Malaysia & SINGAPORE

FOCUS ONDESTINATIONS

Issue

69SPRING2014

DESTINATIONSIssue 69 Spring 2014

Production team Editor Sarah Louise KempeSub-editors Lisa Medved, Jessey Ding Design and production Production Centre of Excellence, The Hague, 912102

Contributing writersMarco Atlas, Charlotte Boerrigter, Mairead Boland, Karintha Hemenway, Andrea Irrgang, Jessica Jamanca, Sian Jorgensen, Angela Khaw, Shelaine Leong, Terri Lewis, Lisa Medved, Radhika Nair, Fiona Nijkamp-Lyell, Paul Moffett, Irina Rilter, Doris Shum Seward, Sneha Senthilkumar, The Expat Archive Centre

Contributing photographersAndrea Irrgang, Michelle McQuinn, Ying Zheng

PrinterOpmeer Drukkerij bv, The Hague

© 2014 Global Outpost Services

Copyright of articles is retained by the authors. Every effort is made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct at the time of printing. Material published in this magazine does not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor, the Production Team, or Outpost.

Future contributionsRelevant articles, letters, photographs or illustrations can be sent to the above postal address or emailed to the editor at: sarah.kempe@shell.com

DistributionPlease contact your local Outpost office for a free copy. To view online, go to www.globaloutpostservices.com

Cover imagePhotographerYing Zheng The photograh was taken in Malaysia, on a typical rainy and humid afternoon. I was wandering, and this rickshaw just caught my attention. It was sitting there, somehow looking lonely without its driver, but at the same time having seen the glories of the city on its many travels. I felt obliged to record it. - Ying Zheng

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LETTER FROM THE

editorSARAH LOUISE KEMPEEditor, Destinations

As I gathered articles for this issue I received one which quoted the author J.R.R. Tolkien: “Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.” The line was used to parallel the mystery as equally present in Singapore, as the author’s legendary world.

To seek out the unknown, to crave to be astonished, to make accessible the unfamiliar, and to find beauty in small treasures: these abilities do not come naturally to all. The authors who have written for this issue have mastered each, and more. Not only have they adopted passport stamps and sought experiences with a vivacity as soaring as Kuala Lumpur’s twin towers, they have regaled us with adventures full of style, poise, wit and grace. Some people are annoyingly talented, aren’t they?

Tolkien’s poem continues, “And though we pass them by today, tomorrow we may come this way.” It is never too late to go – or to go back. Whether you stay on or off the beaten track, each trip reveals something you may not have been spotted before.

In the previous editorial I wrote about appreciating home. In this I urge you to take inspiration from these stories, and go explore. Remember, “Not all who wander are lost.”

Sarah

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Focus

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Focus on

Issue 69 Spring 2014

FEATURES7 Driving in Kuala Lumpur10 Closing the Camp12 A New Beginning14 A Suroprise at Every Turn16 Why Not Singapore?20 Classes and Cards in Bintulu23 The Heart of Borneo33 A Miri-aculous Posting40 The Black and Whites43 Malaysian Memories44 Postcrossing46 A Journey Back in Time48 It Got Me Thinking50 After-School Action52 Singapore Celebrates54 Outpost Network News

OUR OUTPOST5 Malaysia6 Singapore

IN THE NEWS26 Innovative Fishing in Borneo27 Kids and Kites in Singapore’s Skies

SPECIAL INTERVIEW37 Sneha and Charlotte

PHOTOGRAPHY29 Chinese New Year in KL: A Photo Diary

Malaysia AND SINGAPORE

The Durian fruit draws divided reactions – most people either love it or hate it. The fruit is described with the phrase, “smells like hell and tastes like heaven”.

The country is among the world’s biggest producers of computer disk drives, palm oil, rubber and timber.

Lonely Planet describes Malaysia as a mix of “beautiful heritage and stunning modern architecture, delicious streetside meals, masses of markets and malls, and an engaging mix of cultures”.

There are 878 islands in Malaysia. Sabah has the most at 394.

Malaysia has its own Lochness Monster at Lake Tasik Chini. Some believe that a dragon called the Naga Seri Gumum inhabits the lake.

Our Outpost

COUNTRY PROFILE

MALAYSIAMalaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories, over two land masses by the South China Sea. The Federation joined Malaya, Sarawak, North Borneo and Singapore, but Singapore left in 1965.

FULL NAME: MalaysiaOUTPOST OFFICES: Bintulu, Kuala Lumpur, MiriPOPULATION: 29.3 million (UN, 2012)CAPITAL: Kuala LumpurOFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Malay (Chinese, English and Tamil are widely spoken)CURRENCY: RinggitINTERNATIONAL DIALLING CODE: +60BORDERS WITH: Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand A FAMOUS FIGURE: P. Ramlee, entertainerNATIONAL FLOWER: Hibiscus

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

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Our Outpost

FULL NAME: Republic of SingaporeOUTPOST OFFICE: SingaporePOPULATION: 5.3 million (UN, 2012)CAPITAL: SingaporeOFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English, Malay, Mandarin, TamilCURRENCY: Singaporean DollarINTERNATIONAL DIALING CODE: +65BORDERS WITH: Singapore is an island which sits close to mainland Malaysia A FAMOUS FIGURE: Lee Kuan Yew, politician known as ‘The Father of Singapore’NATIONAL FLOWER: Singapore orchid (also known as: Princess Aloha Orchid, Vanda Miss Joaquim)

The Singa-Laut (Merlion) a half-fish, half-lion beast, is a symbol of Singapore. The fish body represents Singapore’s origin as a fishing village. The lion represents Singapore’s original name – Singapura – meaning ‘lion city’.

The national flower of Singapore, Vanda Miss Joaquim, is named after Agnes Joaquim in 1893.

The red on Singapore’s flag symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man. The white signifies purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise. The five stars signify the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.

Many Singaporeans have a habit of adding “la” to the end of their sentences. For example, “okay-la,” is one example of Singlish (Singaporean-English).

The Marina Bay Sands building consists of three 55-story towers and is capped by a ‘sky park’. The architectural marvel stands at 200 metres, and houses a casino, 5* hotel, luxury shopping mall, restaurants, a swimming complex…the list goes on!

COUNTRY PROFILE

SINGAPORE

Marina Bay Sands6

The problem with living in a city like Kuala Lumpur - or, indeed, any capital city - is that there is almost too much to write about. I could recommend shopping malls that provide air conditioned respite when the haze and heat are just too much to cope with. Or I could describe the food I’ve grown to love and the best food courts to get it. But part of the adventure of living in a city is discovering it for yourself. So I decided to write about something that every visitor or inhabitant of KL will experience, and that has become something I really enjoy, in a genuine yet totally twisted way: driving.

Now - don’t get me wrong - driving in KL isn’t a serene dream of empty roads and clearly marked junctions. In fact, it’s totally the opposite. But I really feel that I’ve come to know the city, and Malaysia, in ways that I just

wouldn’t have if I’d been too scared to get behind the wheel.

I love the independence and freedom that driving gives you. So when we heard that we were moving from Miri - a lovely town, not very big - I was a mixture of nerves and excitement. I was determined I would drive; I don’t like to be dependent on taxis, and walking is not practical all the time. However, friends who had spent more time in KL than I had warned me it would be a very different experience to driving in Miri, so I started to feel concerned.

Miri is a coastal town and suffers from occasional flooding during the rainy season. As such when we moved to Malaysia we decided to buy a large, four-wheel-drive pickup truck. I had always had fantasised about being a Texan and the truck let me live the dream!

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DRIVINGIN KUALA LUMPUR

Nova Gough and her husband, Simon, an exploration geologist, are British. They moved to KL with their daughter almost two years ago. They have previously been posted in Miri, Malaysia, and before that spent six years in The Hague, where Nova worked in publishing.

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Two years later we were taking this giant vehicle to a very big, busy city. Gulp!

When we arrived we stayed in the centre of KL, next to KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) Park, home of the Petronas towers. To say I was nervous was putting it lightly. I sat in anticipation and awaited the call. Then it came; the truck was waiting outside. There it was, on a mini-transporter, blocking an entire lane of traffic on one of the main roads. I panicked - I was hoping that they would park it for me! Papers signed, I had no choice but to strap in my daughter and park it myself. As I got in, I realised that I would need to drive all round the block to get back to the car park – and In this case ‘driving around the block’ meant navigating the entirety of KLCC! I gritted my teeth, pulled out and realised, remembered, how much fun driving in a city could be. I didn’t just go round the block, oh no. I was off, radio on, and I began falling in love with Kuala Lumpur.

Some people believe that you only get to know a city when you walk around it. To this, I say that they have only lived somewhere that isn’t hot most of the time. Give me an air-conditioned vehicle when it’s 32°c outside, thank you very much. In my opinion there’s no better starting point for getting to know a city than facing buses, taxis, tourists, school groups and of course, the motorbike drivers. And that is KL in its essence. Soon I explored Chinatown and the old parts of KL, became familiar with the random one-way systems, and the fact that a lot of the roads have at least two names, which of course made my GPS system pretty redundant! I mastered the drive from the centre to the suburb where we would be moving, found good shopping malls away from the tourist crowds of the centre. I was settling in.

There is so much I’ve learned about the country just from driving around. From the early morning newspaper stalls that pop up when I’m driving

“in my opinion there’s no better starting point for getting to know a city than facing buses, taxis, tourists, school groups, and of course, the motorbike drivers”

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KLCC Park:

Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park

Kampong houses:

traditional Malaysian houses

Durian:

a type of fruit

Bahasa Malaysia:

the official language of Malaysia

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my daughter to school, to the lunchtime food stands that appear from nowhere to feed hungry office workers. I have learnt to dodge the roti man, who drives his tiny motorbike laden with every form of bread product you can imagine, a pile wider than the bike is long it seems. I have seen every form of transport you can imagine, from Ferraris and Lamborghinis to cars that seem to be held together purely from Angry Birds stickers and enthusiasm. I now know how ingenious Malaysians are at finding places to park, and how immortal some of the motorbike drivers must be in order to drive as crazily as they do. I have passed the dusty colours of kampong houses and noticed that durian season has started when the fruit stalls pop up everywhere, incongruous against the glossy facade of condos.

