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!

Back to the Maktab

Well.. we are back safe and sound - and here I am back in Batu Pahat sitting in the languages office. There is a new English teacher in our department which unfortunately means I have been kicked off my desk and me and Fiona are back to sharing! School has been quiet so far as there have been lots of talks and assemblies going on for the start of a new term.

It is so nice to be back in Malaysia again...I feel really safe here and I just missed the Malay food heaps! The first day we got back we celebrated by going for a roti canai... yumyum. I only have 8 more weeks at the project now, which is such a scary thought! Somehow I am struggling to feel motivated this week...when I really want to have home-straight 'energy' to get the very most out of the last 2 months. Hopefully once I get back into the routine of school my enthusiasm will pick up! It was great to see some of the students yesterday, especially when they said they missed me. The form ones are just so nice!

School is out for the day, and I am about to go home (with a bag of watermelon I stole form the dining hall!) to attempt to fix my bike. I know I am going to get oil everywhere...I would really hate to be a mechanic. It really needs fixing though because without my bike I feel like I have no freedom. The land is pretty flat around Johor so its not too straining to cycle everywhere...unlike Devon!

One month today I will be 19... it feels like such a long time ago that I was celebrating my 18th - so much has changed! Everything is set for starting at Manchester next year.. I think these last couple of months really are going to fly by - better get out there and make the most of the freedom whilst I've got it!

Hello from Chiang Mai!

Hello everyone... I am in Chiang Mai. Its so hot and I am currently sitting in our hostel making use of the free internet :-) Tonight we are heading back down to Bangkok, and I am not looking forward to the train back as apparently the carriages with fans are unbearably hot at night!

We have been travelling for 3 weeks now - 2 weeks in Cambodia, and we are a week into Thailand. I have been having such a good time, and its been really nice to have some freedom outside of the school! I do really miss Batu Pahat though, and will be ready to go back next weekend. I am not used to spending money at the project, so these past few weeks have seemed pretty expensive and Im looking forward to going back to the free food and accommodation! Funnily enough Malaysia is much cheaper than Cambodia and Thailand - we didnt realise how little food costs where we are.

This morning I got up pretty late and we went to this smoothie stall in a market, which was soo amazing. I had a coffee, banana and cinnamon shake - and it was amazing!! It cost 30 Baht which is like 60p. I asked her how many she sells on average...she said on a good day she sells around 600 smoothies - shes doing very well! Malaysia absolutely sucks for fruit juice...they just dont do it. I am tempted to start a fruit shake stall at school during break so the students can have some healthy drinks to wash down all their deep-fried snacks... All I need is some fruit, ice and a blender!

I have learnt alot travelling...from living out of a bag, to avoiding the many scams which South East Asia has to offer. Our trip has felt a little rushed...we would have loved to spend more time up here in the north but there is so much more we want to see, so we are having to squeeze alot in! Im treating this trip as a sort of taster...I will definitely come back with more time and explore smaller places which take longer to get to. We went to this amazing place called Pai which is 4 hours north of Chiang Mai...sorrounded by mountains and greenery. We rented scooters for a day and zoomed around the empty roads, stopping off at waterfalls and good viewing points. We also did an elephant treck, which was soo good... we rode for an hour or so and then 'played' in the river with our elephant - being thrown off and splashed etc. Ill put some photos up soon.

So its now nearly 4pm... think its time for some noodle soup before we head to the station. Its so hot right now... My back is literally dripping...nice. I just bought some extremely dodgy-looking hair dye from a market for 80p, as the sun has turned my hair a very strange colour and I'd like to return to brown...Lets hope the colour on the box is the colour of the dye and not some Asian trick! Anyway I must go - hope all is well with you all.

P.s I am sorry this blog has become so casual... whenever I blog I never seem in the right state of mind to write poetic lines in grammatically correct English that should be coming from a girl who got an A* at English A-level.... Sorry chaps.

P.p.s Happy June!

Busy busy week!

Hi everyone :-) Today is our last day in school before our holidays. We are going travelling in Cambodia in Thailand, to get a feel for a bit more of SE Asia. I always get a pre-trip 'argggh to much to get organised'... and there also happens to be alot going on in school this week. Fiona and I were put in charge of making the schools newletter. We came up with the articles quickly, with help from some students. I happen to be extremely fussy with visual layout, so I spent a good few hours editing the format! I am now happy to say though that the newsletter is finished (with a few hours to spare). Now we must print and distribute them before the school day ends!!

Tomorrow we have been asked to run a session at an English public speaking course in Batu Pahat, so we have also been busy preparing presentations/workshops for that. I have a mountain of washing waiting for me at home, along with various admin things that needs to be done before I can relax and leave for the airport... Our flight leaves at 6.45am on Sunday morning.

It will be lovely to have a break from school, sometimes my motivation does run out towards the end of term. I know however, that I will look forward to coming back - I really am enjoying myself now. I hope I will be able to swim/run at some points during our  travels, as I am really into exercising at the moment. I've heard running on sand is supposed to be amazing for developping leg tone!!

