It has now been a month since we arrived in Malaysia, James scared me by telling me this the other day. It has gone so fast. Finally I have stopped feeling like its a holiday and realised that I am actually living here for a year.
We have taken our first solo trip away from Pasir Tumboh. We travelled to MRSM Kota Putra to visit Tom, Danny and Dale. We took the most unreliable bus in the history of the world, which caused every single teacher to worry about us. It was an interesting trip, it made me realised how weirdly clean I am for a boy. The boys apartment was lets say, needing a scrub however being the old sick bay and being infested with ants didn't help. So we just lay on the beach for two days, and promptly got sunburnt. James even managed to get burnt on his feet, while they were buried in sand. We also experienced Tom Yam, a Malaysian soup. James experienced this more than the rest of us, when he discovered a full Habanero pepper. Much swearing and gasped followed, along with much laughter from the rest of us. It was an enjoyable lads weekend, however the curse of sand followed us home. It of course it found its way everywhere, including our beds, shower etc.On the way back we travelled through the town of Besut, gateway to the Perhentian Islands. We saw the largest number of Mat Salleh we had seen in Malaysia and felt very local as we stared at them constantly.
During the next week, it was constant spelling revision leading up to the Kelantan Spelling Bee. This was broken only once by a game of football. The teachers asked us to come and play with them, in what they called a friendly. Well, it was rather too competitive for our liking oh and plus we were put on the other playing our own school. We won, so we felt strangely smug. When we were told about the spelling bee, we assumed it would be a small competition with kids spelling words like Cat, Dog etc. Oh no, this is a national competition, with prize money of RM3000 for the state challenge and RM15000 for the national final, insane. The words these kids have to spell, bearing in mind this is theiir second language were unbelievable. We hadn't even heard of most of them, even pronounce them let alone spell them. Some examples (cymotrichous, guetapens, prospicience). We had five pupils who made it to the state challenge, and one of them walked away with 5th prize, a small RM1000. We were so proud, as we felt we had played a small part in helping him get there.
We now have 3 weeks of solid school until our next adventure, a trip to the island of Langkawi of the North-West coast with Helena and Alex from Kuala Krai. We are very excited, however now feel this our home, so will just as happy during the next 3 weeks working with the kids. Oh also I am being allowed to help with science.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Teaching
We were slightly nervous on Monday morning as it was the start of our first real teaching week. We would be trailing two teachers, Miss Reen and Miss Sham around their classes to learn the ropes before starting for real. It soon became apparent however that there was nothing to be nervous about.
the kids here are incredible, we are treated as though we are One Direction. They always say hello, shake our hands, ask for pictures, we have even been signing shirts and footballs. The classes we visited turned into massive scrambles to see how could ask the the Mat Salleh the most questions in half and hour. We still haven't grasped how valuable the skill we have, that we take for granted is. To these kids, English is their favourite subject and they view it as a gateway to a successful life. They all have a desire to learn English, so to have a native speaker to practice on is just unbelievable. To be able to give them that, to see what it means is very humbling. They think we are incredibly talented, but we haven't had to work at this at all, its just something we have. To be able to give these kids something so important and to see what it means to them is why I did Project Trust.
During the week we did many classes, including some larger group classes where we played giant scrabble, pictionary and 20 questions. A full scale war nearly broke out between the boys and the girls (they are all extremely competitive). James and I intervened we were strong and determined, sort of. My first teaching experience has been a real eye opener, that in a country as developed as Malaysia is, all the kids still long to learn English, as it viewed as the gateway to the western world.
On top of our regular teaching hours, we have taking up extra responsibilities. we are now drilling a select group of students for the national spelling bee. Its incredible, the winner receives RM10000 (about 2000 pounds). Id have entered a spelling bee if the prize was 2000 pounds. The standard of words however is insane, i cant even pronounce some let alone spell them. One of my students, Fauzi can never get a moments peace with me, as his friends insist on turning up to our tuition and asking me loads of questions (mostly if i have a girlfriend, and then don't believe that the answer is no).
Apart from school, this week was the celebration of Hari Raya which marks one month from the end of Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan and then celebrate for one month afterwards. I have never eaten so much food in my life, I thought I was going to explode. I could effectively see my waistline expanding before my eyes. As we were the Mat Salleh we had to try every dish, and had to like it. We went to two different celebrations that day, and this was when we first tried Durian, the king of fruits. Imagine garlic mixed with old socks, that is the smell and taste of Durian. James was almost sick, how I kept a straight face I have no idea as this is the ultimate Malay delicacy.