This is Kuala Lumpur. This is Malaysia. And I’ve seen it while sharing the experience with hundreds and thousands of people also driving along, stuck in a jam or, just sometimes, relishing the enjoyment and rarity of an empty road. My knowledge of Bahasa Malaysia has also improved, and I’m now brilliant at playing what is essentially a game of chicken when leaving a road toll (filtering ten lanes down to three is amusing in any country) And I’ve learned to love Malaysian radio (excluding their insistence on playing Maroon 5 as frequently as possibly).

There are parts to it I don’t enjoy. Parking the truck can be awkward as so many car parks are built for much smaller vehicles than mine - and yes, there have been a few scrapes. But I enjoy the contradiction of being a female expat driving a truck with Sarawak plates in the big city.There are dangers too. Whether that means bag snatching from your car, or being deliberately driven into to try and claim some

money from the damage. I take safety precautions when driving and always keep an eye out when stopped at traffic lights for any suspicious activity. But the benefits far outweigh these risks for me - and these risks are true for many large cities, not just KL.

Eighteen months in to our stay in KL I still love driving here. I love that I can drive and park under the Petronas towers, one of the symbols of Malaysia. I love that if I drive south I can go to Singapore and if I head north, Penang, or on to Thailand. If we were so inclined, and I actually had a GPS that worked, we could even drive back to Europe. The continent is our oyster, and KL is the pearl.

As soon as I get out of this traffic jam, of course...

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One part of Miri close to my heart was Piasau Camp, the Shell housing estate. When Piasau Camp closed down in December 2013, I wrote this piece as a way to say goodbye. A housing development for Shell’s international staff for many years, its closing marked the end of an era. I understand that Destinations generally looks forward, not back, but so many Shell expatriates knew and loved Piasau Camp, it would be hard to mention Miri (and Shell Malaysia) without remembering it.

From the earliest days (the first oil well was drilled in 1910), Shell had built housing for its employees in Miri – there was simply no

housing available locally. Piasau Camp was open, unfenced, and contained 202 widely-spaced houses. There were shady trees, and gardens full of hibiscus and day lilies. Hornbills came to roost, along with kingfishers and green pigeons. A boat club was built, where residents and others could gather for sports, parties, enjoy Sarawak laksa (spicy noodle soup) or watch sundowners, with a view of the South China Sea.

My family moved into Piasau Camp in January 2010. Even though the first murmurs about closure had begun, we enjoyed our stay to the fullest. From the flowers that bloomed in our

Karintha and her husband, Matt Mueller, lived in Miri, Malaysia, for four years between 2008 and 2012. They then moved to Seria, Brunei, only 40km up the road but “another world again”. Their daughters are Josephine, 10, and Cecilia, aged six.

CLOSING THE CAMP

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garden to the lush bushes and towering casuarinas, nature unfolded before our eyes. I saw a squirrel escape a monitor lizard, and swamp hens raise generations of black fluffballs. The Outpost office in Hornbill House was a centre of activity for all residents. Friends lived just around the corner. We celebrated Scottish Burn’s Night, Dutch Queen’s Day, Carnival, Latino Night and German Oktoberfest.

In June 2012, with our stay in Miri winding down, I set out to document my memories, and not just my own. While writing for the Outpost Miri newsletter, I spoke to many former residents who loved Piasau Camp as much as I did. It seemed kind to offer to take a few pictures of their old houses as a keepsake for them. Within a week, I had received more than 40 requests for photos.

It was a bittersweet project for me. Some pictures were sad: an empty lot nearly overtaken by the riverside brush, a vacant house with mosquito netting flapping in the

CLOSING THE CAMP

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KARINTHA HEMENWAY

breeze, or a child’s drawing left behind on the wall. Some were joyful: a garden full of red flowers with chickens roaming free, or house with a trampoline and bicycles scattered out front, a vegetable garden with rows of corn and okra reaching for the sky.

I saw a kingfisher perch on a mango tree, his vibrant blue dazzling. The ghosts of a hundred happy childhoods smiled with me. Piasau Camp was beautiful. And I will always be glad I knew it.

For former residents of the Piasau Camp, photographs are available here: https://picasaweb.google.com/110545027348422219556/PiasauCampNowJune2012

And a Facebook group has been set up for those who knew the location: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2249025992/

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MAIREAD BOLAND

A New beginning12

When it was official that Piasau Camp was closing, everyone worried about the place being bulldozed by developers. A movement began to save the area for future generations. Encouraged by one of their members and fellow camp resident, the Malaysia Nature Society became aware of the possibilities presented by the camp. Support was gathered from local dignitaries and politicians.The Piasau Camp Miri Nature Park Society was formed. Throughout 2013, over 30,000 signatures were collected, monthly walks in the park organised, memorabilia created and sold, and a photographic exhibition held in the library and shopping centres. There was strong media support for the efforts, and various Facebook programmes garnered regular participation.

Iain Lo, Managing Director (MD) for Shell Malaysia, rejected attempts to reopen Piasau

Camp for residential purposes. A study was commissioned to understand the potential for converting the camp into a nature’s reserve. It established that the area contained 17 fauna species protected under Wildlife Protection Ordinance; and also 45 bird, three mammal, five amphibian, 12 reptile, 10 butterfly, and 107 plant species. The mature groves of casuarina trees prove important to conserve Miri’s eroding coastline.

In September, the thoughtless killing of a resident hornbill made the front page of all Sarawakian newspapers and spurred public determination to make Piasau Camp Nature’s Reserve a reality. The end of 2013 saw Shell and Sarawak Forestry working together to plan the reserve’s layout, while waiting for definitive news from the Chief Minister of Sarawak.

Nature on the camp has not been idle. Two Brahminy Kite chicks hatched

during the 2014 New Year fireworks, elusive Wandering Whistling Ducks are spotted in a pond, and a hornbill couple is redoubling efforts to seal their nest in preparation for 100 days of brooding, hatching and fledging. Indeed, no royal or celebrity babies were ever as keenly anticipated as the new baby hornbills in the Piasau Camp Nature’s Reserve.

Piasau Camp was more than a residential development. it was a living green space to walk, jog, photograph, and enjoy. It was home to not only Shell staff, but also a myriad of amahs (domestic helpers), gardeners and security people – many of them around for 20 or 30 years. Expats came and went, but the help, together with the plants and animals, were the continuity of the camp.

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A New beginning

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For someone who is intrigued by the random edges of a broken pot – and once puzzled a store manager for admiring the imperfection of a fractured decanter – Singapore’s pristine, painted facades and minutely manicured foliage made me feel a bit like Jim Carrey in ‘The Truman Show’. It was all too clean and perfect for me! Good things happened when after a month I decided to hop off the tourist bus and walk the alleyways. This Singapore was real, diverse and beautiful, and thankfully not all perfect!

It was in these alleys that I got to peek into the history of a land, where the trade winds blew in many lives and lifestyles.

Culturally, there is more to Singapore than Chinatown of course, but for me it was a good place to start. There is more to the place than its red canopy, three-for-$10 souvenir stores, or even the impressive Buddha tooth relic temple or the ancient Mariamman temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. It is the intrigue in the discovery of the odd German sausage vendor, and watching an old musician play

Radhika Nair and her husband, Prem Vuthandam, live in Singapore with their two children. Prem works in Trading and Supply. Radhika is part of the Outpost Singapore team, previously designed software for small businesses, and prior to that was a designer for commercial interiors.

A SURPRISE

AT EVERY TURN

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a Huqin string instrument. It is the smell of chestnuts roasting, of old buddies playing the mahjong, and the discovery of a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant where the server passionately educates you on the medicinal values of Chinese wolfberries. It is also stumbling into the unassuming old teashop, where even Queen Elizabeth sat to tea. Most intriguing of all, it is listening to old tales, about opium-laden sailors and prostitutes in gas-lit brothels. All of these earn Singapore its infamous name: ‘the place of nightless days’.

Raised in India, and having lived outside of it for nearly two decades now, the thing that gives me a kick is not waiting for the convenience of a weekend to celebrate Diwali. It’s a national holiday here! Streets are lit for the festival, roads are cordoned off to sell sparklers and goodies, and the whole place is alive for weeks preceding the day. A walk down Buffalo Street on any mundane morning is guaranteed to heighten your senses. Here, Tamil film songs, loudly played, alternate with classical devotional music. The fragrance of freshly strung marigold and jasmine garlands, and the aroma and flavour of a strong cup of Indian coffee, served frothing in steel tumblers, is priceless. It is in fact a lot closer to my memories of childhood than my experiences of recent visits to my hometown in India, where malls and supermarkets are devouring the neighborhood vendors. The South Indian community, who began migrating when modern Singapore was being built by the British in the early 19th century, has remarkably held on to old traditions in a quest to retain their identity and offer comfort on these foreign shores.

The beauty of Singapore is its compactness, something that can also irk people from time to time. Just under four miles south of Little India is

Kampong Glam, with its Malay history. Here, the legacy of sultans and princes who once ruled the island is sung by the monuments they left behind, like the Royal Palace, and the Sultan Mosque. Mysterious little shops selling prayer rugs and traditional Malay pharmacies don’t make it onto the route of most tourist buses. Neither does the old cemetery, speckled with tombs wrapped with yellow cloth ‘hats’ marking the royalty that were buried there. But all make for an exciting morning of adventure.

Pivot around the Sultan Mosque, and you’ll land smack dab in the popular Arab Street, with its hookah bars, belly dancers, and Mediterranean cafés. Throw in a few Afghani carpet vendors who call you ‘sister’, cloth merchants trying to sell you sensuous lace, spot the lady who makes excellent fitted bustiers, and you may find yourself humming tunes from ‘Aladdin’! Are we still talking about Singapore? Oh yes, and we are just getting warmed up. There is still the heady mix of food courts and English high teas, yacht parties and dinners in the sky, busy ports and lazy beaches, traditional garbs, slim skirts and designer bags, shophouses, earthy black-and-white bungalows, and tall buildings cutting through the skyline to talk about. There is a whole gamut of experiences waiting to be tried and tested.

“ Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.” J.R.R. Tolkien

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Photographs for this article provided

by Andrea Irrgang, Outpost Singapore

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WHY NOT

ANGELA KHAW

SINGAPORE?

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Angela is a qualified lawyer, and has worked in Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Angela has also founded her own business in both Singapore and Malaysia, importing French hand-sculpted jewellery pieces.