Anyway I must dash - I have a long list of things to do in front of me... Here's a few photos for you. I will try and keep in touch whilst I am away - if I can spare any money to fork out for internet cafes!

Fiona, Megawati (form 4 student) and I at her sisters wedding in a nearby Kampung.

With some students on an outing into Batu Pahat.

Eating oranges outside our chalet in Tioman!

A local man teaching me how to make roti at his stall...:) much to all the customers delight...

with the EMC in the school foyer.

Half way.. arrgghhh!

Last Thursday marked half way through my time here in Malaysia! It doesn’t feel like we have been here that long, but when I look back at the amount that has happened it easily fills out 4 months. It feels as though we are on ‘countdown’ now which is a scary thought... At the start I was longing for this point, but now I don’t like the idea of leaving Batu Pahat and coming back home to study!

We spent the weekend before last in Singapore. After a relatively dull week at school (students had exams) we thought it would be nice to have a weekend away. I met the others on Saturday afternoon, after spending a night in JB with some friends from England. We decided to splash out and go on the ‘Night Safari’ at Singapore Zoo, which we had heard good reviews about. Entry cost $32 which is roughly Rm75! After a long queue we took our seats on the safari tram (suitably painted in leopard print).The animals are kept on islands surrounded by small rivers - so you can see them really well. In some areas the animals are just walking right next to the tram – we had many furry friends coming up close to say hello! The best animals I saw would probably be the crocodiles, lions and tigers. The otters were also extremely cute...

We stayed in a hostel in Little India. It was the first time I have stayed in a dormitory style hostel, so before bed I had made friends with a man from Afghanistan, and another one from Estonia! It was a cool place, with relatively cheap drinks. Breakfast was make-your-own eggs and toast, good to refuel in the morning so we didn’t have to buy any food in (expensive) Singapore! The next day we went for a wander and ended up on ‘Arab Street’, with many shops selling materials and various rugs/carpets. I bought a silk scarf :-)

Fiona and I are in charge of making the schools newsletter for this semester, along with the EMC (English Motivational Committee). The newsletter will celebrate a successful sports season, and reports what has been going on around the college – languages week, planting trees on Earth Day, recent building work etc. The other night we also held auditions for the school drama group. The students were given a situation to improvise from in pairs. One of the situations involved a running criminal and policeman, which the boys obviously loved, as they could turn drama into very physical theatre!

The weather has been so stormy recently, pretty much every night there is thunder and lightning. Sometimes the thunder is so close that it makes the whole house shake! The amount of rain has filled up the ‘parits’, much to the delight of its resident fish.  I have seen many iguanas around recently, sometimes they casually amble across the road and you have to beep at them at least 5 times before they twig they’re about to die and run off! Seeing as we’re on the wildlife topic, I saw some beautiful birds in the palm oil plantations – electric yellow and bright blue.

I wonder how things are back home. I really like May as I used to get all my summer gear down from the loft. I am sure the daffodils are all out, and the lambs are as cute as ever. I promise I will blog again soon, I realise how rubbish I have been at updating this blog!

Trip to Singapore, Batu Pahat hill, and Hostel Inspections

Hello! I am sitting at my desk in the languages department and suddenly fancied posting - so here goes...

The weekend after we got back from Langkawi, I took a bus down to Johor Bahru (Johor's capital, and second biggest city in Malaysia). One of my Mum's friends has a friend who is living there with her family for three years whilst working in a branch of Newcastle university. I had a great weekend with the Johnsons - they live in a really modern area of the city, very different to the Malaysia I experience out in the 'Kampungs' of Batu Pahat. Andie has two girls, aged 6 and 4 - who were very sweet and great fun to play with. With their house they get free membership to a nearby pool, so we went 3 times over the weekend. In Langkawi we had been looking enviously at the pools owned by hotels on the beach,  so it was nice to have one to ourselves!

On the Saturday we went for a day trip into Singapore. I have never heard much about the country, except for its job as the main stop of point for long-haul flights! We saw a few of the sights, had lunch on Boat Quay, and then went for a walk in the Botanical Gardens- which were really beautiful. Singapore was mega clean, not forgetting expensive!! It was great to visit, and I expect I will go back for another weekend as its only 2 hours away from us. I had such a lovely weekend... Andie cooked me pasta, made me cups of tea and I even had a hot shower!!! It was really nice as their house felt very English, and I could play with her girls without being limited to just saying 'Apa khabar??' (How are you)..

These past few weeks have been good. I have become much more content with not doing as much as I thought I would be doing. We have started doing more outside of the school day, in compensation of our 2 hours/day (max) English assisting! Today we will begin English booster classes for the weak students in form 2. I will meet small groups of 3/4 students for an informal lesson, to improve their confidence with speaking etc.

This week is Languages week at our school. Last night I had to judge a debate between a form 4 and 5 team. It made me laugh alot as one team was taking it SO seriously, and the other was just messing about. We have semi-finals tonight and then the final on Thursday. I like to help out with this sort of things but the debates do not start until 10pm so it always results in late nights! (Yes... most nights I'm in bed by this time..)

