I'M BACK! And I don't think I can go back to Sabah for at least 5 years. I'm really glad I went back as I had lots of wonderful memories and experiences. I don't remember everything, but what I remember I'll share now.
~ My grandmother has a really powerful grip over my mom. We travelled through and fro Kuala Penyu and Kota Kinabalu because of some of my grandmother's wishes (mainly visiting family), and my mother didn't want to disappoint her so she just did what my grandmother wanted. I didn't want to travel through and fro. When I was in Kota Kinabalu I wanted to just stay there in my uncle's house until it's time to go back to K.L. I can feel that my mother was torn between my grandmother and I, but she just told me to be patient and understanding. I had planned many things with my cousins but to fit in my grandmother's schedule I never got to do what I've planned. But I guess it can't be helped. My grandmother was the main reason for the trip to Sabah anyway and I guess her wishes and decisions are ultimate.
~ I'm an aunt. I have cousins who are much older than me and they already have children. Some of the children are already teenagers. Some of them are only babies. I miss holding the little babies in my arms and playing with them. The next time I see them, they won't be babies anymore.
~ One of my cousins (my eldest aunt's 2nd son) got engaged. His fiancee is my age. 19 years old. I'm 6 months younger. His fiancee is a Sino-Kadazan from Membakut and her family wants RM10,000 for dowry. My cousin is only a contract worker. We calculated that if he doesn't spend even a cent of his salary for two and a half years, he'll be able to marry her. Phew..expensive.
~ The mosquitoes there are fantastic. They can actually fly up my shirt and bite my back. I have four red dots on my back and they're about to become scars due to excess scratching. My legs are now full of scars from mosquitoes' bites.
~ My grandmother is doing fine. (No sick person can travel 130km twice in a week). She needs dentures though. She has lost pretty much every single teeth except for a few molars. She still smokes. My cousin advice her to stop but her response was "I'm gonna die sooner or later. Smoking doesn't make a difference to that fact". Sigh...
~Now I understand why gospel songs for children are filled with actions. My 7-year-old cousin Becky and my 9-year-old cousin Daphne actually like doing those stand up, sit down, raise your hand, shake your butt, turn around etc actions while singing songs for Jesus. They've never done that before until I sang some of the children's songs and demonstrated the actions for them. The Catholic Church don't really have Sunday School for kids.
~ Buffaloes cost RM1000 each.
~ My guitar skills improved. Before the trip, I never managed to play one full song on the guitar. I only know a few chords and I suck at progression. Thanks to my cousin Leslie I can play pretty ok now. I'm still no expert (I can't even play F major yet), but I'm getting better. I can play 'Kau Ilhamku' by Manbai. I miss Leslie.
~ Leslie's brother, Harold can draw beautiful Japanese animation.
~ My uncle wants to release a solo single/album but he has no capital. He has great talent but what's the use if you don't have money to kick your plans off the ground?
~ University Malaysia Sabah is HUGE! The buildings are quite beautiful (most of them have a dome on the roof, like mosques). There's also a waterfall and a huge '1994' is above it. 1994 is the year the uni was founded. I have two cousins studying there and both of them are doing environmental science.
~ My mother is Kadazan-Dusun and the language of the Dusuns is call Tatana. I can't speak the language but I can understand it a little. Here are some words in Tatana that I know.
mulik - go home
ngodop - sleep
bersudu - eat
pig - bogok
chase - bubut (for example: anjing itu adalah untuk membubut babi)
memanau - walk
rosoh - tasty
saigi - who
monsoi - good (can refer to people, things, events...)
suab - tomorrow
sikool - school
mongoi - go
okou - you
Kinoringan - God the father
I had a wonderful week there. And despite of the serious migrane and mosquitoes' bites, I had no regrets.
