To begin our teaching experience we just observed English lessons. We sat in an English lesson with Mr Saiful- who has very good English as he attended Heriot Watt university in Edinburgh!- where the students watched the film 'Home' and had to identify all of the grammar mistakes made by the Boov. The children really enjoyed the lesson and I was very impressed with how well they could change the mistakes to proper English. We then went to another class who interviewed us about our lives in the UK- the first question being 'Are you married?' Haha- definitely not was my response. The level of English in this class was a bit weaker so they struggled to ask questions- often due to confidence issues!! However it was a fun lesson nonetheless and the students were fascinated about western life, and I got to learn a bit more about life in Malaysia. It is definitely aparent the level of respect students have for their teachers here as at the end of every lesson all the girls come up and take your hand then kiss it and place it against their head to say thank you as a sign of respect. It is very interesting learning about all the different cultures in Malaysia- it is certainly very different to the UK.
Our first weekend in Mersing was very fun as we spent it shopping for Baju Kurung (traditional dress) in a near by town Kota Tinggi. A teacher from our school, who lives there, took us to the best place and even got us a discount as she knew the seller. However as I am so tall in Malaysian standards I had to get mine tailor made and I was even the tallest customer she had ever made for! I got 3 outfits for RM200 which is around £30- not bad! After that Miss Sabrina took us to her home where we met her incredibly cute daughter Elaina and her father who took us around their garden so we could try all the fresh fruit such as rambutan and mangosteen (they were very different to a classic Scottish strawberry but still nice!). The next day we went into Mersing to explore and even found the beach where we sat and drank fruity iced drinks whilst watching some very skilled kite flyers- the right way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
On Monday the 31st August it was Malaysian Independence day so we had the day off! Mr Nizar, one of our favourite teachers and also the deputy principal took us along to see some of the male teachers in the parade in Mersing. It was an extremely hot day so we watched mainly from the shade however this did not stop us from attracting attention. Once one person asked for a photo with us we had a queue of people wanting pictures with the white girls! I still haven't got used to all the attention and weird looks we get here but I am thankful I was wearing a nice outfit. Later that day, after our daily nap, Mr Nizar took us to the beach about 45 minutes from the school. This was the first time I got to swim in Malaysian waters which was very fun and certainly a lot warmer than any beach in Scotland!
Over the past week we have been let loose on the classroom which has been challenging but also very enjoyable. We were not sure the level of English in the classes we were going into so it was hard to plan a suitable lesson. However it is always good to start off with a game- Simon says is now one of their favourites! As the week went on I found out that they are much better at reading and speaking and it is writing that they struggle with, especially grammar. At least now I have something to work on and can plan lessons which they will hopefully learn more from. The students are very enthusiastic and most are happy and willing to learn which is very nice to see.
I can't wait to see what else Malaysia has to offer and get into teaching properly. Although I am still not used to the intense heat or fiery food yet!
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