Last week we accompanied the school recreational team, as they were climbing Batu Pahat hill. Before we left it had been really sunny so we fully suncreamed up...expecting the weather to stay... but we were quite wrong! After a very steep climb up approx. 700 steps we reached the top, and enjoyed a good view over the town. The sky began to look a little dark so Zu (teacher) suggested we started heading down as to miss the rain. Not quite quickly enough though! Only 5 minutes after we left it began absolutely pouring it down and before we knew it we were walking through the rainforest in the middle of a storm. I dont think I have ever  been so soaked in my life! Thankfully my phone and camera survived, but Fiona's phone unfortunately didnt make it... When we got back to the bus the driver wouldnt let us sit down, otherwise we would have made the bus stink, and most probably start growing mould! So all the shivering students had to stand for 30 minutes as we headed home. Of course, by the time we got back - the sun was back out. Classic!

Now we are into April, it does feel like time is flying by. 4 months today we will be leaving the school for our holiday before returning home. I am really excited about this sunday as I can have my first cup of 'the tarik' (gave it up for lent). Hopefully I can get some chocolate into the house too, maybe make an easter egg hunt??

Yesterday after school I was on hostel inspection duty, as one of the teachers was out and she asked me to cover for her. I had to check her groups rooms - their bed, cupboard and desk. They are all really embarassed about mess, so they all tidy up without complaining! The boys hostels did smell a bit though... and the girls balconies are just lined with washing lines draped with pants and bras! It was good fun as the students all showed me photos etc, and we had a group chat after I finished. In case you were wondering - everyone passed Miss Bea's inspection :-)

I hope it is warming up nicely back home, and you are all enjoying the longer days. Keep the letters coming - I will write back!! Chocolate is also v. welcome..............

Langkawi - Chillin' in da Babylon

What a great week! I was seriously in need of a time-out from the project and Langkawi didn’t fail to put on a good show, and cheered me up massively :-) I’m sorry if this entry is quite long, but I don’t want to forget anything!

Seeing as the students were packing up to go home on the Friday before half term, there was no need for us to stick around. We caught a night bus on the Thursday night, which took us to Kuala Perlis in the northern state of Kedah. We arrived around 9am the next morning, and caught the ferry over to Kuah in Langkawi.

We were very fortunate in having a friend at school who lives on the island. His brother Khairul very kindly met us at the ferry terminal, and drove us 25km to the west of the island. Pentai Cenang is the main beach strip and has many backpacker-like hostels set a little way back from the beach. We stayed the majority of our nights in Gecko Lodge, a very laid-back and friendly hostel – costing Rm35 per night (7 pounds) for a double room. Every morning we would immerge from our rooms and sit in the communal area, being offered mangoes if they happened to fall off the tree at the right time.

It was so nice to meet the other volunteers there. We all stayed in the same place and every night we had a good catch up/gossip. I feel very lucky to have such a nice group in Malaysia, and to have them all so close by! (The furthest are 2 hours away).

Day 1 - Saturday

After a good sleep we had a ‘group meeting’ (go us!) to decide on a vague plan for the week. There is a lot to do/see in Langkawi so we didn’t want to miss anything! After a heated discussion, the pens were put away and we all headed for the beach for what was left of the afternoon. That evening we met Hafiz (friend who had returned from Batu Pahat) and Khairul for dinner. We had a huge spread of various seafoods cooked in different ways, with rice. There was also ‘TomYam’ which is a spicey Thai soup, containing seafood, ginger, and vegetables. It was so delicious and I labeled it my best meal in Malaysia so far :-)

This photo is of Kate and I on the beach.

Day 2 - Sunday

Snorkelling trip day! Khairul used to work for a company who run trips so he got us a good deal. We took picnics and caught a ferry from Langkawi Yacht club to a nearby island, which is a Marine Park. Funnily enough I spotted some Sunsail yachts in the marina, and then found they had a base there. It was a weird feeling seeing the sunsail boats, they looked so familiar having done 3 flotillas with them. Langkawi would be the best place ever to charter a yacht – it’s just so beautiful and the conditions would make it easy sailing. Anyway, an hours ride took us to the island, where we suncreamed up and dived in. I was four when we visited Australia’s ‘Great Barrier Reef’, slightly too young to appreciate fish! At 18 I can safely say that the fish were appreciated – they were so cool!! The water was super clear, and we saw so many fish. We even came across some baby sharks, which were about 1-1.5m long. Don’t get me wrong, I still stayed very close to Rebecca when they were swimming around us…!

Day 3 - Monday

On Monday we went to ‘Seven Wells’ waterfall, which we had read about in the guide book. We spent the afternoon jumping into the pools, and sliding over the moss down the rocks. We then decided to treck into the rainforest in our bikinis, and after it clouding over and us losing Fiona we realized it was a bit of a silly decision!

