Well...I don't even know where to begin because it feels like this past month has been a whirlwind and has gone by so quickly. To answer the question many people may have: What are you doing? What are your plans?
Well...let's just say I am living day to day right now, mostly due to financial constraints. However, I am still looking for a job or good internship. I am trying to keep my hopes up despite the fact that some people have actually said to my face that I won't be able to find anything. In the mean time, I have been reading up on my Chinese (I have forgotten so much and have to take the rest of my Chinese classes next year,) looking for jobs/internships and just hanging out and practicing my Thai. I am really proud that my Thai has actually improved quite a bit already, as I am trying to get Kiat to teach me at least 3 new words a day.
My fellow interns from WAO visited me in Phuket for a week and it was a good time. I took them to Kata Beach and showed them around the island and had them try to local food. Speaking of food, if I could even begin to explain my love affair with Thai food...it would be...unexplainable. The last time in Thailand for a very long period of time, I gained 25 pounds...we'll see if this turns out the same! I love everything from the sweet corn (which by the way, they eat as a desert,) to the mangut (aka mangosteen, which is a fruit with a soft purple shell and inside it looks like a white orange and it's very sweet-doesn't taste like an orange at all), to the cow maeng gai (chicken rice) that they sell in Patong. I have tried Malay food, and I am not going to lie...it's not that good. I think because the food is mostly curry-based and made from Indian curries, whereas Thai curry is a bit different. Overall, Thai food is amazing and I could eat all day and be content.
As far as the protests in Bangkok go, they seem to be calming down a lot. The prime minister and leader of the red shirts are going to have a talk with one another today. We'll see how that goes. Everything is still all well in Phuket. Today there was a 7.3 earthquake in Sumatra, but there was no tsunami warning here.
I still have pictures from Malaysia and Jessica and Ida's visit that I haven't posted yet...but I will do that soon (next time, I promise!)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Late post....
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't written in a looonnngg time! I have been busy-looking for a job-so far no luck :( and I don't get internet in the place I am living right now. For those of you who don't know, I am in Phuket, Thailand (yes, again, I know) right now. I am going to write quickly about what I have been doing the past few weeks.
First of all, things in Bangkok are insane. I am glad that I am in Phuket and not there. So far nothing has happened in Phuket or the south part of Thailand since most of the red shirts are from the North or northeast (issan) of Thailand. All the Thai people down here say the red shirts won't dare to come down to the South. Oh-the red shirts are a group who like Thaksin (the old corrupt Thai Prime Minister who is now on the run from the law and hiding somewhere in Fiji or Papua New Guinea where he can't be extradited). The red shirts want the Thai government to hold new elections within 3 months, but Abhvisit (sp?) the new prime minister refuses to do so. So...who know's what will happen...but one thing's for sure...a quick fix will not solve everything.
Anyway, my time is up for now. I will update you all more later! Take care!
First of all, things in Bangkok are insane. I am glad that I am in Phuket and not there. So far nothing has happened in Phuket or the south part of Thailand since most of the red shirts are from the North or northeast (issan) of Thailand. All the Thai people down here say the red shirts won't dare to come down to the South. Oh-the red shirts are a group who like Thaksin (the old corrupt Thai Prime Minister who is now on the run from the law and hiding somewhere in Fiji or Papua New Guinea where he can't be extradited). The red shirts want the Thai government to hold new elections within 3 months, but Abhvisit (sp?) the new prime minister refuses to do so. So...who know's what will happen...but one thing's for sure...a quick fix will not solve everything.
Anyway, my time is up for now. I will update you all more later! Take care!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Batu Caves
I am going to try and sum up everything I have done this past week...in a fairly quick write-up, since I am trying to pack everything tonight.
Two of the other interns at WAO (Ida and Jessica) and I, finally were able to go and explore the Batu caves! For those of you who don't know, the Batu Caves are located not too far outside of KL, and the caves are used as a Hindu shrine and temple. It is also home to the world's largest statue of a Hindu deity (sorry, I don't know which one...I haven't been reading up on Hinduism). We took the LRT (light-rail-transit) to KL Sentral Station, but we soon realized that the taxi's were over-charging us by a lot, so we got some breakfast there (in the form of an iced cappuchino and chocolate/strawberry waffles,) and headed to the farthest LRT station, called Gombak. We finally reached there and took a taxi there for 8 RM (so much cheaper!)