SINGAPORE?

Having lived in a number of countries in the east and west as a result of my husband’s job, I found Singapore one of the easiest Shell postings to settle down in. It is also the country where we stayed the longest – seven years.

Although Singapore’s official language is Malay and there is a predominantly-Chinese population, English is so widely spoken that you don’t have to learn Chinese to live or work there. Menus, advertising, road signs and all correspondence from the government or institutions (such as banks) are in English. Hence, one can get navigate around Singapore easily and has access to the extensive range of events and activities that Singapore has to offer – whether cultural, educational or recreational – without having a language barrier.

What I love about Singapore is that it is tolerant of all races and nationalities. The three majority ethnic groups in Singapore - Chinese, Malays, and Indians – intermingle harmoniously, although it is usually presented to tourists that each nationality has its own quarter called Chinatown, Kampung Glam and Little India respectively. The religious events of each nationality are recognised as public holidays and therefore celebrated together. This means that there are lots of public holidays! My children were exposed to the diverse and rich cultures of the different ethnicities on a daily basis and learnt to understand and respect the different cultures and religions. Singapore also has a large number of expatriates from all over the world, so my daughters studied with children from a range of nationalities.

Singapore is sometimes pictured in the media as a constricted place to live, with laws and rules that limit your freedom. In fact, Singaporeans are fond of joking that “Singapore is a fine place – you get fined for this, for that!” While it is true that Singapore places a strong emphasis on compliance with the law, this is no bad thing for a law-abiding person and the benefits are clearly tangible: Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates (second lowest according to some statistics) and corruption-free governments in the world. These make Singapore a great home for families with young children, as they have the freedom to be out and about on their own safely.

Another element I like is the transparency and efficiency of Singapore. These, together with its investor-friendly policies, are key factors that influence many companies to choose to set up a regional office there. The efficiency is a bonus for an expatriate partner who wishes to set up their own business in Singapore. Once you are set up, most of the regulatory documents can be filed online without the need to go and queue at the relevant regulatory body – a real time saver! It may not be everyone’s cup of tea to have a live-in maid, and some may find it odd to have a ‘stranger’ in the house, but domestic help is available as an option for families who choose it, or for couples who both intend to work in Singapore. This also frees up a partner to start a business, or to simply spend more time on immersing themselves and taking in everything that Singapore has to offer. One of the first questions that an expatriate with children will normally ask is “What are the schools like?” In short: excellent.

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The schools are abundant in quality and variety, with international schools as well as schools of German, Dutch, Australian, Japanese, French, British, Canadian and American nationalities. Singapore also offers excellent medical care; although this does come at a price. The medical expertise and top-notch facilities attract a large number of foreigners, some of whom come to Singapore just for medical treatment. One can get access to a specialist with relative ease and without the need of a referral from a GP. Singapore is a very service-oriented country. Banks are open on Saturdays and (apart from the first two days of Chinese New Year) shops are open all year around, including public holidays. Most shops are generally open until 9pm every day. Because of the large and diverse expatriate

community in Singapore, this creates a demand that supermarkets and shops readily embrace and one can buy almost any food ingredient that one needs. (I have yet to shop at a supermarket outside Singapore that has asked what I would like them to stock from my home country!)

Singaporeans are food fanatics and there has been an explosion of food blogs from Singapore. Eating in Singapore is a very social activity and where Europeans stereotypically talk about the weather, Singaporeans talk about food. All day. As you would expect with the cultural diversity, one can eat any type of international or local food that you crave for in Singapore. Not only is there an incredible variety of cuisines, there are literally tens of thousands of options that cater to all budgets,

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from local hawker centres where you can have a decent meal for €3-€4, to Michelin star restaurants where you can splash out. And there is everything in between. So if you love food, you will be paradise! (In fact, there is a very good restaurant chain called Taste Paradise!)

Finally, I love the weather in Singapore. Some people may complain that it is mundane having 365 days of hot, humid tropical weather, or say that it limits the outdoor activities you can do. But I loved being able to wear shorts and t-shirts all year round. I didn’t miss the dark, cold, short winter days. Further, Singapore’s location provides a great base to travel to Asia, Europe or America. So those who long for all four seasons can still get them. Travelling to or from Singapore also means an experience of

Changi Airport – in my opinion this must be one of the most efficient airports in the world. I have yet to experience any other airport where I can disembark, go through immigration, collect my baggage and get into a taxi in less than 20 minutes.

Essentially, Singapore is so well-organised and expat-friendly that makes it a dream posting.

“ while it is true that Singapore places a strong emphasis on laws and compliance with the law, this is no bad thing for a law-abiding person and the benefits are clearly tangible: Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world”

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SHELAINE LEONG

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CLASSES AND CARDS

IN BINTULUShelaine Leong is a Chinese national from Singapore and is married to Tadhg O’Reilly, from Ireland. They have spent the last 20 years abroad in the Netherlands, Brunei, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia and Syria. Shelaine has been active in sharing her own Asian background with other expatriates in Bintulu.

Given the small size of the expatriate community in Bintulu, it was very easy to meet everybody relatively quickly. Occasionally we have some families over for a BBQ and I prepare some local dishes like chicken curry, lemon chicken, fried rice, spring rolls, or mee goreng (fried noodles).

Coming mostly from a western environment, a lot of the expatriate ladies were unaccustomed to cooking the local vegetables or fish. Some were absolute beginners when it came to Asian cuisine. My own nationality meant I was able to provide them cooking tips and guided trips to the local tamu (markets) where fresh seafood, live chicken, local vegetables and fruit are sold. Bintulu

produces white and black peppercorns as well as belacan (fermented shrimp paste). This was probably its most famous export before it became a hub for gas processing. This special ingredient is found in mee mamak goreng (Indian fried noodles), sambal chili (a type of hot sauce), and rojak (a traditional salad). Belacan has a very strong pungent smell and is certainly one of those foods for which you need to acquire a taste!

I started showing one or two ladies some simple cookery demonstrations, to familiarise them with the local ingredients. Over time I began to organise additional activities. Here are some of our regulars!

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Morning Cooking Class In this session, I prepare the recipe for the dish, do a step-by-step cooking demonstration, and offer a tasting afterwards. I try to use the local produce frequently and I provide a brief description of some unusual vegetables and fruit. Some of the dishes that have been demonstrated are Thai pineapple rice, Chinese spring rolls, sushi, quiches, samosas, chicken biryani, and mee mamak goreng. It is also a time for people to get together, exchange tips about living in Bintulu and get to know one another better.

Man vs. FoodIn these sessions, it is the guys’ turn for cookery lessons! The guys come for a sociable evening of learning to cook and sampling different types of food. Some of the ones we have prepared are: beef in black pepper sauce, fish curry, spaghetti carbonara, and spring rolls. It is a pleasure to

hear that some of the guys use the recipes and cook to impress friends and family.

Mahjong This is a traditional Asian card game which originated in China. People who have played this game know what a fantastic pastime it can be – and so addictive! It’s been fun to teach the game to some of the expatriates here. Some already have the experience of playing the western version of the game, ‘rummy’, however I still prefer the Hong Kong version! We hold the mahjong session once a month and and everyone has picked up even some of the more difficult rules of the game very quickly. Some still struggle with the comprehension of the Chinese characters for the numbers one-nine, but it is interesting to teach them to pronounce these characters. And knowing how to pronounce the numbers in Chinese is an asset at the market.

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Book ClubEnglish books are hard to get here in Bintulu; most families either order from Amazon or buy them when they return to their own countries. We get together once a month to share our reading interests. We always joke that our book club has become an eating club, as everyone generously brings a plate of home-baked cookies or cakes, imported munchies, snacks or local fruits.

At the end of 2013 I teamed up with Outpost to help organise a gathering for all the expatriate families. We had a fantastic time with an array of delicious food. Many took part in the two competitions: Mr Movember Bintulu and Ms Best Dressed Bintulu. A ‘guess-the-ingredients’ contest was held too.

There are many types of indigenous people in Bintulu. The biggest group is the Dayaks and the majority of these are either Christians or practice animist beliefs. The biggest ethnic groups within the Dayak community are the Ibans and Bidayuh. The others are the Kenyah, Kayan, Orang Ulu, Kedayan, Punyan, Bisayah, Kelabit, Perawan and Penan. Most of them still live in ‘longhouses’ (a type of long, narrow, single-room building) and practice shifting cultivation. Many also engage in fishing. Other ethnic groups are the Chinese and the Malays.

Because of the wide variety of ethnicities, we witness a great number of celebrations, from Chinese New Year, Thaipusam (an Indian festival), Easter, tomb-sweeping day (a form of Chinese ancestral worship), Gawai (celebrated by indigenous people in Sabah and Sarawak), Vesak (a Buddhist festival), Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji (a Muslim festival), Deepavali (an Indian festival) and Christmas.

The beauty of a posting in south-east Asia is that you get to enjoy the vast array of food and the diversity of cultures, languages, customs and festive celebrations.

ETHNICITY AND FESTIVALS IN BINTULU

“it is a time for people to get together, exchange tips about living in Bintulu and get to know one another better”

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Bario is a small town inland from Miri, east Malaysia. You can go by car - if you have 14 hours to spare - but I have always preferred the 50-minute flight direct from Miri. The plane is so small that passengers are weighed with their luggage; and my daughter helpfully reads out the numbers on the scale!

So why have we been to Bario twice? Well, it is a little of everything I guess. It boasts a fantastic climate; cool mornings and evenings with sunny warm days of around 24-26°C. It is a luxury to have a few hours away from humidity you can feel in Miri. The breeze is relaxing and the pace of life is very slow.

We stayed in a ‘longhouse’ (Sinah Rang’s Homestay).The longhouse is a clever communal-living set up. Several families, traditionally related, have their own rooms which are all connected by a vast central area where their fireplace is. This is a social area; meals are eaten

together and tales are told. There is also a vast room running parallel at the back of the building which is officially for celebrations, meetings, or events - but really provides space for the children to run around together!

Sian and her husband, Atle, are British/Norwegian nationals in the final year of a posting in Miri, Malaysia. Sian asked her daughter, Maya, aged nine, and her son, Mateo, aged six where they wanted to visit before they left. They both agreed the one place that they had to return: Bario!