Day 4 - Tuesday

Katie’s 19^th Birthday! We had been out the night before, so unfortunately we were all quite hungover! Still, we had a good relax on Cenang beach, which was only a 5 min walk from the hostel. In the evening we treated ourselves to a proper western meal at ‘T-Jays’, an Italian place run by a man from Exeter would you believe! I shared a pizza and pasta with Lyndsey and it was soooo delicious! Like, amazing. Yeah it cost Rm40 but it was so worth it! When I am home and we go out for family meals I am going to appreciate them so much more :-)

Day 5 – Wednesday

Langkawi is quite famous for its cable car. We had been told by our students that we had to go, so we left reasonably early as to avoid the queues. For Rm30 you are taken in a gondola up the tallest point of the island, where there are look-out points to take photos/admire the view. Unfortunately the visibility wasn’t great, I heard that on a good day you can see Thailand. At the top was a suspension bridge, which wobbles when you walk across! It was a good thing to do, but I won’t lie the highlight of my day was finding mint choc chip ice cream at the bottom…

Day 6 – Thursday

Pentai Cenang is Langkawi’s most popular beach, and naturally quite busy with hotels and watersports. We took taxis up to the north coast to Tanjung Rhu beach, which is much quieter for being a bit out of the way. I don’t think I have ever been to such a beautiful beach. Half is owned by a hotel, but the beach had perfect sand and looks out to a large bay, with small islands dotted around. Kayaks were available to rent, so we got 3 kayaks between 7 of us. We had a good paddle around, and had various splashing fights. I managed to climb out of the kayak onto some rocks to jump in, avoiding the many crabs which were well camouflaged… As the day went on the light was so beautiful, and I walked along the shore collecting some pretty cool shells. 5-7pm is my favourite time of day, especially if you are on a beach. The sun is not strong enough to burn you, and somehow everything becomes still. Love it!

Day 7 – Friday

Me, Kate and Fiona went on an island hopping tour. We paid Rm25 for a four hour tour, stopping off at various islands for an hour or so. The first stop was to an island which has a fresh water lake inland. There is a legend that a woman once bathed there in order to become pregnant. On the way, the guide pointed out an island which looks like a pregnant woman lying on her back. Stupidly, I stepped off the boat carrying a bag of fruit, noticing too late the amount of monkeys around…. The next think I know I have a monkey jumping up at me, and stealing the bag – the damn thing! Everyone laughed at me because I swore at it and swung my water bottle in its face… It was a lesson well learnt – hide plastic bags - no matter what they have inside, if there are monkeys around!! Island hopping was fun, I really like doing boat trips.

Day 8 – Saturday – Last day :-(

We packed up and were kindly allowed to leave our bags in the hostel kitchen so we could chill on the beach until our bus left. I did a bit of shopping, buying some ‘gap-year’ trousers, a baggy sarong top thing, an ‘I heart Langkawi’ T-shirt, and some bracelettes. Khairul picked us up after work and dropped us to the ferry terminal, making a quick pit-stop at the duty free chocolate shop – to fill our supplies, and take some back for the teachers.

So there you have it. A brief (but still quite long) account of my week. I will definitely go back sometime, but probably not in this trip as there is still a lot of Malaysia I want to see. I really didn’t want to come back – we got a taste of the travelling life, and it was tempting just to take off... Still its only 8 weeks or so until our next holidays. Time to put our bikinis and beers away, and get out the long skirts!

P.s If you were wondering about the title of this blog... 'Babylon' is a beach bar on Pentai Cenang beach, which we were 'chillin' in every night whilst listening to reggae bands.. :-)

Pancake day, dance classes and activities week.

I am sorry (again) for not posting for a while. If Im totally honest the last few weeks have been quite difficult and I havent really felt like blogging! But here I am now.

Shrove Tuesday came, and thankfully Fiona's mum reminded us about pancakes! We were determined to find some flour, and were successful after asking in several shops in some dodgy Malay. I was often on pancake duty in the kitchen where I worked before leaving the UK, so I am quite fussy about mixture lumpiness these days! We used a wok and fork to make the mixture, and fried and flipped away! For main course we had baked bean, egg and cheese pancakes, and for pudding - jam, pineapple and kaya. They were yummy and soon I am going to invite some students over for a pancake night. Its really nice when the girls come over because they can take off their headscarves and we can see all their beautiful hair. Some of them want me to teach them how to do french plaits which will be nice.

I have started running a weekly dance class on wednesdays for the girls. We use benches, chairs and portable whiteboards as barres in a space on the third floor of the academic block. Its really good fun, and there is a lot of giggling. I have not danced properly since July, but surprisingly I can still remember the majority of exercises I used to do! I cant wait to join some dance societies at uni in September, and get back into it. I have so many good memories from my dance school, and as much as I was ready to leave I do miss spending my evenings there!

This week is the schools activities week, which thankfully has been a lot funner than the past couple of weeks! I have been finding school quite frustrating, and it is taking longer than I thought for everyone to get used to us, and what we are here for. I am often quite bored, which leaves me with time on my hands to think about home/other fun things I could be doing. It was always going to be a challenge being the first year of volunteers though. Still, I have drawn a line under the last few weeks and will come back after our week off with (I hope) a refreshed enthusiam to keep at it. I have found that whatever I feel is always to the extreme - I either have a really good day, or a really really bad day. Its almost like my emotions are amplified. I am learning so much everyday, even just from watching people. I have started making alot more effort to learn Malay too, which will come in very handy. Its a relativelty simple language actually, so fingers crossed in a month or so I will be cracking out some lines!