The first thing you see when you arrive is the huge gold (or is it fake...?) statue of the Hindu deity. I felt like a tiny ant compared to it. Some nice older European tourists took a picture for us and then we headed up to the stairs. Oh, the stairs. We were dreading them...272 steps. That may not seem a lot to some people, but to my out-of-shape body, it was something I was dreading, especially since it can get so hot. However, I must admit that it was WAY easier than I imagined, and I am just thankful I got the chance to climb them now, instead of when I am 70 years old...The weather was also not bad (we got there around 10 or 11 am). I would NOT recommend going there after 12 pm, as it's very hot during that time.
Once we reached the top, there was a big sign that said, "NO EXCERSIZING IN THIS AREA." I thought to myself, "well...who would WANT to after all those steps?" I just thought it was funny...Anyway, we went inside the cave, which was pretty amazing. I love caves because they're so mysterious and calming (well, unless you get trapped inside a cave...which would be bad obviously). It was much cooler once we were inside the cave...although it would have been more peaceful if there had not been so many tourists. But, there's not much you can do about that. There were quite a few temples, and people praying inside the caves. I am really happy I got the chance to go there before I left KL, and would highly recommend going there if you are in the vicinity!
Other than going to the Batu Caves, I really didn't do anything too exciting. I had a dinner with some of the interns last night at the Kitchen of India-got to have some Indian food before I leave, since there really isn't much of that in Thailand. I will be going to Penang tomorrow morning with the staff from WAO. It's a staff retreat, and there are a lot of games and activities planned. We are staying in a guest house on one of the nicer beaches in Penang. On Sunday, I will take a bus from Penang to Hat Yai, which is about a 4-5 hour trip. I will stay in Hat Yai a few days with Kiat's family before I go to Phuket. It's sad leaving KL...but at the same time, I know that a new adventure is waiting for me! It has been such a great experience and I am really happy that I chose to do an internship at WAO in Malaysia. It's such a beautiful and interesting country! I will try to update this more later, however, I don't know how much internet access I will have. I hope everyone is well in Oregon (or anywhere else they might be!)
Cheers!
Two of the other interns at WAO (Ida and Jessica) and I, finally were able to go and explore the Batu caves! For those of you who don't know, the Batu Caves are located not too far outside of KL, and the caves are used as a Hindu shrine and temple. It is also home to the world's largest statue of a Hindu deity (sorry, I don't know which one...I haven't been reading up on Hinduism). We took the LRT (light-rail-transit) to KL Sentral Station, but we soon realized that the taxi's were over-charging us by a lot, so we got some breakfast there (in the form of an iced cappuchino and chocolate/strawberry waffles,) and headed to the farthest LRT station, called Gombak. We finally reached there and took a taxi there for 8 RM (so much cheaper!)
The first thing you see when you arrive is the huge gold (or is it fake...?) statue of the Hindu deity. I felt like a tiny ant compared to it. Some nice older European tourists took a picture for us and then we headed up to the stairs. Oh, the stairs. We were dreading them...272 steps. That may not seem a lot to some people, but to my out-of-shape body, it was something I was dreading, especially since it can get so hot. However, I must admit that it was WAY easier than I imagined, and I am just thankful I got the chance to climb them now, instead of when I am 70 years old...The weather was also not bad (we got there around 10 or 11 am). I would NOT recommend going there after 12 pm, as it's very hot during that time.
Once we reached the top, there was a big sign that said, "NO EXCERSIZING IN THIS AREA." I thought to myself, "well...who would WANT to after all those steps?" I just thought it was funny...Anyway, we went inside the cave, which was pretty amazing. I love caves because they're so mysterious and calming (well, unless you get trapped inside a cave...which would be bad obviously). It was much cooler once we were inside the cave...although it would have been more peaceful if there had not been so many tourists. But, there's not much you can do about that. There were quite a few temples, and people praying inside the caves. I am really happy I got the chance to go there before I left KL, and would highly recommend going there if you are in the vicinity!
