HAPPENINGS

A Sarawakian Affair

By Sherlyn Wong.

The Sarawakians of KSMU

Sarawak as we know, consist of a melting pot of ethnics and an array of dialects. Just to mention a few, this interesting state has the Iban, Kayan, Melanau, Chinese, Penan, Malays, Kelabit, Kayan, Bidayuh living together for many years. Being thousand of miles away from home, buried under piles of books, bombarded by unending questions in class, it feels good to have a tiny break in between. Especially when it comes to meeting up people who can speak your native language.

A small Sarawak gathering was held on the 24^th of October 2009 by a few young Sarawakians who wish to meet up the rest of the ‘clan’ living in Kursk. Quite a number of students attended despite the informal meeting.

The gathering kicked off with an ice breaking session, where everyone introduced themselves and revealed a few interesting facts about themselves. A few “Chi-Bans/ chinese-Ibans” and “Bida-Chi”/ Bidayuh-Chinese” were acknowledged and local dialects spoken. It felt as if we were back in Sarawak again. The atmosphere was filled with people speaking Foochow, Hokkien, Iban, bahasa kampung. This obviously proves how rich we are in terms of language and culture.

The ice breaking session was then followed by a small dinner. The original Sarawak Laksa, which beats all ‘laksas’ in Malaysia. This mouth-watering dish is made from shrimp paste, noodles, and is decorated with prawns, bean-sprouts, eggs and other condiments. I wish I could take some back that day.

To conclude the night, we had a phototaking session with the Sarawakian flag. I hope such gathering would be continued in the future as

it fosters good relationship between students and it makes us realize that we are not alone in this quest of living in Russia. As the famous Iban saying goes “Agik Idup, Agik Ngelaban” – As long as I live, I shall continue striving.