ketawa

I think it’s a really big deal when you are able to joke around in another culture. I’ve been able to before, but today was just too much. Here’s why I feel fairly Malaysian (and proud of myself).

Exhibit A:

A student was presenting on tourism within the villages in Malaysia. She asked the class for ideas on different ways to promote tourism besides home stays. Different ideas were being thrown around, such as white water rafting or handicraft shops. Then one student suggested paddy (rice). He was instantly reprimanded by the class. The conversation went something like this.

“It’s talking about tourism. Why would paddies attract tourists?!”

“To eat!”

“No, tourists don’t eat rice! They eat bread!”

“Noo, Miss Ellen eats rice!”

“Yes, but Miss Ellen lives in Sabah, the tourists from Europe eat bread!”

I feel like grinning from ear to ear. Then to make it even better…

Exhibit B:

We somehow got on the topic of native English speaker colloquialisms. My students were throwing out everything they knew—dunno, wanna, gonna, y’all, ain’t, ‘em, etc. and wanted to know when people used them and what was appropriate. I started by explaining different accents in various areas, and how one area might use y’all and another area uses ‘dem. It was clear to the class that these were only spoken phrases, and not written, but the class wanted a comparison.

"Ohh, so it's like Indonesian-Malay."

Me: "Ehh, not really. It's not a mixture of more than one language."

"Oh, so it's like slang!"

"Well, kind of. It happens more when people are being lazy or talking really fast."

"Ohhhh, so like Bahasa Pasar!"

"Exactly!"

At this point, the class froze in a moment of disbelief—“YOU know bahasa pasar?!” (market place malay vs. formal malay)

I just wanted to reply, well, yeah, you speak it all the time. I then proceeded to impress them more by giving them an example.

“It’s like when you say Kamu tau, instead of kamu tahu. Or mau instead of mahu. Tak instead of Tidak.”

Light bulbs were going on all over the room as we listed various examples of how they shorten their own speech.

“Yes, it makes it difficult for me to learn!” I reply. We continued on, referring to “English pasar” as we finished discussing its use.

“But Miss, what is ‘English pasar’ in English?”

“Well… slang.” :)

the one with the story of how I came to malaysia

My country coordinator, Laura, is on her way to the US right now for an event called DIP (discernment, interview, placement) to interview next year's volunteers. I bring this up for a variety of reasons. First and foremost? Nostalgia. I can't help but remember where I was just a year ago, what I was feeling, how this whole process began. Which happened to remind me that I've never actually shared the story of how I got to Malaysia, and most of you probably don't know all of it. Now is as better time as any to do so... bear with me on the length, I hope you'll enjoy it.

My journey began long before the DIP event last year. It actually began in the spring of my sophomore year. I had an open credit in my schedule (that was originally reserved for a choir trip), and had decided to travel for my May term class. That open credit sat before me like a map; I only needed to choose where I was going to study. My roommate and I discussed the many possibilities at great lengths, and in the end, I was hemming between two trips-- a trip to Alaska to work at a home for people with disabilities (and then possibly work there for the summer) or a trip to Tanzania to work with the Lutheran church and learn about the AIDS pandemic. I met with a fellow classmate of mine who had previously been to Tanzania to get a feel for the trip, ease my worries of safety and health, and to come up with a convincing argument to present to my mother to let me go. After talking to Chellie for a few fabulous hours, I felt that it wasn't even a choice. I knew I was going to go to Africa.

After petitioning to have the class added so we could travel to Africa the next May (it usually runs only once every two years, but we had a class' worth of interested people), I was blessed to be off on this adventure with a few of my closest friends and a wonderful group. Of course, I can't even begin to describe my time in Tanzania. While it was short, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned much-- about real joy, a quiet pace of life, true reliant hope, and simplicity. It wasn't an experience I could easily shake.

After returning to the States, with these feelings still quite fresh in my spirit, I headed off to my first summer at a wonderful camp. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to counsel the best program of the summer (in my humble, biased opinion), a two week leadership program for high school students. That summer we had a seminarian as part of our team to be available for the campers when they had really difficult questions. One day, as he was leading a Bible study on calling and future purpose, he shared this quote with the group. "The kind of work God usually calls you to is a) the kind of work that you need to do and b) that the world most needs to have done. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

I feel a little bit ridiculous saying that I went all the way to Malaysia because of a quote. But denying that fact as part of the story would be false. That fall I started my senior year at Wartburg, completing my student teaching experience. Student teaching was difficult for me most days; I felt trapped by aspects of the work and I was anxious about the future. My thoughts just kept wandering... back to Africa, camp, and other work. The words of Frederick Buechner were still floating in my head as I started researching other options. What was my passion? What were the world's needs? There was a volunteer fair coming up at Wartburg, and even though I couldn't attend because of teaching, I asked a friend to grab me some pamphlets. At the end of the day, I was paging through the options, when the smiling face of a familiar couple caught my eye. It was the pastor whom I had worked with in Africa, on the front of the brochure highlighting the mission options available through the ELCA.

