Home safe and sound!

I made it home! After taking a KL 'LRT', airport bus, 2 planes, car, and train... I reached Totnes station to find my Dad, sister and Dog along with a beautiful 'Welcome Home Bea' banner! The journey home was pretty long as at each stop we had to turn our watches back a few hours - it felt like the day was going on forever. We reached Gatwick around 1pm, where we were meeted by one of the volunteer's mums (and her delicous cakes!)

Its strange to be back, but surprisingly it doesn't feel like I've been away that long. Nothing has really changed and I am not finding doing things again for the first time that exciting! Still its great to see everyone again, and the weather has been amazing the last few days. After leaving my bag untouched for a few days, you will be glad to know I have now unpacked my stuff, and there is a long queue for the washing machine...maybe I should just handwash everything now that I am such a pro!!

I feel sad that my Gap-Year is nearly over... I have had so much freedom and now I must get into studying mode for university. I've had such a great time and am so glad I took a year out despite the fee rises. Hopefully I will have other opportunities to travel in my university holidays, because that is what I would save my money for. England seems so grey and boring compared to the bright colours and spicey smells of Asia...

Seeing as this blog is called 'Bea Chapman in Malaysia' and technically I am no longer in Malaysia...this should be my last entry. I hope you have enjoyed following my trip... even though I know some months I was pretty hopeless at posting. I have enjoyed sharing my stories with you all, although sometimes I found it hard putting experiences down into words that can be read by anyone... family... friends... my students... local people - dont want to offend anyone!

I am now facing a long list of things to do before I go to university. I have been quickly swallowed back into the fast pace of family life back home - I miss being in Malaysia so much already, but its good to be back home. I will cherish all the memories fondly, as I could never forget such a challenging, yet  enjoyable and eye-opening experience. 

Leaving life in the kampung

I am leaving for KL in 5 mins and have just enough time to blog before I leave. My bag is packed (literally stuffed) and it will be an immense achievement if I make it to our hotel without a broken back!!

I have been staying with my adopted Malay family for the past few nights to say goodbye. I currently have their little girl climbing all over me...so its quite hard to type! She has just returned my camera after running off with it and taking photos of the shower...garden and lots of other random things around the house! I am really close to Syara now - really dont want to say goodbye.. She is 4 years old and is my new Malay teacher! Yesterday we did some painting together and I explained how I was leaving to her... she said "Cak tak datang lagi?" which means "You're not coming again sister?". Playing with Syara was really good at the start because I really missed physical contact with people - but as she is 4 there are no rules about me picking her up or anything. After a bad day, playing with Syara always cheered me up!

I had my last buka puasa with all the family last night. Mak Cik cooked my favourite spicy aubergine...it was so good! Then I went out to the stall I always go to and ate my last rojak - tofu, soya and vegetable in a peanut sauce. All the hari-raya decorations are up around the villages - lanterns line most small roads, and people were setting off fire crackers. Its a real shame to not be here for hari-raya but I will just have to come back for it another year.

I am seriously going to miss the kampung life here - it's so peaceful and laid-back. Yesterday I rode around the village on the scooter as the sun was going down and all the kampung people were inside preparing to buka puasa. I also went for my last run to say goodbye to my circuit - not looking forward to the Devon hills which are going to be tough after running for 8 months on flat!

So our flight is at 2am on Thursday... now its time to leave Parit Haji Abrahim and head for bustling KL - the start of my journey home to South Brent. I will come back one day, and hopefully Mak Cik and Pak Cik will still be alive. The next time I blog will be from my house - how crazy is that!!

Last day at MRSM

Me and Fiona had our last day at MRSM last Friday (the 3rd). The students organised us a leaving ceremony at break time, with some performances and lots of card and present presentations. There were of course SO many photos taken - pretty much every student in the whole school wanted a personal one with each of us. The students all made us beautiful cards with all their names inside, unfortunately some are too big to bring home so I have had to take pictures of them instead. We were given many school souvenirs too, including a very handy thermous mug which will be very useful for staying awake in lectures next year! It was a busy last day, sorting our desk and clearing out the computers of all our files, as well as saying our goodbyes and walking around the school one last time. I felt sad to leave the school, but saying goodbye to some of the students was harder. I have a feeling I am going to get alot of facebook friend requests this week! When students said goodbye to us, they would always say three things...firstly 'I will miss you', secondly 'please forgive me for all my mistakes and anything I have done wrong to you' and thirdly 'please pray for me'.

