Xin Tong's "little" story.

Name: Xin Tong Chow (XT)

Date: 13 February 2012

Expedition: 07C as Host Country Venturer (Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia)

What are you doing now:

Ecological Frontier Program with Institute of Ecotechnics

What has Raleigh meant for you:

I have a few great adventures in my life, Raleigh is one of it.

My Introweekend was mentally challenging for me, I could barely speak English properly. Therefore, there was this quiet kampong moi confused between the words “repellant” and “propellant”. I had to just force through the weekend with broken English. It was great! That was what Raleigh used to mean for me, my English class around the English speaking community.

My expedition fundraising was the most busy and eventful Valentines in my life. The community spirit of Raleigh KL family was tremendous, some people hardly know me but they made time to help me nevertheless. We organized Blind Dates, we sang dedicated love songs in bank office, we sold thousands of roses and most importantly, I achieved my target and made so many lifelong friends! Years after, 2 couples that I sold roses to, got married, I was happy as Larry!

Raleigh expedition is a self discovery channel. You watched yourself transform into many other forms that you could never imagine you could be. Those scars, blisters, muscle aches, burnt mess tin, stained shirts, tanned skin and worn out apparels did not seem significant after all. You keep finding treasures in your day by day life.

I found wonders of waking up to the joyful songs of gibbons and birds rather than screaming alarm clock. I found ways to sleep under a leaking tarp without getting wet. I found spirit to trek into the dense jungle and up the steep mountain slopes while screaming in pain and crying over my weak body. I found time, to write poems and letters. I found time, for conversations. I found time, to reflect and think. I found joy of freedom, to create your own adventures. I gained so much that what I gave in seems very insignificant.

Serving in Raleigh KL committee was another adventure. I organized a trekking trip to Gunung Tahan, compromising 18 young souls. During that trek, unintentionally we were practicing the 5 boundless emotional expressions which are:

Courage in the face of adversity

Friendliness towards happiness

Compassion towards misery

Generosity towards achievements

Equanimity towards stupidity

What a meditation! It was an unforgettable trip for me. Many of us became best of friends since. During my committee term, I was the secretary 1 that sat too long on the president lap hence romance developed. We became the eloping couple that traveled 20,000kms with our self-built mobile home in Australasia and creating our adventure of a lifetime.

Raleigh made me what I am today. She was part of me, is part of me and will always be part of me. Raleigh gave me hell lot of hope, courage and independence. So all in all, you can say, Raleigh means bloody lot to me. That is just my little story.

How Aida got involved with outdoors, community and conservation volunteerism...

Name: Aida T. A. Rahman

Date: 8th Feb 2012

Expedition:

Expedition Borneo 98I as host country venturer

Expedition Chile 03A as Asst Logistics Officer (Staff)

What are you doing now?

I am now working with a responsible tourism company Camp Borneo in Sabah as Camp Manager for our island camp, Camp Mantanani (www.campsinternational.com)

What has Raleigh meant to you?

Raleigh had opened my eyes and mind and eventually had given me an option to make a bold yet necessary change. I was trained in property and had been in the property consultancy division for 3 years before I had opted for a non pay leave to go on the Borneo 98I expedition. The experience was so overwhelming that I had been involved in outdoors, community and conservation volunteerism eversince. I picked up the courage to switch careers not long after my second expedition and have no regrets in doing so.

Despite wishing that I had discovered my true interest much earlier in life, I am glad with how things had turned out for me. Indirectly Raleigh had helped me pave my way to live my dream. A dear friend had shared this saying with me a while ago when I was uncertain, so remember this dear fellow Raleighians;

" its impossible.." says Reason

" its reckless.." says Experience

" its painful.." says Pride

but " Try.." says Dream

the challenge my friends, is to bring Dream to life!

(All photos by Aida)

looking back, looking forward - Shu Woan's story

Name: Teoh Shu Woan

Date: 13 November 2009

Expedition Borneo 09B as a host country venturer

What are you doing now?
Postgraduate studies. Ecological studies of Irrawaddy dolphins. I estimate their population size through distance sampling method, and observe their behaviour. Enjoying being the only ‘ah moi’ on an island that is half Sabah, half Indonesia.

What has Raleigh meant to you?
If it wasn’t for Raleigh KL, I wouldn’t be writing this piece. I think I would’ve miss out a lot had I not submit the IW registration form. For me, it was a case of ‘now or never’ as I was reaching the age limit for expedition. Volunteering with the support group, I saw different ways of approaching matters and solving problems. My favourites - being a leader doesn’t mean you have to constantly show a constipated-like face; and a post mortem of any event can be a diplomatic affair, without shouting matches, chairs flying, and people crying.
The 10 week expedition meant a lot to me. A journey of discovery it was. I got to know a different side of my country, fellow Malaysians whom I only know vaguely about, annoying ang moh venturers that turned out to be my best friends, and also myself.