As I mentioned, next week is the school holidays. We are off to Langkawi, a popular island off the north west coast (north of Penang). I will treat myself to some snorkelling trips/shopping, as I havent really been spending much of my allowance. It will be great to have a small timeout from the school, as sometimes I do feel a bit stuck in the compound. Hopefully Langkawi will treat us to some beautiful beaches, and (tax-free) drunken evenings as we watch the sun set :)

Can't think of a title...

It’s coming up to two months since I left the UK! February always seems to fly by like that. There’s a small part of me that is glad time is passing by, and another side which is thinking ‘Bea you only have just over 5 months left in the school!’ I couldn’t really decide a suitable title for this entry because it’s just going to be a mixture of some of the things which have happened.

On the Saturday after we got back from Penang, we decided to have a bit of a house clean... just thought I would mention this to impress Mum (if you’re reading!) We realised just how dirty the floor was. For those of you who know me well you will know that when I start cleaning I get a bit carried away... so we ended up moving loads of furniture and mopping the floors! It was really satisfying to sweep away the cobwebs, and slightly shocking that we hadn’t done it already... So now we have made it more ‘ours’ which is nice. I’m already jealous of next year’s volunteers as they will get all the stuff we have bought for the house!

Here’s another fun thing – I rode a motorbike for the first time the other day! Our friend at school lives in a small village about 6km away, so we cycled over and I had a go on his bike (the roads are pretty quiet). Apparently they only cost about 900 quid... and that’s for a new one! For a second I was tempted but then realised it was a bit of a ridiculous idea.

That leads me onto something which really bugs me about people here – the complete lack of environmental conscience they have... I don’t think I have ever been somewhere where everyone drives as much as they do here.  We teachers live about 200m from the school, and yet they all drive to school?? Lift sharing in their eyes is a ridiculous idea, and if they call into someone’s house, they will just leave the engine running outside for half an hour or more. There’s not a recycling bin in site, and piles of rubbish (I have seen prams and electronics in them) are just burnt at the roadside. It actually really gets to me and makes me feel like all my efforts to be green at home are pointless. I am thinking about starting a recycling project at school, and introducing different coloured bins for the classrooms. Anyway – rant over!

On Thursday 16^th, John Fraser from Project Trust visited our school for lunch. He is not our desk officer but had been visiting Indonesia and Thailand so thought he would fly (literally!) through. He doesn’t know us well but it was still nice to see a familiar face so far away. He is so experienced at the whole process that talking to him made me feel almost ‘grounded’, if that makes sense... He was also helpful as he spoke to the principal and organised our last day in the school, which will be the 3^rd August.  The next day we met him, some people from MARA, and the other volunteers at MRSM Alors Gajah (2.5 hours north). We had a small meeting, discussing how things we going and how and problems could be solved. It has been a slight disadvantage being the first volunteers in this project, as it is taking a while for the schools to get used to us. We are having to do all the work vis a vis getting involved, whereas I’m sure it will happen naturally next year. I keep telling myself the main benefit – we won’t be compared to any volunteers the schools have had previously!

Seeing as we had trekked all the way up to Alors Gajah, it seemed to make sense to make a night of it. We got a train into KL, and stayed in a really cool hostel opposite our favourite ‘Reggae Bar’. Grabbing the opportunity to drink outside of school, we had a fun night... I will stop there as I never know who is reading this blog!

KL is not my favourite place really, I find it a bit jammed and there are only so many markets I can walk through. It’s the sort of city I would prefer to explore with family, as to get to cool places you need to get taxis really (I can’t splash out on a 100 pound/month wage!) Me and Fiona left the others on Saturday and got a bus back to school, getting completely SOAKED in the rain, which timed itself perfectly with our leaving the hostel and arriving at the train station! Thank you sky..... I really wanted a day just to be at home because I have been feeling that if I am constantly away at weekends I am never really going to feel local, but always as a tourist. I also want to hang out with some of the students, and get to know them a bit more – seeing as they are so busy in the week.

This brings me up to today – which has been quite eventful actually. I murdered my first cockroach, which decided to take a nap in my shoe... (gave it a great battering....so satisfying!). I was also chased by a small cow when I went cycling. I won’t lie, I did scream. Don’t think I have ever cycled away so fast in my life!! I was feeling a bit down so I went to find a nice spot by some water to play my ukulele where no one could hear or see me. I am nowhere near as homesick as I was but I still get the occasional day when I just can’t see why I am actually here... so far away from the comforts of my lovely home, and planning lessons to teach kids who would much rather be asleep!

