Malaysia, Day III: Homestay Part 2, Mini-Mosque World

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*Forgive any grammar mistakes or sloppy sentences. I'm exhausted at the moment.

We had to wake up pretty early on Friday to go have a picnic/activities on the beach with all of the homestay families. First, we helped haul in a fishing net full of fish, which was mildly disturbing. There were some stingrays in the catch, which was pretty crazy!

Then we had picnic breakfasts prepared by all the homestay moms. Ours was really good, but I was covered in sand, so it was kind of uncomfortable eating it.

After the picnic, we played games on the beach. They were actually a lot of fun! It was kind of nice to act like a kid again, and most of us were pretty bad at the games, which made it all the funnier.

Each homestay family split up after that, and went to the Wet Market, which is essentially like a farmer's market combined with a community yard sale. The pictures of this explain it pretty well - people were selling all kinds of things, but mostly either clothing or food. In the food category, there were tons of fruits, and also a lot of meat. The meat area was kind of sickening (as you'll get a glimpse of in the pictures), and there were far too many flies for me to feel entirely comfortable. In any case, our host parents were mostly at the market to buy food for lunch, so we didn't actually get to spend much time wandering around.

We returned to our house after that, and I showered and took a nap. My friend had explained to me how to use the shower head to actually shower - apparently it's just like a normal shower, except you're standing in the middle of the bathroom instead of in an enclosure. This time was infinitely more successful than the night before, and I actually felt clean (and so thankful!).

When we woke up from our naps (it was one of the best naps I've ever had in my entire life - the window was open and the temperature was perfect), oomi was preparing lunch. She told us we could walk around the house and take pictures if we wanted, so we did. She also pointed to a house across the backyard and told us that was the sister's house we had been at the night before, and another sister lived right next door. They really do value family ties, I think.

Lunch was really good, though it once again included a ton of fish. Oomi and abba kept encouraging us to eat with our hands, in the local fashion, but I didn't really feel up to it. One interesting thing to note was the order of feeding - we the men ate first, with abba and our 13-year old host brother. Oomi and the daughter had to wait until we finished before they could start.

The conclusion of the homestay was pretty anticlimactic. After lunch, all the families met up at the welcome center for a closing ceremony, and that was the end of it. Oomi and abba gave us their address, and told us that if we ever came back, we could stay with them. You can see why I get the impression that Malays are very kind, generous, and welcoming.

After the homestay was over, we went to Mini-Mosque World (that's not the official title, obviously). This is exactly what it sounds like - a sort of amusement park/museum with miniature models of the most famous mosques around the world. It was actually a really awesome park, and we all had a lot of fun wandering around and taking funny pictures (as you'll see).

The Mini-Mosque World concluded our stay in Terengganu, and we rode in the bus for most of the rest of the night. We stopped at a sort of carnival for dinner, but there wasn't really that much food around. What we did find was sketchy and kind of disgusting, as most carnival food is. The carnival was kind of neat to explore, but we didn't have a lot of time and the locals kept gawking at us. Our graduate coordinator and one girl from the trip rode the roller coaster and ferris wheel that were set up. The graduate coordinator threw up.

The bus ride from the carnival to Kota Bahru, our final destination, was long and late. We played "never-have-I-ever," though, which helped pass the time and taught us all a lot (perhaps too much...:-P) about each other. It was one of the best bus bonding periods we had on the whole trip.

Of course, once we got to the hotel, we checked in and went right to sleep. Thus ended day three.

Malaysia, Day II: Francis is a Sketchball, Homestay

Click here to look at the pictures. You might want to do this after you read the blog, or open them in a new window.

On the second day, Thursday, we woke up in our resort hotel and had a DELICIOUS buffet breakfast. I went back three times to eat, and drank several cups of coffee.

We set off, and our sketchball tour guide, instead of taking us to the Mini-Mosque World, like he was scheduled to do, took us to some random silk/batik/craft place. I don't know why he did this, or how he thought he was supposed to get away with it, but it infuriated most of us, especially because we felt powerless to stop it.

Anyway, instead of actually visiting the mini-mosque world, like we were supposed to, we stopped there for lunch. Which really didn't make any sense, because it is essentially a museum, and there weren't really many restaurants, and we were terribly rushed. Francis!

ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE, we finally DID something (as opposed to just stopping at random places) after that and went to the Terengganu (the name of the state we were in) Museum. There, we met a group of Malay university students who led us around the museum. The guy who led our group was really nice and taught us a little bit of Malay for our homestay. The museum was cool, but more than that, it was nice to finally talk to a real person instead of just gawking at things from a tour bus.

