cryptic message from the field
Howdy Y'all,
I had to drag myself away from the village today so that I could come to this city of Kudat to send an e-mail that would set my mom's mind at rest. I love it here. It's so peaceful to fall asleep to the sounds of the forest, chit-chatting lizards, birds of all kinds, crickets, cows, chickens, and roosters-- the first night, these sounds were so loud, I couldn't sleep, but I grew quickly comfortable. I live in a house, the mansion of the village, atop a hill. My favorite part is the traditional Rungus bamboo porch that is designed for the breeze to blow right through. Rubunki doesn't understand a word of English and I don't understand a word of Malay or Rungus, but we smile, and the first day, when we met, she was joking that she'll take care of me like a pet, and she does. I have yet to cook a meal for myself. She has five cows and two water buffalo, symbols of her wealth- and unfortunately (for Iwould love to have fresh milk) the only function they serve is that of lawn mowers. The grass is kept cleanly shaven all around the house, which I appreciate because of my fear of the creepy-crawlies. The spiders are bigger and hairier than mice, but they don't bite, and I'm not too scared of them. There are lots of gigantic stinging flying insects, and they say there are poisonous centipedes and scorpions, butI have yet to encounter them. And hacking through the jungle the other day, I didn't see a single snake. The village is set two miles back from the main road- it could be a hundred, for how isolated it seems, and much thanks to the Appells and their rapport with the community, I have been handed acceptance and protection from these people that it would have taken a lifetime to achieve on my own. The Abu Sayaaf is in the furthest corner of my mind, and all said, I think the biggest threat to me here is getting knocked out by a falling coconut. Rubunki has four children, all of whom have been educated- some through college and speak varying degrees of English. They don't live in thevillage, but all came this week to see the Appells, who are like second grandparents to most of the village. There is so much catching up to do between them, and I'm so impressed with how much a part of life here the Appells are. Most everyone in the village today has been born since theAppells started working there in '59. Anyway it's been nice to haveRubunki's family around, I felt instantly like I had three brothers, andI think when the last one leaves tomorrow, I may feel a twinge of lonliness. I find myself sometimes sitting in a heat/humidity/what-the-hell-am-I-doing!?! dazed stupor a dozen times a day, but then I just tell myself to filter some water, or wash some clothes, or read my Malay dictionary, and that pulls me through to the next moment. My drying oven is built for my plant specimens, and just yesterday, I hired a local girl who has just graduated from college with a degree in environmental studies. She will be my main assistant and translator, and I'm really relieved that we were able to convince her to move back here from the city where she has been looking for a job. I hope it works out well for her, as no one else who lives here speaks both Rungus and English. That's all for now, hope you're all well, love Betony
I had to drag myself away from the village today so that I could come to this city of Kudat to send an e-mail that would set my mom's mind at rest. I love it here. It's so peaceful to fall asleep to the sounds of the forest, chit-chatting lizards, birds of all kinds, crickets, cows, chickens, and roosters-- the first night, these sounds were so loud, I couldn't sleep, but I grew quickly comfortable. I live in a house, the mansion of the village, atop a hill. My favorite part is the traditional Rungus bamboo porch that is designed for the breeze to blow right through. Rubunki doesn't understand a word of English and I don't understand a word of Malay or Rungus, but we smile, and the first day, when we met, she was joking that she'll take care of me like a pet, and she does. I have yet to cook a meal for myself. She has five cows and two water buffalo, symbols of her wealth- and unfortunately (for Iwould love to have fresh milk) the only function they serve is that of lawn mowers. The grass is kept cleanly shaven all around the house, which I appreciate because of my fear of the creepy-crawlies. The spiders are bigger and hairier than mice, but they don't bite, and I'm not too scared of them. There are lots of gigantic stinging flying insects, and they say there are poisonous centipedes and scorpions, butI have yet to encounter them. And hacking through the jungle the other day, I didn't see a single snake. The village is set two miles back from the main road- it could be a hundred, for how isolated it seems, and much thanks to the Appells and their rapport with the community, I have been handed acceptance and protection from these people that it would have taken a lifetime to achieve on my own. The Abu Sayaaf is in the furthest corner of my mind, and all said, I think the biggest threat to me here is getting knocked out by a falling coconut. Rubunki has four children, all of whom have been educated- some through college and speak varying degrees of English. They don't live in thevillage, but all came this week to see the Appells, who are like second grandparents to most of the village. There is so much catching up to do between them, and I'm so impressed with how much a part of life here the Appells are. Most everyone in the village today has been born since theAppells started working there in '59. Anyway it's been nice to haveRubunki's family around, I felt instantly like I had three brothers, andI think when the last one leaves tomorrow, I may feel a twinge of lonliness. I find myself sometimes sitting in a heat/humidity/what-the-hell-am-I-doing!?! dazed stupor a dozen times a day, but then I just tell myself to filter some water, or wash some clothes, or read my Malay dictionary, and that pulls me through to the next moment. My drying oven is built for my plant specimens, and just yesterday, I hired a local girl who has just graduated from college with a degree in environmental studies. She will be my main assistant and translator, and I'm really relieved that we were able to convince her to move back here from the city where she has been looking for a job. I hope it works out well for her, as no one else who lives here speaks both Rungus and English. That's all for now, hope you're all well, love Betony
posted by Betony at 9:27 AM
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