Maybe by this point, you can see where this is going. But, unfortunately for my anxiety, I still had no idea. I slowly began to think about the program, drawn to the one-year commitment through YAGM. My experience in Africa had given me the confidence and excitement to try something new. Over Christmas, I had a few important conversations with friends, toying with the possibility of "what if." I spent the next few months unsure and worried. I applied to YAGM, applied back to camp. Browsed through teaching jobs, but nothing seemed quite right.

Once your application is initially accepted to YAGM, you are given a questionnaire where you rate your country preferences. YAGM has programs in countries all over the world, and I was really interested in Slovakia/Hungary or South Africa. To be honest, I marked Malaysia on whim, while I wondered, where IS Malaysia?

The rest is just particulars: I was accepted to DIP to interview for the UK and Malaysia. As the weeks went by leading up to DIP, I researched more about Malaysia and was excited at the prospect of going there, beginning sentences with "if I go to Malaysia..." Even so, throughout the entire discernment weekend, I still hadn't stated out loud that this commitment was what I was going to do with the next year of my life. I was still unsure if I would accept the position that was offered, and then waited until the last day possible to finally accept, when really, I had known for a long time that this was what I wanted to do. The decision doubly solidified for me when I discovered my placement could be in education.

So, here I am writing, sweating buckets, learning, and enjoying life. I can't tell you why yet, I can only tell you how. As I think of the next group of YAGM that are preparing, worrying, and uselessly predicting, I hope for our replacements. That they are prepared to come to Malaysia, that someone is qualified to take my position, so that the work I started isn't left incomplete.

With all the work gearing up for next year, and my work inopportunely beginning to dwindle down, I am starting to think of home. Probably much more than I should. One trouble with being a volunteer position is that my class is usually the first thing that gets moved when there needs to be a change in the schedule. This is frustrating for me, as I am used to needing to use every second of my class time to teach. Also, my English class is a little bit equivalent to Oral Comm. freshman year of college; I'm not the top priority on my students' schedule. Some days these facts make it difficult for me to be motivated, along with the thought that maybe their learning won't be continued next year. How long will they retain what I taught them without future classes-- a month? a year?

Finally, I'm a planner. It's really hard for me not to try and plan my future or think about what awaits my arrival home, both in excitement and uncertainty. I need to be mentally here in Malaysia, focused on the time I have. Though it's easier said than done. Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.

Chapter two coming soon-- I bet you can't predict what will happen next :)

happy easter

It's about full immersion, about falling into something elemental and wet. Most of what we do in worldly life is geared toward our staying dry, looking good, not going under. But in baptism, in lakes and rains and tanks and fonts, you agree to do something that's a little sloppy because at the same time it's also holy, and absurd. It's about surrender, giving in to all those things we can't control; it's a willingness to let go of balance and decorum and get drenched... the hope, the belief, is that a new day is upon you now. (Anne Lamott)

The sea is falling from the sky today in Malaysia, that's the only way I can explain it.

Earlier today, as I was heading out in my Easter attire, I thought to myself, "I have to remember this weather, this is probably the warmest, sunniest Easter I'll ever have."

And now my backyard is a rain forest, the rain is deafening, my house is cold, and the power is flickering, haha.

I found myself missing Easter at home today. I didn't realize how much I loved the hymns, the trumpets, the lilies, and even the black jelly beans (sick) until they were missing. And, for the first time that I can remember, I didn't have any holiday plans.

On Thursday, we had a prayer/fast day at STS and went through the stations of the cross. This was neat for me, because it took a story I was familiar with, but I was hearing everything for the first time-- in Malay. My favorite memory of the day is a funny one; we were acting out the story of Jesus' betrayal, and one of my students had the role of cutting off the guard's ear. He proceeded to lung forward with all his might, and attack the "guard" with a pencil. And then ran away. It might not sound so funny, but it was hilarious.

Tonight we're going to cook a nice dinner for a few students and maybe dye eggs! And of course, get ready for school tomorrow...

berdoa untuk hujan

I just returned from family group, and was reminded of something I've been wanting to write about for about seven months now-- prayer.