On Saturday we were invited to our first Malay wedding, the daughter of one of our fellow teachers. We felt it would be a formal occasion, so we arrived in shirt and tie. When we realised all the other men were in t-shirt and jeans, we regretted our decision. At Malay wedding you arrive, shake hands, eat food (of course) and leave. The number of colours, the attention to detail, the decorations were all exquisite. On the way home from the wedding, we had asked to go to the local pet store, just to look. We came out with 3 baby turtles. Neo, Hermionie and Kopi are now part of our household, they are so cute.
As the next week begins we are now being put in charge of our own individual classes, practising conversational English in the form of games and activities. Although I am slightly nervous, i know that these amazing kids with be so enthusiastic I will not worry one bit.
the kids here are incredible, we are treated as though we are One Direction. They always say hello, shake our hands, ask for pictures, we have even been signing shirts and footballs. The classes we visited turned into massive scrambles to see how could ask the the Mat Salleh the most questions in half and hour. We still haven't grasped how valuable the skill we have, that we take for granted is. To these kids, English is their favourite subject and they view it as a gateway to a successful life. They all have a desire to learn English, so to have a native speaker to practice on is just unbelievable. To be able to give them that, to see what it means is very humbling. They think we are incredibly talented, but we haven't had to work at this at all, its just something we have. To be able to give these kids something so important and to see what it means to them is why I did Project Trust.
During the week we did many classes, including some larger group classes where we played giant scrabble, pictionary and 20 questions. A full scale war nearly broke out between the boys and the girls (they are all extremely competitive). James and I intervened we were strong and determined, sort of. My first teaching experience has been a real eye opener, that in a country as developed as Malaysia is, all the kids still long to learn English, as it viewed as the gateway to the western world.
On top of our regular teaching hours, we have taking up extra responsibilities. we are now drilling a select group of students for the national spelling bee. Its incredible, the winner receives RM10000 (about 2000 pounds). Id have entered a spelling bee if the prize was 2000 pounds. The standard of words however is insane, i cant even pronounce some let alone spell them. One of my students, Fauzi can never get a moments peace with me, as his friends insist on turning up to our tuition and asking me loads of questions (mostly if i have a girlfriend, and then don't believe that the answer is no).
Apart from school, this week was the celebration of Hari Raya which marks one month from the end of Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan and then celebrate for one month afterwards. I have never eaten so much food in my life, I thought I was going to explode. I could effectively see my waistline expanding before my eyes. As we were the Mat Salleh we had to try every dish, and had to like it. We went to two different celebrations that day, and this was when we first tried Durian, the king of fruits. Imagine garlic mixed with old socks, that is the smell and taste of Durian. James was almost sick, how I kept a straight face I have no idea as this is the ultimate Malay delicacy.
On Saturday we were invited to our first Malay wedding, the daughter of one of our fellow teachers. We felt it would be a formal occasion, so we arrived in shirt and tie. When we realised all the other men were in t-shirt and jeans, we regretted our decision. At Malay wedding you arrive, shake hands, eat food (of course) and leave. The number of colours, the attention to detail, the decorations were all exquisite. On the way home from the wedding, we had asked to go to the local pet store, just to look. We came out with 3 baby turtles. Neo, Hermionie and Kopi are now part of our household, they are so cute.
As the next week begins we are now being put in charge of our own individual classes, practising conversational English in the form of games and activities. Although I am slightly nervous, i know that these amazing kids with be so enthusiastic I will not worry one bit.
Monday, 2 September 2013
Pasir Tumboh
We arrived at our school at around 10 o'clock in the evening. having experience a jungle toilet more than once on the way we where keen to just go to sleep. When we pulled up outside this two storey house, we where certain it was a joke. When we had been told we where staying the the VIP Principle's house, they really weren't lying.
http://goo.gl/maps/E2XBa
The house is incredible, we have two living rooms, 4 bedrooms all en-suite, plus dining room and kitchen. the best part however is definitely the AirCon however the heated electric shower comes close. We where amazed, and a little smug. We spent the entire evening sorting and conttsuting a list of everything we would need to "pimp" our house as James called it.
