Sarawak Trip'14

I just returned from my school's trip to Sarawak where we had a cultural immersion. Before reaching there I had no idea what to expect. Based on my previous experience (in Malacca last time) I knew that I could at least look forward to some fun with my friends and maybe a few boring museums. What we experienced, however, took me by surprise and left me with very unforgettable memories. The first 2 days were literally museums after museums but from then on, the trip took on a more experiential side. We visited the Sarawak Cultural Village, which effectively put whatever we learned/saw in the museum into real life, it was the exact model of a traditional longhouse. However, we weren't satisfied, and we discussed in the debrief at night that we wanted to see something more authentic. The next day, we got our wish. We went to a real long house, one belonging to the Bidayu tribe, and the people actually lived there. Granted, they had become more modernized, but their traditional practices and locations (the Head room) were still preserved. Our guide, Uncle Edward, was an aged man who used to go through the practices of the past, e.g men over the age of 13 had to sleep together in a "Bachelor's room". Because he told us about his personal experiences, it made the whole trip very authentic. He also shared with us a lot of stories and taught us traditional things like the eagle dance and how to use a blowpipe. But this was where the amazing part came in. He shared with us a story about spirits, and how superstitious the tribe was. He also had a personal encounter with spirits that scared me considerably, and that haunted me the rest of the day. I was really afraid to be honest, but that night, before I went to sleep, I read my Bible. I follow a checklist that will help me to finish reading the entire bible in 52 weeks and i have been using that checklist consistently since last year. That day's passage was 1 John 4(i think) and the first verse was "Do not believe in other spirits". That was the clearest message God has ever given to me, and reading the passage really comforted me and helped me to put away my doubts and fears. He truly is amazing, Praise the Lord!