Nur Syamira Binti Johari

NUR SYAMIRA BINTI JOHARI (AIA160066)

When I first heard about Rashidah's idea on going to orang asli village honestly I was afraid. I kept thinking it is a tough idea. Actually I have a relative who works as a teacher and she teaches the orang asli kids. I often take interests about challenges she had in teaching the kids. I also asked her about how orang asli there themselves. She told me that if you want to attract the kids, food is the answer and if you want to play games, make the simple ones. They may not be smart, but they are very creative, she said. Mr Kamal, our ethnography lecturer also said that orang asli is shy with outsiders. So when I first arrived in Kampung Sungai Tementong I was expecting that the residence will be not be talkative and we will be neglected. But as soon I arrived in the village after walking for 0.7km in the scorching hot weather I was surprised to see that there was actually a group of kids playing with one of us, the outsider. So one of my stereotype is cancelled. They were genuinely looked so happy welcoming us. There was also the elderly there that told us to be careful and its better to use umbrella as it was so hot at the time. I honestly felt so welcomed. I also learned that they sleep early through a foster family session. They are also very opened to share their personal matters. The next day went so well as we become closer to the villagers. The kids keep coming to play with us. Until the very last day, it was so fun. However, after the trip I keep thinking how hard they are living their life despite the fun and happy faces the showed us. My foster family for instance, the wife works as a rubber tapper, but also take charges for cleaning farms. The husband also do the same in order to raise up two children. They have television but only has 1 channel on it. But they said it is still entertaining. I was taken aback reflecting to myself, I am ungrateful. I have more than 1 channel on television but I want more saying that the programmes on the tv are boring. Then the next day event, I vividly remember during our My Dream slot, the kids looked so disappointed looking at our prizes. We gave them English books. I firstly thought that they didn’t like it. So I asked them if they are unhappy. They didn’t answer they are unhappy but they said they don’t know. I was taken aback again thing ‘ah we are so lucky we have easy access to education, we have parents to ask, google to ask, lecture to ask and many more’. Yet we take the education for granted. I then advice the kids it is okay if they don’t know but make sure to flip some pages in the book everyday. If they want to read, ask the teachers or friends. In my group there were two kids that are having big examinations this year which are UPSR and SPM. So I advice them to refers to the teachers for anything as one of them wanted to be a teacher. So overall, through the trip I learned some on how the orang asli live their lives. I hope they get better facilities and get better jobs to get a better life. Because they are Malaysians too. Not only that through the trip we ANSOS first year student become closer and we are thankful.