THE HEARTOF BORNEO

BARIO, MALAYSIA

SIAN JORGENSEN

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Malaysia

BARIO

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There are a number of homestays in Bario. This homestay has just the right combination of luxury and authenticity for us - a flushing toilet, running water, mattresses and pillows – while water is heated over the fire for the shower (which consists of dumping water over my head while standing in a large bucket!) Other people may be a little tougher and enjoy the really cold water straight from the mountains for their daily shower. It is rustic, and with that comes so many positives, like the local Hornbill visiting every few days and eating out of your hand! Most of all, we were welcomed back to Sinah Rang’s as though we were long lost family.

“Bario is rustic, and with that comes so many positives, like the local Hornbill visiting every few days and eating out of your hand”

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While we were there we saw the results of an initiative by an organisation from Kuala Lumpur, which has been working with some of the women in Bario to provide them with a modest income. They have created walking tours around Bario – and there are a surprising number of places to visit. On our first visit to Bario we went to the Salt Spring, via a fantastically muddy hike through the jungle, which was the highlight of our visit (although obviously I can’t guarantee the level of mud, we could have just got lucky!)

We also visited Tom Harrison’s memorial and heard about the history of his team’s parachute jump into Bario at the end of the Second World War. We learnt some Kelabit words (please don’t test me) and learnt a lot about the life and nature of Bario. Meanwhile the children climbed and played with our guide Nicole’s son. I would have liked to hike up Prayer Mountain and also visit the hydro dam, but we were a bit worn out so went fishing instead.

The food was very good and a lot of it was organic, like the wild boar, the bamboo, and the river ferns which we ate. I did take some snacks with me and some breakfast cereal and milk for the children but there was enough choice and variety, as long as you are happy to eat locally.

• Take snacks and any food you need for a fussy eater. There are a couple of very small shops there but as everything has to come by car from Miri there is no guarantee of stock.

• Don’t plan any tours for a Sunday as the guides will be in church and not working.• You can organise excursions through Nicolette Dayang Garawat nlembaa@gmail.com, she

has lived in Bario her whole life and her English is very good. • If you want to stay at Sinah Rang’s Homestay then book through her Facebook page or email

her daughter: patricia.manai@gmail.com• If you visit in 2015 then please ask around for Rhyia Bala, as she is starting a new homestay

which will have wonderful views. Having looked after British and Dutch families for over 30 years, I am sure that she will be an amazing host.

Please note this information was accurate in March 2014, and may have changed since.

A COUPLE OF HANDY HINTS:

“we learnt some Kelabit words and a lot about the life and nature of Bario. Meanwhile the children climbed and played with our guide’s son”

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Did you know that oil platforms attract fish? It’s true: the vicinity around platforms tend to be a prime area for fish and, consequently, fishermen. The fishermen in Malaysia’s state of Sabah are no exception.

Shell Malaysia’s first deepwater project, Gumusut-Kakap, is located 120km off the shore of Sabah, within bountiful fishing grounds. However, the deepwater development has restricted movement for fishermen in the area. As such an alternative needed to be found.

Together with the Sabah Department of Fisheries, Shell has launched a project called the Fishing Aggregate Device, aimed to enable fishermen in Sabah to fish in operation-free zones. The FAD project is Malaysia’s first private-public sector project of this nature.

Speaking at the launch, General Manager of Sabah Asset, Mrs Siti Sulaiman said, “Our priority is, and always will be, safety. As a responsible operator, we do not want our activities to interrupt the livelihood of the communities we operate in, whether onshore or offshore.”

“This partnership programme will sustain the livelihood of the fishermen involved who are from the lower income bracket,” said Sabah Department of Fisheries Director, Datuk Rayner Stuel Galid.

What is an FAD?FADs are man-made floating structures designed to attract fish. This FAD project involves creating new fishing grounds at a safe distance away from the restricted deepwater project area.

INNOVATIVE FISHINGIN BORNEO

In the News

This article is based on two news stories which appeared on the ‘Life at Shell’ news page at various times throughout the FAD project’s development.

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KIDS and kitesIN SINGAPORE’S SKIES

A buzz of excitement filled the air as the children and their families alighted from the chartered bus, where they were greeted by the team. When asked “how many of you have flown a kite before?” only a few hands shot up. It was, therefore, no surprise that the participants were eager and enthusiastic when it was time for their first activity – decorating the kites!

After the kites were decorated, the children headed to the top of the barrage for some great views and of course, some kite-flying action! Watching the children race around while trailing kite strings behind them was fun and refreshing. When it was time to part ways, the kites were distributed to the five families.When asked about her experience, Alyssa Shahira, Communications Assistant, said, “I felt that it was a really great opportunity to get to know my colleagues, and to do something meaningful for the community.”

About the Adopt A Rental Block ProgrammeShell is committed to the South West Community Development Council’s ‘Adopt a Rental Block’ programme. The programme engages with and cares for needy and vulnerable residents on a regular basis.

Shell joined the programme in 2012 and has adopted Block 45 Telok Blangah Drive and

It was the middle of the rainy season, and yet the skies were clear as the Singapore communications team gathered at Marina Barrage. Armed with dozens of kites and bottles of water, the team was soon joined by a bus load of children and parents from the ‘Adopt a Rental Block’ programme.

Block Four Dover Road. These blocks were selected as they are located close to Shell’s facilities in Pulau Bukom, Jurong Island, and Pandan, all located in the South West District. Shell staff engages in activities that cater to the social wellness or home-improvement needs of these residents.

In the News

This article is based on a piece by Abigail Ng and first appeared on the ‘Life at Shell’ news page on 13 January 2014.

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Photography

Chinese New Year in KL: A Photo Diary

Sin Sze Si Ya Temple,

China Town

On Chinese New Year hundreds of candles burn

in the temples, as devotees believe that candlelight

symbolises brightness.

Guan Di Temple,

China Town

A quiet moment as a Chinese lady pauses

with her joss sticks, reflecting on the crowded

scene in the temple.

Acrobatic Lion Dance

The lion dance is widely performed during the 15 days of Chinese New Year to

bring fortune and good luck, chase away evil spirits, and to bring in new energy.

Sin Sze Si Ya Temple,

China Town

Made of paper, the lantern is a key icon of Chinese New Year. It symbolises the

wish for a bright future.

Photography

Chinese New Year in KL: A Photo Diary

On Chinese New Year hundreds of candles burn

in the temples, as devotees believe that candlelight

symbolises brightness.

The Chinese believe that while red is a symbol of happiness, gold is a symbol of wealth.

Lantern, Pavillion Centre

Kuala Lumpur city was beautifully

decorated for Chinese New Year.

This snapshot through a window

shows blossom flowers, which

symbolise a new beginning.

Ref ection In A Windowl

Michelle

MICHELLE MCQUINN

“I aim to take pictures that provide a visual record of the amazing countries we have lived in, and of how I saw them.”

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Malaysia is home to Asia’s biggest pro cycling race, Le Tour de Langkawi, and in the past five years road cycling in Malaysia has boomed. On any given weekend there are clubs catering to newbies (and Wiggins-wannabes!) in the popular cycling spots around town, and the number of century rides, criteriums and charity rides are growing at a dizzying rate.

For Simon and me, road cycling has been a staple in the hectic, transient life we lead. I was reluctantly coerced into cycling by Simon on our posting in Houston, Texas, in 2000 and enjoyed it so much that I cycled MS150 (the 160-mile weekend charity ride between Houston and Austin) when I was four months pregnant with our first child. We have made a network of

friends around the world who share the same passion and have a common understanding of the agony and the ecstasy of reaching the top of that mountain in 38°C heat and 100% humidity.

The first seven years we lived in Malaysia we were in Miri, and the last two have been in the cosmopolitan capital of Kuala Lumpur, or ‘KL’. In Miri there were only about three good loops to go on, but traffic was relatively light and we could quite literally ride straight from our doorstep. We named our group The Piasau Peddlers and had a cycle jersey specially designed with a traditional Sarawakian motif that stood out amongst the crowd. On many a Tuesday morning we arranged our coffee morning to start only after a fast and furious

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Doris, her husband, Simon, and their two children Matthew, aged 10, and Maggie, aged eight, have lived in Malaysia for almost nine years. They first lived in Miri, and are now based in Kuala Lumpur where Doris is the current Outpost KL Focal Point. They have also lived in Houston, the United Kingdom and China.

On your bikeDORIS SHUM SEWARD

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35km loop round the Crocodile Farm. At our leaving do in Miri - which incidentally coincided with the first day of the Tour de France - we were presented with a club jersey with the names of all our old cycling buddies written on it. Our rides to Lambir Hills National Park, Bungai Beach and up Canada Hill with friends are some of the best memories I have of our years in Miri. As the Tour de France 2014 is scheduled to pass through Simon’s hometown of Skipton in Yorkshire, we are taking it as an opportunity to organise a reunion with some of our former Piasau Peddlers in the Dales.

Moving to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 marked a big change in our cycling routine. First I had to come to terms with my two nemeses; hills and traffic. In KL the traffic can be chaotic. Ironically, it is the first place my husband has decided to ride to work. After two unfortunate incidences with colleagues being mugged on the way to work on their bikes, the guys now meet up in

the morning and peddle in a little posse through the quieter back roads of Bukit Damansara and Federal Hills. Once in a while on their way home they’ll detour and hammer up some other hills trying to beat each other’s records. I have cycled on the Sprint and Duke motorways and through the Penchala Link tunnel, but I would not recommend it. However, if you are prepared to put your bike in the car and drive for 20 minutes or so you can come upon some of the most beautiful mountain routes through lush jungle, where you regularly have to dodge a monkey or two and even the occasional wild boar! Here, my favourite ride is Genting Sempah (a mountain pass). This is part of the route of Le Tour de Langkawi leading up to the Genting Highlands. Because of this, the road is well maintained, especially in the months leading up to the race. The route up to the top of Genting Highlands was rated as the 5th hardest climb in the world by Procycling Magazine in 2007, and is only opened to the cyclists on the day

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of the race. The rest of the year there are so many buses going up to the top that cyclists are banned.