Other than going to the Batu Caves, I really didn't do anything too exciting. I had a dinner with some of the interns last night at the Kitchen of India-got to have some Indian food before I leave, since there really isn't much of that in Thailand. I will be going to Penang tomorrow morning with the staff from WAO. It's a staff retreat, and there are a lot of games and activities planned. We are staying in a guest house on one of the nicer beaches in Penang. On Sunday, I will take a bus from Penang to Hat Yai, which is about a 4-5 hour trip. I will stay in Hat Yai a few days with Kiat's family before I go to Phuket. It's sad leaving KL...but at the same time, I know that a new adventure is waiting for me! It has been such a great experience and I am really happy that I chose to do an internship at WAO in Malaysia. It's such a beautiful and interesting country! I will try to update this more later, however, I don't know how much internet access I will have. I hope everyone is well in Oregon (or anywhere else they might be!)
Cheers!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Recent Happening's in KL!
Hello! Sorry for the late posting, but I have been very very busy this past month.
Work at WAO has been keeping me busy (much more so than I expected). It's crazy how there was nothing to do in January, and yet in March there is TOO much to do! I have been doing a lot of administrative tasks (answering phones, writing letters, moving boxes, going to press conferences, getting food for my boss-oh, wait, that's not really an administrative task...hmmm)
Anyway, but the BIG task for me is being in charge of the newsletter for this month. It's a huge task because it has to be pretty perfect and editing takes a lot of time. It's fun writing the articles, doing the interviews, and the lay-out, but it's also incredibly time consuming and since technology and I do not get along very well...it's been a bit hellish (is that even a word...well if it isn't, it is now!) I will try to get a copy of the newsletter to everyone once I finally have it finished (which should-theoretically...be tomorrow...) I am also going to start teaching the English classes to the women who are residents at the refuge for the next two weeks. That should be...interesting, especially considering I am used to teaching English to young kids.
Besides work...I have done quite a bit. I went out with some of my fellow interns and staff to a reggae bar...although there was really nothing reggae about it. They played two reggae songs and the rest was Lady Gaga (if you do not know who this is (aka mom and dad)...be glad). I also went to a gay bar for the first time in my life. It was interesting, especially considering that I went to my first one in a VERY conservative country...I didn't even expect there to BE a gay bar. That was...interesting! Although if you are a straight man, it probably would not be your cup of tea...
Let's see...what else. I went to Melaka-a city 2 hours south of KL-with Ida (my new flatmate from Sweden-she is also interning at WAO). It was a really fun trip and I am glad I got a chance to visit that place because it is a world heritage city. Our landlady took us there in her car and she dropped us off. She recommended we stay at this one hotel because it was under 100 RM and fairly nice. So we got a taxi to take us there...however, we soon found out that it was 175 RM...which is very expensive for a hotel, so we decided to look elsewhere. We wandered down some deserted streets, past abandoned karaoke bars and finally into a busy street. We looked for about 20 minutes until we finally settled on a place for 75 RM. It was decent...with aircon, so we didn't complain. We went to the night market on Jonkor Road and went up this tower which shows us the whole city. We also went and got a 1 hour massage. It was really nice and these two Chinese women were the masseuses. I could tell they were from Beijing because of the dialect they were speaking, and managed to pick up some of what they were saying. The woman commented on how my hands were prettier than hers, though honestly, I could not tell the difference...it was a good massage, but...intense, as most Asian massages seem to be.
The next day we got up early, ate some good Indonesian food, and walked around some more. We decided to take a river cruise, which was nice. We decided to take a rickshaw ride, since it seems like something everyone should do at least if they are in Malaysia. Our rickshaw driver was interesting...he played pop songs on his bicycle and wheeled us (in jeans...he must have been so hot) around the city. We kind of felt like queens, well except for the fact hat it was scorching hot and we had to keep us cool except for the fans we bought earlier that day. Our rickshaw driver stopped for awhile (cigarette break...) and he tried to impress us by the fact that he could do 50 push ups with a cigarette in his mouth....hmm...not sure if that was gross or impressive haha. He also kept on asking me for my number...which I politely declined to give to him. I'm not really interested in marrying a 30 something year old Malay man and converting to Islam...it's not really my style. He took us to a really old church and that was about it of our tour. We went and had lunch, and then we went to the bus station and got a bus back to KL. Oh, and if my picture somehow appears on the Internet a lot, it's either because of interning with WAO or because random people took our pictures in Melaka many many times. I guess we are part of the tourist attractions now...But overall, Melaka was a beautiful city and I would recommend anyone to go there! It has a lot of history.
