• Science for children and adults

September 10, 2004

As the expedition progresses, I am beginning to lose sense of day and time, albeit in a positive manner. It has been truly refreshing to be able to take each day as it comes. I do not have to adhere to a routine lifestyle, for each day that unfolds, brings with it new adventure and experiences.

I always look forward to the community relations (CR) programme. PETRONAS holds firmly to the ‘Energy Receive, Energy Return’ principle. With this, the 4-wheel drive expeditions not only advocate adventure and drama, but also offer a unique platform to share and help the less fortunate.

The second CR programme for the expedition was held in a vocational school in Idku, Egypt. The residents of the village eagerly ran to greet us as the cars entered the village.

I had expected to perform the science show for young children, but my audience turned out to be teenaged girls and adults. I suppose science, as advocated by PETROSAINS, is such that it transcends the barriers of age and language. The crowd was very receptive to all the experiments.

I had great fun teaching the class a popular Malaysian folk song, ‘Rasa Sayang’. In return, the girls taught me an Arabic song. Although we could not understand each other, we managed to communicate in a language spoken not by words but from the heart.

Before going for the CR programme, we were taken on a tour of the PETRONAS Liquified Natural Gas Plant just outside Idku town. We were briefed on PETRONAS’ activities in Egypt. We were also privileged to enjoy the Egyptian hospitality.