One of the things I enjoy the most about cycling in Kuala Lumpur is being able to join up with the local clubs, meeting Malaysians from all stratas of KL and seeing some of the ‘real’ Malaysia that still exists away from the mega structures and shopping malls. For me it is a step out of the bubble of the expat life I live. Over a humble plate of wantan mee (noodles) or roti canai (local pancakes) in the kampungs (villages), you can experience the warmth of Malaysia’s hospitality. It is among these groups where the government aspirations of “One Malaysia” harmony resonates the most; Malaysians of Malay, Chinese, Indian origins and expats come together and support each other in a common interest and although there are not that

many women cycling, the clubs I cycle with are genuinely friendly and inclusive.

In 2010 the BBC News Magazine published a piece called ‘Rise of the Mamils (middle-aged men in lycra)’. The article was about the increase in popularity of cycling among middle-aged men fuelled by the success of the British Cycling team in the Beijing Olympics. It was so funny and so accurate I wondered if they had written specifically about my husband and his friends. However the article did miss out one important fact: that women also love to ride and can match any bike-related purchase her husband makes. Forget new shoes or handbags, how about the latest Garmin Vector power meter?

BBC News Magazine article link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10965608

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Once we knew that we would be moving to Miri some anxiety set in alongside the excitement. Anxiety not only of moving to the other side of the world but to be moving to a small city! Having grown up in New York and Miami and resided as an adult in Houston, a city of 300,000 people was worrisome. I mean, I have never lived with less than two million people around me!

Now a year into our posting, I can share the things that make Miri wonderful (at least to us):

The Community From the beginning everyone that we have met, whether expatriate or local, has been warm and welcoming. From showing us around town, taking us to markets, or just making sure

we are settled, we have always had someone looking out for us. Because it is a small city, most families live in one of the two communities close to the office. This means that coffee can be shared with your neighbours, children have playmates close by, and isolation is rare. During my morning walks with our dogs I know I will see at least one familiar face. The community here is what I know I will miss when we have to leave.

The community is very socially active with gatherings for all on Friday nights at the Piasau Boat Club, activities for the children on the weekends, some events organised by Shell, and others by the expatriate community. Miri itself holds an annual jazz music festival and has recently added a country music festival,

A Miri-aculousPOSTING!

Jessica’s journey to Miri, in Malaysia, started over two years ago when her husband, David, was offered a role there. They had always wanted to live abroad and this was a great opportunity to realise that dream.

JESSICA JAMANCA

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Mary Broekhuijsen

Liv Jorunn van der Toorn

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and both are very well attended. It has some shopping centres, a nice movie theatre, bowling alleys, karaoke bars, and even a paint ball facility. If it’s the outdoors you crave, then the ocean is just five minutes from, well, anywhere! So whether it’s flying a kite, running, diving, or kite surfing that you are craving, the beach is very close. There are also hiking trails, caves, and waterfalls to visit nearby.

Safety Miri is not crime free but it is safe. Children play unattended at the Piasau Boat Club playground and ride their bikes around without concern (beyond the possible bumps and bruises all children get!) There isn’t much traffic. They drive on the left hand side here, and that

has probably been our biggest challenge to date!

TravelThis is one of my favourite things. You can get to anywhere in south-east Asia within about a day. I have even heard of someone going to Melbourne just for the weekend. Miri is serviced by two airlines and while there are not many direct international flights at the moment, more are being added every year. Brunei is a 45-minute flight; Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are two hours (and from these you can fly almost anywhere). The quick flights to other locations are a great way to change scenery when needed – or if you want to get that all-important stamp in your passport.

So come to Miri and spend a birthday in Bali, New Years in Thailand, your anniversary in Cambodia, a school holiday in the Philippines.

“if it’s the outdoors you crave, then the ocean is just five minutes from, well, anywhere”

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Beatrix Wieczorek

While you are here, learn to cook Thai, speak with Buddhist monks, feed elephants (in the sanctuary), get a massage or two, snorkel or dive in oceans full of colour and fish, hike in rice paddies, bike through small towns, play games with the local kids, see an Ansara dance show, or just lie down on a beautiful beach. The possibilities are endless.

Feeling at HomeIt took a while for Miri to feel like home. It has now been a year, and I do look forward to coming back to our routine and the community in Miri after a trip. Our life in Miri is both hectic and laid back at the same time. As a non-working partner without children, I was initially concerned about what I would do; now I am concerned about when I will have time to just kick back and relax! The reality is there is enough to do in Miri to have your days full; how involved you become is a personal choice.

It is true some things take up more time than they do in the States, like grocery shopping, but with the city being relatively small it is quick to get from one place to another.

With all that Miri offers we are still a pretty relaxed bunch, taking in beautiful sunsets, wearing shorts almost anywhere in town, and knowing that the most traffic you might encounter would set you back around 20 minutes at rush hour.

All in all Miri it is large enough and connected enough to have plenty to do and get what you need, while being small enough to not be overwhelming. I think it works well for people like us that do not have children, as well as for those with school-aged kids. Our family of four (we brought our two dogs) is very fortunate to have moved here, and we are looking forward to the next few years of our posting.

“hike in rice paddies, bike through small towns, play games with the local kids, see an Ansara dance show, or just lie down on a beautiful beach”

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In January 2010 we moved from Holland to Malaysia with our youngest son Daniel, who was then aged 16. Malaysia is a very rich culture with lots of history. It has three main ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese and Indian. All bring history, food, dress and language to what is now called Malaysia.

We were very fortunate to get to know a lot of the local people during our time there. They were very open to foreigners and the first question asked is “Where are you from?” It gets a bit old after a while, but I liked to turn the question around and ask them first where they were from. This usually produced a giggle, and a story about where they, in turn, had come from.

While there we did have fun embracing their local dress. It took some time to learn what was what and when to wear it, but the locals seemed to take notice and appreciate it when we showed up in their traditional dress!

For me, I cannot talk about Malaysia without thinking of Daniel. For him the move was a vast difference, and a truly life-changing situation. He had grown up in the Netherlands and become ‘very Dutch’ (even though his father is from the UK and I am from the US). Daniel studied at the International School of Kuala Lumpur. Tthe many Asian students who are very serious about their studies really made him ‘pull his socks up’ and he began to study much harder. Even though we had always spoken English at home, he found studying full time in English quite a challenge at first, as studying intensely in your ‘second’ language can be. Daniel made a lot of very good friends in KL and returns there as often as he can. He says he feels at home there.

In 2012 we left Malaysia for India. By then none of our children lived at home, but Malaysia had given us a dog, a closet full of traditional Malaysian clothing, art work, and a lot of memories!

Malaysian MemoriesTERRI LEWIS

Terri is originally from Wisconsin, USA. Her husband, Keith, worked in the Netherlands for 15 years, where they raised their three sons. In 2010 they moved with their youngest son to Kuala Lumpur, where Terri volunteered in schools and various organisations in Malaysia. They now live in Bangalore, India, with no children but with a healthy dog!

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Charlotte Boerrigter and Sneha Senthilkumar are friends in Bintulu, Malaysia. In this article they got together at Kidurong International School (KIS) to discuss some of the similarities and differences in their lives since moving. The girls were assisted with the interview by Outpost’s Paul Moffett.

Charlotte: A lot of people don’t know where Bintulu is. Can you tell us about its location?

Sneha: Bintulu is an industrial town that is located on the north-west coast of Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. Did you know that Borneo is the third largest island in the world and it consists of three countries: Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia, Kalimantan in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam? The main industries in and around Bintulu are LNG and palm oil.

Sneha: Do you like it when you are outside your home country. If yes, explain why?

Charlotte: You get to travel. When you travel you see different landscapes, like flatlands, jungles, palm oil plantations, but also burned jungle. I do not like burned jungle because animals have to move and maybe they do not have anywhere to live.

Also it is nice to experience new stuff, like the blowpipes from Malaysia which are a kind of weapon, local jewellery bought at an inland market and fruits such as durian, which are a very smelly fruit, honey pomelo and mini bananas.

In my school I have made friends with children from many different countries and cultures. For instance: Hindus from India, Maoris from New Zealand, Italians, Muslim, Iban and Chinese people from Malaysia, and Muslim people from Brunei. My friends have taught me about their cultures. For example Chinese New Year when for two weeks there are fireworks every evening and lion dances to chase away bad spirits, and for the two weeks everywhere is full with Chinese decorations! I also learnt about the Hindu festival of Deepavali, which we celebrated at school with dances, lights and rice paintings called rangoli. I made one at school. We also celebrated Sinterklaas, (a Dutch Father Christmas, or Saint Nicholas,

Special interview

CHarlotte and sneha

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figure) which is from my own culture. We sang songs, got presents and were treated with candy and sweets.

Charlotte: What sort of food do you eat in Bintulu? Sneha: My mum cooks lots of Indian food. My favourite food is chicken curry and spinach. Almost every Saturday we go out to have dinner. There are lots of different choices of food in Bintulu, you can eat Japanese, Chinese, Malay, Italian and Indian. I like the restaurant called Esplanade because I can sit outside near the river and I like the chilly breeze. Most of all though their black pepper chicken is yummy! There is one more restaurant that I like which is an Italian restaurant called H5. I like their comfy chairs and their pasta is delicious.

Sneha: What do you like or dislike about the weather in Bintulu?

Charlotte: I do not like that it is always warm. Sometimes it is even too warm to play outside. In the afternoon the temperature is always above 30°C. The weather here only has two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. Rainy season is roughly from November until February. In the rainy season we have heavy rain and a thunderstorm almost every day. In the dry season it also rains, but not so much as during the rainy season.

Charlotte: What do you and your family do on the weekends?

Sneha: I like to go jungle trekking up the hill near my apartment. It’s interesting because I can see insects, such as ants and butterflies, and get to experience nature like different trees and vines when I walk through the jungle.

My name is Charlotte Boerrigter, I am nine years old and half Hungarian and half Dutch. I was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and I lived in Amstelveen until we moved here to Bintulu. I have been in Malaysia now for one year. I have a little sister who is five years old, a father, and a mother. We came to Malaysia because my father works for Shell. In the Netherlands I only had some fish as pets, but now we have four cats.

My favourite food is mee goreng (Malaysian fried noodles) and my favourite colours are black and blue. My favourite sport is wall climbing, but in Bintulu they do not have a climbing wall. My hobbies are playing in the garden with my sister and swimming. I like to hike in the jungle, but not for too long.

