First Impressions

I have now been in Malaysia for a week so I thought I would update you on what I have been doing and how I have been getting on. I travelled down to London last Wednesday night, as my flight was on the Thursday and did not want to risk missing it, Then I headed to the airport and met all the other Malaysia volunteers. Spirits were high as we were all about to make the first step in our adventure but there was also a sad feeling in the air as we said goodbye to our loved ones. Saying goodbye to my parents was especially hard but I am happy knowing I will see them again soon and do not want to ruin my trip with homesickness!

It took us 2 flights and 16 hours in total to finally get to Kuala Lumpur so we were absolutely exhausted when we touched down at 9pm local time. Most of us slept through our plane food so we were all pretty hungry when we arrived so the first thing in our agenda was to get some food- and I am ashamed to say that the first meal I ate in Malaysia was McDonalds😬. During our time in KL we stayed in a home stay ( basically a rented house) which was very nice and I was especially thankful for the air conditioning as Malaysia is HOT!! We spent 3 nights here which gave us a chance to explore the capital city of Malaysia- Kuala Lumpur. On the first day we went out for some traditional Malaysian/ Indian food which was all delicious, I especially liked roti which was similar to a crepe filled with things such as cheese, banana and egg and served with dhal (a curry sauce). This was also where I tried my first Milo Ice, my now go to drink, which is basically hot chocolate served with ice! We then got a chance to visit the famous Petronas Twin Towers which were truly a spectical and the Batu caves a beautiful Hindu Temple (both shown below)!

                  

                  
The next day we went into the centre of KL and shopped for our Baju Kurung (traditional Malaysian dress) which proved to be very difficult considering I am a lot taller than the average Malay woman. We then explored KL some more visiting the Field of Independence and Central Market. That evening we were treated to yet another delicious Malay meal in the form of a buffet followed by a cultural show about Malaysia- where I even got up on the stage and did some traditional Malay dancing haha! The next day we visited MARA headquarters where we met the deputy principal from MRSM Mersing- the school I am teaching at. He was with an English teacher, mainly because he has very broken English and struggled to understand what we were saying and vice versa so it was good practice for when we start teaching.

     

                                          At the fountains outside the Petronas towers

It took us 6 hours driving to get to Mersing from KL, but we did get the chance to stop at some roadside restaurants (basically a gazebo and stove at the side of the road) where I tried fried banana,
mushrooms and sweet potato. We got to our Project late at night but there were still some lovely girls waiting outside for our arrival- it was heart warming to see some friendly faces after a log day. The first impression of our apartment was good, although it is basic we still have our own rooms and a kitchen even if there is no air conditioning and the shower is more like a cold drip. My bed is reasonably comfy however I do miss my own bed back in Scotland.

              

                                            MRSM Mersing- My New School

Our first day in the school was good fun, it is very strange having nearly everybody stare at you and wave all the time but I'm sure the novelty of white girls will wear off soon enough. On our arrival we went to a meeting with all the senior staff and given a brief tour of the school. It is a huge campus with more than 600 pupils boarding. We have been given our own desks in the English department and are currently planning lessons as we start teaching next week. Right now we are just observing lessons and from what we have seen the level of English is very good- the children are better than the non English teachers!

                 

I am very happy in my new home but I do miss my friends and family everyday so I try and keep in co tact through social media, my Instagram is 'louisacrookshanks'. I a, extremely excited for the adventure that lies ahead especially as we get the chance to travel around soon! 

P.S it took me 3 days to upload this blog due to many technical difficulties so I hope you like it!!

My address if you would like to contact me is:

Maktab Rendah Saints MARA

KM6 Jalah Jemaluang

86800 Mersing

Johor

Malaysia