The distance from Laban Rata to the peak of Mount Kinabalu is 2.6km, and the climb usually starts around three in the morning. Being the smart people we are, we decided to climb Mount K during monsoon season. At 6p.m., rain started to pour. At 2a.m. (supper time), some of the hiking guides said that if the rain continues, it might not be possible to climb to the peak. Or it might be too dangerous, and if we insist, we could sign some disclaimer form that says we won’t hold anyone liable if we die on the way up. But the rain started to ease up, and so began our hike up to the peak.
There was a point in the climb where we were too far ahead from the rest of the hikers, but too far behind the fastest hikers. It was dark and cold. The wind was strong. My fingers were numb. I looked up the mountain, and then back down, and I felt really alone. I wondered if my aching muscles would be able to carry me up to the peak. There was no way to tell how far left I had to reach the top. I could barely see anything around me due to fog, and any wrong step seemed like a shortcut to heaven. All I had was a white rope along the ground as my guide. It was a journey of faith – taking one step at a time, facing each obstacle as they came my way.
Like the climb, the journey from candidate to where I am was full of uncertainty and cluelessness. The number of candidates that were dropped from our cohort made me fear that I would be the next to go. Then came school. It was hard to tell if I was actually making an impact in my students’ lives, or if I was just talking to myself in class. There were times when it felt like I was the only one who cared. Teachers and students can often be indifferent. There were times when I felt it would have been easier to give up than to fight on. It was easy to lose sight of my mission.
On the way down from the peak of Mount K, I noticed stacks of stones along the hiking path. The guide explained that those were markers to help hikers find their way a long time ago. It was only after people went missing that they now use a white rope on the ground as a guide.
What I constantly forget while being in the fellowship is this: Many people have travelled this path before me, be in through TFM or the traditional teaching route. Somewhere, sometime before, someone did something to make the path easier for us. It is because of missionaries back then that we have formal schooling in Malaysia. It is because of certain policy makers that we have a more student-centred environment. It is because we had teachers and parents in our lives that we are what we are today. It is because someone from TFM camped out at KPM that our programme is still functioning. Somewhere, sometime before, someone did something to make it possible for us to be where we are today.
Whether we get posted in schools or not, whether we stay on in teaching or not, we all have the capacity to impact someone’s life, to make someone’s path easier to walk. You can be a teacher. You can be a policy maker. You can be a rich person donating to schools. Maybe you’re just the guy who helps the next-door neighbour’s kid with his homework. Whatever you do, your actions will leave their impact on the landscape of Malaysia’s education, and you’ll have forever changed the future of our nation.
Take courage, my fellow comrades. Hari ini kita sakit hati, besok kita akan cuba lagi. And we will do everything we can, give every ounce of strength, exhaust every avenue we have. And we won’t give in, not until we succeed in our mission.
There was a point in the climb where we were too far ahead from the rest of the hikers, but too far behind the fastest hikers. It was dark and cold. The wind was strong. My fingers were numb. I looked up the mountain, and then back down, and I felt really alone. I wondered if my aching muscles would be able to carry me up to the peak. There was no way to tell how far left I had to reach the top. I could barely see anything around me due to fog, and any wrong step seemed like a shortcut to heaven. All I had was a white rope along the ground as my guide. It was a journey of faith – taking one step at a time, facing each obstacle as they came my way.
Like the climb, the journey from candidate to where I am was full of uncertainty and cluelessness. The number of candidates that were dropped from our cohort made me fear that I would be the next to go. Then came school. It was hard to tell if I was actually making an impact in my students’ lives, or if I was just talking to myself in class. There were times when it felt like I was the only one who cared. Teachers and students can often be indifferent. There were times when I felt it would have been easier to give up than to fight on. It was easy to lose sight of my mission.
On the way down from the peak of Mount K, I noticed stacks of stones along the hiking path. The guide explained that those were markers to help hikers find their way a long time ago. It was only after people went missing that they now use a white rope on the ground as a guide.
What I constantly forget while being in the fellowship is this: Many people have travelled this path before me, be in through TFM or the traditional teaching route. Somewhere, sometime before, someone did something to make the path easier for us. It is because of missionaries back then that we have formal schooling in Malaysia. It is because of certain policy makers that we have a more student-centred environment. It is because we had teachers and parents in our lives that we are what we are today. It is because someone from TFM camped out at KPM that our programme is still functioning. Somewhere, sometime before, someone did something to make it possible for us to be where we are today.
Whether we get posted in schools or not, whether we stay on in teaching or not, we all have the capacity to impact someone’s life, to make someone’s path easier to walk. You can be a teacher. You can be a policy maker. You can be a rich person donating to schools. Maybe you’re just the guy who helps the next-door neighbour’s kid with his homework. Whatever you do, your actions will leave their impact on the landscape of Malaysia’s education, and you’ll have forever changed the future of our nation.
Take courage, my fellow comrades. Hari ini kita sakit hati, besok kita akan cuba lagi. And we will do everything we can, give every ounce of strength, exhaust every avenue we have. And we won’t give in, not until we succeed in our mission.