Speaking of WAO, we had the 3R walk on Saturday, which was for International Women's Day. The interns got there around 10 in the morning and we helped set up this tent, which took forever and doing it in the sweltering heat made it almost unbearable. We were all sweating by the end. We escaped into the mall for about 2 hours and then went back and joined in on some pre-walk aerobics (which I have a video of, by the way...I will post it later,) and then finally joined in on the solidarity walk. Oh-by the way this walk was for woman's rights. It was pretty amazing during the walk because the police actually close off a main intersection and it was the first time I felt like I could never be run over by a vehicle!! We wore sandwich board signs and blew whistles. I can't believe this has been my first ever "walk for a cause" and it wasn't even back home in the US!
Other than that, I have not been doing too much. My internship officially ended today...but I am still carrying on as a volunteer for the next 2 weeks until the end of the WAO Penang retreat (March 27th). I am going to try and take a couple days off during the next 2 weeks. I will try and post pictures and video soon!
Work at WAO has been keeping me busy (much more so than I expected). It's crazy how there was nothing to do in January, and yet in March there is TOO much to do! I have been doing a lot of administrative tasks (answering phones, writing letters, moving boxes, going to press conferences, getting food for my boss-oh, wait, that's not really an administrative task...hmmm)
Anyway, but the BIG task for me is being in charge of the newsletter for this month. It's a huge task because it has to be pretty perfect and editing takes a lot of time. It's fun writing the articles, doing the interviews, and the lay-out, but it's also incredibly time consuming and since technology and I do not get along very well...it's been a bit hellish (is that even a word...well if it isn't, it is now!) I will try to get a copy of the newsletter to everyone once I finally have it finished (which should-theoretically...be tomorrow...) I am also going to start teaching the English classes to the women who are residents at the refuge for the next two weeks. That should be...interesting, especially considering I am used to teaching English to young kids.
Besides work...I have done quite a bit. I went out with some of my fellow interns and staff to a reggae bar...although there was really nothing reggae about it. They played two reggae songs and the rest was Lady Gaga (if you do not know who this is (aka mom and dad)...be glad). I also went to a gay bar for the first time in my life. It was interesting, especially considering that I went to my first one in a VERY conservative country...I didn't even expect there to BE a gay bar. That was...interesting! Although if you are a straight man, it probably would not be your cup of tea...
Let's see...what else. I went to Melaka-a city 2 hours south of KL-with Ida (my new flatmate from Sweden-she is also interning at WAO). It was a really fun trip and I am glad I got a chance to visit that place because it is a world heritage city. Our landlady took us there in her car and she dropped us off. She recommended we stay at this one hotel because it was under 100 RM and fairly nice. So we got a taxi to take us there...however, we soon found out that it was 175 RM...which is very expensive for a hotel, so we decided to look elsewhere. We wandered down some deserted streets, past abandoned karaoke bars and finally into a busy street. We looked for about 20 minutes until we finally settled on a place for 75 RM. It was decent...with aircon, so we didn't complain. We went to the night market on Jonkor Road and went up this tower which shows us the whole city. We also went and got a 1 hour massage. It was really nice and these two Chinese women were the masseuses. I could tell they were from Beijing because of the dialect they were speaking, and managed to pick up some of what they were saying. The woman commented on how my hands were prettier than hers, though honestly, I could not tell the difference...it was a good massage, but...intense, as most Asian massages seem to be.
