On Being Super Sarawakian

There was a Master student in the labor ward. I don't know why I was so unlucky that most of the time I was on-call, I had to do calls with her. She's so fake, like she'd smile in front of the patients, and she'd turn around and say something in a total different tone to you. She's not a lecturer, she's barely 4 years our senior, and she's treating us like we're... never mind... So after the first time on-call with her, I avoided her after that. I'd just pretend to be busy with stupid things, and when she came over, I'd just walk away.

I remembered the first time I had my call with her in charge of the ward, as I was clerking a new admission, she came over to the bed and interrupted. Another house officer were there at the same time.

House officer saw the name and asked, if the patient's and Indian.

Medical officer said in a very show-off tone, "She's Ibanese."

I looked at her in disbelief. Fine, it was known that she graduated from the medical school in Sarawak. But that's even more of a reason why she's wrong in so many levels. 5 years in the Land of Hornbill and she's got no idea there's no such word as "IBANESE"?

The natives are called Ibans! Or Dayaks! Or Bidayuh! Or Penan and Kayan and Murut and Melanau. For Christ's sake!

On top of that, she spoke in a slang as if she's graduated from some foreign universities or something, emphasizing on the "S"es and the "F"s in her speaking. Freaking annoying.

And for some odd reason, I thought it was that incident, I've decided I'm still very much a Sarawakian at heart. 5 years over in KL doesn't change who I really was. And I couldn't wait to service people of my state where I was born. Although I'm still very reluctant to stay in the deep jungle away from the city.