The Journey to Departure

Introduction

I am back home! After 3 years living in Nottingham I have finally returned to Scotland, just for 10 days though. Maybe just enough time to relax before my adventure to Malaysia begins.

I'm hoping the information in this post will be useful to future Engineers Without Borders (EWB) volunteers preparing to embark on an international placement.

Borneo made up Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia), Kalimantan (Indonesia) and Brunei 

When I was given this EWB (Engineers Without Borders) opportunity back in April, preparations for the trip picked up rapidly. Once I got over the “Holy shit, I’m going to Malaysia!” phase.  I started to get the ball rolling, researching the project, understanding micro-hydro systems, adding to and working through significant ‘To Do’ lists that always seemed to be growing. The more I read into things, the more questions I had. Where will I be staying? How will I manage my finances? What visa is required? Balancing it all with a full time job wasn’t easy. My original departure date was to be around the 1^st July, making things very racy. Eventually realising how much this adventure will uproot my life; influencing my current job, flat situation and relationship it made sense to push the date back (end of August) far enough that preparations would keep me busy but not stress me out. I wanted to enjoy the build up!

I'm lucky compared to other volunteers, my placement in Malaysia with Tonibung is quite well established. This will be the fourth time volunteers from EWB have worked with Tonibung in Malaysia. Past volunteers have provided good information on the placement, reassuring me that I won't be living in a hole in the ground for 6 months. All accommodation and cost arrangements are the same as previous years.

Fundraising

At the beginning I wanted to quickly kick off my fundraising. I needed to raise £1,200 in order to meet the EWB target for a 6 month placement. This seemed like a daunting amount that I was very far off from achieving. Volunteers were advised to raise the target amount before heading out to their placement country, once out of the UK it’s unlikely any fundraising will be done. To make a start on my fundraising, I impulsively signed up for the Ramathon Half-Marathon giving myself less than a month to prepare for the event; I’m not a regular runner, so pain was to be expected. Fundraising for the half-marathon was initially very slow, but donations and sponsorship gradually picked up the more I promoted EWB and spoke about the placement. I did complete the half-marathon, it wasn’t easy… or particularly enjoyable but I’m glad I done it, I’ll do more training before my next half-marathon! I eventually reached my fundraising target a week before my departure date. I think I've been quite lucky regarding the fundraising, receiving some very generous donations from people and organisations.

Vaccinations

Vaccinations became a priority from the beginning due to the length of time it can take to receive all the required immunisation courses. Researching online didn’t make it clear on the specific vaccinations required. Some were required, some recommended, some were optional. After speaking with a private travel clinic, they advised I should receive immunisation for most diseases, ultimately feeling a bit like a pin cushion. Note that my private vaccinations took about 4 weeks, primarily due to a required two week period for the incubation Japanese Encephalitis. My free NHS vaccinations were all done in one visit to my GP. 

• Rabies – Paid privately
• Japanese Encephalitis – Paid Privately
• Hepatitis B – Paid Privately
• Hepatitis A – Free NHS
• Diphtheria, Polio and Tetanus – Free NHS
• Cholera – Free NHS
• Typhoid – Free NHS

I eventually decided to go for Atovaquone/Proguanil (250mg/100mg) anti-malaria tablets. These tablets are a cheaper equivalent the branded Malarone tablets. Still bloody expensive though! According to the fit for travel website there is 'no to low risk' of malaria in the Kota Kinabalu area where I'll be staying. However, every so often I'll be venturing into the rainforest where there is a greater risk of malaria. I considered just taking the the anti-malarials when going into the risk areas, but I can't plan when this will be and its been advised to just stay on them the whole time in order to allow my body to adapt. Of course taking one tablet a day for 6+ months is a lot of tablets. And with all the other medication I've been recommended to take I'll definitely be feeling like a walking pharmacy.

Travelling pharmacy?

Booking Flights

Flight booking was a fairly straight forward process which I completed in under a week. I decided on the week I wanted to depart for Malaysia and then done my own research to find the best flights which was a balance between cost, duration and number of stops. I decided on an outgoing flight to Kota Kinabalu from Glasgow via London and Hong Kong. For my return trip home I wanted to include some personal travel time. Most flights to/from Malaysia stop off in Hong Kong and as there are no visa requirements for tourists, I thought I might as well spend some time there. I have organised to spend 5 days in Hong Kong, it was only after booking I found out I’ll be arriving for the Chinese New Year! Amazing coincidence, it’ll be a great time to experience the city. As it turned out, my return flights home which included personal travel were cheaper than the most direct flights back to Glasgow, so EWB were happy enough!

Flight Path - Glasgow to Kota Kinabalu

Visa Renewal Trip

During my time in Malaysia I will need to go on a visa renewal trip. When I first enter Malaysia, I will be issued with a free 90 day tourist visa, just before that 90 day visa expires, I will travel out of the country and then return to get issued with another 90 day visa that will take me up to my 6 months duration. Obtaining the free 90 day visa rather than a 6 month visa is not wholly down to me being a tight fisted Scotsman. The 90 day visa has been the preferred visa choice for past volunteers, due to cost and simplicity. It is possible to go through the long process of applying for a 6 month visa and then being unsuccessful.

As part of my visa renewal trip it is my intention to travel to Singapore for a week, this will be a great opportunity to explore another city in Asia. Going on a visa renewal trip might seem a bit cheeky (and it is!), but it is a simple and cheap process.

Home Comforts?

I had a good last minute idea with the addition of a few home comforts to take with me. I've added HP brown sauce, if I end up in the desperate situation where I'm eating a fried centipede, I'd rather have a bit of brown sauce to improve the taste. I've also added peanut butter, obviously because I can't risk the possibility that peanut butter will not be available. And finally, I've decided to take Scottish Blend tea bags for special occasions.

The process of preparing for this trip has turned my life upside down and it has not been easy. But I do believe this trip to Borneo will be an amazing experience that will change who I am and the way I see the world. It's an adventure I've been craving for many years, a chance to do what I love while seeing the world.