After the museum, we headed to our homestay. We were all really nervous about this, and stupid Francis didn't make us feel any better. The way he was talking, we all thought we would be staying in huts with sand floors and holes in the ground instead of toilets. But he is a chauvinistic, orientalist, patronizing, sexist, culturally insensitive jerk, and he got us all worked up for nothing.

When we arrived in the village of Teluk Ketapang, where our homestay was based, we were still feeling pretty awkward. The homestay program is actually run by the government, as a sort of arm of the tourism industry. It makes sense - it helps stimulate the local economy, promotes stronger feelings of nationalism for the families involved, and shares the "Malay culture" with foreigners. However, because it was set up by the government, I was worried about what it would be like. I've heard horror stories about homestays, and I was worried the family wouldn't care about us, that they would they just have signed up for the program for the money and treat us awfully.

I couldn't have been more wrong. When we got off the bus, there was a huge group of people there to greet us, dressed in "traditional clothes" and waving palm leaves. Everyone was extremely friendly and we soon realized there was nothing to worry about. After the welcome ceremony, which I documented pretty well with my pictures, we were assigned to our homestay families and split off for the night!

I feel like I should have a lot to say about the homestay, but I don't really. I was paired with a guy from our group named John. Our parents were teachers, so they spoke some English, but not a lot. It was enough to get by, though, and as corny as it sounds, we communicated with smiles and gestures.

After meeting our host mother (our host father was at work), who told us to call her "oomi," which I think means "mama," we got into a Honda. I know this sounds awful, but it was kind of odd seeing oomi pull out a cell phone and get into a car. I guess that's globalization for you. I never realized I was so closed-minded! (At least I'm learning, I guess.)

Oomi took us to a pastry shop and bought us cookies and drinks, which was really sweet of her. She spoke some English, but she would often talk herself into a corner and then just make a choking noise or sputter out some Malay. I felt bad, because I could tell it was difficult for her, and obviously we hadn't done much to learn her language, even though we were in her country.

We arrived at the house, which, as you'll see in the pictures, was actually really nice. The bathroom...well, you'll see it in the pictures. Here is a video of our bedroom (though there are also several pictures in the Photobucket album).

We mostly just sat around and talked and watched TV. Most of the channels were in Malay, but we obviously didn't mind. We went out to dinner at an open-air restaurant called "BB2." It was highly questionable, and the food was not that good, but hey, oomi and abba (dad) were trying. It was kind of funny, because while we were eating Malay food, their 13 year old daughter came with us and ordered Western food. Oh, globalization!

After dinner, oomi and abba said they were going to take us to somebody's sister's house for an "englishment party." Or at least, that was what John and I heard, and we had no idea what they were talking about. Of course, we just went along with them, and soon we were at another house that looked a lot like ours.

I'm still not sure whose sister it was, but the "englishment party" was actually an "engagement party." There were lots of relatives over, and decorations all around the house. In my pictures, the very last one is of the actual "engagement room." During the ceremony, the silver cushion in the middle is where the bride-to-be sits. The groom kneels in front of her and puts the ring on her finger. They can't sit on the cushion together until they are actually married.

You can't really see these in the picture, but the bride and groom exchange gifts. These are baskets in the shape of shells, with fruit or chocolate or sarongs inside (think: Little Mermaid, that first scene where Ariel's sisters are inside a shell, and then little animals with instruments pop out of shells - kind of like that). It was really lovely, and apparently the engagement party was to happen the next day, and we were there to witness the setting up for it. John and I both felt blessed to have oomi and abba share this with us.

After that, we went back home, which was just around the corner. Oomi and abba told us that, in Malay culture, family is very important, and that's why they live so close to their sister (whoever's sister it is...) I tried to take a shower that night, but I was intimidated by the unfamiliar setup of the bathroom, so I just wet a washcloth and used that. It was not a pleasant experience.

I slept really well that night, though. Oomi gave us an oscillating fan in addition to the ceiling fan, for which I was really grateful. I'm sure I would have slept well under any conditions, though, because it had been quite an exhausting day!

Malaysia, Day I: A Long Bus Ride

Here is my photo album from the first day (click on the word "here"). I think the photos explain themselves. We were basically just in the bus all day. We stopped for lunch and then again for dinner, and at some random rest stops and fruit stalls on the way, but that's about all we did.

