Project Malaysia 2009

Hello to all of Team 1’s friends and family and maybe the malaysian scouts if they get  chance to read this
This is our second blog so we have a lot to catch up on!! after working at the sun bears team 1 moved onto working on base camp, we all enjoyed until we realised how hard it is to wash a dixie.  Going shopping was fun to and Kyle and Emma took this opportunity to buy important supplies – a.k.a. SUPERMAN TOWELS wooh!! After base camp it was off to the RDC (omg) that was hard work! but we only had to do that for one day before we were off to our home stay.  A good time was had by all of team 1, the family’s were all very welcoming and treated us like family (some even looked like family members JILL!!) and we all came back arms full of food and gifts from our foster parents.

We finished our last 2 days at the RDC (or so we thought ) and we finally got our holiday to Poring! This was our idea of heaven internet, pools and good food. We went on the canopy walkway on the second day and this was hard to get to but worth it when you were there and after alot of jumping , photo taken and general banter we climbed back down and headed toward a small waterfall which Emma managed to not fall into.

Before we knew it our time was up and it was back to camp for another stint at the sun bears.  This time it was a lot harder we were fixing the chicken wire before the wall slapping in 3 days so it was a mad dash to tighten everything and  get the place ready for the wall slapping.  The day of the wall slapping came around and team 1 spent the morning at the RDC (nooooooooo !!) and the came home for a nap before we all started a long night of work.  It was tough on everyone, but all but a few managed to stay awake and worked the whole night til 4 am when we ran out of cement.  We all slept in the hall that night because  WE WOULDN’T SURVIVE IN THE TENTS!!! so it was a lazy morning with people sleeping in til 11.00 we started work again at 4pm and were finished the wall 2am with a cheer from everyone unfortunatly it was on that night tha we had to say goodbye to 3 of our new friends Quimi, Rookie and Marwan as they were heading of for a softball and paintball tournament.  we were woken up at around 9 which most felt was not a long lie and all could have slept longer.

tbc…

Emma C

Okay dokey, so we have reached our 2 week mile stone here in the wonderful Malaysia. It is so different from the UK in a number of ways, but we are enjoying it very much. We have just returned from our weekend away with our Malaysian foster parents. On the whole, the experience was fantastic for most people. The families were very hospitable for all but a few. We slept in comfortable beds, for the first time since Kuala Lumpur. They fed us too much food, they thought we were constantly hungry. Some people tried the Malaysian way of eating, which involved sitting on the floor, eating with your hands. The families had their own programme for us, which included swimming, visiting markets, tourist attractions, weddings and even funerals! Leaving our family behind was difficult for some of us, as we may never see them again, however, many exchanged contact details. We hope that they are able to come to Scotland some day.

Team 6, the best team, are going to Poring Hot Springs on Wednesday! We are all excited at the prospect of baking in the sun and getting a tan, as we generally spend our time in the shade, escaping the heat, whilst working. Tomorrow is the final day of work at the Rain Forest Discovery Centre, before our summer holiday! BOOOOYAAAAAAAAAAAA

“We’re all going on a summer holiday, no more work for a DAY or twoooo!!!!! ”

We want to leave you with a quirky quotation, because we are cool (the heat has gone to our heads).

‘Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad’

Love to all the family and friends.

Team 6: Chloe, Cameron, Dylan, Emma and Andrew.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  <3

Its so hot! Team four here with the latest update. The projects continue. The Scout Nature Park project is even near completion thanks to our mad hole digging skills. A new work shift began today and we are now working in the Rainforest Discovery Centre. The humidity is a killer and Daniel has changed colour. We have been attacked by an albino tarantula and survived.  the first group are back from their 3 day break and they say they had a great time.  the next group have gone away now but we dont go away for a while and we are all looking forward to the beds and showers.  got to go for dance practice now!

lots of love

alex t, lewis, daniel and euan

We have now been in Sepilok for 3 days, and already we’ve run out of clean clothes. Having spent our first two days setting up camp and getting to know the area, today saw us setting out for our first day of hard graft. Project Malaysia’s best team (3) was sent to the Rainforest Discovery Centre to help extend a nature trail, while the other teams headed off to either the Sunbear Conservation Centre to build a screening wall and fences or the Scout campsite to begin work on the obstacle course. Working through the intense heat was difficult, but regular breaks ensured that nobody passed out. Another thunder and lightning storm struck the campsite during dinner, and it seems as though these may become a regular occurrence on our expedition. Our Malaysian counterparts have also joined us on site and are settling in well, entertaining us with their artistic uses for napkins. Lots of love, Team 3; David V, Grant, Jonny, Scott P and Vari xxx