Long weekend in Penang

As last weekend was the hindu ‘Thaipusam’ festival, the students had Monday and Tuesday off school which gave us a long weekend. We had been unsure where to go, but decided on Penang as there is a direct bus from BP. Unfortunately we turned up at the bus station on the Friday night to find the bus was full… which was actually really disappointing because it meant we had lost one of our days there (had to travel through Saturday instead). It was one of those ‘live and learn’ moments, although I was really annoyed at myself. I thought the travel out here would be much more spontaneous but you pretty much have to book if you’re going somewhere popular. So we packed up on Friday evening, and then found ourselves back again an hour later…

I got up early the next morning to go running, as the prospect of sitting on a bus for an entire day wasn’t a great one. We were picked up by a teacher who then took us for breakfast at one of the roadside ‘Mama’s’. I had the traditional Nasi Lemat, which is coconut rice with various choices of curry and vegetables... it’s really nice but I found out yesterday that its one of Malaysia’s most calorific dishes! We got on the bus at 9.30am and arrived in Penang about 7pm.

Penang is the island off the north-west coast of Malaysia. To get there you can either drive across the bridge, or there is also a ferry. The view isn’t the most beautiful… there were lots of industrial boats and office blocks on the skyline. I asked my Dad what Penang was like 30 years ago when he was there, and he said there wasn’t a single office block – I would have loved to have seen Penang then! It does worry me how all these beautiful places are being urbanized and losing their beauty.

After taking a ‘RapidBus’ (although not so rapid…..) to Georgetown, we met the other volunteers. They had found a nice hostel in China Town for Rm8/night. It was actually a really cool place with a good shower and air conditioned rooms. There was a communal area as well, with a big table amongst jars of tea and various Chinese pottery. All the shutters were open to it was really nice and breezy. I sat there a few times writing my diary, whilst some grey-haired Chinese men read their newspapers!

Day one started with an early walk and breakfast with my friend Kate. The others had been out the last night (to celebrate the start of Fiona’s 18^th) and wanted to sleep in so we made the most of the morning sunshine. We walked through China Town into ‘Little India’, which had various stalls to buy food from. We kept going and reached the seafront (after Kate nearly got run over by a bus!) After catching another not-so-rapid bus we made it to Teluk Bahang, a beach on the north coast of the island. My guidebook had described it as ‘deathly quiet’, but it really wasn’t! There were plenty of people around and we found a nice café to sit and have a drink in. I was a little disappointed at the water quality… there was some rubbish and it was a little oily. I suppose the dirt comes from all the ships going down the Straights of Melaka. Anyway…. I had a swim and did a drawing of a tree. On the way back to the hostel we stopped off at the next beach along (Batu Ferringhi), which is the main tourist beach, with all your watersports/hotels etc. There we had some dinner and then caught the bus back.

Penang is the sort of place that I would have normally gone with my family. Everything we did bought back memories of family holidays, which made me feel a bit lonely. Its different appreciating things on your own. Also organizing everything yourself (especially travel) was a faf, as normally we might have hired a car or something and gone to the smaller remote places, which are off the tourist track.

The next morning me and Fiona went to check out Penang museum, which was actually quite interesting! Going around museums is so much different when you yourself have chosen to go… I’ve been taken to many whilst growing up, and never really enjoyed them. Here we found some history of Penang (don’t test me…I didn’t read everything……) What I can remember is Captain Light founded the island in 1786! There were some cool displays of Malaysian clothes/kitchen tools/house structures which were interesting. After this we briefly visited the Kek Lok Si Temple (which is supposedly the biggest Buddhist temple in Malaysia) It was definitely big, but slightly over touristy… to get there you had to walk through this corridor of stalls selling t-shirt after t-shirt. We also managed to get caught up in this Buddhist ceremony… we were walking up these stairs and suddenly floods of people came down carrying trays with candles and flowers, chanting. Oops!

As I mentioned earlier, last weekend was the Thaipusam festival. There are quite a lot of Indians who live in Penang so it was well celebrated.  We got up ridiculously early (5am) to go the botanical gardens, where they were all going to ‘fulfill their vows’. The women all looked beautiful in their finest saris and jewelry. They were all carrying milk in these gold pots on their heads, to put before their God – which apparently represents purity. Loads of the men had various sticks through their faces, and bells attached to their backs with earring hoops. What was gross was when they were pulling something along behind them which made their skin pull away from their back… nice.

After an early start we just fancied chilling on a beach, so we went to another called Tanjung Bungah, which is the beach where Fiona’s grandparents met! It was really nice actually and I walked/swam/sunbathed/read my book through the afternoon. We left a lot of time to get to the bus station because Penang traffic is horrendous and we really did not want to miss the bus!!

So back at school we are. I look forward to going back after a trip away because it’s really quiet and peaceful in the compound and I have all of my things at home. I am really trying to throw myself into everything (not literally) at school, to try and become more involved/busy. I am going to start a regular club to that I can get a weekly routine together. Our project is different to some of the other which Project Trust offer, as we are not technically ‘needed’ at the school, more wanted. Sometimes it’s hard to see how we can make a difference here, because it’s not going to be primarily from teaching. Still, I need to give it time as I am sure everyone is still getting used to us too.

Sorry that was quite a long post! I hope you’re all still awake… J Its 9.30 now and I think I will go and get some breakfast. Really craving some cereal if I’m honest!!

Some photos....

Photo 1: Project Trust girls with MARA school representatives in Kuala Lumpur

Photo 2: A photo of the school when walking from my house.

