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Penampang Homestay, set up about four years ago, with the support from Tourism Malaysia especially Sabah Tourism Board, has played host to numerous travel related activities. Early this year, it had a busy time entertaining its first Australians who visited Sabah to have a taste of the homestay programme and do a study on Sabah's ethnicities and customs.
Madam Evelyn Masudal, the coordinator of Penampang Homestay said that Sabahans are very delighted to welcome such guests who show deep interest in learning the day-to-day living of the locals here.
The Australians comprised of a group of educators, one of them a professor, a few lecturers from Flinders University in Perth and primary and secondary teachers from all over Australia. Fifteen of them are post graduate mature students from Flinders University Perth, who have completed their Masters. They specialize studies about Asia and decided to take on Sabah as their practical ground.
The homestay programme was introduced to them by Tourism Malaysia, Sabah division and housing was arranged by one of the local tour agencies.
They sought to expand their understanding about Sabah's wide variety of ethnicities and traditions. They were extremely pleased with the vibrant and lively attitude of the people in Penampang. They also agree that homestay is one of the quickest and surest ways of getting to know the real Sabahan people and their cultures.
"I am completely touched by the hospitality of the people here. They warmly welcomed us in their homes and though the time we spent with them is very short, we have been able to do simple family things like sitting down together for breakfast and sharing experiences amongst family members."
"It is very helpful for both sides as I have discovered a lot of information and facts which I can include in my research. The host family also learned a lot of things about my country," said Shelly Waldon, a primary school teacher from Melbourne, Victoria. She is currently finishing her research on the ethnicities and traditions of Asia, specifically in Sabah. This was her first time visiting Sabah but a second time to Malaysia.
Shelley, who pursues a special line of study in Science and Environmental Education also said, "Understanding the cultures of Asia has often been one of my biggest interests. It is so vital to emphasize on this subject matter to our young kids so that when they become adults, they would have more understanding of other people's cultures and be appreciative and respectful of other people's way of living."
Professor Douglas Trevaskies, the group's leader was fascinated with the rich cultural heritage which is still very much in existence and being safeguarded very well. According to the Professor, he enjoyed very much his visit to Monsopiad Cultural Village and was hoping to pay a visit to such similar sites in the future.
Clare Selir who is 52 and works as a primary school teacher in Mentone Girls College, Melbourne was impressed with the beauty and unique cultures of every single ethnic group in Sabah. She said that every thing is so full of life and brilliantly colourful and thinks she needs to stay at least a year in Sabah just to study and understand the cultures here.
Claire has also tasted the 'Teh C' and commented on how pleasing it felt to her taste bud. She has a great passion about food and is intrigued by the various kinds of beverages and food served to her and her friends during their stay with the locals.
Lynn Jennison, a teacher teaching at Dingley Village Primary School in Melbourne had this to say, "My primary school children are extremely curious in just about every little thing, they wanted to understand what are smooth silk, orangutan, traditional dances, etc all about.
Therefore, I wanted a wide range of pictures of anything I can get here, and these would be a series of subjects I am preparing to show them after I get back to work. I have ample of good ideas now after seeing your different cultures.
Orangutan is another remarkable subject for the children too. They talk about this each and every time we discuss about rainforest wild animals," Lynn added.
"What we are working on now is all about creating awareness to our young generation.
We look at cultures as the path to instil in their minds that we can live together in a unified relationship even though there are so many cultures from numerous races of people all around us," said Lynn.
Another teacher from Melbourne, Rodney Issel, had also tasted the sago worm or 'butod' saying that it was not new to him because in his hometown this kind of worm is called 'grub' and is almost the same as the 'butod'. Rodney added that although he stayed only briefly with the homestay family here, he found it deeply impressive; from food, design, working tools, there was so much to discover from the cultures here.
Mary Sodong, a homestay operator from Kg. Putaton, enjoys receiving tourists from all over the world. She is always proud to share with them simple knowledge such as the day-to-day skills of rubber tapping, paddy planting and the search for butod. Her knowledge about other countries is also increased as her guests share a lot about their cultures too.
Her Aussie guests, Lisa Winding and Paula Lindey who are both from Melbourne, stayed 2 nights in her house. Mary said her guests were happy with the simple accommodation she provided. She also helped them in their research work by giving them all the information they need pertaining to traditions in Sabah.
Boniface Jingulam and Hilda Bisol, another homestay operator from Kg. Hubah, Penampang, who hosted Prof. Douglas Trevaskies and his wife said that his guests were pleased with the simple accommodation and local delicacies presented to their them.
