Dream a Dream, Conquer your Dream, and Dream Again- Malaysia Forest Diary
Added to website: 31 March 2005
Dream a Dream, Conquer your Dream, and Dream Again
The feathers were soft and brightly colored with a shade of oceanic blue. My fingers sunk slightly into the puff of feathers as I held this magnificent white-collared kingfisher in the Ringer’s grip. It was squawking maniacally, I maneuvered is head to face my own and looked into its dark eyes. The squawking dissipated and for the moment there was only us. And in that blue, white, and black face, I saw a character, a personality. I saw life. This creature in my hand was a manifestation of the soul of the universe. This single moment was the most moving and it made me think back to how it all began…
Before I began university, I decided to get some field research experience before my biology degree and spend as much time in tropical forests as I could (a passion of mine). After some research and recommendations, I chose Coral Cay Conservation. Now I knew that surveying and camping in tropical forests would not be a walk in the park. It would be hot, humid, and unbelievably itchy. Fully aware of this, I went forth to the Setui wetlands in the state of Terengganu, located in the Northeastern coast of peninsular Malaysia.
Now I could ramble on for countless paragraphs about survey techniques and all the beautiful and varied wildlife we encountered. But I won’t, even though that was the original reason for me being here. But it was the unexpected parts of my trip that truly moved me. The first and foremost memorable aspect was living and working with a group of people that I had never met before and have different personalities, but all share One Common interest. Which will be the reason they are all here. The second was being part of a country with different customs, culture, and religion. As in the Setui wetlands we were based in a rural fishing village with a conservative Muslim society. Meeting and interacting with the locals was a challenging experience and overcoming the language barrier was a learning experience. A trip like this is more than just a scientific expedition (which doesn’t sound too bad on its own). It becomes a cultural, geographic, linguistic, and self-exploration Adventure. My advice to anyone interested is: “If you can go, you should go.”
SIYAVASH MOKTARZADEH
