Brunei- Chapter 3: Finding the balance...

by counteracting the mild frustrations and life’s simple pleasures.

Brunei and the internet, first of all. Coming from the Great Fire Wall of China and enjoying full access to the internet is great (no, my life doesn’t depend on it but it makes it easier…). Having said that, when the connection suddenly goes, the effortless convenience the internet creates is likewise highly frustrating. So, late in the afternoon last Wednesday, the sky darkened rapidly and we knew we were in for heavy rain (but we’re still new to Brunei and its quirks). Lightning struck several times and it was not a mere shower, but a great storm with sheets of water falling from the heavens. A little while later, the internet went. We put it down to the storm. It took us a few days to realise that in actual fact it was the modem that was defective and had stopped flashing. It was a coincidence. In the meantime I had gone to the office at school to report it, other teachers had been to “complain” too (whenever you go to the office, they call it a complaint. Bruneians hate confrontation and will avoid it at all costs, so making enquiries or reporting a problem turns into a complaint). After a couple of days of total nothing, I went back to the office and this time it was becoming a complaint. Noor was talking very fast about how she had called this person and that person, and that this person had told her this and that. The speed of her speech was to reinforce the fact she had been on the ball about the internet. I did gather, though, through the barrage of words, that other families were still waiting to be connected which was an entirely different issue. At that point, I managed to stop her and told her our situation. Indeed, it was different. She said she would call another service. I went back later that day and another barrage of words, and a phone number and a name scribbled quickly on a piece of paper and handed to me. Right! The lady who received my call told me there had already been calls made. Hooray! So, how long would this take? Not sure. Right! On our way home, we decided to stop at the shop where we had signed all the papers etc… There, another lady suggested we call another number… The following day, realising the modem was not flashing and was showing clear signs of malfunction, I chanced it at the shop, hoping for a replacement. Oh, sorry, mam, you got this modem from the technician not from the shop. Only the technician can replace it. But you work for the same company, don’t you? Yes, but this is the shop. Alright! When can I hope to see the technician, please? Another call was made by the lady. You called yesterday, mam. Yes, I did. The technician will come. Good, but when? In a few days, mam.

There are times when however hard you try and think of ways to sort things out fate is against you. I feel bad for the recipients of the “complaints”. They are victims of the flowchart of the company they work for and it can’t be fun. They are entirely reliant on the efficiency of the technicians. Still, I don’t expect this company to reduce our bill even if we can’t use the service we are paying for for days or weeks. They’ll still charge us!

No point in brooding. I never had the internet for the first half of my life and was perfectly happy. Which leads me to the balance. If Saturday morning was not successful, the afternoon proved much better. We had been told there was an IKEA shop/depot but had not found it the first time we were looking for it. Our hunt for garden furniture had been put on hold until we would find either that shop or a reasonable place. It may sound silly, but I was really happy when we not only found the shop but were also able to buy a wooden table and chairs that would do very well. It would be delivered and installed the following day. Perfect. We continued our shopping with going back to the first nursery we found and bought several plants. Today (Sunday), it really felt lovely to have lunch outside under the alcove. Gradually, our house is feeling like home again.

I guess patience is what transpires out of these two anecdotes.

Today, our internet connection is back! It took Seb to go to the main office, ask for a replacement modem, and for it to be configurated. All in all a couple of hours. We'll know what to do next time! 

The sky is magnificent, everyday!

Brunei- Chapter 2: Discovering Brunei

Chapter 2: Discovering Brunei

It has only been three weeks but three full and fulfilling weeks!

Living in such a warm weather means making the most of the opportunity to spend as much time outside as possible, enjoying our garden and the space it offers us. With that in mind, we have been searching, or hunting should I say, for garden furniture. Hunting is the correct term and that has come with frustration too, sadly. As we have been from furniture shop to furniture shop, our hopes of finding what we are looking for is dwindling away every time we go to a new store. The choice is very slim, almost inexistent. What’s for sale is either a set of 4 chairs with a small table, barely stable, or a very expensive set of sofas. And why? We have come to the conclusion that there is no market for it. Strange, right? But after three weeks in sweet Brunei, we have realised that Bruneians do not spend any time outside at all. We never see anyone in gardens. It’s so hot and humid that in actual fact, they live indoors with the air-con on all the time! “They love their air-con,” a phrase said many times which has taken its full meaning as we have been trying to buy outdoor furniture! The hunt goes on…