After a fantastic nights sleep, we woke and prepared ourselves for our first day at MRSM Pasir Tumboh. After being shown round the school by our Mentor Reen and meeting the staff and Principle, we went round to be introduced to some of the kids. This reminded me of the scenes when One Direction step out onto the red carpet. The kids went ballistic, especially the girls. We where doing pictures, signing shirts and answering endless questions about every topic imaginable from 'Where do you come from" to "Do you have a girlfriend". The kids have also decided i look like Justin Bieber and James looks like Zayn Malik, oh dear. that evening in the dining hall. We had sat down for ten seconds when we where instantly surrounded by boys asking us about football. Some kids even made others go fetch them a drink so that their seat would not be stolen.
The staff were also incredible friendly, I reckon if we fluttered our eyelids we could eat for free for the entire year. Everyone we spoke to said they wanted to take us out to dinner. We have been good friends with the other male English, Mr Zaman who is so nicely we feel guilty every time we see him. He has taken us to dinner, lunch, breakfast, out shopping, to the market and so much ore i cant remember. The same continued the next day, it never gets old being treated like a superstar. we where however quite glad of the arrival of the weekend.
As we were still loving our house and project we decided to invite our nearest volunteers, Tom, Danny and Dale to come stay as this was a long weekend to celebrate Malaysian independence day. the Malays have ridiculous amounts of holiday. They are working in MRSM Kota Putra and Basut in the neighbouring state of Terenganu. They arrived on the Friday afternoon. Much swearing and jealousy then took place as they check out our house. Tom and Danny are staying in the old sick bay, so Tom says "he can practically taste the disease". Dale described his accommodation as 'A cardboard box that is wider than it is tall", but imagine that in a Geordie accent. That evening we where treated again by Zaman to Malaysian Satay. One thing malaysia has taught me already his how far from real chicken chicken nuggets actaully are.
http://goo.gl/maps/HM6Uf
The next day we went to visit Kota Bharu for the first time and visited the central state market. You could have bought anything, from cabbage to a samurai sword. That evening, we had been invited to the football by the schools technician and my new best friend Hadifh (he extended the range of the wifi so we get it at home). we assumed it would be a small local game, but no. When the Malays do football they do it properly. It was a home game for Kelantan FA, or the Red Warriors. They are the states national team and this was an important game, equivalent to an FA cup semi-final. the tickets were still only RM15 (around 3 pounds). The atmosphere was incredible, however unfortunately Kelantan lost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelantan_FA
The next day there was a surprise visit to the biggest Tesco known to man. Seriously this place was massive, it have 42 checkouts plus there was a complete mall built around the store. Tesco's in the UK do not compare. On the way home there was a surprise visit to what has now become my favourite place, the Bundle Store. Basically imagine a pile of second hand t-shirts, about 4 feet tall. we where told it was RM10 for 3 items. James bought 10, I bought 9 and we wanted to stay forever.
That marked the end of the weekend, the boys went home rather reluctantly on Sunday afternoon ao James and I had the afternoon free. after cleaning the entire house, we jammed on the guitars for a good 2 hours. After a relaxing first week we were prepared to begin our teaching the next morning.
http://goo.gl/maps/E2XBa
The house is incredible, we have two living rooms, 4 bedrooms all en-suite, plus dining room and kitchen. the best part however is definitely the AirCon however the heated electric shower comes close. We where amazed, and a little smug. We spent the entire evening sorting and conttsuting a list of everything we would need to "pimp" our house as James called it.
After a fantastic nights sleep, we woke and prepared ourselves for our first day at MRSM Pasir Tumboh. After being shown round the school by our Mentor Reen and meeting the staff and Principle, we went round to be introduced to some of the kids. This reminded me of the scenes when One Direction step out onto the red carpet. The kids went ballistic, especially the girls. We where doing pictures, signing shirts and answering endless questions about every topic imaginable from 'Where do you come from" to "Do you have a girlfriend". The kids have also decided i look like Justin Bieber and James looks like Zayn Malik, oh dear. that evening in the dining hall. We had sat down for ten seconds when we where instantly surrounded by boys asking us about football. Some kids even made others go fetch them a drink so that their seat would not be stolen.
The staff were also incredible friendly, I reckon if we fluttered our eyelids we could eat for free for the entire year. Everyone we spoke to said they wanted to take us out to dinner. We have been good friends with the other male English, Mr Zaman who is so nicely we feel guilty every time we see him. He has taken us to dinner, lunch, breakfast, out shopping, to the market and so much ore i cant remember. The same continued the next day, it never gets old being treated like a superstar. we where however quite glad of the arrival of the weekend.