The next day we got up early, ate some good Indonesian food, and walked around some more. We decided to take a river cruise, which was nice. We decided to take a rickshaw ride, since it seems like something everyone should do at least if they are in Malaysia. Our rickshaw driver was interesting...he played pop songs on his bicycle and wheeled us (in jeans...he must have been so hot) around the city. We kind of felt like queens, well except for the fact hat it was scorching hot and we had to keep us cool except for the fans we bought earlier that day. Our rickshaw driver stopped for awhile (cigarette break...) and he tried to impress us by the fact that he could do 50 push ups with a cigarette in his mouth....hmm...not sure if that was gross or impressive haha. He also kept on asking me for my number...which I politely declined to give to him. I'm not really interested in marrying a 30 something year old Malay man and converting to Islam...it's not really my style. He took us to a really old church and that was about it of our tour. We went and had lunch, and then we went to the bus station and got a bus back to KL. Oh, and if my picture somehow appears on the Internet a lot, it's either because of interning with WAO or because random people took our pictures in Melaka many many times. I guess we are part of the tourist attractions now...But overall, Melaka was a beautiful city and I would recommend anyone to go there! It has a lot of history.
Speaking of WAO, we had the 3R walk on Saturday, which was for International Women's Day. The interns got there around 10 in the morning and we helped set up this tent, which took forever and doing it in the sweltering heat made it almost unbearable. We were all sweating by the end. We escaped into the mall for about 2 hours and then went back and joined in on some pre-walk aerobics (which I have a video of, by the way...I will post it later,) and then finally joined in on the solidarity walk. Oh-by the way this walk was for woman's rights. It was pretty amazing during the walk because the police actually close off a main intersection and it was the first time I felt like I could never be run over by a vehicle!! We wore sandwich board signs and blew whistles. I can't believe this has been my first ever "walk for a cause" and it wasn't even back home in the US!
Other than that, I have not been doing too much. My internship officially ended today...but I am still carrying on as a volunteer for the next 2 weeks until the end of the WAO Penang retreat (March 27th). I am going to try and take a couple days off during the next 2 weeks. I will try and post pictures and video soon!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Learning about Indian weddings, Muslim Celebrations, the Reality of Rural Thailand, and finally, how not procrastinating can be a VERY good thing...
Alright, I will do this quickly since it's midnight here and I am feeling a bit sick right now, so I want to hit the sack early (well, these days 1 am is early for me...)
Let's start with the Indian wedding I attended in Kuala Lumpur! I was invited by a Indian woman who had some sort of ties with WAO and invited my co-workers, and therefore I was invited as well! The other interns went with me as well, and we all dressed in the traditional Indian attire (as you can see from the pictures). Mine is bright pink. Yes, I know it's a bit intense. But this is what happens when I bring Kiat shopping with me. But that is a whole different story...and it ended up looking pretty good, so I won't complain. Although, I did have to go and buy a white blouse, when I actually had a perfectly good black one...but that is also something I will not discuss right now....sorry, I'm a little off topic again. My thoughts are constantly wandering these days...I'm starting to wonder what the heck is going on with me!
Anyway, back to the wedding. Ivy (the executive director) and Annie (my supervisor) helped get us ready. Getting a sari on is quite the complicated process..one in which you have to make pleats and there's a lot of tucking and pin sticking involved. Annie could not go to the wedding, so we went with Ivy and Aimee (the secretary). At the wedding, there wasn't as many people as I thought there would be, but there was still a lot-maybe around 500 people? They played traditional Indian music and the bride changed sari's twice through out the ceremony. I don't even want to know how much this wedding (especially the Sari) must have cost them. But at Indian weddings, I guess it is a tradition for guests to bring them money and gifts, which must help with the costs. I didn't understand a whole lot of what was going on, but there was a lot of Hindu prayers and a shirtless Hindu priest performed much of the ceremony...
After the ceremony, there was a banana leaf meal, which is rice with Indian curry, chicken, and random curried vegetables. It was good...although eating 2 banana leaf meals in one day (had one for lunch too,) did not suit well with my stomach the next day. I am starting to realize I am not as much into Indian food as I thought I'd be. Overall, it was a great cultural experience and I am really glad I got the opportunity to attend the wedding!
