By Ellie Ossuetta
Student, British School Al Khubairat
Around 34 students – myself included – have just come back from a lifetime trip to Borneo! The trip, organized by North Star and our teachers, was amazing and thoroughly enjoyable. I am not a morning person… my friends, family and anyone I have ever encountered before 9am and a mug of coffee, can confirm that. However in Borneo each new day brought new excitement, and I was always up and raring to go even before the sun came up.
When I signed for the trip, I knew that a lot of work lay ahead of me. After almost 12 hours travelling and a failed attempt at recovering from jet lag, I wondered where I would get my energy and drive. Thankfully, my worries vanished with the hospitality that we received upon entering the country. The knowledge that what we were doing was for the people who welcomed us with opened arms was more than enough to get me going.
Back in Abu Dhabi we had raised money during events like car washing and Zumba sessions. We had even waxed the legs of male staff members and shaved their legs, just to raise more money. When we arrived in Borneo we didn’t waste a single minute; we got straight to work. The money we raised helped to pay for clean water and electricity for the villages, and also enabled us to buy supplies for the two communities with the greatest need. We brought bags of toys, clothes, books, pens, pencils and more to the tiny rural villages of Bavanggazo and Narandang in Borneo.
Before the start of our trip, our teacher Ms Michelle Fleming showed us photos of the poor condition of the local community centre as well as the local primary school. When we reached there they both looked a whole lot worse. We shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears over the following days to spruce up the centres.
Even though long hours of work aren’t my idea of fun, there’s nothing quite like the experience; given the chance, I’d go back and do the exact same thing again!
We painted, cleaned, dusted, glossed homes and dug trenches. But being surrounded by the local people, my classmates and our teachers made everything worthwhile. We have a lot of memories and enjoyed plenty of laughs… it was very entertaining watching the panic and the screams when someone saw an insect!
At the end of our project we weren’t rewarded with trophies, medals or certificates. Just seeing the faces of the villagers filled with gratitude was so worth it. There are no words to describe the appreciation of the people of Bavanggazo and Narandang.
During the last days of our visit we saw stunning views of the villages and masses of magical fireflies. I thank my teachers for this most amazing experience.