Living in an environment and with communities that were totally different from the one I grew up in, had a huge impact on me. My daily complains and worries became so insignificant when compared to what the villagers faced day in day out, and what some of my fellow venturers have been through. Life has been rather comfortable, without many hiccups. Imagine this; some villages are 4 hours a way from the main road, only assessable by a 4WD. Not having water supply for a prolong period that people have no choice but to move from their homes to another village.

Throughout the 10 weeks, I reflected on my past, gained some self belief, and figured out the kind of life I want to live. Being in the middle of two very different cultures, I learn that diversity adds strength to a group’s dynamics. A lot of little things inspired me. My guide spending tine with his son early in the morning; a South African who-thinks-he’s-a-Malaysian helping four villages in Batu Puteh to establish eco tourism and telling youths to be proud of their culture.
It is impossible for me to summarise the whole experience into one article. All I can say is volunteering for the environment and community will always be in my blood.

Adrian Yeo 02L Venturer recalls...

[Note: As Adrian is currently away he has not had a chance to get a photo with Drake yet, the photo will be updated soon]

Name: Adrian Yeo

Date: 10th November 2009

Expedition(s): 02L Sabah

What are you doing now?

Climate Change Youth Activist - based in Copenhagen for COP15 UNFCCC Climate Change Conference

What has Raleigh meant for you?

It never has, had or have been. Raleigh 'is' still very much alive in me. Big part of my formative years as an adult is spent with Raleigh. Expedition is only 3 months, but I'm with the Kuala Lumpur support group for over 7 years. It is family. A family who knows no borders, from Hong Kong to Langkawi to London, you are sure to find a like-minded soul to host you for a cup of tea after an evening of adventure. It is brotherhood. A sibling whom you share underwear. And a pot of tom-yam-kung is for always UKK (untuk kawan-kawan / English=always for friends)

My raleigh life is filled with adventure. Both physically and mentally. My first fundraising project was with Chung Ming, my fellow expedition mate. He really showed me that with the Ra-Ra spirit, anything is do-able. A car wash project can turn into a house cleaning and garden pruning and even PR-ing Raleigh along the way. During my days with 02L gang, it was another roller coaster ride. Stuck with hundreds of young adults from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and learning words like 'minging' and 'bollocks' and actually missing electricity and running tap water. Jumping into the water from 3-stories high, trekking in the heat of the night and priming the battery charger while sharing dark secrets after dinner is quite soothing. Then it was the drama of all drama, when tough decisions have to be made. It really tests your foundation and bring out the best in you. Life in Raleigh is not always rosy, but thorny, muddy, rocky and sometimes a burn on the thigh with a heater lighter (thanks Lisa Kirkpatrick)

You'll get twice as much as you put in, that's Raleigh to me.

my Sabah 09E -xpedition - by Hui Yein

Name : KOONG HUI YEIN

Date: 2^nd July 2009

Expedition : Raleigh Borneo Summer 09E

What are you doing now?

Second Year in persuing my degree in Economics at HELP Academy

What has Raleigh meant for you?

How shall I say, is it expedition which gave a turning point to me? Not entirely.

It’s joining Raleigh which really changed me. And it is the people of Raleigh who really give me the inspiration and confidence.

Before joining expedition, I think my life will be so expected, finish a degree, get a job, get a career and secure the earnings, and die. Not anymore now, after my 09E expedition, I understand that life is always full with surprises and I should never fear of the unexpected.

The journey from introduction Weekend, to fundraising, to expedition and then finally get back to peninsular and being active in Raleigh, these amazing experience had taught me how to achieve things when you put your heart to it. It was really my first time during expedition that I felt I made a difference to the people in need and the environment. The gratitude received from the community I was working with just touched my heart so deeply and I still miss them until now. And for the very first time, I felt that we human actually will not have barriers to each other, if we try to put ourselves in each other’s shoes and give more time to understand each other and live as one.

During expedition, I had really met people from around the world, from UK, Scotland to Bermuda, there were so many people full with passion in them and their confidence in achieving things had awed me and gave me a learning opportunity. Since then, I always had this little motto to remind me, “why not? While you can.” It reminds me that rather feeling regret, give it a try and even if it fails, you learnt something at least. It’s really the people in Raleigh that had shaped most of my amazing experience during expedition. They are so deeply carved in my heart and I will remember them for the rest of my life. That’s the outcome of my expedition, confidence, passion and genuine friendship from abroad and in Malaysia!! Sometimes, you’ll find yourself just laughing to yourself recalling to the good-old-expedition-days. Now, my life goal is not just to get a career anymore, but to get out there, and seek my own adventure!!

