Borneo, what's it like to live/work in?

Gixer · 26 Apr 2011 at 07:57

I was wondering does anyone have any insight as to what it would be like to live in Borneo, primarily the North East in Sabah, and what kind of work is available in this area?

I’ve been scouring the net and am struggling to find much and am unsure if it is even a place I want to live but I’m trying to stay open minded at the moment.

The situation is my girlfriend is doing a PHD there and pretty much wants to end up working there after and for the foreseeing future. This wouldn’t be forever however. My situation is I’ve been working as an aeronautical engineer programming 5 axis n/c machines for 7 years now. Prior to this I did an apprenticeship and gained shop floor experience working with composites and sheet metal work for about 7 years. I earn an average wage, about £27k but I’ve been enjoying life and due to that I don’t own a property nor do I have much in savings, though the latter I am working on.

My girlfriend sees it as very easy to just up and leave the country and worry about coming back when we have to. My concern is our financial stability. When we move back the last thing I want is to have to move in with parents etc and I also have no idea what I’d do with all the things I own at the moment. Unfortunately my parents have no room to store my stuff so I’d be looking at having to pay to store everything for x amount of years. In my head its screaming out I’m not in a good enough financial position to up sticks and setup home out there.

I’ve read up as much as I can on Borneo and appreciate it is dirt cheap to live over there, as long as you’re on a western wage that is! Everything becomes relative once you’re on the same wage as the locals.

So does anyone have any insight into this country? especially when it comes to work for a westerner. Also what is there to do when not working? My current interests are road cycling (doing long distance sportives & 10mile TTs). I like my nippy / fast cars and enjoy the odd track day. Building PC’s and gaming on them. Walking / trekking, most things outdoors. I only have the net as a source of info at the moment and I can find little to nothing on a road bike scene over there. Fast cars, forget that you need a 4x4 really. Internet, based on what the girlfriend has its pants we can’t even video or voice call but she is out in the sticks a bit. Still I try to tell myself I’ll get to be with her at the end of the day

Any info and thoughts are much appreciated.

Cheers

Paul

jumpy · 26 Apr 2011 at 11:05

Question you have to ask yourself is are you willing to follow someone else's career as your own?
Academia can be very narrow minded, particularly when there's a change of residency involved.

Not doing it down, but that's the first question I'd ask myself, as there is a lot at stake, from long term financial interests to simple things like what to do with all your stuff.

How long have you been together?

From what you've said, she seems to be quite set on following her career path (nothing wrong with that), but my take on what you've said thus far is that she has her plan and is not really bothered about the practical concerns, which might leave all of that to you, as you are more aware of the larger implications of a full on move.

You say you are not in a good enough financial position to move. You must have a reason to feel that way as strongly as it comes across.

I take it she already has the funding for her Phd, hence her lack of regard for matters financial and the fact that she's already 'living the dream' of being over there and being focused on that?

What thoughts do you have for your own career from the short to long term?

Borneo is quite a lot different to here

if you like bugs you'll be fine...

I'd say make no decisions without all the facts and certainly make no moves to go and live there without securing an income first, though I'd wager it will not be in anything you're already qualified in, or comparable with your current income.

Some few questions, I know, but you have to ask them.
Try the tourist info for what the area is like first, then maybe contact the embassy over there/here for the low down on economic/employment stuff.

Perhaps you could go over there for a few weeks or a month, as a holiday to scope the place out; get to see where she works and have a few days out seeing the place. Decide if you actually like it out there before committing to organising all of the other stuff a move would involve.

Gixer · 27 Apr 2011 at 07:25

Thanks for the reply Jumpy. I have seen the size of some of the bugs over there, this is why the g/f wants be there so much. She is an ecologist and likes the diversity of animals and prefers the conservation work over there.