The day after the wedding, Chinese New Year started. I saw a couple dragon dances, but nothing too major. There were a lot of Chinese New Year sales going on around KL. I left to go to Hat Yai (southern Thailand) with Kiat. We took the bus (which we waited for 2 hours just to board because there were so many people at the bus station). We met a really nice Malay couple on the bus and they were going to Ko Samui for holiday. They asked us if were married and had kids! Haha...I didn't realize we looked that old...although, Malays tend to marry quite early, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised...but it was a bit awkward...
We went through immigration twice (for Thailand and Malaysia) and then got back on the bus which took us from Satun to Hat Yai. Once we were in Hat Yai, I had some kuey Tiow (noodles in a broth with fish balls, or Luuk Chin (sp?)-yes, thats what they call them...but it's not what you think...) and it was heaven! Kiat's sister, Jiap, met us at a shopping center and we went inside and got some food to take back to their house. We took the bus back to Phattalung, his hometown, which was about a 3o minute trip. Then we took his sister's motorbike and drove back to his house which is about 10 kilometers outside of the city. It's really beautiful there...lots of farms, mountains, etc. Sorry to say...I did not take any pictures. Why didn't I? Well, I don't really have a good excuse...but I will just have to take some next time! For now, you will just have to use your imagination!
I stayed there for 3 days-ish and it was very relaxing! People there eat ALL THE TIME. I swear, every 10 minutes they're eating something new like peanuts (which they grow themselves,) fruit (which they also grow themselves,) candy, chips, rice, etc. I think they eat all the time, because there honestly is not much else to do there. But Kiat's mom and sister are really good cooks and they fed me well. They were eating some sort of a big lizard...but that is one thing that i declined to eat...it looked pretty gross, I won't lie. Usually I am daring about what I eat...but that was a bit too much, even for me. I visited with a lot of his neighbors and we went to the local hang out, which is at a small waterfall where everyone goes swimming. We made a small BBQ there as well. We also went to a night market, which was located in a mostly Muslim area. Everyone was very interested that I was working in Malaysia. We also went into town because Kiat's mom is buying a new car, so we were looking around for one.
Then, it was time for me to leave and go back to Malaysia. I left once again (this time by train) and Kiat made sure that I took some sticky rice and BBQ chicken on the train with me, which the German guy who sat next to me seemed to not enjoy me eating it...maybe I have actually picked up my bad eating habits from Thai/Malay people..I'm not kidding! The train ride was almost 14 hours long...and unfortunately, I did not get a place in the sleeper car. Instead, I had to sit in a seat, which obviously had not been changed since the 1980's/70's. As more people got off the train, the German man was able to find his own row of seats, so I had two seats to myself, which was nice. But it was a bit hard to sleep since the arm rests were hard and you couldn't move them, plus the train stopped every 20 minutes, so every time I would wake up and hope we were in KL. But...nope. Finally, the train man (I don't know what you call them...) said to me, "Sir, we are in Kl Sentral now." I smiled to myself, because I have been getting called "sir" a lot lately...and I have absolutely no problem with it!
I got into KL Sentral around 5 in the morning, tired as heck. I took a taxi and he made me pay him 20 rinngit, but at that point I didn't care if he was overcharging me. I remember he started talking to me about hotel california (the song) because I told him I was from Oregon, which wasn't far from California (that's what I tell every person who does not know where Oregon is....haha). I crashed at my apartment, and obviously couldn't make it into work that day. Overall, it was a good trip! Kiat is now back in Phuket, working and I am in KL also working.
As for the Muslim celebration...that was interesting too! I went there on Saturday (took the LRT to the KTM and got a bit lost, but it turned out okay!) I went to Kajan, which is on the outskirts of KL to visit my friend (who used to work with me at WAO) Joanna. She got a great new job, so she was having a celebration for that. She picked me up at the KTM station and we went back to her house (after getting a cake for her mom's birthday). They had a LOT of good Malay food there (masala chicken, curry, jelly deserts, watermelon, etc). I talked a lot with Joanna and her sister. I can't really speak Malay, so I couldn't talk to a lot of people, but everyone seemed really nice. The men went inside Joanna's home to do the prayers and then afterwards they were able to eat. Everyone also ate with their hands-since that's the way Malay's traditionally eat. I spent the night at her house and we all slept on the floor in the living room, since that was where the AC was.