Prayer here is a bit different. First of all, there is a much larger emphasis on the importance of prayer. Both the churches and the seminary have weekly prayer meetings (often referred to as corporate prayer). It is also very natural, and almost expected, to pray aloud. For example, if someone is leading a prayer at the front of the church, everyone else will speak their own prayer aloud. I often find this fascinating; I love to sit back and listen to the mix of languages all praying together. But, at the same time, I find it difficult to leave my quiet Lutheran roots behind and also pray out loud. I feel conscious that everyone else will be listening to my prayer, especially when it doesn't fit within the ebb and flow of Melayu. But yet it holds you accountable-- by praying aloud there is no time for your thoughts to wander. Either way, I have a feeling that one day soon this traditional pray-er will miss being surrounded in one mutual, multilingual prayer being offered up to God.

It rained yesterday for the first time in I don't know how long. The rain here is different; it seems to stop and start at a moment's notice. It also rains in sheets, harder than I've ever seen it rain. The rainy season is officially over, and Malaysia has taken on a new personality in the dry, or burning, season. Everywhere you go there are brush fires, a stark danger that is difficult to control. The rain came as salvation yesterday, in the form of wet earth and cool air. As things returned to green, I sat back, listening to the chorus of frogs, and wondered where they hide in the rain's absence.

the long-awaited KL, part I

Ever since coming to Malaysia, and even before, I've heard a ton about KL. No, not heard, but been asked. The most common question-- Have you been to KL?
No? When are you going?

Well, for starters, KL is on peninsular Malaysia, and is nowhere near where I live. However, I could not live in Malaysia for a year and not visit the capital or West Malaysia.

This week was reading week at STS, so I got together with Kelsey and Erika (two fellow volunteers), and we headed off to explore Kuala Lumpur for a few days of touristy fun.

We flew out on Wednesday night after work, and reached our hostel. We had decided on staying at the YWCA, a transit hostel for women and families. I think we all got a kick out of the place; it's defined as a "throwback to another generation" and we were all seconds away from singing "it's a hard-knock life for us..." Even so, it was in a great location, provided memories of freshman year of college, and gave us a bed to sleep in; who could ask for more!

Thursday we started bright and early getting to know the city. It was really easy to travel around as there are buses, trains, and taxis everywhere. We started our day getting free tickets to the sky bridge of the famous Petronas Towers, then headed over to the Lake Gardens. The gardens were established by the British, and now have varying gardens, parks, and sights to see. The highlight for me was the chance to canoe! Us ex-camp counselors were in heaven, to say the least. After that, we saw the main sights of KL, including the Central Market, Masjid Jamek Mosque, the colonial district, and Independence Square. We finished our day meandering down the crowded stalls of Chinatown, bargaining for deals. And like true Malaysians, we stopped for "supper" at 10pm at this delicious Indian restaurant.

Friday was a unique day in traveling. I'm grateful we waited until now to travel to KL, because I think it was extremely fun to visit a place when you are already familiar with the culture (and have a fluent Malay speaker, thanks to Erika). KL is really unique in that there are huge Indian, Malay, and Chinese populations. Since we were a little bit savvy in communicating and getting around, we traveled north of KL to the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves are a Hindu temple and shrine, which host the huge festival of Thaipusam each year. There is a giant shrine of Muruga, and we climbed 272 steps up to the caves. While it is simultaneously a worship space and a tourist attraction, it was really neat to see.
After the caves we headed even further north to a place called Templer's Park. Luckily some local kids had the same idea, and when the bus dropped us off on the side of a highway with only monkeys in sight, we followed the group of eager kids to the rumored waterfall. This was one of my favorite parts of the day-- we had stumbled upon a park where the locals go to picnic and spend the day swimming. It was refreshing and fun to befriend some local students our age, and splash around with the kids.
That evening we walked around Little India, and then ended up in an area called Bukit Bintang, which is well known for its malls, nightlife, and live music.

Saturday we took a day trip to the historical port city, Melaka (Malacca). Melaka was formally a huge trading town because of its position on the coast. Melaka also has huge influences of each of its colonizers, emigrants, and local people-- all over the city you can see Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese and Islamic architecture. We spent most of the morning lost in the city, wandering from one sight to the next. There were many churches, temples, mosques, old forts, and museums to see, as well as a big Chinatown and a street full of neat little art galleries. Overall, it was incredibly touristy, but good to see the beginnings of Malaysia. A funny part was when we stopped for lunch at a little Kedai Kopi; they realized rather quickly we weren't tourists when we ordered things like duck rice and three layer tea, and knew when our order was wrong. A delicious find in Melaka-- fresh, hot pineapple cookies.

