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Had a bit of a leech situation in my shoes (help), Went to the flying frog pond, Taking pictures of a fig tree

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One of the plants I watered flowered, My lunch for the day, Went on an expedition to see elephants at Merotai, Planning the setup of an exhibition

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My Elective Posting in Mauritius - Reef Conservation 

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My Elective Posting in Mauritius - Reef Conservation 

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Name, matric number, date:

Zakiyyah Ruha Nohur

A185407

5 August -11 August

How is your progress?

This week has been focused on sample collection of flora. There are several set-ups along several coasts of Mauritius, specifically within tree-dense regions. Most of the trees are mangroves. In my first week, I learned about the importance of mangroves, including their ability to foster biodiversity, filter pollution from inland to the sea (as their roots slow down water flow), as well as their ability to slow down wave speed and power during cyclonic weather and tsunamis due to their unique root structure. This is vital to prevent coastal erosion. This week, I was able to  visit the Mangrove nursery and understood the complex procedure of planting mangroves – largely due to restrictions from the government. I also collected samples from designated baskets formerly set-up to collect falling tree leaves and other biomatter. This will help in defining the conclusion for the organization’s research topic in assessing the variation in flora productivity in summer versus winter. Quite a few days of this week went into collection of the samples, but I was really able to appreciate the nature of my homeland and understand the devastating impacts our selfish human actions are having on the wildlife and ecosystem. Although collecting the samples was quite tiring, I was grateful to have been able to take part on this hands-on experience. Although one of the tasks which I was supposed to do (planting corals hands-on) was cancelled due to the cyclonic weather which had unfortunately destroyed the nurseries, I was still grateful to be able to see how a non-profit organization for the environment runs, and how our inland activities affect the marine life.

This week, I was also in charge of planning a two-day event for the organization for marine-volunteers who are looking to participate and become more aware of the state of the coral reefs in Mauritius. I was able to see how these events are planned and I learned a lot from this activity.

Your feelings & thoughts

Throughout this week, I was in awe of how much I could learn in such a small amount of time. There is truly so much that we as locals can and should know about our home. I feel that if everyone knew how powerful our environment is, yet somehow fragile at Man’s hand, we would all want to do the best we could to change it. Hence, at the end of my elective posting, I felt even more determined to change the way my family, friends and I live – in a way that is more sustainable. I realized that a “Mauritian” is not only a term for the people, but it is a term for the birds, the fish, the trees, the land. This way of life should also extend to the rest of the world if we want to live along with nature and not against it.

Although I was disappointed that I could not plant corals with my own hands like I had planned, I still hope to do so in the future and what I did in my elective posting does, in a way, promote the health of corals and marine life.

ONE good thing from what you did that you can practice now!

I have learned so much about corals, how sensitive and how truly remarkable they are. I believe that I can teach others about their marvel and what they can do to protect it. I personally have taken measures to reduce my plastic consumption – I just bough a reusable water bottle, and I also use my own reusable bag when going shopping. I try to thrift my clothes to reduce the amount of demand I am placing on the fashion industry, and I try to keep up to date on new ways to live sustainably. I also try to think of ways the hospital industry can be more sustainable but still efficient – in Mauritius, 3% of all waste that ends up in the ocean is from the hospital.

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1. Your name, matric number, date

Name: Zakiah binti Ibrahim

Matric number: A188224

Date: 12 August 2024 - 16 August 2024

2. Your progress so far

In this week, one of my team members brought me to all the fig tree locations and landmarks to identify the trees. There are 7 trees to keep track of every 5 days. Some of them began fruiting, while fruits were still absent on the others. I had to climb the hills to get to the locations, it was a fun workout that day. They can be confusing for a newbie like me. I also went to a flying frog pond. My supervisor instructed us to place tags on trees so that the location can be easily identified by others who will go there. The pond was very far and high up the hills. The pond was important to note the presence of flying frogs at the area.

I also set up an exhibition for a talk we would be having here at Tawau Hills Park, also known as Table. I planned the layout of the pictures and had put them up on the board. The pictures were of the fascinating species of herpetofauna at Table. The purpose of the exhibition was to enlighten the public about specieses present here. They also attended the talk held and were intrigued with the topics.

