglas fir. Four hours later, we arrived in Rumantai and were welcomed by the local community. Dr. Lasimbang began her presentation and I began my tests. I was surrounded by the best type of distractions. Appetizing aromas, sounds of lunch preparation from the kitchen, kids yelling and cartwheeling, the odd little hand reaching out in an attempt to swipe something from my station. The room was filled with expressions of Rumantai character. About two hours in, I was balmy; beads of sweat were dripping off my nose as I pricked people, my latex gloves resembling a waterbed. I tried my best to give off an approachable demeanour; I more so came across as sweaty and a bit strange, but oh well. I conducted over fifty glucose checks, from toddlers to older adults. Everyone was kind and patient, nodding and agreeing when I tried to speak Malay even though I had often mangled the basic phrases I attempted. Health surveys and journals were handed out to the community, and we all shared a delicious lunch. We gave our thanks, the young children shouted, “Bye, bye whitey!” and we began our journey back to Donggongon. There is only one road back into the city, and an accident added an extra four hours to our drive. This was no big deal as we were able to view the sun setting over the coastline as we descended from the mountains. We arrived back just before 8:30 pm, and soon after arriving home, we went out to continue celebrating Kaamatan into the night. It was a successful day, and I felt so much gratitude to be able to participate. My major project during my first few months here is preparing a report demonstrating current prevalent health issues, nutritional habits and traditional health practices of Indigenous women in Sabah. Hence, gaining insights from these village trips is incredibly beneficial as meaningful community discussions related to generational health traditions, reproductive needs, and barriers the village is currently experiencing occur.
There have been many other highlights in being here. Santiago and I have established a hard core brother-sister dynamic which is appreciated when adjusting to so much change, he also is always playing the guitar or singing which brings an extra bit of life to time at home. I have started a weekly pottery class, which has been a lovely way to meet new people. Santiago and I joined a gym and I got my hands on some painting supplies. We were lucky enough to have interns Gwen, Jaiya and Maddy visit from Kuala Lumpur. I am still adjusting to living in a community where all eyes are on me, even when attempting to take up as little space as possible. Walking around Donggongon, I receive honks and hellos, many people asking for photos or to hold their babies. For those who know me well, I have established my lack of coordination is, unfortunately, transcontinental; now everyone nearby is watching closely. So far, I walked directly face-first into a street sign (not sure how I missed it; it was neon yellow), fell down a set of stairs at the mall, and slipped Looney Tunes style into sewage (KL interns witnessed this and assisted in sanitizing me in our backyard). These things happen, it’s humbling and easy to laugh off. Challenges come up, but in Sabah, I have not been familiar with scared or lonely feelings; the world around you keeps you too engaged.
With all the excitement, I feel the greatest satisfaction in how I have begun to engage with the day-to-day. In Canada, time feels like my enemy; I am never not in a rush. I scramble to work, school, and social commitments. In Sabah, time is approached differently; things are flexible and quality and rest in your day are valued. Everyone at PACOS works incredibly hard and is deeply committed to their work, but this doesn’t mean other valuable things in the day are sacrificed. Therefore, time and I have become good friends here. I enjoy getting ready for work and my commute; I no longer scramble. When lunch is prepared for everyone at PACOS, we eat together; I am encouraged to eat more and take more time. We may take two hours to connect and discuss if I fall into a valuable conversation with an elder or coworker. Things fluctuate depending on meetings, deadlines and expectations, but if I go to a restaurant with coworkers, I don’t look at the time; I eat when I feel hungry, and we return when rested; this could be twenty minutes or an hour. Now, this is not to be taken advantage of or mistaken as slow-paced work; I feel motivated to engage with my tasks meaningfully. Often, the staff of PACOS work additional hours and put time in on the weekends and evenings as well. The difference is I am not watching the clock counting down the minutes to the end of the day as I never leave simultaneously. Sabahans value sharing and community as necessities of life; therefore, these practices are ingrained into everyone’s working lives.
The transition here has been heavily supported by the wonderful organizations we are interning for and the community’s kindness. I continue to be blown away by the character of Sabahans. Yesterday, Rachel and I were walking at the complex near our office and suddenly we heard shouting. We saw a woman frantically waving a bill. It was a restaurant staff from somewhere we had lunch three weeks prior. Rachel had overpaid 10 MYR. The woman explained she had been waiting and watching for us around break hours hoping she could return the money. These are the moments that feel unfamiliar from home in the best way. In this short time, Sabah has become a place that I am eager to fall into even more. The combination of Kadazan-Dusun, Malay, Chinese and Islamic-Malay people has led to a layered experience, there is always more to learn, listen or to eat.
Takeaways from this month: I must pick up some Malay or try my absolute hardest. Almost every single person I engage with makes an effort to speak my language; it feels neglectful not to try to at least meet everyone halfway, especially on Malaysian soil. I need to share more from my home with new friends; I will bring something made from scratch when coming to social events, something Canadian-esq. Next time I go on a village trip and we eat lunch, I will sit with strangers rather than my coworkers, share, and connect.
I look forward to continuing to enjoy simple moments, such as sitting and finding solace in a meal, exchanging stories with new friends, and learning about others’ lived experiences. Each new handshake, bite, sip, and smile brings me so much excitement and gratitude for my time here. To be included in this space is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a privilege, and I continue to remind myself of that daily. I feel a deep appreciation for Sabah, for insightful conversations with powerful women and youth. I aim to adopt my new community’s nature of kindness, care, respect, and reciprocity. This is just the beginning of my love affair with Sabah and I look forward to deepening my relationship with the land I am on and the people I am surrounded by.
Here is the PACOS Trust website for those who may be interested: https://pacostrust.com/