Packing up all of my stuff and clearing the house was an even bigger challenge! It seems I have either bought or been given enough stuff to double what I came with. It was quite satisfying throwing lots out, although its a shame I can't bring home more. The next time I come to Malaysia I will bring an empty bag so I can bring back loads of food! It will be an amazing achievement if I make it back to Devon with my bag because it is insanely heavy - hope the underground isn't too crowded. I guess its good weight training...

So now I am free of my teaching responsibilities... I have spent the last week in Taman Negara (Malaysia's national park) trecking in the jungle and having awful sleeps on roll mats which smell of pee! It was great fun though and I'm glad I saw another side of Malaysia. I am now back in Batu Pahat for the weekend to say a proper goodbye to my favourite places and people. On Tuesday next week we have a meeting with MARA (our employers) to discuss how the project was and how it can be improved etc. Then on Thursday its our flight....so looking forward to seeing everyone but seriously not looking forward to the weather or prices!!!

You can expect a suitably deep and reflective entry next week before I fly home - but don't get your hopes up because the standard of my English has reached an all time low. I have been living with speakers of 'the broken English' and I cant remember the last time I read a novel. You will all have to correct my speech when I am home because I have started saying things like 'Better eat now' and 'I'm know'......oh deeaar!

Ramadhan

Its now the seventh day of Ramadhan, the month in which everyday all Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk.  The month ends with Hari-Raya, which is the biggest celebration in their calendar. I have heard it is really amazing and I am disappointed that our flight date means we miss it. The aim of Ramadhan is for muslims to experience feeling thirsty and hungry so they can sympathise with those who do not have food and drink.

At 4.30am they wake up and take their 'Sahur' (breakfast). This is rice with meat or fish - yes at 4.30am!! They must not eat once the morning prayer call has finished. Then during the day they cannot intake anything...eat...drink...smoke etc...until their 'Buka Puasa' (breaking fast) at around 7.15pm. Before they dig into a meal, they eat dates and drink milk- which has some religous connotation but Im not sure the exact meaning.

For the first two days of Ramadhan I tried to 'Puasa' (fast). Not eating was really easy - you just get so thirsty!! Now I am doing my own version...7.30am - 7.30pm without food, and I am allowed to drink because I dont think my body is used to coping in the heat without water. For those of you who think I am going to come home stick thin..you are wrong - we eat so much in the evening it basically makes us for 2 lunches and dinner put together! I am fasting because I want to join in with everyone at school, and it is the most satisfying feeling breaking fast in the evening.

Every night during Ramadhan there are huge markets selling traditional foods for people to take home when they break their fast (if they cant be bothered to cook!) They are so colourful and have a great atmosphere. I go most days and try different things every time. I am seriously going to miss Malay food - its soooo good and super cheap.

You do not have to fast if you are ill, pregnant, or on your period. The days lost must be made up for at another point in the year though. Some pregnant women still choose to fast though...theyre crazy!

Here is a photo I took at the Pasar Ramadhan in Parit Sulong. The lady in green is our head of English who took us.

I am already beginning to get into going home mode... Next week is our last week at school, and I have made a list of all the places I want to go to nearby for the last time. I feel ready to leave school but Malaysia has become so much like home now. I am making most of the sunny weather and the freedom I have before I come home in three weeks time.



Birthday in the tropics

Yesterday was my 19th birthday! I had a really good day. After arriving at school a little late (treated myself to an extra half an hour in bed) I joined the teachers for a Malay style rice breakfast. They then surprised me with a big cake and present - so sweet of them. I opened a very nice handful of cards that had been arriving over the last few days, I was very touched that people still remembered my birthday and I havent been forgotten! Fiona's parents (who are here visiting) then took us to the pool nearby, (a 50m outdoor) which in the sunlight was so beautiful. Swimming was great as I could burn off all the cake I had eaten that morning...(which was alot...) In the evening I went out for a meal - so all in all it was a very good one!

I remember my 18th birthday and have been thinking just how great a year I have had since then! Starting off with a long summer holiday, then doing work experience in London, and then travelling to Malaysia. It probably will have been one of the most free years of my life...no exams..no debt!