They appreciate and simply take pleasure in what ever that is being served to them. It was without a doubt an helpful trip for both sides, for me and my family and particularly my guests," said Hilda.
Madam Evelyn Masudal, the coordinator of Penampang Homestay said that Sabahans are very delighted to welcome such guests who show deep interest in learning the day-to-day living of the locals here.
The Australians comprised of a group of educators, one of them a professor, a few lecturers from Flinders University in Perth and primary and secondary teachers from all over Australia. Fifteen of them are post graduate mature students from Flinders University Perth, who have completed their Masters. They specialize studies about Asia and decided to take on Sabah as their practical ground.
The homestay programme was introduced to them by Tourism Malaysia, Sabah division and housing was arranged by one of the local tour agencies.
They sought to expand their understanding about Sabah's wide variety of ethnicities and traditions. They were extremely pleased with the vibrant and lively attitude of the people in Penampang. They also agree that homestay is one of the quickest and surest ways of getting to know the real Sabahan people and their cultures.
"I am completely touched by the hospitality of the people here. They warmly welcomed us in their homes and though the time we spent with them is very short, we have been able to do simple family things like sitting down together for breakfast and sharing experiences amongst family members."
"It is very helpful for both sides as I have discovered a lot of information and facts which I can include in my research. The host family also learned a lot of things about my country," said Shelly Waldon, a primary school teacher from Melbourne, Victoria. She is currently finishing her research on the ethnicities and traditions of Asia, specifically in Sabah. This was her first time visiting Sabah but a second time to Malaysia.
Shelley, who pursues a special line of study in Science and Environmental Education also said, "Understanding the cultures of Asia has often been one of my biggest interests. It is so vital to emphasize on this subject matter to our young kids so that when they become adults, they would have more understanding of other people's cultures and be appreciative and respectful of other people's way of living."
Professor Douglas Trevaskies, the group's leader was fascinated with the rich cultural heritage which is still very much in existence and being safeguarded very well. According to the Professor, he enjoyed very much his visit to Monsopiad Cultural Village and was hoping to pay a visit to such similar sites in the future.
Clare Selir who is 52 and works as a primary school teacher in Mentone Girls College, Melbourne was impressed with the beauty and unique cultures of every single ethnic group in Sabah. She said that every thing is so full of life and brilliantly colourful and thinks she needs to stay at least a year in Sabah just to study and understand the cultures here.
Claire has also tasted the 'Teh C' and commented on how pleasing it felt to her taste bud. She has a great passion about food and is intrigued by the various kinds of beverages and food served to her and her friends during their stay with the locals.
Lynn Jennison, a teacher teaching at Dingley Village Primary School in Melbourne had this to say, "My primary school children are extremely curious in just about every little thing, they wanted to understand what are smooth silk, orangutan, traditional dances, etc all about.
Therefore, I wanted a wide range of pictures of anything I can get here, and these would be a series of subjects I am preparing to show them after I get back to work. I have ample of good ideas now after seeing your different cultures.
Orangutan is another remarkable subject for the children too. They talk about this each and every time we discuss about rainforest wild animals," Lynn added.
"What we are working on now is all about creating awareness to our young generation.
We look at cultures as the path to instil in their minds that we can live together in a unified relationship even though there are so many cultures from numerous races of people all around us," said Lynn.
Another teacher from Melbourne, Rodney Issel, had also tasted the sago worm or 'butod' saying that it was not new to him because in his hometown this kind of worm is called 'grub' and is almost the same as the 'butod'. Rodney added that although he stayed only briefly with the homestay family here, he found it deeply impressive; from food, design, working tools, there was so much to discover from the cultures here.
Mary Sodong, a homestay operator from Kg. Putaton, enjoys receiving tourists from all over the world. She is always proud to share with them simple knowledge such as the day-to-day skills of rubber tapping, paddy planting and the search for butod. Her knowledge about other countries is also increased as her guests share a lot about their cultures too.
Her Aussie guests, Lisa Winding and Paula Lindey who are both from Melbourne, stayed 2 nights in her house. Mary said her guests were happy with the simple accommodation she provided. She also helped them in their research work by giving them all the information they need pertaining to traditions in Sabah.
Boniface Jingulam and Hilda Bisol, another homestay operator from Kg. Hubah, Penampang, who hosted Prof. Douglas Trevaskies and his wife said that his guests were pleased with the simple accommodation and local delicacies presented to their them.
They appreciate and simply take pleasure in what ever that is being served to them. It was without a doubt an helpful trip for both sides, for me and my family and particularly my guests," said Hilda.
Source: http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=823
Picture shown is by courtesy of Lorena Binisol.