Special Interview

It’s also fun because you have to climb up part of a hill using a rope to stop you from slipping. I love going to the zoo at Taman Tumbina which is just near my apartment. It has lots of species of animals, such as crocodiles, snakes and even a tiger. My favourite animal is the horse. I also like walking along the beach in the evening. It’s just up the road from my apartment. When going for walk I like to collect sticks and driftwood which I bring back to school to play with and we use them to make pretend campfires. When we get to the beach I like playing in the water, but you can’t go swimming here in Bintulu at the beach. The river water mixes with the sea water and makes it very brown and cloudy so you can’t see clearly in the water. After that we walk back home.

Sneha: Are there any animals in Bintulu that you had never seen before?

Charlotte: There are lots of different animals that I had never seen before I came here. The scorpions that we have in our garden are black and around 10cm long. There are even snakes, mostly cobras, and the longest one caught in our street was about 2m long. We had two cobras in our garden and two smaller poisonous snakes. I have never seen bats in our garden but our neighbours told us that they have seen them in our garden. I have seen bats in real life in Mulu National Park, which is also in Sarawak. We also have Borneo Beetles, which look like big flies and are between five and 10cm long. They make a very loud humming sound when they fly and they bump into everything when they fly. Kingfishers are bright blue and have a long black beak and we see them in our garden almost every day. Unfortunately, we do not see monkeys or hornbills in Bintulu but I did see them when my family went on holiday in Langkawi.

Hi, my name is Sneha Senthilkumar and I am also nine years old. I was born in India and moved to Brunei when I was quite young. I have only ever been to a Shell school. My previous one was at Panaga in Brunei and now I am here at KIS in Bintulu. I moved here last March with my mum and dad because my dad got a new job at MLNG (Malaysian Liquefied Natural Gas).

My favourite hobby is horse riding, but I can’t do that here in Bintulu. I used to do it back in Brunei and I miss it. Here I enjoy swimming and also I have tennis lessons at the Kidurong Club.

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Standing StrongSINGAPORE’S ‘BLACKS AND WHITES’

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LISA MEDVED

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The sleepy settlement of Singapore was raised from obscurity when Sir Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with the Sultan of Johor in 1819 to develop the southern part of the island as a British trading colony. With a pre-treaty population of only 1,000 people, most of whom were indigenous Malay, the population had exceeded 80,000 by 1860, with over half being Chinese immigrants working in the rubber plantations. Singapore’s nineteenth-century expansion by European officials as a key Asian trading hub and its booming immigrant population led the island colony to develop unique customs and become a melting pot of eastern and western styles.

Singapore’s tropical climate was not new to the colonists: the British had dominated the Indian subcontinent since the mid-eighteenth century. The Anglo-Indian bungalows, first developed for British government officials in Bengal, (the word ‘bungalow’ in fact originates from the Hindi term meaning ‘Bengali’ or ‘house in the Bengal style’) took elements of the local dwellings with their long eaves and covered verandahs, so well-suited to the tropics, and beautified them with European elements of classical columns, porticos and tall, shuttered windows.

With a similar climate to that of India, the British began erecting Anglo-Indian bungalows in their new colony of Singapore. As the settlement grew, the British adapted the dwellings with ideas from

Anyone driving across the widest part of the tiny island country of Singapore – a mere 49 kilometres as the crow flies – will observe an extraordinary range of architectural styles which reflects the country’s ethnic diversity and rich cultural heritage. From traditional Malay houses to modern iconic structures, Buddhist temples to colonial civic buildings, one type of construction, which demonstrates Singapore’s distinctive cultural legacy, is the unique dwelling known as the ‘black and white’.

their homeland, in particular, borrowing elements from the clean, simple lines of the Arts and Crafts Movement as well as the new Tudor Revival architectural style which flourished in England in the second half of the nineteenth century. Wooden beams and diagonal struts of the houses were painted nearly black which contrasted with the whitewashed surfaces of the walls; hence giving this uniquely Singaporean architectural style the name of the ‘black and white’.

While the ‘black and whites’ borrowed heavily from key British architectural styles, some features were also adapted from local Malay dwellings to make them more suitable for the tropical climate. Like the traditional Malay houses on stilts, the Singaporean ‘black and whites’ were elevated a few feet off the ground, but this time with the strength and durability of brick pillars. The slight elevation allowed air to circulate underneath so that the houses could be cooled, at the same time as providing protection against termites, flooding from frequent monsoonal rains and also tigers roaming the nearby jungle.

Government officials, judges, financiers, shipping magnates, plantation owners and merchants vied for large plots of land in the most sought-after districts of the flourishing colony to build spacious homes in what was then little more than jungle. Following World War I, when Singapore experienced a commercial boom due to the global demand for rubber, British firms and other

By Sarah Louise Kempe

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international companies flocked to the colony, all desiring comfortable, prestigious homes for their staff. Shortly prior to World War II, the colony was developed as a key British naval base, leading to another increase of ‘black and whites’ to accommodate military personnel. This distinctive Singaporean dwelling met the needs of wealthy expatriate families for spacious, comfortable, airy homes.

Similar to the earlier Anglo-Indian bungalow, the Singaporean ‘black and whites’ also featured wide verandahs running along the sides of the house. These reduced the heat and glare inside, while tall shuttered windows along the verandahs could be opened to allow cooling breezes to more easily travel through the house. Living spaces were often placed on the more comfortable second floor: not only were breezes more readily felt higher up, but residents were safer from the jungle creatures below.

Rooms in ‘black and whites’ tended to be large and spacious with tall ceilings, designed before the advent of air-conditioning so that breezes could be captured to ease the humidity. In his book, Black and White: The Singapore House 1898-1941, writer and anthropologist Julian Davison succinctly describes this unique Singaporean dwelling as “a unique tropical style with a colorful pedigree of architectural influences”.

Despite the humidity and heat of Singapore – two climatic features that are not generally conducive to the longevity of buildings – the ‘black and whites’ have proven to be tough and resilient. Davison states that the ‘black and whites’ in Singapore are “the most distinctive and imposing of the island’s colonial architectural legacy” and that the 500 houses that still survive

are a “testament to their physical and aesthetic durability”. While many of the surviving ‘black and whites’ are still serving their original purpose as spacious family homes, many others have been successfully modified as offices, galleries, spas, hotels, restaurants and artisans’ studios.

Most ‘black and whites’ today are owned and leased out by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). They are usually snapped up quickly by potential tenants who are eager to live in a spacious, heritage-listed property, away from the ubiquitous high-rise dwellings prevalent in Singapore. An open-bidding system is in place, ensuring that the level of demand determines the rental price. Six of these ‘black and whites’ were available for rent online as of February 2014, ranging in price from 8,000 SGD (4,600 EUR) to 17,000 SGD (9,800 EUR) per month, depending on location, size and amenities.

Living in a house with a unique cultural style, however, can have its drawbacks. Because of their historical significance, many ‘black and whites’ are rented with basic lighting and ceiling fans and no air-conditioning. Although tenants are allowed to install their own modern conveniences – water heaters, swimming pools, internet connections and air-conditioning units – the houses often have to be returned to their original state when the lease comes to an end.

Gracious vestiges of Singapore’s colonial past, the ‘black and whites’ are just as popular today as when they first appeared in the nineteenth century. Their elegant fusion of Eastern and Western features and ingenious design, perfectly suited to the tropical climate, has ensured that these distinctive dwellings will remain an important part of Singapore’s architectural legacy.

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Who would have thought that two months ago a couple of 40-something expats (whose backs were on the way to irreversible damage through years of slouching in front of computer screens and were prone to the occasional bout of “seriously darling, I’m going to stick at it”-type exercise regimes) would tentatively be entering a dance studio in the darkened streets of Bintulu, with the hope of finding some sort of ‘spinal sanctuary’?

Climbing the dimly-lit stairs, I seriously began to question myself. Was I really up to this? The feelings of uncertainty lifted slightly as I entered an unexpectedly brightly-lit room.

Staring back from the room-length mirror were eight smiling, pretty faces. We’d challenged the status-quo of the room just by entering. I looked tentatively over at my friend Dominik, who was grinning.

I had dug out my faded, blue exercise mat - a bit dusty and with a few more bite marks than I had remembered - from the storage room under the stairs. My wife and I have a remarkable amount of junk piled up in there for two people who are only a year and a bit into our posting in Bintulu. It’s a shame that there is no such thing as a ‘trash and treasure’ or a car-boot sale in Bintulu.

Paul Moffett moved to Bintulu, Malaysia, in December 2012 to support his wife, Liza, who is the Head Teacher at Kidurong International School. He previously worked at the Shell school in Brunei, and now spends his time as a support teacher for ICT and swimming. He volunteers for Outpost Bintulu and is studying for a Masters in Education. He particularly appreciates comments like “we’ve never eaten so well since he stopped working!”

PAUL MOFFETTIt got me thinking...

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Note to self: “Raise this topic for discussion at the next Outpost meeting.”

My mind came back to the class as our instructor, Emily, glided across the room, greeting our fellow classmates as she began shutting the uncovered windows. Giggles and bursts of Mandarin filled the small studio. Somehow, I knew their conversations focused on the two six-foot-plus hairy men who were doing their best to blend in. We proudly stated our names, as Emily asked us to introduce ourselves. When the topic of prior yogic experience arose, we started mumbling incoherently, staring at our outstretched limbs.

“Let’s start with some simple breathing exercises,” said Emily. Heads nodded in approval and I set about crossing my legs underneath me. “Màn Màn Xī... Màn Màn Hū...” gently filled the room. I quickly learned this meant: “Slowly breathe in... slowly breathe out...” I realised that the trick was to slow my breathing down by focusing on her voice. But focusing on longer inhalations and extended exhalations resulted in me beginning to slouch. I quickly sat upright. No one could see me, as we currently had our hands over our eyes, rolling them three times in a clockwise direction and the same in reverse. “My back can’t be starting to hurt, for goodness sake, I am only sitting down,” I thought. I opened one eye and peeked across at Dominik. He was sitting bolt upright. “Now that’s good posture,

just sit like him,” I instructed myself. “Focus on clearing your mind,” Emily instructed. You would think that someone who had recently stopped working in order to follow his wife to a posting in Malaysia would have ample space inside his previously-cluttered primary school teacher’s mind. But suddenly, I remembered an old colleague explaining to me in great detail that yoga was about ‘stilling the changing states of the mind’. Unfortunately, this caused my mind to wander. I began to think about where that colleague might be now, and whether she was still in teaching. The ‘mind clearing’ thing was proving more challenging than the moves I was about to undertake.

