The Sights and Sounds of UUM- PART 2

'Time spent amongst trees is never time wasted.' - Katrina Mayer

Oh yes, the monkeys. They seem harmless but very intimidating when in a barrel. My friend from Nigeria once described her ordeal as a newly arrived UUM student. She would spend torturous hours in her room, unable to venture out during the day until evening when the troop of monkeys retreated into the forest. But by morning, the monkeys would be back. So psychologically affected was she that she placed a call back home, wondering whether she would survive this subtle form of terrorism. But alas! One day, emboldened by a new spirit of defiance, she woke up and matched to the library, even as many of them made their way into the hostels. The only reason I believe the monkeys appear on campus is to forage for food. Most students, particularly those on the upper floor, keep their trash cans just outside their door, which draws in the monkeys. Yes, I see them, but I guess the monkey population seems to have dwindled, or maybe because I stay on the ground floor where no one stores garbage outside their door. Somehow, they don’t scare me that much.

If I may mention one or two incidents concerning the animal I dread most. The one that moves on the belly and is biblically man’s enemy. A churchmate from Zimbabwe told me about this one time he had to kill a black mamba he mercifully spotted slithering into his house (student accommodation for postgraduates located about 5 km away from the university). I also remember visiting comrades in Siseran (an accommodation for postgraduate students just outside the campus) when we saw yet another dead snake. UUM comprises all sorts of students, many of whom are accompanied by family. Both spouses could be UUM students and enroll their children in the international school within UUM. Maybank hostel, comprising one bedroomed apartments, is particularly reserved for families. I don’t know whether it’s because of proximity to the forest, but I have heard reports of animals spotted within Maybank's vicinity, such as a fox, deadly spiders, and wild pigs. I draw comfort in the fact that Tradewinds is located right in the center of campus, away from the mighty forest that harbors God knows what else. By now, you must have figured out that our hostels are named after corporates in Malaysia.

Just a day or two after I had settled in my room and retired to bed, I heard this terrifying, loud sound right inside my room! To describe me as frightened would be an understatement. I had two options: wake up, switch on the light and investigate the source of that horrid sound, or cover myself fully and wish the sound away as I sometimes do. I opted for the former and, using my mobile's torchlight, searched and searched without results. The sound was not continuous, rather come-and-go. It would be long in coming, okay, but eventually, it would. Well, since option one was unyielding, I turned to option two, covered myself fully, and slept away. In the morning, I inquired from my next-door neighbor, who only laughed incessantly. I soon joined in her hysterical laughter when I discovered the startling noise had come from a lizard. These small lizards love hanging out in our rooms and are basically harmless. With time I got used to their cry the way I am used to a mosquito’s buzz in Africa (but please, the sound of a mosquito and this lizard's are incomparable).

Besides the experiences and narrations of wild animal species, I must hasten to add that UUM has packaged itself not just as an academic giant but also as a tourist attraction of note. We have designated areas one can visit while on tour, and these include a deer park, ostrich park, botanical gardens, fishing lake, duck pond, and horse-riding area. Other tourist attraction sites not related to animals include the Bunga Raya hill (I have set foot on its summit), the golf course, a museum, the Vista Point, jungle tracking, and Pokok 3 Beradik (please Google this-I never saw such trees).

Concerning the flora, oh, you would fall deeply in love alright because UUM has a truly eco-friendly environment. The UUM Forest Reserve was originally a part of the Sungai Badak Forest Reserve and was gazetted as Bukit Kachi Forest Reserve in 1988. Since then, the university has made deliberate efforts to sustain a green environment. Thus, while 229.40 hectares remain virgin forest, 244.16 hectares comprise a secondary forest. Reports show that this forest's type of flora is unique to this region as it is absent in other parts of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. In fact, the vegetation available in the virgin forest of UUM resembles the one found in southern Thailand and southern Myanmar. In this forest are found the dipterocarp tree speceis such as Shorea farinose, Shorea guiso, and Shorea hypochra. In contrast, the non-commercial dipterocarp tree species include Dillenia grandfolia, Koompassia excelsa, and Intsia palembanica.

The secondary forest, also known as Schima-Bamboo Forest, consists of two forest strata. These are the upper strata that comprise trees of the dipterocarp's dominant species and the lower strata with small trees. Examples of trees in the secondary wing include Dillenia obovate, Schima wallichi, Cassia nodosa, etc. UUM has planted approximately 50,300 Teja trees and 8,164 Karas trees. Other forest trees planted include Teak (900) and Mahogany (500).

You may recall my narration about how blown away I was on my first day on campus while on a taxi. There are about 20,000 decorative trees of shading type and palm trees planted by UUM. Everywhere you step, your eyes feast on these gorgeous plants, which include small trees and flowers, giving UUM a fresh, green, and natural environment.

Beloved, I am in earthly heaven. Just too beautiful. Except for the slithering and crawling creatures.