3. Your feelings and thoughts

I enjoyed the hike to the fig trees and flying frog pond. I had the opportunity to get the thrill out of seeing all the amazing nature around me. It was one of the reasons I wanted to do my posting here, appreciating the beautiful Tawau Hills Park. However, I was met with a terrible experience which was having leeches in my shoes. I was mortified. Luckily, none of them was able to bite me thanks to my protective mechanism of shoving the ends of my pants into my socks, hence the leech community only resided in my shoes. I hope to never experience that again.

4. How did you learn and apply the skill of decision making in your EP journey?

I make decisions based on the priorities of my situation. For example, to determine which tasks I would do first, I would get started on the most urgent ones and do the others later. I would also weigh the pros and cons before making my final decision to ensure I make the best choice.

5. How did you manage your time throughout this EP journey?

I managed my time by listing all my tasks of the day and giving each of them a certain frame. This ensures I am able to stay on top of things without having to rush at the last minute. So far, I have been able to complete all my tasks within the set time frame due to the list. My spreadsheet was very helpful to manage my time.

6. Your plan for next week (Week 4)

I would like to distribute pendrives containing our 1StopBorneo Wildlife documentaries to clinics in the town. This way, the public can be educated on the many amazing flora and fauna that can be found in Table while waiting for their turn. The plan is to play the documentary videos at the waiting area which would pique their interest to watch the videos. I will also take part in a reforestation project coming up.

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Drying the leaves to measure the organic mass of samples collected.

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Counting number of fish in a selected area - biodiversity surveillance.

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Sample collection

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Sample collection for flora monitoring to later analyze difference in biomass and plant production in summer versus winter.

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1. Your name, matric number, date

Avvinesh A/L Supramaniam, A187965, 16/8/2024

2. Your progress so far

This week, we went to find for ginger leaves again. This one was near to Sepilok Orang Utan but the path was narrow so we had to go one by one and work as a team as in two people cut the leave, pass to another another 2 people behind to collect them and arrange it. Actually, this part of getting ginger leaves for them is fun. When we put enrichment items like honey, peanut and so on in between the leaves and give it to the sun bears, we can see how much fun they have while trying to open up the leaves and the branches to get the food stuffs. Every bear have a unique way of getting the food stuff and hence it is very interesting and heartwarming to watch. Other than that, this time I had another session with Dr. Wong Siew Te, who is the founder of BSBCC. This time I asked him if he was vegetarian as he is an animal activist but he said no and he always say sorry to the nature and eats them. He wouldn’t try wild things which are in endanger but only eats very much available meats and make sure there’s no wastage of the food. He disciplines his family too. Dr Wong is such an inspiring person, he was sharing his story to us how he started from zero and how the concept of Ikigai is helping him. He loves what he does, he cares for the animals. He said he was so depressed when he find out the situation of sun bears in Borneo which are being killed massively before he started the conservation centre, he can’t even sleep thinking about it and hence he started the conservation. Today, there are so many visitors to the centre and contributing to the betterment of the sun bears. Thirdly, my buddy and I have started working on my personal enrichment for the Sun Bear before I leave in which I thought of a manual fan. The concept is like fidget spinner. I thought of this plan for Along, one of my favorite bears. The reason being Along have PTSD after seeing his mother killed in front of him and he is since then will easily become stress and will pace in his cage. He will also repeatedly knock his head on the wall and it is very saddening to see as he hit quite hard. By putting my enrichment, I hope it can distract him and stop him from hitting his head and even if he is going to hit his head, I thought of putting the fire hose covering the fan, which is soft in texture on the exact place he usually knock his head to prevent injury. The fan also works as a distraction for him to just manually rotate them.

3. Your feelings and thoughts

I feel empathetic. As I have wrote in the story of Along above. I also feel inspired of Dr. Wong that how passion can bring you from zero to a hero.

4. How did you learn and apply the skill of decision making in your EP journey?

As in the situation of personal enrichment, there are 36 bears in the Bear house 1 and Bear house 2. Every bear have their own problems but I chose Along as the bear that I would like to do my personal enrichment on as he is the most prone to injury. Through this, I have learnt to prioritise on which should be done first.

5. How did you manage your time throughout this EP journey?

In BSBCC, the schedule is already set and we have our own buddy to guide. My buddy, Izlan will always guide me on the task depending on the time. After work, we will have plenty of time to do anything we like and we usually recharge by taking rest before cooking and having some activities with the staffs and Interns to learn about the culture.