*Make sure to click on each picture so you can read the captions that explain what it is*

One thing which we did do, but which I didn't take pictures of, was go to a turtle sanctuary. I don't even want to talk about this - after a whole day of driving, which exhausted all of us, they made us leave the hotel at 10pm after checking in and dropping our stuff off! I wanted to sleep! So I hated the whole experience and thought it was absolutely stupid and pointless. Of course, everyone else loved it.

Anyway, that's about it for my commentary. Check out the pictures!

A Little Bit About Malaysia

Since most people (including myself before this program) hardly even realize that Malaysia exists, I'll divulge a little bit of information about it. We haven't started our class section on Malaysia yet, so I only know a few vague, imprecise things. I still think it will be useful and interesting information, though:

- Malaysia is an officially and predominantly Muslim country. That means the government is run on Islamic principles, and the majority of the people are Muslim. However, as my host father was eager to assure me, they are a very tolerant people, and all faiths live peacefully together.

- Malaysia is some sort of democratic/constitutional monarchy. I don't really know what that means, but they have a king and queen. I think. I'm not sure how much power they have, or if they aren't more like figureheads.

- Malay is the official language. It is in the "Austronesian" family of languages, and is closely related to Indonesian. Personally, I think it's unpleasant, but that's just a matter of opinion.

- The "indigenous" Malay are the dominant ethnic group. Chinese are the largest minority. In addition to religious tolerance, the peoples are also racially tolerant, and all ethnicities can live peacefully side by side (according to my host father, anyways).

- This is sheerly based on my perceptions and experiences, but it seems that Malays have a strong sense of national identity. They are proud to be Malay, and have more or less clear ideas of what that means (speaking Malay, being of Malay ethnicity, practicing Islam, feeling connected to their homeland, etc.)

- Again, sheerly based on my perceptions, Malays seem to value close family ties, religious and racial tolerance, and a laid-back lifestyle. My host family was generally late to everything, and it didn't matter to them or to the neighbours whom they were meeting. Don't quote me on this, though - I realize it is a gross over-generalization based on insubstantial evidence. I'm just trying to provide a rough sketch!

Alright, now here's a map I made with Google maps of all the places we went!

A) PGP dorms in Singapore. Yes, Singapore is really that tiny compared to Malaysia!

B) Johor Bahru - We stopped here for breakfast on the first day.

C) Segamat - We stopped here for lunch on the first day.

D) Kuantan - Where we spent our first night.

E) Cherating - The location of our first hotel, The Legend Resort.

F) I think this is where we had our homestay, a small village called "Teluk Ketapang."

G) Kuala Terengannu - We went to a museum and a mini-mosque-world (you'll have to see the pictures to know what that is) just outside of this city. We never entered the city.

H) Kota Bahru - Our "ultimate" destination and the only place where we spent two nights. It is a city in the state of Kelantan, which runs along the border with Thailand.

And then we drove 18 hours straight from H back to A on Sunday! That was a nightmare! We left at 8:30 and didn't get back until 2 in the morning!

Seleamat Datang ke Malaysia: Or, Welcome to Malaysia

I guess I'll start with general descriptions. I'm going to be very frank - the parts of Malaysia we visited were, by American standards, dirty. Except for our hotels, most buildings were old, dilapidated, and in disrepair. There were ants, flies, and lizards everywhere, and I felt wary of most of the food that I was eating. Almost all bathrooms lacked a western toilet and toilet paper, so even women had to squat. My Indian friends got sick of us complaining about the toilets because they are used to them from having visited India. But even though, as a guy, I didn't have to squat, it was a big difference from what I'm used to in the U.S. Another facet of this is that Malaysia is the first "poorly-developed" country I've ever visited. I thought I was a pretty open person, but I'm not going to lie: it was a shock, and I was really uncomfortable the first few days we were there.

Nonetheless, the landscape was beautiful. It was incredibly lush and verdant, even more so than Singapore because Malaysia is significantly less developed. Also, rubber and palm oil are two of Malaysia's main exports, so they have no dearth of broad-leafed trees. Here's a short video from the bus of the forests we passed the first day.

I'm not sure what else to say in general terms. I already wrote about how much I hated having to follow a preset tour and not having any freedom. It felt awful not being able to eat when I wanted or go to the bathroom when I wanted. It felt even worse when I didn't like the food we were eating, which happened often, because they kept serving us seafood and things we couldn't identify.

And yet, from the few interactions we did have with Malaysians, I gathered an entirely different opinion. Everyone we talked to was very friendly and kind and welcoming. Most of them didn't speak a lot of English, but hey, neither did we speak any Malay, so it didn't really matter. As corny as it sounds, "Kindness is a universal language." It seemed that the regions we visited were not really frequented by American tourists, and most people seemed excited and surprised to have us there. Sure, lots of people gawked at us when we were in public, but overall, they were really eager to share their "Malay culture," which they were very proud of, with us.