Photo 3: Exploring palm oil plantations...

Photo 4: Some students walking to their next class - taken from the third floor.

Languages camp

This weekend we joined the 3rd formers in their languages camp at a school 50km north. After a bouncy bus ride we arrived at KKLM Ledang - a MARA school for older students at diploma level. Unfortunately we had to share the students' dorms.. which led to some very bad nights sleeps! The shouting/screaming/door slamming ran from 11-12pm, and then started again at 5.30am. There were complaints from students studying there the next day so everyone got a big telling off! Thankfully the next night was a little better...

The camp was aimed at improving the students language skills - both in Malay and English. We could only help out with the English sessions, which meant we had quite a lot of time to kill! In the end we left the compound and went for a walk in the palm oil plantations. On Sunday morning two of the teachers felt sorry for us so they took us to Ledang waterfall, which was nice. It involved a 20 minute climb through the forest. On the way back we stopped for a 'Roti Canai' (one of my favourites) which is a roti that comes with a side bowl of dahl which you dip into :) It only costs 60-90 cent which is about 15p! I am finding myself eating alot at the moment, definitely for comfort! Somehow the meals help pass the day by, and eating is just something to do. I hope to become alot more busy in the school so I will not be trying to kill time.

A highlight of the camp was the games session, where each class was given a list of Malay games to play outside. These involved lobbing flip flops at a target, and 'cops and robbers'. After they had run out of ideas I taught them one of my favourite childhood games: ladders. It involves racing your partner through a ladder of legs, round the group and back to their spot. They really enjoyed it, and I really enjoyed leading it.

We got back to school last night around 6pm. After a quick 100Plus (best Malaysian fizzy drink) we headed out again to Sri Sulong's night market, which takes place every sunday. We wanted to stock up with fruit/veg as we are not given alot in our meals. Saying this, we only go to morning break and lunch so it could be that we are missing the fruit-heavy meals! We came back with mangoes, rambutans (bit like lychees), carrots, and beans. Its a nice market, although a pain with our bikes!

So here's another Monday morning.. we have to wait for our timetable to be made before we can start which is a little annoying. I think tonight we will go into Batu Pahat and explore a little. I am low on shampoo so its a good excuse to find some shops. This week is only a four day week as we have friday-monday off. The current plan is to go to Penang for some serious sunbathing and relaxation!

Chinese New Year, James the Gheko, and our first cockroach

Ok so it's been quite a while since I last posted - sorry! I have quite a lot to write about today.

Yesterday was our first day back at school after the Chinese New Year long weekend. We broke up on Friday, and caught a bus up to Seremban. One of the teachers insisted on giving us a sackful of KFC for the road... so along with our KFC I sat amongst various Chinese passengers with at least six bags balanced on their laps. The buses here are pretty good, although as soon as you turn off the main road the traffic is horrendous. In KL you have just stick to the LRT or you will sit at traffic lights for ten minutes a go.. Anyway. We arrived in Seremban and met two other volunteers at the bus station - which was great! A quick taxi ride took us to Tom Bryant's house (our friend who is working in a school too but through another organisation). He lives with another two PT volunteers - who were luckily away for the weekend and we could steal their beds! They have just got a kitten (Toby) which they found in their street recently. He/she (they're not sure of the sex!!) is mega cute and enjoyed hours of running after christmas tree decorations. After a quick 'pre-lash' (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lash) we went to a local bar called Sportivo's. It was great to have a drink, as alcohol is not permitted in the school compound.

The next morning we left for KL, managing to grab a lift off our rep who was going up for a meeting. We had been invited by our friends who we met on our first night in Malaysia. Dick Bryant is a friend of our rep, and is Tom's (above) dad. His wife Farida, is a Chinese Malaysian and has become our surrogate mum for our 8 months here! They were kind enough to welcome 8 volunteers into their house for 3 nights. Dick and Farida have been so kind to us and I am so thankful to have met them. They live in KL, but you really wouldnt think it was KL, as its pretty much sorrounded by trees/monkeys!

Our first outing in with the Bryants was to a nearby waterfall. We drove for ten minutes up some hill, and were then pointed in the direction to continue by foot. The path took us through (I wouldnt say it was a rainforest but something of the sort..) and was a beautiful walk. It was a perfect day for it - blue sky and sunshine. After an hour or so we reached the waterfall, stripped into our bikinis and all stuck our heads under! It was great fun, until the first leech made its entrance... I managed to leave leech free but I was definitely a lucky one. The technique we were advised to use to get them out was to burn the leech's bum with a cigarette.. very handy that there were a few smokers amongst the group! It was a great feeling when we got back to the car, and reminded me of all the walks I have done at home on the moors or along the coast. The evening that followed was spent watching movies, and eating Faridas fabulous food. Perfect!

The next day was Sunday - Chinese New Year's eve. I had expected KL to be mega busy, but it was actually the opposite! It appeared everyone had left the city to go home... We went to a reggae bar in China Town and the roads were just deserted. I was slightly disappointed, as I would love to have seen some dancing in the streets or fireworks. Still, we had a busy night meeting other travellers, and bartering with taxi drivers over their blatent addition of 'white tax' to their prices.