The next day, I ate some MORE good food (by the way, I am 51 kilos now-112 pounds. Not complaining at all, just saying it has only been two months!) Then her sister dropped me off at the KTM since I was going to go with Jessica to the Batu caves. But the KTM took a long time, so we decided that it would be better if we went to the caves next weekend, because we would have more time. Plus, I started not feeling well today, so it's better to take it easy anyway.
Now, about procrasination, I am starting to realize that I procrastinate way too much. I am really trying to change that about myself...because it's putting my in a bit of a stressful situation, since I am in charge of the newsletter. I have to write A LOT of stuff for the newsletter and for the director...so I am starting to feel some pressure. But, maybe I work good under pressure...? Jessica and I are going to interview some social workers at WAO and a women who became successful after staying at the refuge for the newsletter. I think we're also going to tour some other NGOs, which should be interesting! Overall, work is going well, though I really have to get cracking on completing my projects...but it should turn out okay. I hope everyone is doing great back home! Miss you all!
Let's start with the Indian wedding I attended in Kuala Lumpur! I was invited by a Indian woman who had some sort of ties with WAO and invited my co-workers, and therefore I was invited as well! The other interns went with me as well, and we all dressed in the traditional Indian attire (as you can see from the pictures). Mine is bright pink. Yes, I know it's a bit intense. But this is what happens when I bring Kiat shopping with me. But that is a whole different story...and it ended up looking pretty good, so I won't complain. Although, I did have to go and buy a white blouse, when I actually had a perfectly good black one...but that is also something I will not discuss right now....sorry, I'm a little off topic again. My thoughts are constantly wandering these days...I'm starting to wonder what the heck is going on with me!
Anyway, back to the wedding. Ivy (the executive director) and Annie (my supervisor) helped get us ready. Getting a sari on is quite the complicated process..one in which you have to make pleats and there's a lot of tucking and pin sticking involved. Annie could not go to the wedding, so we went with Ivy and Aimee (the secretary). At the wedding, there wasn't as many people as I thought there would be, but there was still a lot-maybe around 500 people? They played traditional Indian music and the bride changed sari's twice through out the ceremony. I don't even want to know how much this wedding (especially the Sari) must have cost them. But at Indian weddings, I guess it is a tradition for guests to bring them money and gifts, which must help with the costs. I didn't understand a whole lot of what was going on, but there was a lot of Hindu prayers and a shirtless Hindu priest performed much of the ceremony...
After the ceremony, there was a banana leaf meal, which is rice with Indian curry, chicken, and random curried vegetables. It was good...although eating 2 banana leaf meals in one day (had one for lunch too,) did not suit well with my stomach the next day. I am starting to realize I am not as much into Indian food as I thought I'd be. Overall, it was a great cultural experience and I am really glad I got the opportunity to attend the wedding!
The day after the wedding, Chinese New Year started. I saw a couple dragon dances, but nothing too major. There were a lot of Chinese New Year sales going on around KL. I left to go to Hat Yai (southern Thailand) with Kiat. We took the bus (which we waited for 2 hours just to board because there were so many people at the bus station). We met a really nice Malay couple on the bus and they were going to Ko Samui for holiday. They asked us if were married and had kids! Haha...I didn't realize we looked that old...although, Malays tend to marry quite early, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised...but it was a bit awkward...
We went through immigration twice (for Thailand and Malaysia) and then got back on the bus which took us from Satun to Hat Yai. Once we were in Hat Yai, I had some kuey Tiow (noodles in a broth with fish balls, or Luuk Chin (sp?)-yes, thats what they call them...but it's not what you think...) and it was heaven! Kiat's sister, Jiap, met us at a shopping center and we went inside and got some food to take back to their house. We took the bus back to Phattalung, his hometown, which was about a 3o minute trip. Then we took his sister's motorbike and drove back to his house which is about 10 kilometers outside of the city. It's really beautiful there...lots of farms, mountains, etc. Sorry to say...I did not take any pictures. Why didn't I? Well, I don't really have a good excuse...but I will just have to take some next time! For now, you will just have to use your imagination!
