Kuala Belait - Visiting Singaporean students yesterday toured Brunei`s largest district with their local counterparts as part of an educational tour under the School Immersion Programme.
The groups of 68 students were accompanied by teachers from both Serasa Primary School and Bendemeer Primary School, as well as officials from the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre. First stop was the Kampung Ukong Ambulong Factory, where they were welcomed by Kampung Ukong head, Nendaroh Datu Kornia Diraja Gadong.
He briefed the group what ambulong, also known as sago, was and described the process of making them.
The students had the opportunity to try extracting the sago from the Rumbia tree trunks.
After a demonstration on how to remove the bark, the students eagerly volunteered to give it a try. Having to carry a metal bar to wedge the rough bark from the fibrous interior of the trunk, students and teachers realised that the task was not as easy as it appeared.
The sole machine in the factory was then brought to life and students volunteered to put pieces of the rumbia trunk into it, allowing them to see how the machine ground and extracted the sago.
But the village head had a little surprise in store for them. There was even a live demonstration on how ambulong was made into the local delicacy, ambuyat.
The children were handed a pair of the chopstick-like candas each and taught how to collect a small glob at the ends of the prongs. Eating it with some prepared condiments, the Singaporean children found it to be "good".
Mohd Shaiful Mohd Salim, 12, described it as "deliciously sour and phlegmy".
While the factory buzzed with activity, there was just as much going on outside as the factory workers showed some of the students an insect larvae which was found eating the shoots of the Rumbia tree. The yellow grub, similarly sized as an adult thumb, was said to be a rich source of protein.
Not long after that, teachers and students also had a chance not only to let the larvae crawl about their palms, but also to try them.
The principal of Bendemeer Primary School, Lim Poh Suan said the experience was rare for the students. "Such opportunities are rare in Singapore and it took the students a lot of courage to do what they did," she said, referring to the Fear Factor-style stunt.
The group also took a short hike through the Sungai Liang Forest Recreational Park in Andulau, Kuala Belait to work up an appetite for lunch.
The 15-minute journey through paths normally visited by regular joggers gave the children a chance to see flowers and plants rarely seen in regular gardens
Suntharehssan Thayalan, 12, was excited when he saw a pitcher plant. Allowing nature to envelop them as they proceeded, Suntharehssan also commented how deer that was kept there were in spacious enclosures.
It was then off to the Forestry Museum, part of the Forestry Centre Complex in Sungai Liang.
There, the group viewed displays on forestry, forest resources and the history of the Brunei Forestry Department and natural history.
They were also given a tour of the bamboo garden, which houses about 80 different species of local bamboo.
Finally, the students stopped at the Oil and Gas Discovery Centre (OGDC) in Seria.
The facilitators were on hand to guide the teenagers through the displays and exhibits in the seven halls.
Drawing much attention was one of OGDC`s newer attractions, the Human Gyroscope. Students and teachers alike eagerly waited for their chance to be turned head over heels, astronaut-style. The head of OGDC, Iskandar Haji Alias, also met with the children and chatted about their visit.
Many said that the whole-day excursion was fun and interesting.
One of the students from Bundemeer Primary School mentioned that his best moment in the four days was spotting a live squirrel up close during his first visit to Serasa Primary School.
With only a little time left in Brunei, the Singaporean students would be bringing back with them fond memories of good times and unforgettable images of the sultanate, but more importantly newly forged friendships.
Source: www.brudirect.com (25 Oktober 2007)