So I can't say one way or another that the trip was good or bad, or that I enjoyed it or hated it. I didn't enjoy the bad parts, and I really enjoyed the good parts, and instead of adding together to create some sort of overall impression, these two remain distinct feelings. I loved and hated the trip, but I can say that, overall, I'm thankful for the experience.

Tally Ho! Onwards to Malaysia

Now is the time for me to recount our 4-day trip to Malaysia. The only problems are that I have nearly 400 pictures and I haven't decided how I want to document it. I think I'm going to do like I did for Pulau Ubin and upload all of the pictures to Photobucket and just put a link here. I'd like to also write a few posts about what we did, but I'm already so far behind!

Well, I already wrote an initial response the day after we got back (you can go back and read it if you haven't already), and it was such a whirlwind trip that it's difficult to figure out just what to say. I'll try to make a sort of itinerary documenting what we did each day, and then maybe post a few scattered posts with random thoughts and feelings I had during the trip.

Here goes nothing...

Tuesday the 15th: Too Much AirCon (for reference - the day before our Malaysia trip)

I never thought I'd say it, but on Tuesday the 15th we were subjected to way too much air conditioning for way too long. We had to go to the Immigration Checkpoint Authority to get our student visa cards made. As is usually the case with government bureaus, what should have taken only two or three hours turned into a day-long affair. We were all starving by the end and glad to get back out into the warm evening air!

We went to one of the many Singaporean malls for dinner, but figuring out where to eat was a mess. Obviously, some people wanted cheap food and some people wanted a nice meal, and some people wanted certain things and some people couldn't make up their minds. And then there was a really awful occurrence - a woman slipped on a wet floor and took a pretty messy tumble. It was horrific to be nearby to it, and so I'd rather not discuss it any further. But the worst part was that she fell in the middle of a very narrow hallway that was the only way for us to get back to the escalator.

In any case, despite all of these screw ups, Rena and Devika and I ate at a really lovely Dim Sum restaurant. I already talked about the food in my food post, but I'll put some pictures anyway so that this post won't be devoid of some aesthetic element.

It was a very nice ending to a not-so-hot (pun!) day.

Monday the 14th: Shopping for Malaysia (for reference - the day after our homestay)

On Monday the 14th, after class, I went to Chinatown with a girl from the group to look for linen pants for our trip to Malaysia. Malaysia is primarily Muslim, so we were expected to dress somewhat modestly while there. It's also very hot, though, so I figured linen pants were a good bet. (Everyone said they loved them, so I guess it was a good decision.) So here are some random pictures from our adventure!

^^ This is kind of ironic, because freedom of speech is pretty heavily restricted in Singapore. In fact, any gathering in public to discuss something of more than 3 people is *technically* prohibited.

^^ Shops in Chinatown.

^^ A random Hindu temple.

I'm not sure, but I would assume these are both apartment buildings.

Creepy mannequins in one of the Chinatown shops...

After Chinatown, we went to a shopping centre called Holland Village. It's pretty near to PGP (our dorms), and it's a really big complex with lots of shops and restaurants. It's a bit like Franklin Street, but bigger, and consolidated in a shopping centre setup. It's apparently a "cool" place for teenagers to hang out.

We ate at a hawker centre (think: food court, but rougher around the edges, and where each person owns his or her own stall and the food is healthier and more like home-cooked food than in an American food court) for dinner. Afterwards, we decided to split dessert, and figured we had to give Chendol, very popular among Singaporeans, another try.

I would explain it, but I don't entirely know what it is. I think I explained it in my food post, so just go back to that one if you want to know. It was not the best culinary experience I've ever had...but it was interesting and adventurous. I guess.

Singapura, City of Love: Or, Sunset at Clarke Quay: Or, In Which I Fall in Love With the City

NOTE: I recommend you turn up the brightness on your computer screen - the pictures are kind of dark. Also, remember that you can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

It's amazing how much differently you experience a city when you're aimless and alone. Today, I went souvenir shopping in Chinatown with a group of friends. Around 6:30, they decided to head to Little India for dinner, but I wasn't hungry, so I decided to head back to the dorm.

