Our first camp is in Bongkud. We spent around 2 weeks in this camp, although it felt much shorter. The accommodation is great, we sleep in long houses and even though it is basic, it is very homely and fits in well with the village surrounding it.
Our Group
Saying I was nervous to meet the people I was going to spend the next month or two with, would have been an understatement. I was scared. But I honestly had nothing to worry about. 5 of our group had already done a month in Borneo, so they were explaining everything to us, which was so helpful. The other 6 of us were new, there were two friends, a couple and 1 girl, also travelling alone and me. The couple only stayed for a week and the two girls are doing 1 month with us and then moving on. From spending the last 2 weeks with all of these guys I can say that I am happy to have them with me during this experience.
The Camp Staff
Everyone here is so happy which makes the stay that much more relaxing! They are the most beautiful and genuine people I have ever met. The camp manager, Eve, speaks perfect English, she is so encouraging and positive, she has the most lovely presence. All staff are all so happy and made our time there way more fun. The chefs make the best food. Although I am not a fan of how sweet all Malaysian food is, I find that difficult as I am used to the spicy me and my parents cook at home. They were always so happy when we wanted to help out.
Meeting the Locals
Eve took us to meet the local people we would be helping by doing this voluntary work. It was so humbling how welcoming they all were and how excited they were for us to be there. They don't have the technology or material items we have, but they have a beautiful sense of community.
We were taught a local dance on our first night, from some young girls. They were so graceful and light on their feet! When they brought us up to try, it took m a while to get it, but I am happy to say I was able to do the simple routine on the last attempt!
Teaching Kids
Claire and I had the pleasure of teaching these beautiful kids. I find it amazing how good their English was considering it is their 3rd language and the oldest was 11 years old. Communication was a bit difficult sometimes but they understood practically everything we said. It was such an eye opening experience to see how ignorant we are to learning other languages. These children's enthusiasm for learning is a breath of fresh air. They really are inspiring.
Project Work
As this was my first camp, I did not know what to expect when it came to project work. Our first day we were eased in to it, only doing a little bit of mixing cement and a lot of laying it into stepping stones for the community centre children’s playground. We got to finish that by painting the stepping stones - it was really satisfying to see the end result.
During the second week we started on the kindergarten. That was a lot more intense and harder but a lot more satisfying! After working - cement mixing - all day, to be able to see how much you have done really makes you proud. For the cement mixing, there was no machine, we had to physically do it with shovels and buckets of water, we also had to carry buckets of sand and stones over that plank of wood. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so tired in my life or sweaty. When we’d finish every day I just couldn’t wait to have a shower! I really enjoyed project work at Camp Bongkud I think it pushed me and tested my limits and it made me realise I could do a lot more than I thought. It was difficult but definitely rewarding, knowing that we have helped build something for this deserving community gives you a certain sense of pride.
The other thing that made me so motivated to do work is that the camp manager (Eve) and the chief, they are so welcoming and helpful and make the stay so homely that you want to do as much as possible for them. The more we were able to do the quicker the project finishes. You can also see the pride in them when we work hard.
This experience has definitely been rewarding in a way I couldn’t have even imagined.
For the full story watch my YouTube video on my trip:
Stay safe out there.
Love from,
Kesvi
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