Sabah's been variously known as British North Borneo, Land of the Sacred Mountain, and Seludang, but one of its most enduring names is Land Below the Wind. This is because it's just below the typhoon belt that harasses the Philippines, leaving the state free from violent winds at least, if not from monsoon storms.
Which is why last Monday or so everybody started looking a little betrayed, a slightly wounded look in their eyes.
Typhoon Saola swept into the Philippines, killing 7 and displacing around 20,000 people.
Of course, against that backdrop, our woes are minor. But the shock of having to pin down laundry on the line was not well-received. The winds were pretty severe, even down here, and trees came down all over the place, blocking roads and cutting off the electricity supply. Headscarves and long skirts were lifted along the roadside, leading more than a few young girls to walk hunched over, gripping their hems as they walked to school.
It also caused disruption at SK Lohan, where the canteen has opened again to provide a limited service to non-Muslim teachers. I had a coffee yesterday with one of my mentees, feeling like a Very Bad Person - all the doors and shutters were closed, and curtains placed over the windows to hide us from the fasting teachers and students. The unexpected winds, of course, did not help us to remain entirely secret...
Shebeen, anyone?
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