After a day full of walking, we took the bus back to KL for one more evening there (Melaka is a different state from KL. Malaysia has 13 states altogether, with Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo). We spent some time people watching at the City park, and then headed over to a place called Kampung Baru for the night market. Kampung Baru is the Malaysian section of town, and I have to say, it felt like home. If I didn't look up to see the skyline, it was just another quiet evening in the kampung. If you haven't gathered by now, a huge part of the culture here is the food. At the night market there were stalls and stalls of food, with people just sitting and enjoying each other's company. It definitely had a different feel than Chinatown or Masjid India. Unfortunately I had already eaten my fill, and just had to enviously eye the fried bananas, noodles, satay, and teh tarik.

I definitely enjoyed visiting KL, but I have to say I am tired out from the sightseeing and walking. Upon our return to KK, it was a welcoming sight to see the smiling faces of David and Awm Kee, two friends from Myanmar, to pick us up at the airport. While the weeks of teaching ahead do seem a bit daunting, I know Easter is right around the corner. My traveling bag will be empty for a while, with a few adventures hopefully planned for the end of May.

Anyway, if you're looking for a fun and cheap vacation spot, KL comes highly recommended.

the long-awaited KL, part II

The Petronas towers, at night.

The most famous sight on KL's skyline

(and I've been on that connecting bridge!).

Erika and I in our hostel.

Lake Gardens-- the orchid garden

KL has a lot of neat architecture, with beautiful Islamic influences

Masjid Jamek Mosque

The Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine and temple where Thaipusam is celebrated each year

You can't forget the food! This meal was beyond heavenly.

Mee goreng, rojak, curry, and roti bom, for about six RM.

Translation: delicious.

Templer's park, swimming in the waterfall

Christ Church in Melaka (Malacca)

The ever infamous trishaws in Melaka

on the news tonight

This semester in my advanced English class I gave a current events speaking assignment. It began as an idea to get the students more comfortable in speaking English formally. The assignment was pretty standard-- read a current event article from an English paper, write a summary on it, present the summary to the class, and then lead a class discussion on the topic with discussion questions. However, this assignment has turned into one of the best assignments I've ever given, and here's why.

First of all, I am blown away by the students' fluency and critical thinking put behind their presentations. Again, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I guess I forgot that they are all future pastors, and fairly effective public speakers.

Second of all, these presentations have been informative beyond belief. Not only have I received information about the government in Myanmar or the latest dispute about property fraud in Malaysia, but I've received actual opinions. This in itself is one of the wonders of living in a foreign country-- you gain a perspective you could have never had otherwise.

In the class, the students have the freedom to express their discontent: with the government, politics, and the lack of freedom of religion, generally taboo topics in daily conversation. It's been really amazing for me to just sit back and listen as they formulate their opinions, discuss their plan of action as a future church leader, and decide ways to address it within their own communities.

It's always a really humbling experience for me as a teacher when I finally admit that my students know a lot more than I do. When you get down to it, they have had years of life experience that I have yet to have. I mean, while I was in high school, some were already married, working, and travelling. But, for me to be an effective teacher, I had to come to this realization, and be comfortable teaching with this knowledge.

Anyway, I just wanted to take the time today to highlight one of these great presentations. This particular student was presenting on the concept of 1Malaysia. 1Malaysia is a fairly new concept, set out by the Prime Minister. Its focus is to unite the people of Malaysia, though the people and religions are many and diverse. I've heard a lot about 1Malaysia since coming here (it's advertised constantly), but this class was the first time I had the chance to hear the perspective of the local people.
To summarize, my students proceeded to discuss their feeling of the concept's falseness, and how it is only a slogan of empty promises. They discussed the difficulty of uniting a nation of such vast differences, and how religions will always clash. They highlighted the unfairness of a government that doesn't support its lower class workers, and that the idea of a cohesive nation is impossible to imagine when unfairness is a daily occurrence.
My curiosity was growing-- was there anyone in the class that thought 1Malaysia could be achieved? Did they all think that it was impossible for different religions to get along, especially in the light of recent bombings within Malaysia? Can religions even unify within themselves?

These questions hang not only within our classroom walls, but within the whole country of Malaysia. I feel very privileged to be a weekly fly on the wall for these rising questions and conversations.