Some of this is bullshit at the moment, but that was how I felt at the time of writing it:
If you asked me now if I want to go home, I would say no. Now I can honestly say ‘Malaysia Boleh!’(which roughly translates as Malaysia Rocks!) I want to be here in this beautiful, cultural and patriotic country. At the moment Malaysians are world cup crazy, my school friends are freaking out over exams, the July-June exchange students have just gone home and I’m trying to see Malaysia in a positive attitude without any of the politics, racism, poverty or pollution. I look up at the nearly always sunny sky and feel like time is running out. I have had some really hard times, some great times and some totally priceless times. It’s hard to put my experiences into words but I will try.
I have just returned from mid-year camp, which was on an island called Langkawi, a lot like one of those tropical paradises, you see on TV until it starts to rain. At camp I caught up with all the other exchange students and we discussed our goals etc for the rest of the year. It was a great chance to see what we could do better. The mid-year camp woke me up to the fact that I can try harder.
I have now done plenty of sightseeing and experiencing the culture but now I need to do some studying of the language. My Malay is still quite basic, I understand a lot I read and hear but I rarely speak. This has happened because everyone speaks English to me due to my skin colour. I also lost my enthusiasm to learn Malay because it was easier to speak English and I was always utterly exhausted.
I’ve seen many places in Malaysia and experienced some very different cultural things, I will give you a quick run down of most of it.
During April, I went with some school friends to Kuala Lumpur. We went to Sunway lagoon which is a lot like Wet ‘n’ Wild in Queensland. At Sunway lagoon you nearly forget it’s a Muslim country because of the amount of ‘Western-like’ behavior. Also in April, I had the experience of being called ‘White person’ in front of my whole school by a fireman. It was a bit insulting at the time but it was also very funny when he asked if I was married.
In May, I went to several places. I visited Singapore which is a fairly flawless country with it’s racial harmony, cleanliness and efficient public transport system. I also visited Penang, an island especially popular with tourists. It was very different and not so fun to see the island as a tourist not as an exchange student. An exchange student would see and experience everything while a tourist would see only what the tour guide shows them and they would be ripped off. I visited Cameron Highlands, a place famous for its fresh produce. It has a cooler climate because it is on higher ground; it is special because it is the only place in Malaysia that grows strawberries.
I saw the July-June exchange students several times in May. They have taught us new students a lot and been great friends.
In June, I attended a Malay primary school with Huw, the other Australian for English Week. We were treated a lot like celebrities and were respected like teachers, I have never signed so many autographs. While at the primary school I stayed with a Malay family, I learnt a lot about culture and religion there.
Throughout the year I have become very patriotic about Australia, it always makes me smile when I see Australian products. During the World Cup I was very proud of Australia, it was very nice to hear our national anthem.
I am thankful I have seen this country as an exchange student not as a tourist. I now realize this scholarship has provided me with a great opportunity, that not many people have, so I am very thankful to the SDA.