“Salutations to the sun begin with mountain pose,” Emily explained as she clasped her hands, palms together, in front of her chest. My hands rose in the air above my head and I leaned back, gently taking the pressure on my spine as it bent in the reverse direction. The next position involved and were bending forward, touching our hands on the floor. I desperately tried to touch my toes, but my hamstrings screamed in agony. “With hands on the floor, jump both feet back,” Emily instructed. I found myself in a press-up position. I was able to hold this position and begin to control my breathing. For a few seconds I had mental and physical synchronicity. “Downward–facing dog,” said Emily, and with that my mind began to race.

I’d been woken early that morning, before the 5.30am alarm, by the howling of a pack of dogs that have begun to roam our neighbourhood. They hadn’t seemed so cute when I was chasing then out of the garden by furiously banging a pair of flip-flops I’d found outside the backdoor shortly after breakfast. I’d then spent 5 minutes mopping the white, tiled walkway around the house, freeing it of

“Màn Màn Xi... Màn Màn Hu...” gently filled the room. I quickly learned this meant: “Slowly breathe in... slowly breathe out...”

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slightly brown, muddy paw prints. Perhaps we could work with the local authorities and think about some sort animal shelter?

The class seemed to be imitating caterpillars crawling across the floor. I joined them, extending arms and torso (which was desperately trying to anchor itself to the ground.) “Cobra pose is good for the back,” Emily announced for our benefit, translating what she had stated in Mandarin. “A cobra: you know I saw one of those the other day,” I whispered to Dominik. He eyed me strangely.

I thought about the time the lady next door phoned us after dinner shouting about a cobra being outside her house. My wife and I had wandered outside to see Dominik’s wife chasing a thin, black line along the driveway with a long stick. Normally the camp-services men would arrive with their snake-catching pole and a dark bag and the snake would be dispatched to... well, somewhere else. But that night Dominik’s

“I found myself in a press-up position. I was able to hold this position and begin to control my breathing. For a few seconds I had mental and physical synchronicity. “Downwardfacing dog,” said Emily, and with that my mind began to race”

wife seemed to have the situation well in hand.

Once again, the class had moved onto the next pose as I’d daydreamed. I quickly adjusted my stance - back to the press-up pose. In this position, I was able to watch the drips of sweat fall from my forehead onto my already-drenched mat. We jumped our legs forward, into the mountain pose again.

Emily announced that we had completed one cycle (good news) out of four (bad news). It was at this point I began to think seriously about the positive aspects of yoga. I could see how the stretching was important for under-used muscles like mine, but the idea of maintaining a clear mind was going to be my biggest challenge.

These days the mental anguish, constant mind-wandering, and ever-stubborn back and limb stretching, take place most Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

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When I worked as a school teacher, a colleague of mine and I both instructed our classes of 12 year olds not to bring their mobile phones on a three-day class outing. Instead, we made them choose postcards and stamps in a souvenir shop to send home as nice - and lasting - gifts from the cute little north German island where we had taken them. You cannot imagine our bewilderment and disbelief when we discovered how little our kids knew about postcard writing!

There is a reason why I feel connected to Singapore and Malaysia, even though I only experienced them first hand once, years ago.

This reason is my hobby. It is called postcrossing. While modern communication revolves around phone numbers, not postal codes, postcrossing involves the increasingly old-fashioned art of writing postcards.

Postcrossing brings people together from all over the world. It works like this: you set up a profile on the website www.postcrossing.com and begin by sending five postcards to five members from around the globe, chosen for you by computer. When a postcard is received, the recipient registers this on the site, then the computer automatically chooses another member to send

PostCrossing

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transported to her world. It is nothing less than ‘armchair travelling.’

Through the postcards my insight into the daily life of the people who send them goes deeper. One of my Singaporean postcrossing acquaintances confided in me that actually the city can make her feel a bit depressed. She painted a picture of everybody living in such close proximity, and described for instance the inevitably packed metro. “And yet”, she said, “everybody is only interested in their technical gadgets like headphones, reading devices, touchscreen phones.” I guess that is every person’s occasional dislike of cities – all so close to each other, and yet so far apart.

One postcard from Singapore shows two fish bowls, one with lots of fish in it, and the other one with just one fish that is about to jump over into the fun-filled bowl. The card is produced by the Social Development Network and reads: “Get in, swim, and meet friends new and old.”

So while I have only been to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur once, the postcards take me back whenever I receive one. In fact, they can take me to anywhere in the world on a very special, personal level.

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you a card back. So each time you send a postcard you receive one back from a random person somewhere in the world. Soon, going to collect your post becomes a daily adventure.

There are currently more than 400,000 members from 218 different countries and territories hooked up to postcrossing. It offers a treasure trove for collectors of postcards and stamps worldwide. But for me it is more just that; it has become a wonderful way to connect to people. Postcrossing brings people together all from over the world.

Through postcrossing I have befriended many pen pals, including from Singapore and Malaysia. The picture postcards that I get offer a ‘sneak peak’ at ordinary daily life. One shows fish being dried on a Malaysian shore, another depicts a street-art mural in George Town, Penang, showing children in a boat. I learn about the culture of my pen pals too. For example, if Chloe from Selangor had not told me, I would never have learnt that Malaysia has a royalty system that rotates every five years. Did you know that? Each of the states has a sultan, and they take it in turns to be the king. The current king is actually on his second ascension, having been king before between 1965 and 1970.

Chloe also tells me about local art exhibitions, and sends me postcards showing works of art by local artists. I hear about trends people follow there, which I otherwise would never have heard of. It is truly amazing; reading her cards I am

“through the postcards my insight into the daily life of the people who send them goes deeper”

”postcards can bring me to anywhere in the world on a very special, personal level”

MARCO ATLAS

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When Jules, my husband, and I decided to make a trip through the heart of the Malaysian jungle, we knew that it was the rainy season. The monsoon occurs between November and March. Rarely does it rain the whole day, but usually in heavy showers, mainly during the night. On Christmas Day (1971) it was lovely weather in Singapore. We threw our stuff in the car and drove together with our daughter Anne-Marie to the first stop, Malakka, about 150 miles further, on the west coast of Malaysia. The next morning we left for the mountains. We drove by Kuala Lumpur and as we got higher the cloud grew thicker and darker. When we arrived at The Gap on Frasers Hill, it was cold and the rain was pouring. The house was beautifully located; but unfortunately the mountains were shrouded by clouds, and we shivered in our tropical clothing. An endless rain poured down, but it was still Christmas. We ate plum pudding out the can with cream on top. The next day the weather hadn’t gotten any better, and the rain was still pouring by the bucketful. Still, we didn’t let the weather ruin our good mood, and began the third part of our trip to the heart of Malaysia, Kuala Lipis. The road was full of endless hairpin turns, and we were thrown back and forth for hours. The scenery remained constant, bamboo and jungle, some cows and water buffalo, a few wooden huts, and some naked boys using a large pisang leaf as a makeshift umbrella! At Kuala Krai we stopped at a guesthouse, where our bathtub was a large flowerpot with a hole, which could be plugged in with a cork. In the dining hall there was a thick black line painted just below the ceiling, and written next to it was: Flood Line 30 Dec. 1926.

It was the 27th of December 1971 – and we had no idea what stood in wait for us! The whole night I listened to the endless rain. It drowned out even the sounds of the crickets and frogs, which usually performed a deafening concert at night. Fortunately it was dry the next morning, and our spirits rose once again.

The Expatriate Archive Centre in The Hague is home to many donated letters, journals and memories from people who moved around the world. The collection is carefully preserved with the aim of supporting research into expatriate life. The article below is based on the translation of a piece, describing a treacherous journey during Malaysian flooding in 1971.

A Journey in the rainA JOURNEY BACK IN TIME:

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At 6:30am we arrived at the miniature train station, which would fit perfectly as the background for a cowboy film. The steam locomotive stood ready. Our car was tied down with rope onto an open wagon. Dressed in colourful sarongs, the local men and women moved about busily. Baskets with bananas and other types of food were wrapped in checkered cloth. A large copper bell rang, announcing that the train was about to leave.

Shortly after we saw someone with an English newspaper (we still don’t know how he was able to get it!) and written on the front page in capital letters was: EMERGENCY IN MALAYSIA. A state of emergency had been called in all provinces, especially in the north – which is where we were headed. All roads in the north were flooded, bridges were up to two metres under water, villages had been evacuated, kampongs (hamlets) had flooded, tragically some had even drowned. There we were with our swimsuits and snorkels. After some deliberation, we decided to continue with the train to the city of Kota Bahru, which was close to the border with Thailand. I remember seeing wild orchids blooming in a piece of land not yet covered by the rain.

Kota Bahru is located in the north-eastern province of Kelantan. A number of the main streets were completely flooded. People were bringing possessions to safety, bundled in soggy batiks (dyed cloths) which they carried on the back of their bicycles. A few boys stood playing ping pong, seemingly oblivious to the water which reached up to their thighs!

Every morning we called at the police station to enquire about the conditions of the roads and bridges, but it was impossible to make it back to Singapore by road. Kuala Lumpur was also flooded; the city’s population waited in schools and police stations for improvements.

On New Year’s eve we were back in the car, and driving (at a very slow speed) back to Kuala Lipis, and then in the dark to Raub, in the mountains.

On New Year’s Day we set off for Singapore. Sticks had been wedged on the roads, so we could see where the road used to be. We couldn’t drive faster than 30 miles an hour, but we still made it. The sun shined in Singapore, and we were so happy to be back safely we kissed the ground!

With thanks to the Expat Archive Centre for their contribution to this issue. To learn more about their work and research please visit: www.xpatarchive.com

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Here in Bintulu you hear about things mostly through word of mouth, or through the Outpost. This was how I found information on the different activities available for children. Armed with this, I was able to organise after-school activities and lessons for our three.

They started with music classes at My Music. This is a Chinese family business now run by the eldest son. They offer a wide spectrum of lessons, on instruments as diverse as the ukulele, piano, guitar and drums.

While our elder son and daughter joined individual classes, our youngest joined a musical programme for smaller children. I feel a bit sorry for Mr Joseph the teacher trying to handle these four little ladies, who have so much fun running around, shrieking and giggling, or singing totally different songs to the ones which they have just been taught!

