Trip to KL and the Annual Dinner

We have been pretty busy the past week so I thought a little update on the blog was needed. Malaysia is known for the amount of holidays it gives so we weren't that surprised last week when we were told on Tuesday that we had Wednesday off for the celebration of the Islamic new year. To celebrate this we went with the form 5s for a fun morning on the beach. This was a very enjoyable morning playing games, splashing in the sea and listening to a motivational speech (even if it was in Malay and we couldn't understand a word!) 

Form 5 girlies

We love the beachhhhhh

Last Weekend we took a trip to Kota Tinggi as we were in need of some new Baju Kurungs as this is what we teach in everyday. We took a bus from Mersing which was very blowy with all the windows open but ran smoothly nonetheless. When we arrived we headed straight for the ATM as we needed cash. However what should have been a simple task turned into a lot more when Hollies card got stuck in the machine and the bank next door was shut for another hour while they were praying. The machine was not giving back the card and no matter how many times we, and everyone else who came in, pressed cancel it was not coming out. Then we noticed a McDonald's across the street so had the greatest idea to get a take out and sit and eat it in the bank until it opened again. Thankfully after about an hour and 20mins the staff from the bank came back and Hollie got her card back in one piece. Even if we did get a few strange looks sitting on a bank floor eating McDonald's on a Saturday afternoon. 

Form 3s busy at work 

This week we have been super busy especially because a lot of teachers have been away on courses and have been busy marking exams so we had a lot of classes to cover. As well as this we had the responsibility of taking over some of the Form 3 programme. This is what they are doing from now until the holiday since they have completed their exams and are just waiting for results. This was super fun as we were allowed to be a lot more creative and have more fun with them as there was not the constant threat of exams looming. We did many activities over 3 days including an enterprise, apprentice themed activity. This was where we got the students into teams and they had to create, advertise and pitch a brand new chocolate bar to us. This was a very successful activity with lots of artistic and unique ideas all pitched very effectively. We also did drama activities and debating with the form 3s which was very enjoyable and at the same time still increased their English skills! 

The winning team

After such a busy week we decided to let off some steam by going for a weekend in KL with Catherine and Emily, 2 other Malaysia vols. It Was fab to get to experience the hussle and bustle of KL again, it so very different to our project, and also to see the girls. We had a fun time exploring all the malls and also spent a lot of time in Chinatown which was super cool and the food was absolutely delicious. We did however struggle getting around as the monorail is very confusing especially when you are on the wrong side and there is no bridge to get to the other side! It took us about an hour and half one night to get from our hotel to where we were going haha! However we still had a hilarious night in KL which was well needed and has got me really excited to go travelling at Christmas. 

The joy when you find British flags in KL

Food in Chinatown

A teacher kindly agreed to drive us back from KL on the Saturday so we would be back in time for the annual dinner on Saturday evening. This was a fab event for the form 3s and 5s with catered food, speeches and dances. Everyone dressed up and looked lovely and all in all it was a very pleasant evening. I was even persuaded to wear a hijab for the first time which was exciting, I don't think I suited it very well but it was interesting to see how it felt on and truly feel what it's like to be a Muslim girl in Malaysia. 

Annual Dinner '15

In our pretty Baju Kurungs 

Hope you enjoy hearing what I get up to here in Malaysia, I'll keep the updates coming! 

Stupid Stitches!

After such a fabulous holiday in Penang and Langkawi it was definitely a shock to the system to be back teaching at 7.40am last Sunday. We have been pretty busy these past few weeks in the classroom and as exams have started here at MRSM Mersing we have been trying to help the students with their grammar prep before their English exams. The main focus of my lessons in the past few weeks has been writing as this is the area students struggle the most with. However although they have been enjoying their lessons and completing all the work it does leave me with a huge pile of marking at the end of the day, which is like being back at school and having homework all over again! But you do feel a sense of pride when you see students learning, developing and improving their English so it is worth it! 

Always got time for a wee selfie 

If you read my last blog post you will know I had a fall in Langkawi which meant when I came back to Mersing I needed to find a clinic to take my stitches out, once 10 days had passed. I was told there were 3 clinics in Mersing to choose from so it should have been an easy task- 'should have' I stress. So on the first Friday back we planned to go into Mersing by taxi and get them out. We walked down to the school gates and on the way called a taxi so it would be there by the time we got to the gates, as we didn't want to wait in the blistering heat for any longer than we needed to. However when we got there no taxi was to be seen, so we waited and waited but even after half an hour no taxi had turned up. We called the company again and got a very rude woman who said she was on her way so we waited some more. But after an hour of waiting no taxi had come and we were melting. Our last resort was to get the security guard to order a taxi in Malay for us and as if by magic the taxi appeared in 5 mins!! Clearly that taxi company didn't like British people! However it was just my luck that when we did eventually get to Mersing every single one of the clinics were closed and I couldn't even get my stitches out. I think our KFC was well deserved that day. 

Comel (cute) 

After all the hassle with taxis we decided on Monday to just ask the teachers for a lift into Mersing as my stitches really needed taken out by this point. Thankfully Mr Saiful, an English teacher, came to our recuse and took us into Mersing where I was able to see a doctor. However here came more trouble as once the doctor had started taking my stitches out he realised that only some of them had been put in right and half of the wound had not healed properly! This was not exactly the news I wanted to hear after the struggle I had to get to the clinic but it just means I will be left with a bigger scar on my foot and it will take a little longer to heal- at least I will have a lasting memory of Malaysia on my foot now haha! 

The stitches are finally out!

At the weekend we were taken to the market in Mersing by a few of the teachers. This market is a weekly one which comes to Mersing and sells lots of delicious Malay food and clothes. We had a good look around and then bought some food, including some fresh doughnuts which we had been craving all week, and headed to the beach to eat it. It was not too hot and the fresh sea breeze was very nice so we had a lovely evening just chilling by the beach. This is one of the best things about living in Mersing I think, even though we can't swim in the sea it so nice to be able to just watch and listen to the waves and look out to all the surrounding islands. 

Doughnuts!!!

Form 3 Boys 

On Saturday we went on a teachers outing Bowling in Kluang, a town about 2 hours from Mersing. This was very fun and it was probably the most western thing we've done since we've been here- and we still sucked at it! The teachers were all very competitive with cash prizes and departments fighting against one another. The languages department did in fact win, even with us on the team, so we were happy and everyone had a very enjoyable day. Some of the teachers even brought their children along and I had a great time playing with one of the little girls called Adeline. Even though she didn't speak English we played all day and night, chasing each other and singing all the frozen songs! She was adorable and it was nice to play with younger kids since we spend so much time with the older ones.

Bowling with Adeline 

I am still loving my time here and it truely feels like home now. We have some great students and teachers surrounding us and I am slowly becoming accustomed to the heat, bugs and spicy food however monkeys still terrify me. Missing everyone back home but I'll see you in 10 months:-) 

The Sunset in the Dining Hall