6. Your plan for next week (Week 4)

To build the enrichment for Along.

To give my best on the final week in BSBCC for the sun bears as this might be last time ever here as this is once in a lifetime experience.

To plan for vacation in Kota Kinabalu and Kundasang.

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Muhammad Syamil Hilman bin Rashidan

A189603

12/9/24-16/9/24

Your progress so far

Throughout Week 3, I have made significant improvement. I began the week by reviewing vocabulary, numbers, and basic sentence structure. I was pleased to see that I could remember and use most of the material from the previous week. This week, our main topic was applying numbers to real-world scenarios, especially those involving buying and selling. I was able to understand how the lessons would be useful to apply it in a real-life situation.

This week we explored new vocabulary related to everyday activities, such as shopping, asking for directions, and ordering food. I found these practical applications of the language particularly useful, as they allowed me to practice constructing sentences in real-life situations. In addition to increasing my vocabulary, we worked on grammar, which included learning how to correctly structure sentences and apply a variety of phrases. My ability to construct more complex phrases has improved because of this week's grammar sessions, which has improved my ability to communicate in Mandarin.

Pronunciation continues to be a challenging aspect of Mandarin for me, so I dedicated extra time to practicing tones and sounds. Even so,I can see improvement in each class. Although my pronunciation is still far from perfect, I am gradually getting better, and this has been noted by my instructor, who mentioned seeing consistent progress and improvement with each session.

I also made progress with my list of medical terms in Mandarin, which is essential for my future interactions with Mandarin-speaking patients. This specialized vocabulary is a critical component of my learning, and I'm gradually building my confidence in using these terms.

Your feelings and thoughts

I’m genuinely enjoying my journey of learning Mandarin. It is exciting to see the progress I have made, particularly in my ability to recall vocabulary and apply it in real-life situations. The fact that I’m improving, even if gradually, motivates me to keep pushing forward. Hearing positive feedback from my instructor has also been encouraging because it reassures me that I am on the right track. However, I am aware that I still have a long way to go but knowing that I am improving with each class helps me stay positive and focused.

Despite the challenges, I am genuinely excited about this learning process. The progress I have made, from basic greetings to constructing more complex sentences, motivates me to keep pushing forward. I also feel a sense of accomplishment when I can use Mandarin in simple conversations, even if they are still basic. Overall, I remain determined to make the most of this elective and continue improving.

How did you learn and apply the skill of decision making in your EP journey?

Decision making has played an important role in how I approach my learning during this elective posting. Early on, I realized that I needed to be strategic with my time and efforts to make meaningful progress in such a short time frame. I had to make decisions about which areas of the language to focus on including how to allocate my study time, balancing between pronunciation practice, vocabulary memorization, self taught for medical terms in Chinese and learning grammar.

Given that this course is only one month long, I decided early on to focus more on speaking, basic gramamr, and vocabulary over writing Chinese characters. This decision was based on my goal of being able to converse on basic level in Mandarin by the end of the course. While I recognize that learning characters is important, I felt that building a solid foundation in spoken Mandarin would serve me better in this limited timeframe.

How did you manage your time throughout this EP journey?

Time management has been key to staying on track with my learning goals. I set aside specific blocks of time each day dedicated to Mandarin study. Apart from attending live learning sessions and watching pre-recorded videos before class, I also broke down my daily self study sessions into focused segments such as pronunciation practice, vocabulary review, grammar exercises, and learning Chinese medical terms. By keeping a consistent routine and adjusting my schedule when necessary, I have been able to manage my time effectively without feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, I used free time watching videos on youtube to learn more about Mandarin language at the same time to clear any doubt regarding this language such as words pronunciation and grammars. This approach has helped me stay on track and maintain a steady pace in my learning journey.

Your plan for next week (Week 4)

For Week 4, I plan to continue expanding my vocabulary and working on more complex sentence structures. I will focus on further improving my pronunciation and listening comprehension by engaging with more Mandarin audio content, such as short videos on social media platforms. Additionally, I aim to practice having conversations with native speakers to test my progress and build confidence in real-world communication. I will also continue studying medical terms in Mandarin to enhance my ability to communicate effectively in clinical settings.