Our eldest daughter loves to dance. It took a while to find a dance school that was right for her, but eventually I found a really good one. To offer her support I joined the first class. Can you imagine joining twenty Chinese and Malay girls, all running around in pink ballet dresses? All the girls followed the teacher easily, performing their moves with such ease and lightness. I, on the other hand, was maybe not as graceful.

At the moment there are no children our son’s age at the school, so I was looking for something for him to participate in. A friend advised me to try Taekwondo. The Smart Bintulu Taekwondo Club is run by a Chinese guy called Master Pui. This large club enjoys regular successes in local and regional competitions; the teacher is hoping to have some of his pupils make it through to the Malay national team for the Olympics in two years. The instructors coach in Malay or Chinese, languages we can’t speak at home, but my son still managed to pass the yellow belt. He recently took part in his first

Irina, her husband, and their three children have been living in Bintulu for two years. Irina describes the location as sometimes challenging, but mostly a place where you can learn a great deal about different cultures and meet many friendly locals.

After-school actionIRINA RITTER

Eline (four), Mirja (six) and Levin (seven).

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competition. The competition was for nine year olds, and our son is just seven, but taller than the local boys. He came home proudly showing us his plastic bronze medal!

Like most their ages, our kids love to draw. Luckily here in Bintulu there is the possibility to join an art class run by a famous Malay artist. Lucas Kueh gives lessons to adults and kids in different art forms, and he has had exhibitions in and outside Bintulu. He helped my children learn to see the differences in a picture - the lights, the shadows.

Lucas Kueh

Smart Taekwando Club Bintulu, Master Pui Jak JoonBorn in 1975 in Kuching to a family of Kung Fu masters, Pui Jak Joon came into contact with martial arts early. He studied in Kuala Lumpur and initially came to Bintulu as an IT teacher at the Putra Malaysia Bintulu University, where he took over the Smart Taekwando Club Bintulu. An international referee for the sport, Master Pui travels a lot for the sport. His team won two gold medals at the World Taekwando Hanmadang 2013 in Korea.

MS Dance Studio, Emily LimBorn in Bintulu, Emily started in the age of ten to dance. Emily says: “to dance is to share. To share is to teach”. Emily attended the Bejing Dance academy, studying a variety of dance forms including ballet, belly dance, yoga, Zumba and more. After passing her exams she opened the MS dance studio in 2010. Lucas Kueh The 53-year-old Bintulu artist and photographer finds his inspiration in the rich nature of Borneo. His intention is that people should appreciate nature’s beauty and the rich culture of Sarawak. You will find soul and passion in his art.

After the first lesson they already felt like little artists. Lucas’ inspiration is nature. He is truly blessed by the abundance and difference in the birds, plants, trees and animals in the area that surrounds Bintulu. My three children love these various activities, and driving them up and down keeps me busy through the whole week. Even if the communication is sometimes difficult, we love having the option to join in these local activities, and we are welcomed with a warm heart.

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The diversity of Singapore is reflected in the customs and religious beliefs of Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Hindu, Taoist and Sikh citizens. There are temples, churches and mosques next to each other in which religious festivals for a variety of faiths are held throughout the year. Some of the most prominent festivals are described below.

Thaipusam is a festival in the Indian community. Early in the year Hindus, mostly of the Tamil community, celebrate the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January or February) to worship Murugan, the God of war. Devotees prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves through prayer and fasting for approximately 48 days before Thaipusam. Kavadi-bearers have to perform elaborate ceremonies at the time of assuming the kavadi and at the time of offering it to Murugan.

On the day of the festival, devotees will shave their heads and undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with skewers is also common. The simplest kavadi is a semicircular decorated canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on the shoulders to the temple. In addition, some have a small spear

through their tongue, or a spear through the cheeks. The spear pierced through his tongue or cheeks reminds him constantly of Lord Murugan. It also prevents him from speaking and gives great power of endurance.

Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar and can fall any time between early January and late February. It is the most significant festival for the Chinese community. The Chinese give ang pohs (red packets) filled with money as gifts. Many people will recognise the lion dance, which is a type of ‘spring cleaning’ to sweep away ill fortune and allow for the arrival of good luck. People decorate their houses in the auspicious colours red and gold and hold family dinners on the eve of Chinese New Year, to which people traditionally wear new red clothes. Ramadan is a holy month observed by Muslims with month-long fasting and abstinence. The end of the month is celebrated with a festival called Hari Raya Puasa, with feasting and ‘open houses’. The concept of open houses involves inviting friends and colleagues over for food and drinks. The day is also recognised by prayer in mosques, and many visit the graves of their ancestors. In the evening they recite the takbir (an Islamic prayer) in the mosque. In preparation for Hari Raya Puasa, oil lamps in people’s homes and at mosques are lit on the 20th day

SINGAPORE CELEBRATESANDREA IRRGANG

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of Ramadan, and continue to be brightly lit until the end of the festival. People wear new clothes, and tend to clean their houses very thoroughly. In the evening they celebrate with family and friends and savour delicious food like cakes, sweets, biscuits, ketupat (a type of dumpling) and rending (a meat cuisine).

Hungry Ghost Festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the 15th night of the seventh month of the Chienese lunar calendar. In Chinese tradition the seventh month is regarded as the Ghost Month, in which the spirits of deceased ancestors come down to Earth. This festival is different from the Qingming and Chung Yeung festivals, when people remember relatives who have passed away. On Ghost Day

the Chinese people the opposite is true, and that the deceased visit their living family. Customs during this month include burning incense, preparing elaborate (often vegetarian) meals are prepares and seats are provided for each deceased family member.

Mooncake Festival is also known as the ‘Mid-Autumn Festival’ and is celebrated by Vietnamese and Chinese people during a full moon close to the autumnal equinox. People eat and exchange mooncakes. These delicacies are round shaped pastries with a thick, rich filling made of bean or lotus-seed paste, and drunk with Chinese tea. It is customary for businessmen and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents.

A worshipper carries a milk pail for bathing the deity during the Thaipusam festival.

A girl displays her hands decorated with henna for the Islamic festival Eid-ul-Fitr, celebrated after Ramadan.

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On 1 January 2014, Outpost Iraq was officially launched, joining the many other Outpost locations which form the Global Outpost organisation.

Let´s start with why Outpost Iraq was formed. Firstly, postings to Iraq are challenging, not just for the employee but also for family members. Families are unable to accompany their partners to Iraq, and may be required to cope alone for extended periods while the employee is on location. Outpost Iraq began as the Iraq Spouse Network (ISN), established by Shell Iraq in 2012.

From 1 January 2014 this officially became Outpost Iraq, enabling it to benefit from both the branding and the underlying structure of the Global Outpost Services network. One notable difference between Outpost Iraq and traditional Outpost organisations is that

rather than serving a local population of expatriate families in a specific location, Outpost Iraq’s targeted population is scattered worldwide. The families of rotating and commuting staff live in numerous locations. Additionally, some employees working on projects in Iraq are located in different Shell locations, with only periodic travel to Iraq. A key objective of Outpost Iraq is therefore to connect the globally dispersed community of families, to create a shared identity and enable the community to support one another.

All Shell employees working in Iraq, and the families of these employees, are eligible for Outpost Iraq support. Outpost Iraq works closely with Outpost Dubai for families resident in Dubai. - Fiona Nijkamp-Lyell

OUTPOST NETWORK NEWSIn the first three months of this year the Outpost network has been as busy as ever, and is pleased to announce the opening of three new Outpost locations!

Outpost Ankara, Outpost Brunei Bandar and Outpost Iraq are all now open to assist employees and the families of employees dealing with the challenges of international mobility.

The Focal Point of Outpost Iraq, Fiona Nijkamp-Lyell, discusses the new Outpost location.

Work With Us: If you would like to be a part of the Outpost network then please contact the Outpost in your location for information on vacancies or volunteering opportunities.

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Our Outpost

For further information on the new or existing locations or to read Destinations online please go to the Global Outpost Services website at www.globaloutpostservices.com The Outpost website allows visitors to browse through Outpost Inside Guides, photo galleries, advert listings, event calendars, or to get information on office opening times, contact details, and the various services offered in each Outpost location.

Registering is Quick and Easy: A Shell Employee? We need your name, email address, and Shell User ID.

A Family Member?We need your name, email address, and your partner or parent’s Shell User ID. (Please note Shell employee’s will be asked for verification)

AN EXPAT WORLD AT THE CLICK OF A BUTTONwww.globaloutpostservices.com

WITH OFFICES ALL AROUND THE WORLD, OUTPOST ASSISTS SHELL EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES ON THE MOVE.

JUST VISITwww.globaloutpostservices.com

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Our Outpost

WITH OFFICES ALL AROUND THE WORLD, OUTPOST ASSISTS SHELL EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES ON THE MOVE.

JUST VISITwww.globaloutpostservices.com

NEXT ISSUE DESTINATIONS ISSUE #70 FOCUS ON: The Project PeopleDestinations is a magazine for Shell employees and their families, exploring what it is like to live and work in various Shell locations around the world.

The next issue is called The Project People, and will feature a range of stories and articles from people working on or involved in a range of projects. These may be:

SHELL PROJECTSRegularly described as one of the most innovative companies in the world, Shell currently has a number of large and groundbreaking projects in various stages of development. If you or a mem-ber of your family are involved in one of these projects, particularly the Prelude Project, please get in touch with the Destinations team.

MULTIPLE SUCCESSIVE LOCATION ASSIGNMENTS (MSLA)Some of Shell’s projects require employees and their families to relocate successively in a number of different locations. This offers both exciting experiences and various relocation challenges. If you or a member of your family would like to share your experience of a MSLA please contact us.

PARTNER PROJECTSMany partners of Shell employees use their posting to become involved in something they wouldn’t do at home, or have always wanted to do. Whether this is involves changing career, taking a career break, doing voluntary work, studying for a degree, trying a new sport, writing a book, learning a language or anything else, if you are a Shell partner whose placement has provided the opportunity to try something different and interesting then please send us your unique story!

Contact: Sarah.Kempe@shell.com

Destinations magazines are published quarterly and copies are distributed to Outpost offices around the world. The magazine can also be viewed online at www.globaloutpostservices.com