Orang-utan rehabilitation project, Rasa Ria

On Sunday we were up bright and early, and off we went to visit our "adopted" orang-utan, at the Rehabilitation Reserve at Rasa Ria.  This is another key part of our Sister School project; Tallangatta Secondary College sponsors the rehabilitation of orphaned orang-utans here, and SMK DPM sponsors koalas here in Australia.

So I was very excited to hop in the bus, and drive off into what I thought would be the wilds of Sabah.

Instead, the resort at Rasa Ria is a beautiful part of paradise!  Wish I had bought my bathers!  However, not wanting to scare everybody off on only my second day in the country, it is probably a good thing that I did not!

Out and about in Sabah

As they say, all work and no play makes Jack (Jacqui) a dull boy (well, girl) - so here are a few photos just to assure all that the cultural side of things did not escape me.  Once again, huge thanks to all of my new friends from SMK DPM for making sure I got a good understanding of your lifestyle and wonderful heritage.

Home stay activities

One of the things that made my trip and our Sister School relationship so special is the wonderful hospitality paid to me by my host families.  They welcomed me into their homes and treated me as one of the family.  A big thankyou to Nainey and her family, and Flavia and the girls for taking care of me, and taking me out and about!

A Kangaroo Session with Flavia's family

Learning a bit about the culture of Sabah with Nainey and Badina

Relaxing at Nainey's with the children

Picking mangosteens

Sunset on the Beach



Thank you, Sabah, and SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin

Thanks to all of the people who have made my visit feel more like coming home than work!  I am not even going to start mentioning people by name, because I know I will forget someone.  But having a chance to go around and say goodbye to all the wonderful teachers and students I have had the privilege to work with this week, I had a tear in my eye.

Jumpa lagi, SMK DPM!!

Intellectual Forum

8 July 2014 : The last event on a busy schedule (apart from saying good-bye!) was a forum with teachers from SMK DPM as well as other schools.  I shared some of the leadership structure of Tallangatta Secondary College, as well as the research that has led to that structure.  The teachers seemed very interested and made their appreciation felt.

 

Talk With Mathematic Students

7 July 2014 : Did a spot of teaching today! Form 5 and then Form 3 in the hall.  It was a good opportunity to get to know the students more deeply and get an understanding of what they know, and what they need to work on before their exams. 

Basic message: make sure you practice the basics; be fast, be fluent, and be accurate.  If you know the basics, the rest will follow!

Weekend At Kundasang

6 July 2014 : A deeply moving trip to the Kundasang War Memorial.  The courage of the men, as well as the local people cannot be imagined.