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1. Your name, matric number, date

Name : Muhamad Amir Raimi Bin Anuar

Matric number : A187952

Date : 19/8/2024

2. Your progress so far

For Week 3, things have been going smooth with my workflow. Everyday I was assigned with different tasks which includes what I did in the past 2 weeks including bear feeding, cage cleaning, medic, fence check and more. Additionally, I was involved in doing new enrichment items which is “hanging ginger leaves”. My team and I went to find ginger trees and brought a lot of them for the enrichment. Also, every team did a terrific job participating in the enrichment activities! Seeing these sun bears roll about and play with the enrichment that staff members and volunteers had made was such a pleasure. The young bears take pleasure in switching between a variety of toys. Finding an enrichment that brightens sun bears' days is the most satisfying thing we can do!

Secondly, we also had an insightful session with the CEO of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), Dr Wong Siew Te. In this session, we cleared all our doubts and wonders about sun bears from the man who spent decades learning about them. It was very inspiring to listen to his stories as a wildlife biologist, including the challenges that he faced in the journey he took.

Third, it was time for me to work on my own enrichment project! In the picture collage included is my sketch for the project that i want to work on. My choice of bear is Romolina as she loves to climb trees! I prepared the list of materials needed, method, justification and expected outcome of the project. It was named as “Villa Romolina”. In the meantime, I also lend a hand to help other volunteers projects too.

3. Your feelings and thoughts

Enthusiastic

Determined to make my enrichment project work

4. How did you learn and apply the skill of decision making in your EP journey?

Throughout my EP journey, decision-making was a crucial skill that I learned and applied in various situations. For example, while working on the "Villa Romolina" project, I had to carefully consider Romolina’s behavior and preferences, like her love for climbing, when designing the enrichment. I needed to weigh different materials, methods, and outcomes before finalizing the design. This project demanded practical decision-making, balancing creativity with the bear's well-being and safety. The use of inappropriate materials may cause harm to the bear itself.

Moreover, in daily tasks like fence checking and bear feeding, quick and effective decisions were needed to ensure smooth workflows and the safety of both the animals and staff. For example, my buddy and I found a living “Ular Sawa” during our fence check. This prompt us to decide which action is safer, which we decided to back off and call for help to get rid of the snake before it harms other people or even sun bears.

5. How did you manage your time throughout this EP journey?

Managing my time during this journey required adaptability and planning. Each day brought different tasks, ranging from routine activities like bear feeding, kitchen, cage cleaning to more involved projects such as the enrichment item development. To keep up, I always follow my buddy and would ask on things to work on after settling one task. In the bear house, time is very crucial as different tasks were done at different timings. To add more, while I dedicated a significant amount of time to design "Villa Romolina," I ensured that I finished my daily tasks efficiently, leaving the evening to work on my enrichment project. Team collaboration also played a role in time management, as I supported other volunteers with their tasks, making sure I stayed organized and balanced my workload without sacrificing quality. By following a structured schedule, I was able to manage both ongoing and new tasks smoothly.

Other than that, before I can rest at the end of the day. Time is also needed to buy groceries, and prepare meals for lunch and dinner. Thus, at the end of the week, I would draft the meals that I will cook every day to ensure I have enough energy for work.

6. Your plan for next week (Week 4)

Work on my enrichment project and make sure it will be done before the end of my volunteering period.

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Name: Natasha Priyadarshini A/P Alexander Selvaraj

Matric's No.: A182823

Date: 19-25 July 2024

2. Your progress so far

The highlight of this week was visiting Iskul Sama Dilaut Omadal during the weekend, which is an alternative school set up by a fellow Convent Taiping alumni, specifically for the community of Pulau Omadal. The purpose of visiting the school, besides experience, was to visit their very own Pusat Kesihatan Komuniti within the school itself. It is currently being run by two former students (now teachers) of the school, who underwent a two-week course of training in Community Medicine under Klinik Warisan Semporna. The entire operation of the clinic is overseen by a consultant doctor from Semenanjung who frequently visits the island and maintains daily communication with the students should they have any inquiries on how to treat the patients. Throughout the tour of the clinic, I was able to collect insight on how the clinic was established, and the various systems that were set up to ensure the proper medication was being prescribed, highlighting the examples which I could recommend and utilise in the Semporna school.

