Common Questions and Statements I Hear

(Note that the grammar of these sentences does not necessarily reflect the grammar when it was spoken.)

-lah (it's a slang suffix used at the end of almost every thing-lah)

You don't look American.

I thought you were Arabian.

Why are you so skinny? (one guy actually sounded offended that I wasn't fat)

I thought Americans ate more/were fatter.

I thought you would be taller.

Does America really hate Canada?

Who are you voting for? (I hear more about American politics here than I do in America)

How did you grow a beard?

Put some pants on. (shorts are considered too conservative in some places)

Slow down, you talk to fast.

A few of the only English phrases the orphan children know:
I want _____ (this, circle, monkey, jump, camera, phone, paper, etc.)
Michael! (I hear my name shouted at least 200 times a day here)

Finally Doing Something

While my access to the internet has been getting less and less, I feel like I've finally been accomplishing more and more.

Last week, we held a youth conference for high school students teaching environmental awareness and entrepreneurship. Things started out kind of rough, but in the end, you could tell that we made an impact on most of them.

This week, I've been at a community home that is a mix between an old folks home, an orphanage, and a shelter for troubled/single mothers. While my abilites as a teacher are limited since most of the youngsters speak Mandarin and little to no English, I still get to offer them plenty of love and care. When I play with the little ones, I'm not sure who has more fun, me or them. Unfortunately, tomorrow's my last day here.

I could write a lot more, but I've caught some of the lazy Malaysian sickness and will wait til later.

Poep Gebeurd

I learned a new phrase today, which I still have an extremely difficult time saying:

Poep Gebeurd -- It's Dutch for Shit Happens

First off, to provide some background to this whole situation:
There are 5 interns (our 6th left, but that's another story) here at the AIESEC-UPM from USA, Canada, Holland, India, and Sudan. We've been here for over a week preparing for a Youth Conference, a School Program, and Community Homes (orphanage type place) Service. For the interns, this is a developmental traineeship, but for the AIESECers here, it's a project based on exchange (P-BOX). There's about 25 students from their Local Committee helping us out (some operating committe--OC, some specializing in the specific projects).

And then came the problems. Most of the problems were small, insignificant, but added together over the past week+ have led to many of the interns feeling disgruntled. This culminated in a long meeting held by just us interns. We listed out 14 problems and offered solutions to these problems in a professional manner. The root of our problems stemmed from the intense feeling of the interns (all 22, except me at 21) feeling like we were being treated like powerless children imprisoned here at UPM.

So, we banded together and called a "town meeting" with all the AIESECers here. And these are the lessons we learned.

1. If you are having problems, you need to discuss them. The OC was having a few problems with the original plan for the upcoming week. We were supposed to be at the schools for this upcoming week, but that plan fell through for various reasons. The OC was too embarassed and felt too much like a failure to tell us all the details. They then tried to plan another event to sell trees which was hated by all and was also a leading problem in the disgruntledness. So, the OC felt pressured to find something constructive for us to do without asking for our input. They thought we would think that we were wasting their time and they were failures, etc.

Anyways, after calling our meeting and discussing how we (the interns) felt, we started to accomplish a lot more and now are having better, more productive plans for next week. So, don't bottle up your problems. Share. It makes the world a better place.

2. Communication is a two way street. As is one of the missions of AIESEC, if you talk to people, and try to understand them, the world will be a better place. However, they also have to listen to you and try to understand you as well. Then and only then can communication be effective.

3. Accept failures and learn from them. This is something I've run into time after time in AFROTC and I saw it here. The OC was so afraid of failing that they became extremely stressed out and hid everything from us. This led to some poor, quick planning to make up for their short comings. What they should have done in the first place was accept their failure and ask for help. Poep Gebeurd. Shit happens and then you deal with it. So, don't be afraid to take risks and fail. Just learn from your mistakes and move on.

4. Everything has training value. This experience. Today. What just happened. We all grew and learned from it. And now we are all in a much better situation.

Malaysian Fruits

The Rambutan - It's has a bland sweetness and it's beauty is unmatched in the world of fresh produce. The hairy spikes hide a sweet, mildy acidic white fruit that surrounds a pit. Delicious and cheap.

The Mangosteen - By far, my favorite fruit here. Packed in a purple cover, its juice will stain anything. However, the white fruit inside is worth the risk of leaving a permanent mark on your favorite shirt.

The Durian - Have you ever licked a toilet. I haven't, but I think it would taste something like the durian. It's smell is pungent and it's taste is equally as powerful. I'm told it's out of season now and we ate an inferior sample. Alas, I've never tasted anything quite like it. It was sweet, bitter, and spicy all at the same time.

Here's a video of my attempt to dispose of this foul smelling fruit with my digestive system.

The locals love it. I do not.

I arrive

After 27 hours of flying around, I have finally arrived in Malaysia.

I must say that after having flown with Delta, China Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines to get here, Malaysian Airlines definitely had their shit together more than the other airlines. However, China did give me some free slippers and free Taiwan beer.

A few things I've noticed thus far is how they know so much about Western/American culture and how little I really know about their culture. Somebody actually asked me why America hates Canada because he watches too much South Park. There is also a lot of American music on the radio here. Also, everybody has a cell phone and now they want me to get one. I was hoping to avoid the use of a phone, but I'll get one for local calls. Fortunately, I just had to buy a cheap sim card and someone can lend me a used phone.

Oh, and something to remember: if something is Halal, it means you can't bring beer there.

For the first week here, I'll be staying a the Universiti of Putra Malaysia which is a little south of Kuala Lumpur (KL) in the state of Selangor. It's really relaxed since school is out for their break. "Summer" break doesn't exist here because they don't have seasons. Tomorrow, I venture into KL.

And so, the journey begins...

Malaysia: Fuck Yeah!

I leave for Malaysia in 3 days.