I stayed there for 3 days-ish and it was very relaxing! People there eat ALL THE TIME. I swear, every 10 minutes they're eating something new like peanuts (which they grow themselves,) fruit (which they also grow themselves,) candy, chips, rice, etc. I think they eat all the time, because there honestly is not much else to do there. But Kiat's mom and sister are really good cooks and they fed me well. They were eating some sort of a big lizard...but that is one thing that i declined to eat...it looked pretty gross, I won't lie. Usually I am daring about what I eat...but that was a bit too much, even for me. I visited with a lot of his neighbors and we went to the local hang out, which is at a small waterfall where everyone goes swimming. We made a small BBQ there as well. We also went to a night market, which was located in a mostly Muslim area. Everyone was very interested that I was working in Malaysia. We also went into town because Kiat's mom is buying a new car, so we were looking around for one.
Then, it was time for me to leave and go back to Malaysia. I left once again (this time by train) and Kiat made sure that I took some sticky rice and BBQ chicken on the train with me, which the German guy who sat next to me seemed to not enjoy me eating it...maybe I have actually picked up my bad eating habits from Thai/Malay people..I'm not kidding! The train ride was almost 14 hours long...and unfortunately, I did not get a place in the sleeper car. Instead, I had to sit in a seat, which obviously had not been changed since the 1980's/70's. As more people got off the train, the German man was able to find his own row of seats, so I had two seats to myself, which was nice. But it was a bit hard to sleep since the arm rests were hard and you couldn't move them, plus the train stopped every 20 minutes, so every time I would wake up and hope we were in KL. But...nope. Finally, the train man (I don't know what you call them...) said to me, "Sir, we are in Kl Sentral now." I smiled to myself, because I have been getting called "sir" a lot lately...and I have absolutely no problem with it!
I got into KL Sentral around 5 in the morning, tired as heck. I took a taxi and he made me pay him 20 rinngit, but at that point I didn't care if he was overcharging me. I remember he started talking to me about hotel california (the song) because I told him I was from Oregon, which wasn't far from California (that's what I tell every person who does not know where Oregon is....haha). I crashed at my apartment, and obviously couldn't make it into work that day. Overall, it was a good trip! Kiat is now back in Phuket, working and I am in KL also working.
As for the Muslim celebration...that was interesting too! I went there on Saturday (took the LRT to the KTM and got a bit lost, but it turned out okay!) I went to Kajan, which is on the outskirts of KL to visit my friend (who used to work with me at WAO) Joanna. She got a great new job, so she was having a celebration for that. She picked me up at the KTM station and we went back to her house (after getting a cake for her mom's birthday). They had a LOT of good Malay food there (masala chicken, curry, jelly deserts, watermelon, etc). I talked a lot with Joanna and her sister. I can't really speak Malay, so I couldn't talk to a lot of people, but everyone seemed really nice. The men went inside Joanna's home to do the prayers and then afterwards they were able to eat. Everyone also ate with their hands-since that's the way Malay's traditionally eat. I spent the night at her house and we all slept on the floor in the living room, since that was where the AC was.
The next day, I ate some MORE good food (by the way, I am 51 kilos now-112 pounds. Not complaining at all, just saying it has only been two months!) Then her sister dropped me off at the KTM since I was going to go with Jessica to the Batu caves. But the KTM took a long time, so we decided that it would be better if we went to the caves next weekend, because we would have more time. Plus, I started not feeling well today, so it's better to take it easy anyway.
Now, about procrasination, I am starting to realize that I procrastinate way too much. I am really trying to change that about myself...because it's putting my in a bit of a stressful situation, since I am in charge of the newsletter. I have to write A LOT of stuff for the newsletter and for the director...so I am starting to feel some pressure. But, maybe I work good under pressure...? Jessica and I are going to interview some social workers at WAO and a women who became successful after staying at the refuge for the newsletter. I think we're also going to tour some other NGOs, which should be interesting! Overall, work is going well, though I really have to get cracking on completing my projects...but it should turn out okay. I hope everyone is doing great back home! Miss you all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