As we were still loving our house and project we decided to invite our nearest volunteers, Tom, Danny and Dale to come stay as this was a long weekend to celebrate Malaysian independence day. the Malays have ridiculous amounts of holiday. They are working in MRSM Kota Putra and Basut in the neighbouring state of Terenganu. They arrived on the Friday afternoon. Much swearing and jealousy then took place as they check out our house. Tom and Danny are staying in the old sick bay, so Tom says "he can practically taste the disease". Dale described his accommodation as 'A cardboard box that is wider than it is tall", but imagine that in a Geordie accent. That evening we where treated again by Zaman to Malaysian Satay. One thing malaysia has taught me already his how far from real chicken chicken nuggets actaully are.
http://goo.gl/maps/HM6Uf
The next day we went to visit Kota Bharu for the first time and visited the central state market. You could have bought anything, from cabbage to a samurai sword. That evening, we had been invited to the football by the schools technician and my new best friend Hadifh (he extended the range of the wifi so we get it at home). we assumed it would be a small local game, but no. When the Malays do football they do it properly. It was a home game for Kelantan FA, or the Red Warriors. They are the states national team and this was an important game, equivalent to an FA cup semi-final. the tickets were still only RM15 (around 3 pounds). The atmosphere was incredible, however unfortunately Kelantan lost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelantan_FA
The next day there was a surprise visit to the biggest Tesco known to man. Seriously this place was massive, it have 42 checkouts plus there was a complete mall built around the store. Tesco's in the UK do not compare. On the way home there was a surprise visit to what has now become my favourite place, the Bundle Store. Basically imagine a pile of second hand t-shirts, about 4 feet tall. we where told it was RM10 for 3 items. James bought 10, I bought 9 and we wanted to stay forever.
That marked the end of the weekend, the boys went home rather reluctantly on Sunday afternoon ao James and I had the afternoon free. after cleaning the entire house, we jammed on the guitars for a good 2 hours. After a relaxing first week we were prepared to begin our teaching the next morning.
Sunday, 1 September 2013
MRSM
The thoughts as we travelled from the safety of Seremban to the hustle and bustle of KL where a mix of apprehension and excitment. The journey lasted around and hour, mostly dominated by a view of palm oil plantation on either side for as far as you could see. When we hit civilisation again, we where in the outskirts of KL with the huge Petronas Towers visible in the distance.
We pulled up outside our hotel, "Quality Hotel" right in the middle of KL.
http://www.quality.com.my/KL/
The size of the place was huge, just a little larger than Gairloch. We had to travel to the 17th floor for our room, in a glass elevator on the side of the hotel. What a view. Then we realised our room our room was not yet finished, so we dumped our stuff and went shopping at a traditional Malay mall down the road. It was a nightmare, I still have no idea how many floors it actually had and everywhere looked exactly the same. Eventually we had what we needed, plus loads we didn't so we returned to hotel where we promptly watched Ice Age 2.
That night we met our MARA rep Marwati who took us out to KLCC where we had lunch at a Malay food court, most of us had Subway. we then went to the central plaza, directly under the Petronas Towers. The lights where all on, plus there was a light show and fountains in the water. we could have stayed there for days.
http://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/
The next morning we all dressed into our smartest attire and prepared to meet the big boss, the Head of MARA. Before this however we had to cross the road, this was made difficult by the 6 or 7 thousand soldiers marching through Kuala Lumpur practising for the Independence Day march. this was further made difficult when they began cheers and shouting at the site of 12 very smartly dressed Orang Putih. We where now very embarrassed Orang Putih, it was certainly strange to be this noticed.
After meeting with the big boss and having our final briefing, we said goodbye to each other and boarded our respective school buses. we had an 8 hours drive ahead of us, however 10 minutes down the road we stopped for some lunch. Our mentor, Reen was advising us on what to have at this Malay truck stop for we told ourselves we would not have McDonald's again. a chicken dish caught our eye, so we inquired about the strength of the spice. Mild, Reen said. Well if this was mild hot could have killed an elephant. After finishing half out of pure politeness, we where informed that eating large amounts of spicy food can caused some potential bowel related problems. We quickly stopped eating and went to McDonald's, where strangely we found the rest of the volunteers all whom had stopped in the same place but had been sensible enough to stick with familiar food.
http://goo.gl/maps/tB54y
After this it was a straight run north to our school, MRSM Pasir Tumboh. Our orientation had been fun, but now it was time for the real work to begin. Or something like that.
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