I have been settling into my new home - the village of Ampangan Woh - for almost a week now, and I couldn't be happier. I love everything here, from the house to the people to the environment. I am staying in the house of the leaders of the village, where Angello was staying before me. He introduced the owners of the house simply as Amek and Apak, or Mother and Father, so that's how I've come to know them, and they have really welcomed me into their family, as have all of their children and neighbors. Now in the house live Jawani, one of the daughters, who is 27, her young son, Bah Deni, and her twin brothers, who are 10 years old, Jakenny and Jakemmy. Altogether their are ten sons and daughters, but some live in other houses nearby, one has moved to Cameron Highlands, and two left this past weekend to participate in our full time English program in Kuala Lumpur. Good luck to them!
The house itself is incredible: it is made entirely out of bamboo collected from the jungle - sticks laid across sticks for floor and walls, thick branches for support, and woven leaves make th roof. It is absolutely beautiful, and certainly lets a breeze in now and then... What a blessing to wake up chilly! The house, as are all the surrounding structures, is built on stilts on the side of the hill, so that on the way back from the toilet or shower (shared by the whole village) when you have scrambled up the dirt and rock path and arrived unscathed (relatively) at the house, you still have a bamboo ladder to navigate. It makes you really question how badly you need a shower. My room is separate from the main house, it has a separate entrance, but is still attached and shares a ladder up. It is also the only part of the house made of wood, and is (thanks Angello!) painted a very pretty light green. Very suitable for the jungle.
The dining area, living room, main room. No furniture means multipurpose!!
My bedroom
The shower is fed by the river, which means cold water, but heavy water pressure so clean clean hair! It's a small room down the hill a bit from the house, with walls made of bamboo leaves. A pipe shoots water further down the hill, and the stone floor and relaxing atmosphere make it feel like a spa. It's beautiful, and I love it.
Even more breathtaking are our surroundings here. Set pretty deep in the jungle (although not as deep as the family's original home - they moved here so the kids could attend school, but their home village requires a three hour trek), the view from the house is mesmerizing... All palm trees and jungle flowers, and the smell of durian wafts up from the town below.
About a five minute walk (or slide, depending on one'a coordination) is a river, where I have so far spent almost all of my free time, with the kids jumping up as soon as someone says "let's go to the river!" The river is beautiful, and you can really tell how far the jungle goes on. On my second trip down to the river, I was following Angello and a few kids. All of the sudden, something hit my eye. As I was trying to figure out what was happening, someone shouted "teacher, run!" So we did. Only when we reached the safety of the river did I realize we had been attacked by bees. Mean bees. I had never been stung before, and in less than a minute I had gotten three stings. So there goes a great never have I ever move. In the past few days, I've gotten four more stings, so I guess they've gotten my scent or something. Bloodhound bees.
Bees aside, I think I'll stay here.
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