Upon returning, my main task to complete was the analysis of the data collected for the cross-sectional study. I was able to collect 30 responses within the allocated timeframe and a simple analysis and discussion was written according to the statistics derived from the Google Form. Based on the analysis, I highlighted the points of concern which would point towards future programmes organised for the students. The points of concern included:

·        Majority of students experienced gastrointestinal symptoms with the highest severity of illness, followed by skin conditions and urinary dysfunction, with long-term symptoms that were never consulted to a doctor.

·        More than 50% of students had not completed their childhood vaccinations, due to majority of babies being home-delivered with no post-natal clinic visits.

·        Major cause of death of a family member included ASD/VSD which corresponds to a rising number of stillbirths/neonatal deaths in the community.

·        Sexual health within the students is severely misunderstood, with no past exposure to sexual education.

These points, amongst other findings were presented by me during the weekly meeting with the other teachers ‘Sesi Membagi – Membangun Idea’, to brainstorm future health programmes and classes which should be carried out for the betterment of the students.

According to the analysis, I was able to have a wider view on the common symptoms experienced by the students, which would contribute largely towards my organisation and betterment of the Mini Pharmacy. I drafted out a plan, which included revising the list of existing medication and creating a document which would state the purpose of the medication, along with the required dosage and contraindications according to age group (according to the format used in Pulau Omadal), an inventory checklist as well as the organisation of said medication for easier access. I worked on this with a fellow teacher and a student who showed great interest in setting up the Mini Pharmacy. I also received feedback on this system during the meeting.

3. Your feelings and thoughts

Visiting the school in Pulau Omadal made me understand further the difficulties faced to set up an alternative school amidst a community which originally did not see the purpose of having an education, alongside the motive of setting up the school, which cannot simply be sympathy but must be paired with the vision of education tailored for the community according to their needs and interests.

One point which stood out among the rest was the dedication the consultant doctor had to set up a community clinic in the community itself which greatly benefited the people, who for years had suffered without access to any healthcare facilities due to the seclusion of their island, which required a minimum of a 2-hour boat ride to the nearest hospital. As we had to take two boat rides and hitchhike in a van to get to the island itself, I got a firsthand experience on the difficulty faced by the community to access the nearest civilisation. These experiences inspired me greatly, particularly how one idea built on your background in medicine and your empathy towards the people could impact the entire community for generations to come.

In terms of the analysis and ideas pitched during the meeting, I was honoured to present this data and be able to provide suggestions to better help the students, while heavily relying on my past exposure in Community Medicine and Family Medicine. I was touched by how seriously the teachers took in my input, which clearly showed the dedication they have towards helping the students not only in receiving an education, but for the betterment of the student in all aspects.

4. How did you learn and apply the skill of decision making in your EP journey?

The biggest lesson of decision making I experienced throughout this EP journey involved planning my days during my internship to experience the lives of the community as much as possible, while still maintaining the standard to complete all my tasks as promised. The decision-making aspect was prevalent such that I had to decide which classes/activities I could take part in according to my time management without overlooking my role as an intern at Borneo Komrad. This process became increasingly challenging as the number of tasks I had weekly was constantly increasing, on top of my already established responsibilities such as following the students to the clinic if they were ill.

5. How did you manage your time throughout this EP journey?

With the increasing responsibility placed on me as an intern, I resorted to creating my own flexible schedule with objectives I hope to achieve daily in each project I was handling. I made sure to keep my Supervisor in the loop of my plans weekly, which allowed him to follow-up on certain projects with ease, while I was able to benefit from following along with the plans of the Alternative University without clashing of timing. With this strategy, I successfully completed most of my tasks within the past two weeks, while fostering a better relationship with the teachers and the students, without being forced to sacrifice one or the other.

6. Your plan for next week (Week 4)

Plan for my last week as an intern in Borneo Komrad would include completing the improvements of the Mini Pharmacy. According to the students, they were interested to include a class of the basics of medicine in their schedule as well as a sharing session with me titled ‘Human Library’, therefore my plan would also include planning a class for the students as well as topics to discuss during the Human Library session.

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Assalamualaikum & hi everyone!

You are now in 3rd week of your EP journey! Good job on your progress so far!

Please share your experience with your friends. You can write, upload lots of pictures & videos. Do comment and give a like on your friends’ posts too =)

1. Your name, matric number, date

2. Your progress so far

3. Your feelings and thoughts

4. How did you learn and apply the skill of decision making in your EP journey?

5. How did you manage your time throughout this EP journey?

6. Your plan for next week (Week 4)