There is a popular saying that goes, “Tall wife, happy life”.
Yoke Yosephine Suwito and her husband, Seminar Gisau, embody this cheerful phrase. Standing noticeably taller than her husband, Yoke often laughs as Seminar playfully teases her or cheekily interrupts her stories with his own version of events. Their affectionate banter comes so naturally that it is hard to tell who is entertaining whom.
Their love story, however, began far from Lawas, Sarawak, where they now call home.
In 1998, as the Asian financial crisis swept through Indonesia, Yoke was working in accounting in Jakarta. With her father retired and seriously ill, she knew her family needed financial support.
Determined to shoulder that responsibility, she resigned from her job and accepted an opportunity to work in Brunei, where the stronger currency meant she could earn significantly more.
What she did not expect was that the decision to leave home would ultimately lead her to the man she would eventually marry.
While attending services at St Andrew’s Church in Brunei in 1999, Yoke met Seminar, a Lun Bawang from Lawas who was then working as an elevator technician.
A chance meeting soon blossomed into a relationship built on shared faith, mutual respect, and common values. Three years later, they married and started a family, raising three daughters while following Seminar’s career across Brunei, Kuching, and Miri before eventually settling in his hometown of Lawas.
When Seminar retired in 2022 after decades in the engineering industry, the couple thought they were entering a quieter chapter of life. Instead, it marked the beginning of an entirely new adventure.
Friends who visited their family property often found themselves captivated by its peaceful surroundings, panoramic views, and convenient location. Before long, many were offering the same suggestion.
“You should turn this into a homestay.”
They were hesitant at first but eventually converted three rooms to see where the idea would lead. The response came almost immediately.
Their first guests arrived from Sabah, followed by another group, and then another.
Bookings were coming in from across Malaysia, followed by international visitors from the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and China, among others.
What started as a simple retirement project gradually evolved into ‘My Homestay’, a family-run countryside retreat that has become one of Lawas’ welcoming accommodations for travellers seeking peace and nature.
Today, the homestay offers five guest rooms and continues to grow, with additional rooms already under construction. The couple hopes to eventually build studio units, a café, a surau, camping facilities, and even a small cultural corner where visitors can experience Lun Bawang traditions through traditional attire, musical instruments, and local heritage displays.
For Yoke and Seminar, however, the property’s greatest appeal lies elsewhere.
“They come because of the nature and peaceful environment,” she said. “But they come back because of the hospitality, cleanliness, and the way we take care of them.”
That belief continues to guide the way they run the homestay every day.
Yoke manages reservations, finances, and guest services, while Seminar looks after maintenance, the gardens, and the fish pond. Together, they welcome every visitor personally, whether it means safekeeping long-term guests’ belongings between work assignments, helping stranded motorcyclists repair their bikes, or simply sitting down for a chat over coffee.
As bookings continued to grow, so did the need to strengthen their knowledge of how to run a homestay professionally.
In 2025, Yoke was among 54 participants in the Basics of Homestay Management Workshop organised by PETRONAS under its Reskilling Community Programme (ReCP), an initiative aimed at equipping local communities with practical skills to enhance employability, entrepreneurship, and sustainable income opportunities.
Delivered by trainers from Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS), the workshop introduced participants to hospitality standards, customer service, safety practices, and financial management.
For Yoke, the programme gave them the confidence to manage their growing business more professionally.
“It taught us that hospitality is what keeps customers coming back,” she said. “We also learned how to better manage our finances, ensure guests’ safety, and improve the overall experience.”
The training also encouraged the couple to strengthen their online presence. While ‘My Homestay’ initially relied on Facebook to attract guests, they later ventured onto TikTok after customers suggested the platform could help them reach a wider audience. The decision proved worthwhile, introducing the homestay to travellers who might otherwise never have discovered the quiet charm of Lawas.
Like many small business owners, Yoke and Seminar still face challenges, particularly in securing the funds needed to expand their facilities to meet growing demand.
Nevertheless, they continue to reinvest every bit of profit back into the business, making improvements one project at a time.
Looking around the property today, it is easy to see that ‘My Homestay’ is more than a place for travellers to spend the night. It is the story of two people who found each other far from home, built a family together, and discovered that retirement was not the end of their journey, but the beginning of a new one.
Every guest who walks through the doors of ‘My Homestay’ becomes part of that continuing story. — DayakDaily