“Imagine all the people, living life in peace, woohoo ooo

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,

I hope someday you’ll join us,

In the world we live as one” -by John Lennon from “Imagine”

Drake's Borneo visit : by SuLan Yang

Name: Yang Su Lan
Date: 08 Nov 2009
Expedition: Borneo Summer09 Expedition (09E)
What are you doing now: Pharmacy 2nd year student at Nottingham University

What has Raleigh meant to you:

I guess none among the thousands ex-venturers regretted spending their 10 weeks' time out of normal life to embark on a Raleigh expedition, so am I.

So far, 10 weeks 'summer runaway vacation' to Sabah is still the most unforgettable 10 weeks in my life. It is so memorable and unique that I can still visualise vividly what I did on when and who I met at where. Being thrown into nowhere in the middle of Borneo jungle, I was given an opportunity to get ridiculously dirty and sweaty to construct a jungle camp in harsh environment; become so tanned that I was stunned by my skin color when I first looked into a mirror after working 3 weeks on a kindergarten site; challenged myself mentally and physically to the extreme in order to complete a 12 days trek at serene Long Pa'sia jungle with a little award journey to the hidden but undisputedly marvelous Maga Waterfalls.

[drake visited my environment phase--sepilok jungle camp]

Besides all the hardcore and fun stories shared by all, Raleigh expedition help improved my interpersonal and communication skills by forcing me ought to live together with strangers from either the UK or Bermuda. In this small community, I Iearnt how other youngsters work, communicate their different perspectives of life and not-to-forget but most importantly discovered the unknown side of myself. Despite Sabah is one of the states in Malaysia, I experienced culture shock in rural small village during my community phase. Life-long friends can be found in this lovely piece of land, where the simple yet sincere aboriginal community called it home.

Initiated by the love towards this kind of lifestyle and heartened by the kindness of the villagers, I revised my pharmacist dream. In the future, my dream is to gain as much pharmacy knowledge and bring benefits to this group of people by working in the place where I'm needed most. Upon returning home, I re-joined Raleigh committee as Expedition Officer to assist more youngsters like myself to their once-in-a-lifetime expedition. The environment and people could be the same but I feel myself it isn't the "usual" me anymore. People changed to improve, so get rid of the blues and keep up the positive spirit. Oh ya, friendship in Raleigh KL is not OK to NOT give it a mention. Without them, the crazy fellas, Raleigh KL is not Raleigh KL anymore as ALL of my crazy acts and thoughts are due to their enlightenment and influence.

[a visit to Mt.K peak]

Someone said this that I second: 'Life would never be the same without Raleigh.' I'm so into it that I couldn't imagine how my recent life will be if I hadn't decided to participate in 168Tahan Adventure. Raleigh saved me from my otherwise ordinary monotonous life.

[there I go! Get OUT there!]

Drake visited Bali, with Lu Yi

Name: Yap Lu Yi
Date: 1st August 2009
Expedition: 08 Spring as Host Country Venturer (Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia)
What are you doing now: Freelance Public Relations Consultant

What has Raleigh meant for you:

The thought of helping the poor community was already in my mind since young but I do not have the courage and confidence to take a step further. My parents are very protective, always trying their best to provide me with everything that I demand for.

When I was introduced to Raleigh expedition, I was very excited about the adventure and community projects. I told myself if I let go the opportunity again, I’ll never get out there to help the people in need. Hence, I decided to challenge myself to fundraise for the expedition fees and be prepared to go on board on expedition in just a month’s time.

The 3 months on Raleigh expedition was definitely the most exciting, rewarding and challenging 3 months in my life. I have never liked trekking. But I survived the 12 days trek in Long Pasia. I can’t swim but I got my open water diving license, certified by PADI. All these mental and psychical challenges allow me to reevaluate my ability and prove to myself, even my parents that I am able to make a change in my life as well as others’.

Being the host country venturer also means being the communication point between locals and other venturers. I get to learn about Malaysian and British ways of tackling various issues. That was totally an eye-opening learning opportunity as I improved my communication and interpersonal skills. Meeting venturers who are younger than me but have already achieved so much in life provokes me to realize my dream to be a volunteer.

After coming back from expedition, I serve in Raleigh KL committee. I am glad and excited to send off more Malaysian youths to Raleigh expeditions. Raleigh has reminded me that there are a lot more to achieve in life besides performing well in studies and career. I am all geared up to embark on another expedition and involve actively in any volunteering opportunities.

My younger sister Lu Ying, who is also an ex-venturer and I visited Bali with Drake the Raleigh Bear in August. The trip served as Lu Ying's farewell trip (she is currently pursuing her degree in Hong Kong University). The photo was taken at Tanah Lot, an ancient temple by the sea.