At first, I felt odd being alone. I didn't want to go straight back to the dorm: I was out and about, and it felt like a shame to simply return to my room and close myself in. I didn't know what to do, though - I wasn't hungry, I didn't have a notebook or a book, or anything to use as an excuse for just sitting down somewhere. So I walked towards the metro station and decided that if I saw something worth seeing, I'd stop. Soon, I embraced the idea of rambling aimlessly, and I felt it embrace me, and it actually felt relieving to not have to keep up a conversation or worry about negotiating the next destination. It's amazing how much more you see when you're not focused on the people you're with.

I came to the riverfront (remember the pictures from a few posts ago?) and looked around. Which way to go? To my right, the newly-constructed, just-opened-yesterday Marina Bay Sands resort (the three buildings with the giant ship on top of them - see: Day Four: Scavenger Hunt, Part II) stood against the mauve-streaked sky. The river glistened like melted pennies, and the buildings of the colonial district (see: Tuesday, the 8th: Parts I & II) peeked out from the opposite bank.

I took an underpass tunnel to my left to cross under a busy road. An old, bearded man sat on a seat inside, playing some sort of flute. For a moment, his wistful, melancholy airs were the only sound, and it was like the city outside the underpass ceased to be.

Then I emerged on the other side of the road, now opposite Clarke Quay (my favorite place ever - because of its name, of course). The sun was setting behind the skyscrapers and pastel storefronts, and the indigo clouds twinkled with gold and pink splashes. There were people everywhere: waterside restaurants buzzed with early evening guests, corny music played over sporadically placed speakers, people screamed as the Reverse Bungy (see upper-right corner of the picture below) catapulted them into the air. People lined the quay, watching the bungy riders and waving at the tour boats as they passed.

There were families, couples, friends, loners, locals, tourists, expats, Chinese, Caucasians, Indians, Malays, adults, children, and everything in between sitting on the concrete steps leading up from the water. Some were reading, some were talking, some were photographing with big, trendy cameras, and some were just sitting, like me. Both sides of the river were teeming with conviviality and that warm, orangey-pink feeling that always seems to accompany waterside sunsets.

The weather was perfect - humidity was low and there was the subtlest of breezes. It was the kind of warm that's so pleasant, you don't even notice it unless you make a point to think about it. Two Chinese women next to me snapped pictures of themselves with their phones. An Indian couple on my right shared a meal and waved at the people on the tour boats. A young, trendy Chinese guy in skinny jeans and wielding an SLR kept repositioning himself and peering through his lens. Two little girls talked and giggled, teasing each other. A 30-something white man sat reading a book, looking up from time to time.

This was the backdrop, and it was more than romantic - even for a single guy all by himself. It was mellow and peaceful at the same time that it was lively and vibrant. It was soft and warm and welcoming, like a kind smile or a hand on your back.

And this is when I definitively fell in love with Singapore.

Sunday, the 13th: Singaporean Homestay III - Din Tai Fung & Botanics

We woke up on Sunday after our late-night sleepover and Lydia took us to one of her favorite restaurants, Din Tai Fung. This was and to this day still is, hands down, the best meal I've eaten here. If this changes, I'll be sure to let you know, but as of now, it is still uncontested. Let me try to explain everything we ate.

^^ Shrimp fried rice...but it was not anything like American fried rice, and was very eggy, moist, and delectable.

^^ The two dishes from which people are getting food are essentially like chicken noodle soup, but not as salty. The chicken tray in between those is "drunk chicken." It is cooked in wine and tastes like it. It was a very interesting flavor combination.

These delicious dumplings (I don't even know what the real name for them is) were sort of the centerpiece of the meal. They are just thin dough dumplings surrounding shredded meat and soup, but I can't even describe to you how incredible they are! You have to pick them up carefully, because if you break the dough, the soup will spill everywhere!

Our chopstick skills definitely got put to the test! And Lydia, Aaron, and Andre had a lot of fun laughing at our failed attempts!

And then there were also dumplings filled with sweet red bean paste for dessert! Abby and Lacy and I all agree that these are our single favorite dish in Singapore, and continue to crave them!

After lunch, we headed to the Singapore Botanical Gardens. *Interesting tidbit* the gardens and the malls around them are a popular hangout for maids on Sundays. Many, many middle-to-upper-class Singaporean families have a maid, and Sunday is usually their only day off. Consequently, a lot of Singaporeans try to steer clear of these "maid hotspots" on Sundays. Anyway, the gardens were lovely, but it looked like it was going to start raining and Abby and Lacy and I had a test to study for, so Aaron and Lydia drove us back to PGP around 3.

And thus concluded a fantastic homestay experience! We really hope we get to see Lydia and her family again sometime before we leave Singapore!