It is pouring with rain here today - the parits are full of water now. Thankfully Fiona had an umbrella so we could make it into school vaguely dry!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes :-)

Bye bye Mum and Naomi :(

Life at home is super quiet after Mum and Naomi left to go back to England yesterday. All my washing is clean and the house very tidy also (thanks Mum). I was also treated to some luxuries from home that I have been missing, such as: a box of Mum's flapjacks, Marmite, Branflakes, and lots of clothes. I really enjoyed having them to stay, showing them the school and introducing them to all my students and friends. The students were all amazed at how tall Naomi is, and lots of them decided they fancied her!

We had a lovely weekend in Melaka which is 2 hours north of Batu Pahat. It's great for shopping, sightseeing and also relaxing - so we had a bit of everything. We stayed in a lovely hotel which had a pool and gym. Melaka is on the backpacker trail so you always see alot of white people, which is nice but also strange - you would never see any (other than us!) around the school area.

Last night Fiona and I played badminton against some of the female staff...a sort of inter-department competition. It was so much fun, and great to play a more competitive sport (cycling and running can get boring sometimes). I could see that inside they were actually really competitive, although they tried to hide it!! I hadnt yet seen any Malay women exercising so it was great to play with them - they even suggested playing weekly friendly matches.

Tonight we are going bowling with some teachers, and Fiona's parents will arrive tomorrow. Sorry this is going to be a short post - the bells just gone and I have class!

Recent life at MRSM

Hi everyone!

Its Thursday morning here and I have an hour before my next class. Three of the English teachers are away today for various reasons so we have a crazy timetable and are having to combine 2 or 3 classes together for some periods! One of the teachers texted me at 5.45am this morning explaining how she wouldnt be in school today - so busy days always come when I am least expecting it.

This week has been great as I have my Mum and sister Naomi visiting. I met them in Singapore at the weekend and then brought them up to the project on Sunday. It was so lovely to see them again, they haven't changed much! :) I have been showing them around the school, they were surprised how big the compound is. The students were all extremely excited to see more 'orang-putih' (white people) and eager to shake their hands. They were especially impressed at Naomi's height - being fourteen and towering above most of the girls (who are all really short!). I asked one of my classes to ask Naomi some questions and the usual order was: How old are you? Do you have facebook? What is your relationship status?

On Tuesday we had 8 students over for pancakes after school. Mum cooked up a delicous batch and we filled the table with various toppings. They were all keen to have a try at frying them. After the pancakes they vacated into my room - always keen for a nose around at my photos and clothes!! This particular group of form 3s are so lovely and I will miss them so much.

The school now has a new principal, after our dear Salim left two weeks ago. All the teachers are having to get used to his new form of management, but I am sure it will settle down soon. Apparently he has lots of new ideas of how he wants to improve the school. To say goodbye to the old principal, we went out for dinner in Batu Pahat with all of the teachers/staff and ate rice (of course) with various meats. For pudding there was a delicous carrot cake which had been dyed red! It was a memorable cake, not only for its appearance but also for the fact that we never get cake out here! Malaysia doesnt really do puddings... here's a good opportunity to publicly thank Mum for the delicous box of flapjacks she carried out all the way from Devon!

We are beginning to start our community reports, which Projec Trust request of all volunteers before they leave their projects. For this I gave out a questionnaire, and I thought I would share some of the answers as they may interest you...

I started by asking the students about their school day. In my opinion it is far too long (up at 5.30 for prayer, and evening prep finishes at 10.30pm) but surprisingly the majority said they didnt find it too bad because their primary school day had been a similar length! They also said they they found doing their work in the evening the most effective, and often stayed up even later than midnight if they have exams near. The age at which the girls started wearing their hijap varied from 5-13...depending on how strict their parents were. Finally I asked about the school rules and if they agreed with them etc...and I found out some interesting ones such as 'pot noodles are banned in the hostel'. Apparently the artificial chemicals added are bad for digestion and prevent you from sleeping... Also some of the boys informed me of how they get out of prep in the evenings - some interesting accounts of climbing over a barbed wire fence! The no boyfriends/girlfriends rule is pretty much ignored..they all have secret relationships and meet up late at night in the academic blocks. I think its hilarious and am always interested to have a good gossip with the girls about their boyfriends.

The weeks really are flying by now. When Mum and Naomi leave next Tuesday, we have one night alone and then Fiona's parents are arriving! I want to take down my calendar just so that I cant see the days running away...really dont want to leave just yet - its going too fast... Two weeks today I will be 19 - so much has happened since my 18th birthday. It will be strange but also cool to have my birthday out here - not sure what I will do yet.

Well I must go - hopefully the jetlagged sleepy-heads will be up soon and we can hit the cafe for breakfast!