Daring to dream

by Olivia Johnson-Lee (New Zealand)

A leap into the unknown Malaysia

Memories paint our life and our perception paints our memories. The last few months have been a whirlwind of colour, and despite the ups and downs, I’m in love with the end result. Four months ago I boarded a one way flight to Bali, the start of a wild ride that took me across Indonesia, and onto an empowering adventure through the rainforests of Malaysia, where I was able to make a dream come true. The first stop, Indonesia, was a sweet get away with my boyfriend, Jack. A month of yoga, swimming, moped rides under candy floss skies, tropical fruits and friendly people. We ventured east by boat, hopping on and off islands, weaving through mangroves, and swimming with wild sea turtles. A reptile obsession lead us to Komodo Island where, only after getting off the boat, we learnt that a bite from a Komodo Dragon will leave you with an amputated limb, best case scenario Malaysia was next. Jack was headed home for Christmas, so I had a few months flying solo until our rendezvous in Sri Lanka. I’ve always wanted to see an orangutan, so I booked flights to Kuching, or so I thought. The email confirming tickets to Kota Kinabalu instead left me hyperventilating poolside in Canggu. If I couldn't book flights right, how was I going to survive? The mix up surfaced some repressed anxiety over travelling alone but luckily, panic attacks pass. I carried on to Kota Kinabalu, an unexpected turn of events that lead down a beautiful path, which at one point an orangutan did swing by. Fear hypes things so high, reality often falling short of the things it promised. When I landed in Kota Kinabalu, I was the same wicked woman, on the same floating rock, with the same mind, tricks, and traumas. It was a nice, borderline anti climatic, reminder that when I get to the unknown, I’ll always know the I that gets there. Orangutan translates to “person of the forest”, and is the perfect name for these kind creatures. Even from a distance you can pick up on their unique personalities, and the innocent beauty of their content and harmonious lives. I saw one mother balancing a big leaf on her head to protect herself and baby from one of Malaysia's epic downpours. Others weren't bothered, doing rolly pollys and swinging about in the rain. A big cheeky male came right down to the path, seemingly loving the commotion he caused and the attention of my camera. All these orangutan were rehabilitated orphans. Their parents and homes taken by deforestation for palm oil. To get to the sanctuary, one of the few remaining areas of rainforest, I caught a bus inland passed row upon row of palm farms. It's so easy to dissociate and blame big corporations for not making the changes necessary to protect orangutan and their habitat. Their habitat which absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere we live and breathe in everyday. The blame gets dispersed when the people making the decisions aren't the ones consuming, and the consumers aren't the ones making the decisions. Therefore the wheel keeps on turning and no one in particular seems at fault. However, we all are. We control our consumption. We choose what we buy. We are the power. The only effort is to read labels, think twice, and vote with our dollar. Despite the sad reality of deforestation, my time in Malaysia was beautiful. I met lovely people, had some sweet jams on the guitar I’d been lugging around this whole time, and ate copious amounts of fried banana. I am grateful for the picture I’ve painted for myself through my adventures so far. A masterpiece I couldn't even comprehend when I first boarded that plane from Perth. A few dreams of mine actualised and I was able to move on to the next with a happy soul and ferocious momentum. If you have found yourself a crossroad faced with two paths, one that calls your heart and a path of least resistance, remember they are equally unknown. They are as mysterious and chaotic as each other. You may as well dare to chase your dream.