Day 8 #nowifi

Hello Readers! Here's to catch you up on what the gang and I have been doing!

 

The next morning at Kuching, we had breakfast at the hotel, and by around 7 am, we took our van to the Boat Station. I was a little nervous about taking a boat to our next destination. I have been on boats before, however, not to head to a destination or for the duration of 4 hours. At the station we each had small reflections on how we saw Malaysia compared to Singapore. Most of us agreed that there was a major difference between the two. Yet, we enjoyed of what we saw so far! 

We boarded the boat around 8 am and took our seats. The atmosphere seemed pretty hostile for my taste, yet it was what we had. I saw that some of the guys were heading to the top of the boat, which caused my curiousity. A group off us decided to do the same. It was the best decision we have made! What we saw was amazing. We saw that we were sailing the sea, however it was not any sea from back home, it was the South China Sea! I never expected to be by this area of the world, or to imagine taking a boat through the South China Sea. We were seeing how fast we were going and  the feeling was incredible! I then saw that, my friends Nikki, Zoe, Cresencio, and Ariela were sitting on the sides of the boat. I quickly approached them and sat with them. I felt the breeze and the mist of the water hitting my feet.  It was too loud to talk, yet there was no need to. Instead we just glanced at the sight we had. I thought to myself on how blessed I was to be here. It was honestly an amazing experience. 

Four hours passed by, so we docked and and got our luggage and literally jumped off. We ate by the nearest open market, and the food was actually not that bad. We then got picked up by an Adventist Pastor, an elder, and a local from the long house. We started to head to the long house. My first impression of the long house was that it was different...very,very,very different. It was in the middle of a rain forest. The long house was actually an Adventist Long House. Many families were going to host us, I got to stay with two other friends in the Pastor's house. It was not as comfortable as a hotel I might say, yet adaptable. (Thank you Pathfinder's for the teachings! ) 

After we settled in, we all began to search for Wifi. There was hardly any and it was super slow. Everyone wanted to use it. As we gave up, we saw Zoë playing with the kids. We all got  in a circle to play ball with them. Now here's a little background information: Well, I'm not what you call a person who's good with kids, well at least not naturally, I really have to try.  So I guess you can say it was hard for me to adapt to that, however some of the kids were actually quite amusing. They did not speak English, so we all communicated through hand signs. This was also a time to bond among our group as well. 

Also, we bathed in the river. Some of us got left behind, but then caught up. Before we got there, my group decided to get in the back of the truck, I loved the idea, it reminded me of the times I would go to Mexico and had the liberty to do it. We then got to the river and saw it. It looked really dirty. Some were scared to go in, however I just decided to just get the experience and do what I had to do. (It was part of our grade). I got into the water, and by the next minute my whole body was in. Some people and I brought shampoo and conditioner to get the full effect. It was super refreshing, and we definitely got the experience. 

We went back the Long House to get ready for dinner at 6:30. We were officially welcomed and given food. The food at first was honestly not appealing to me, however I tried my best and put the best poker face, as I have had to do in some occasions during this trip. One thing I was taught not to do is to not reject the food you are offered, you have to show courtesy and respect for the people that made it. We also got to try the famous fruit from South East Asia, Durian. Before the trip, I heard so many mixed "reviews" about the fruit. Our professor loves it, my friend Royce loathes it, yet my friend Tori fell in love with it when she came to Malaysia last summer.  When I tasted it, it had a distinct flavor. Now I can see why people hate it or love it. It was an early night. So after dinner we were sent to bed. However some of us stayed to try and find good wifi, if possible.