How difficult was your childhood?

Penatai aki ine kami kelia ari Batang Skrang udah nya pindah ke Nyelong Sarikei. Ari Sarikei aki ine pindah ke Kua ulu Mukah. Ari Kua pindah ke Dijih lari ka munsoh (Jepun) ......pia ko Henry Nabau Limbai. Di Dijih kami diau ba ulu Dijih betuaika Tr Chadom. Ari ulu Dijih kami pindah ke Ng Luau laban menua ili maioh ikan serta nyamai endur betanam padi paya (wet paddy) serta ulih mega betanam ka mulong.

Apai kita ada ba Rh Mat Ng Luau. Mati Tr Mat ditukar Tr Balai. Apai kita sekula ari primary 1 ngagai primary 6 ba SRK Ng Sikat pengalama 6 taun. Bisi 15 – 20 iko nembiak mit sida serumah dianjung apai indai sekula ba Ng Sikat. Nurun sekula ngili sg Dijih pengudahnya datai ba ng dijih mudik batang mukah ngagai ng sikat.

Enti cuti sekula sida ia bekayuh ngena perau ari ng sikat ngagai lubok singkiling pengudahnya bedarat serta bejalai kaki nengah umai ekar ngelawa sg dijih. Datai ba sg dijih merau ke ulu ngelawa rumah panjai di ng luau. Maya pulai ke sekula sida ngema beras bai pulai ke sekula nengah jalai ke sama tang reverse direction.

Bisi sekali sida pulai cuti panjai ari SRK Ng Sikat ngena perau besai sereta bekayuh ngili batang mukah ngelawa ng dijih. Sida mudik sg dijih serta bemalam ba langkau orang ba tengan jalai. Laban nadai utai di empa sida lalu manduk buah pisang mata ke dempa ngambi bisi pengering ngayuh ke perau ari ili dijih ngelawa rumah panjai. Pengelama sida bekayuh ari sekula ngelawa ng dijih bisi 2 jam. Ari ng dijih ngelawa rumah panjai bisi 4 - 5 jam. Enda ingat bisi ka enda sida belaya maya ke merau bekayuh ari SRK Ng Sikat mulai ke diri ngagai rumah panjai.

Apai kita masuk pom 1 ba SMK Threes Rivers sampai pom 5. Pengudahnya ia nyambung pelajar ia ngagai Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang di miri pengelama 2 taun. Udahnya ia nyambung pelajar ia ba Universiti Malaya pengalama 3 taun ti ngujung ka ia bulih degree dalam taun 1981. Ari taun 1981 ia kereja enda lama nyadi guru sandaran (temporary teacher) ba SMK Bintulu pengelama 6 bulan. Pengudahnya ia kereja ba Bintulu Port ari 3/7/1981 sampai ka saritu!

Ari rumah panjai kami ngalu ka pasar mukah ngena perau enggau injin kuda 6. Pengelama setengah ari baru datai di nanga mukah (kuala). Maya pulai cuti ari Three Rivers kami ngena moto calo pap pap pap pap sepemanjai ari ari nanga mukah ngelawa lubok bemban. Sangkai ba lubok bemban bedarat bejalai kaki nengah madang umai ekar pengelama 45 minit baru datai ba rumah panjai kami di ng luau. Bisi sekali datai laun (late evening) ba lubok bemban nyalai apai kita lalu bemalam ba ruai rumah panjai orang ba pengkalan luau tebing ai mukah. Orang rumah panjai nya udah tindok lalu enda nemu bisi anak temuai datai niki enda madah.Tumu pagi ari siti berumban rumban ngejang ke rumah panjai orang bejalai kaki mulai ka diri ngagai rumah panjai di ng luau. Keno ko cerita bisi antu "kok reel" nengah jalai ari pengkalan luau ngagai ng luau nya kebuah tudah diri takut amat nengah jalai nya. There was no phone and no sms nyalai enggai nyadi minta ambat orang datai ba pengkalan luau.

Those were the days we didn't complain we had no airconditions, no nice clothes, no MP3, no play station, no TV, no computer, no suasages, no ice creams, no phone, no sms, no place for "manja" business. There was very little pocket money. Studying on hungary stomach was no big fuss. We just had to learn life the hard way. Getting good education was too surmountable for so many others that eventually only one out of 15 - 20 original longhouse kids succeeded to get a degree and settled onto a nice job. Praise the Lord!

The mission then was to study really "hard" and break off from the vicious poverty cycle as often mentioned by my former economic professor Hancharan Singh.

Your mission now should be to aim or shoot for the stars so that even if you don't succeed you will land on ISS and achieve your dreams, God willing.

Down Memory Lane - 25 years later

On 4 & 5 June, I took my son and several relatives to my birth place at Ng Luau, which is a tributary of the Dijih River.My son has never been there and I have not been there either for a long, long time. We abandoned the long house in 1985 when my two brothers decided to pindah to our present place, by the Jln Sg Dijih. They led the exodus of other relatives, some joined us at Jln Sg Dijih, some moved to ulu Dijih and settlements by the Mukah river, leaving only one family in Luau - tho this family no longer lives at the long house but at their kebun.

My brothers and a cousin still maintain their biliks as they go to Luau every year to fell the sago trees for sale. They usually stay for a month or so. During the last season, they were there for almost three months, from December 2008 to February 2009.

Of my three children, only my eldest daughter have been there - she was only 11 months old when we went back for Gawai.

Fish is still plentiful in Luau and during the last sago season, my brothers made containers of kasam ikan and salai. For this trip, we managed to get a good catch on the 1st day but it rained during the night and the river swelled - it was not conducive any more to fish, so we came home earlier than planned.

So here folks are the pictures I took...

Ba penyangkai kebun mulong: my son and uchu Kubu

Mulai ka pengingat megai injin sepit nengah ai Dijih?

View ari ili pendaie

My son and Uchu Bek mandi ba sg Dijih. Below - i didnt realise how slim? the blogger is till I see this picture. Well, blessed be to him.

An Expedition To Ng Luau - my birth place

Above: father and son ba entrance kebun mulong di Ng Luau

Group photo shoot in front of kebun mulong

Above: tunu ikan baong for snacks - anyone?

Hall way?- penama ka bilik penaik kami kelia

Tempat endur mandi di Ng Luau - once a hive of activities. Many of those old folks have gone to their rest n this place has become a mere memory

above: jalai ke pendaie, a view from the tembawai rh panjai

Dapur in 1970's compare to your dapur these days

Above: duduk resting ba ruai - favorite place betusi cerita sida niang apai indai kelia. These are the names of folks who had gone to their rest: Apai Galang, Apai Ajik, Ine n Aki Ajik, foster parents of this blogger, natural parents of this blogger, Aki n ine Eding, Jatai n Jileh, Judi, Tinggi n wife, ex TR Mat, and many many more.....

Below my son pulai mandi begulai enggau uchu Kubu n Bek