I’m currently 33 (no spring chicken now) and she is just about to hit 30 and we’re approaching the 3 year together mark. I’ve had several what I would call serious relationships and I can honestly say that this is the one that I have been most happy in and feel I have the a very strong connection with my g/f. She feels the same hence I choosing to do the whole long distance relationship thing. I have always supported her in her studies and working towards the PHD and I’ve always told her I would not want to stop her from fulfilling her career ambitions. If I did that she’d only come to resent me at some point in time and I’m not like that anyway.

I do look at the much bigger picture when it comes to moving away and moving back yes. You are right that her project is funded and she has been provided living accommodation free and a Ford Ranger 4x4 free (I say free, it was budgeted for and her funding pays for it). Financially in my head I don’t feel I’m in a position to make such a big move. I might be over thinking though. I have no debt and I have about £5k saved up currently. Apart from that all I own are everyday things like a car, TV, PC etc etc so nothing of any real value. In my head I don’t have enough to be able to make the move and then move back into the UK without having any worries of where to live etc. As said last thing I want is to have to move back to my parents place or into a shared house.

As for my own career it is taking quite a focused path. I’m pretty clued up within my field however and eventually I’d like to managing a team of programmers and also dealing with the procurement of new N/C machines and all the other things associated with this. This however would not happen in Borneo, they just aren’t developed enough in this field yet, at least that is how it seems from the research I’ve carried out.

A trip out there is indeed on the cards and I think this is what my g/fs hopes are riding on at the moment. She does know all of my concerns but struggles to understand them and sees it as simple to just up sticks and go off here and there. I have no idea how we’re meant to fund all of this!? Wish I could snap out of being quite so sensible sometimes…….

Xelene · 27 Apr 2011 at 07:34

Gixer said:
As for my own career it is taking quite a focused path. I’m pretty clued up within my field however and eventually I’d like to managing a team of programmers and also dealing with the procurement of new N/C machines and all the other things associated with this. This however would not happen in Borneo, they just aren’t developed enough in this field yet, at least that is how it seems from the research I’ve carried out.

There are places near Borneo that you could get good work, and be an hour or two flight away instead of the other side of the world. Singapore being an obvious one.

zipp0r · 27 Apr 2011 at 09:52

another option is to dump her and find someone else. why should you have to give up your life for her career. that may sound harsh, but think about it for a while and remember that women think about what they want instead of whats good and fair for both parties. she wouldnt stay with you in this country,she just went and did what she wanted and expected you to follow. she could find a nature related career in this country to compromise and maybe iin a few years hen u have saved up you might be more willing to go there, but she didnt.. balls to her imo

neil3k · 27 Apr 2011 at 09:56

very hot

Gixer · 27 Apr 2011 at 10:42

Sldsmkd, this option has been talked about and I’m still open to it however I see it is I’d be in a new country totally on my own and its still a flight away from seeing the g/f, albeit shorter and a fair bit cheaper on some dodgy internal Asian flight. It is something I am thinking about and if there is work anywhere you are correct in that it is on mainland Malaysia / Singapore.

Zipp0r splitting up would be the last resort but if it ends up having to happen so be it. That is something that plays on my mind as the PHD is three years and nothing it set in stone for after the PHD. She may not get offered a position out there, she may get bored of the lifestyle too on the other hand it could be the complete opposite. Does play on my mind that I could be sat here for 3 years and then potentially we have to make the decision to split and I’ve pretty much wasted 3 years of my life on the relationship front. I’m also not selfish enough to expect her to no follow her dreams and she has worked hard to get where she is and unfortunately has focused on tropical ecology. Conservation in the UK doesn’t excite her. I’m hoping some kind of compromise can be come to…………….

I find it hard keeping a totally open mind. I never had plans in my head to leave the UK and I’m not over keen on Asia as a place to live though I can only base it on the 3 months I’ve spent in China which I am sure is greatly different to Borneo. The first month trip to China was quite exciting as it was all new but the following two times I visited for a month at a time weren’t so enjoyable. Definitely not a place I’d want to live.

Doesn’t seem there are many people on here with experiences of living out there for some time though. I think I might put a post up on the lonelyplanet forums too.