I Took A Jungle Survival Course To Help Me Find Myself In Sabah, Malaysia | Pause With Purpose

Key Concepts:

• Jungle Survival Skills: Parang usage, fire starting (with and without lighter), shelter building (tent, hammock, lean-to), water sourcing (bamboo), food identification and procurement (tapioca, palm shoots, grubs, wild chicken), blowpipe hunting.
• Personal Growth: Overcoming fear, resilience, self-discovery, appreciating the present, authenticity, managing expectations, confronting uncertainty.
• Relationship Dynamics: Support, understanding, and learning from each other, navigating challenges together.
• Mindfulness and Appreciation: Recognizing the bigger world, taking care of oneself, valuing simplicity, and appreciating nature.
• Overcoming Limitations: Challenging personal judgments, pushing physical and emotional limits.

The Jungle Experience: A Journey of Survival and Self-Discovery

1. Arrival and Initial Challenges

Joanna Dong, a singer and actress, and Zach, an arts educator, embark on an 8-day jungle survival experience in Saba with indigenous guide, Henry, and his assistants. The goal is to learn basic survival skills and step outside their comfort zones. Initial concerns include physical challenges, lack of material comforts, and potential dangers like snakes. The initial packing reveals a significant discrepancy between what the couple think they need versus what's actually necessary for survival, leading to Henry discarding unnecessary items like an inflatable mattress and soy sauce. This sets the tone for learning to rely on the jungle's resources.

2. Learning Basic Survival Skills

• Parang Usage: Henry teaches them how to use a parang (a type of machete). The initial attempts are stressful and highlight the difficulty of accurately aiming.
• River Crossing: They learn to cross a river by facing upstream and side-stepping slowly, a metaphor for facing life's challenges. Joanna finds this a really beautiful metaphor for facing life’s challenges head-on and one step at a time.
• Camp Setup: After a tough 2-hour hike, they arrive at the campsite. Setting up a tent, gratefully used on the first night, is one of the first tasks.

3. Confronting Personal Fears and Limitations

• Joanna's Survivor Guilt: Joanna, a breast cancer survivor, feels "sheepishness" being called a survivor because her treatment was manageable. She seeks to "earn a survivor badge" through this challenging experience.
• Zach's Stoicism: Zach's stoic demeanor masks deep feelings. Joanna explains that he puts up "a stoic front" for most people, and allowing himself to feel every situation could be overwhelming.
• Dealing with Discomfort: Early challenges include rain, wetness, and the realization that they're not "wired" for constant change, having lived in the same flat for 12 years.

4. Building a Hammock and Shelter

• Hammock Construction: They learn to build hammocks, emphasizing the importance of ensuring "no right," likely referring to ensuring it's level and stable. Zach experiences a moment of overwhelm and "misty eyes" due to the constant discomfort and uncertainty. Henry’s advice, "Tonight you sleep in a cocoon. Tomorrow you wake up a butterfly", serves as encouragement.
• Shelter Relocation: The mosquito net string breaks for Joanna and the constant rain force them to move their shelter. They learn to build a new, more substantial shelter.

5. Finding Appreciation in Simplicity

• Shifting Perspective: Joanna notes how urban life focuses on "thriving" in the future, while survival in the jungle forces one to appreciate the present. Survival “actually just puts you in the present and and and there there's already so much to appreciate out here."
• Jungle as Provider: They learn that the jungle can provide everything they need. They use wild palm for fire, shelter and food.

6. The Solo Experience and the Fire Challenge

• The Examination: Henry announces that they will face a 24-hour solo survival test.
• Termite Infestation: Termites infest their bed due to the trees used in construction.
• Fire Starting Struggles: Starting a fire proves extremely difficult. Henry mentions it takes around 2,000 attempts to learn how to start a fire by rubbing two pieces of bamboo together, and gives them permission to use a lighter. They struggle with the process, with Joanna adhering strictly to Henry's instructions ("That's not how it's done") and Zach improvising, leading to humorous disagreements.
• Lessons in Perseverance: They spent a long time figuring out how to start a fire.

7. Food Procurement and the Grub Experience

• Blowpipe Hunting: They learn to use a blowpipe with poisoned darts to hunt small animals. Joanna jokes about how she thinks her gut is not going to get very small and Zach points out that "if we eat meat we should at least have the respect for the animal to learn how to kill it ourselves."
• Killing a Chicken: Joanna participates in the killing and butchering of a chicken for food.
• Maggot Consumption: Henry presents them with live grubs (maggots) as a source of protein. Joanna is initially disgusted but successfully eats one, describing it as having a "minty and nutty flavor." Zach also partakes. Henry mentions that the grub becomes an adult farm.

8. Anniversary Celebration and Emotional Release

• Anniversary Dinner: Henry surprises them with a romantic anniversary dinner in the jungle, featuring tapioca, ginger, banana stem, and bamboo water. Zach is visibly moved, experiencing an emotional release.
• Zach's Vulnerability: Zach admits he distances himself from such moments because he sometimes doesn't believe he deserves them. He acknowledges learning from Joanna how to embrace and enjoy things.

9. The Solo Separation and Survival Test

• Farewell and Anxiety: The couple prepares for their 24-hour solo separation, building their own hammocks and shelters in different areas. Both express anxiety and miss each other.
• Joanna's Solo Experience: Joanna's goals are to build a fire and boil water.
• Zach's Solo Experience: Zach recalls Joanna's advice, especially how she would have kept the fire alive. He tries to start a fire but fails due to the moist fibers.

10. Reunion and Reflections

• Reunion and Debrief: The couple reunites after 24 hours. They discuss their individual experiences and challenges, revealing different approaches to survival.
• Joanna's Success: Joanna reports her accomplishment as she was able to start a fire on the first try.
• Zach's Struggles and Resourcefulness: Zach was unable to sustain a fire, but he found water in bamboo, which saved him.
• Appreciation and Growth: Both express gratitude for the experience and the lessons learned. Joanna has grown leaps and bounds, as she calls herself a jungle girl. Zach has been able to be appreciative of himself.

11. Final Reflections and Future Aspirations

• Campfire Song: Joanna, a singer, reveals her profession and performs a self-composed "campfire song" about her jungle experience.
• Personal Branding Seminar: Zach, an educator, conducts a seminar on personal branding, emphasizing authenticity. He credits the jungle experience with helping him overcome his stress and feel more resilient.
• Future Studies: Zach is pursuing PhD program.

12. Synthesis and Conclusion

The jungle survival experience proves to be a transformative journey for Joanna and Zach, pushing them beyond their physical and emotional limits. They learn essential survival skills, confront personal fears, and gain a deeper appreciation for simplicity, resilience, and their relationship. The experience reinforces the importance of living in the present, embracing authenticity, and recognizing one's own capabilities. The journey is hard, but helps them unlock hidden strengths. They are grateful for the lessons learned.