We caught a bus back to Batu Pahat the next day - a spacious, speedy bus that cost Rm20 (4 pounds). It drives right past our school when going into BP, which is great for us as we can just jump off on the way. Its a 3 hour drive from KL, so not too far. We didnt get back until about 9pm, and were welcomed back into our house by a menagerie of bugs.... Firstly: a HUGE cockroach in the shower, (which I screamed at and then managed to trap under a box and escort outside), and secondly: James the gheko - who is now my dear friend! He lives in my room, and eats all the flies for me. He's a gem, and has big eyes. We keep our distance though... slimey lizards things wouldnt be nice to stand on.

So we are back at school. The first formers arrived yesterday, and there were many tearful parents around. The new students all look mega nervous, so this week we are going to the hostels in the evenings to see them and cheer them up. 13 is quite a young age to leave your family - so I dont blame them for being upset! I'm sure they will settle in soon, and forget about their homesickness after they realise how busy they are going to be. Honestly, the students' school day here is crazy!

Me and Fiona have been decorating the languages board today. Lunch is in half an hour, and then I am gonna go home and sleep because Im really tired. I couldnt get to sleep last night as it was really hot and someone was watching TV really loudly in the flat above . Tomorrow we are off for the weekend with the languages department and all the 3rd formers - they have an English 'camp'. I have no idea where it is or what we are doing but it sounds fun! There must be at least 120 students going to it must be to a reasonably big location.

I have received 5 letters so far - really brightens up my day! They are very welcome (hint). Promise I will write back!! I hope everyone is well, and not too cold! xx

One week at school done!

Today is Tuesday, and we have been at school for a week. Time has gone slowly, but also extremely quickly when I look back at how much we have done.

Our house is becoming more homely everyday, as we add more photos and posters to our previously very bare walls! The students gave us some of their drawings to stick up. Our flat is actually quite big, which means there is a lot of wallspace to fill. Over the last few days we have gradually got our hands on various household essentials, after making various trips to shops and meeting some very generous teachers. Our cooking facilities include a kettle and gas hob, which is great as it allows us to make our own food if we dont fancy rice meals twice a day!

I can now explain the name of our school - 'MRSM Batu Pahat'. When you translate the full name into English it means 'MARA Junior Science College'. MARA is a government run organisation who have roughly 30 schools in Malaysia. The selection process highly favour the Malay (indiginous) children. After one week I have met two Chinese Malaysian children, and one Indian Malaysian, out of a school of approximately 500 students. The students school day starts at 6.30, and ends at 11pm. Even at weekends they must do their prep before bed. They tell me often how when they go home they just sleep for hours and hours to recharge their batteries! All the students here have been so nice to us, and fight for a space on our lunch table in the dining hall. When we ask a class if they want to ask us anything, the only two questions they ever ask are: 'What is your (relationship) status?' and 'Do you have facebook?' Classic.

I will post again soon. Its 4.10 and I need to nip to the post office before it closes. Our friend Zura works there, so its always nice to chat to someone outside of school. Then its our sport session from 5.30-6.30. I'm gonna be a pro tennis player by the time I return!! 

Arrival at MRSM Batu Pahat

This is the first time I have been online since leaving the UK.. and so much has happened! I couldnt possibly write it all on here, so I'll just mention a few things otherwise we'll be here all day.

We arrived in KL and were driven to Seremban, a large town about 50km south. There we checked in at a basic hotel, where we stayed 2 nights. There are two other Project Trust volunteers in Seremban, so we met up and went shopping which was nice. Our rep also took us to the sports club who allowed us to swim for free :)

After leaving Seremban on Sunday, we took a bus back to the capital. MARA (the organisation who runs our schools) met us at our hotel and gave a few talks. One teacher from each school came to meet us which was good, as they told us alot about each individual school. Our teacher is a lady named Fenas, who is the head of English. She is basically in charge of us at the moment.. last night she took us out to Pizza Hut in Batu Pahat, which is our nearest big town (about 15km away). She has a four year old daughter who was very sweet and enjoyed playing boo with us.

We arrived at our flat last night, and were very pleasantly surprised at how much they had given us. We have not only a kettle....but also a fridge!! There are some things to buy (no cutlery to be seen), but it feels homely already after I stuck up some photos. We have a spare room, which we have dedicated to bugs... (we're gonna lock all the lizards and cockroaches in it...so beware visitors!!)

This morning I woke to the sound of knocking and giggling...5 5th formers were at our door asking us if we wanted to go for breakfast with them. I had literally just woken up, so I groggily refused...it was 6.45 and we were due in school at 8. Every minute of sleep counts!

We have been shown around the school this morning, and have been introduced to many teachers and a few classes. I asked what they knew about england and one boy shouted 'Bruno Mars'! Also they all want my facebook so I need to make my profile private... We were asked by the girls to join them at their aerobics session this evening, so Im gonna go - hopefully Fiona will join me. Thats my Project Trust partner by the way :)

We are settling in just fine. Its hot but not too bad, I cant wait to do loads of sport with the kids, and burn off all this rice!