Which brings me to the weather! We are almost on the equator and it is hot! Hot and humid! Yes, it rains, pours down, actually, but unlike other countries where when it rains, it cools down, here, it remains hot. One day last week, as I came out of my classroom after it had rained heavily for a while, I entered a sauna. What a strange experience! It was literally steaming outside and everyone sort of rushed to their next room to find some cool, however artificial. But, we’ll get used to it. The weather, I’ve been told, does not change. Good or bad, it is predictable. There used to be a “dry” and a “wet” season, now there is a wet season and a wetter one! That seems to be a running joke nowadays. Despite it all, I think it was the right choice for us. We have lived in all sorts of places, from grey and constant drizzle in Birmingham, to very cold Beijing in the winter, and anything in between; wet summers in France, beautifully sunny Italy etc… Wearing light clothes, shorts and t-shirts at the weekends all year long can’t be bad!

Being able to say, “you can count on the weather!” is not something we’ve done a lot. So, with the warmth and the sun comes a different range of activities and entertainment. The beach is a 15-minute drive from our house. Fantastic! Muara beach is at the tip of the peninsula (if my geography term is correct and that remains to be said but for now, it’ll do!) and unlike any other beach we’ve been to, was a new experience. Of course, swimming in the sea was not new to us, but wait! Bruneians love food. “You’re digressing,” I hear you say. They’re not the only people on our blue planet to love food, I know, but they really do and since they don’t like being exposed to the sun too much, when you get to the beach, there’s a very large park with hugely tall trees shading you and protecting you from the fierce rays of the sun. There, you have permanent bbqs for people to use. Families will go not just to the beach, but mainly will go picnicking and spend the day in the shade of those magnificent trees. A great idea, right! Whilst we were not prepared for that, we still enjoyed swimming in a very warm water. And what was surprising to me in particular was that I must have been the only woman on the beach for a long time. A few came after a while and of course were fully dressed. It made me feel almost as embarrassed as going to a nudist beach, except that this time the roles were reversed! Never mind. Knowing that we can go to the beach any time we want is such a luxury we’ve often dreamed of. Now, it’s reality.

Besides the sea, we sampled the Olympic swimming-pool too and that is only a few minutes from our house (2 dollars/10rmb per adult, 1 dollar per child; never seen anything so cheap). The whole sports complex is stylish, and I would say fairly new. I believe Brunei hosted the Asian games a few years back, hence the facilities: stadium, tennis courts, several pools etc… very impressive and so cool for it to be so close! Going to the pool was delightful. We felt refreshed. It will undoubtedly become a weekly activity, probably after school- cooling down and exercising. Most expats go to the Polo Club, or the RBA club or some sort of club to exercise, swim etc… We have opted for a closer and in our eyes a more practical solution.

And of course, on the subject of exercising and activities, jungle walking is very attractive and excellent fitness in this weather. We went back to Tasek Lama and did another walk. Jerudong Park and Markuching are next on our list of places. And I am sure we will be as awed by the scenery as we have been by Tasek Lama National Park. Jerudong Park is also home to families of monkeys which will delight Leo, no doubt.

To close this chapter, let me end with our first visit to Kuala Lurah, on the Brunei-Malaysia border. Brunei is a dry country, no news there. Selling alcohol is forbidden and comes probably with a prison sentence if ever you are caught, but consumption is allowed, a confusing state of affairs for young people, undeniably. For us, it means going to Malaysia to buy our fix and bring it back to our home in sweet but dry Brunei. The nearest border is Kuala Lurah and boy, do they know what fruitful business they’ve got there. As we couldn’t take our hired car over the border, we asked if we could walk to the nearest shop. The answer is yes. We then crossed as pedestrians and discovered, not without surprise though I had been given a pretty accurate description of the place, what a seedy border town it is. To be fair, I believe, but we have yet to go further, that the “proper” town is a few kilometres away from the border. What is there is basic and basically you have your off-licence, cafes and cheap restaurants, with waitresses ready for anything. It will not become one of our regular places to eat and relax of an evening, just a quick stop to buy our due and go.

Shopping, driving and more to come next…