Reflection

The seminar has come to an end and I have finally caught up on some sleep! It was an incredible three weeks with never a dull moment – from meetings to sightseeing, and of course, EATING. Our group was especially lucky because Professor Heng is from Malaysia and has been doing this program for ten years. She is extremely well connected to people from all different aspects of Malaysia and is hands down the Queen of Networking.

Besides the countless number of incredible meals, our time in Penang and our getaway to Teman Negara National Park, one of my personal highlights was spending the day at Parliament. We were fortunate enough to have meetings with representatives from the ruling party, Barisan Nasional. We had luncheon with a representative from the United Malays National Organization and afternoon tea with a member of parliament from the Malaysian Chinese Association. Additionally, we were able to have briefings from the opposition party- the Democratic Action Party and Party Islam and the People’s Alliance. This was such an interesting aspect of the seminar. We have spent so much time reading about the government, discussing issues, and analyzing challenges in the society. It was a great component to not only read up on these parties, but to then speak to these charming representatives face to face. This is certainly not something you get to do with every country you travel too.

The weekend after the seminar, Eva and I treated ourselves to a weekend in Borneo. (You can read more about it in her post). Now I am back to interning at AWAM for two more weeks. After that, I am off to explore Thailand before I head back to the States!

Until next time,

Caroline

Trip to Borneo!

Orangutans in Borneo

Eating..againBorneo Rainforest World Music Festival
Women performing at the music festival

While Kuala Lumpur was going crazy due to the Bersih protest, Caroline and I escaped to Borneo with a group of friends. Destination: World Rainforest Music Festival.

Malaysia is divided into two parts, Kuala Lumpur is located in the Western part of the country and Borneo in the Eastern part across the South China Sea. The festival was taking place outside of Kuching city, so we flew from KL after the seminar ended for some good music and nature!

The festival is a three day event featuring musicians from all over the world. We heard groups from Poland, the Dominican Republic, the US, Ireland, New Zealand, Malaysia and many, many more. The audience was also very international, but we had a great time mingling with the locals and enjoying tons of Malaysian food - our favorite pastime.

Borneo is also famous for its wildlife. It has beautiful coastlines, rainforests, and an animal population that it is desperately trying to conserve. We visited an Orangutan sanctuary before heading back to KL. The sanctuary was beautiful and allowed the animals to live in their natural habitat.

It was great to get away from the craziness of KL for a few days!

Refugees in Malaysia

Somali boys selling their baked goods at World Refugee Day

Two Somali children at World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day at KL Sentral

It's been almost three months since I arrived in Malaysia and the experience has been an incredible one. Malaysia is a huge melting pot of cultures and I have been lucky enough to work with people from all over the world through my job at the UNHCR. Both my colleagues at work and the refugees I see on a daily basis have taught me more in these few months than any other experience has ever given me.

We celebrated World Refugee Day a few weeks ago with a weekend long event held in Kuala Lumpur's major train station, KL Sentral. The event was held primarily to educate the cities population on the almost 95,000 refugees living within the country. This population, made up of people from Burma, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Sri Lanka, is seriously marginalized within Malay society. As Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, it is not obligated to care for the refugees living within its borders. As an intern and someone who sees the ongoing struggle of this population on a daily basis, this is all very frustrating. It is difficult to witness families without employment, healthcare, and in constant fear of deportation- all realities in the lives of refugees living in Malaysia.

The World Refugee Day event was quite a success. We had large turnouts and the refugees also had an opportunity to share their cultural music, dances, and crafts with a city which often seems to busy and preoccupied to pay much attention

Jungles and such

Our visit to the Teman Negara National Park was great. It felt like a retreat of sorts to visit the jungle and see what else Malaysia had to offer besides the booming city of Kuala Lampur or the bustling streets of Penang.

A few of us decided to take a morning hike which was great. We stumbled upon a trail leading up to a summit. The majority if the trail was made of tree roots, creating natural gradual steps for the ascent. We had hiked up the same hill the day before as a group from the other side. That proved a bit more strenuous but the view was rewarding.

The transportation was more unique than something could find in the US. Travel by longboat. To get to the restaurants in the area we had to cross the river. One night we were on a floating restaurant and a family of 4 got onto a boat to cross the river and the boat started floating away before the driver could get in. Luckily one of the family members knew how to use the motor and made their way back to the restaurant after some haphazard steering. The problem was that it had rained the night before and the river was much higher and flowing more quickly than the day before. So the boats going against the current were more difficult to control.

We also enjoyed a trip to some white water rapids with a swimming spot and a visit to the Oran Asli people. Again, it was a great learning experience to see the juxtaposition between the developed and undeveloped, NOT underdeveloped areas. I wouldn't mind living in the Jungle. Great part of the program!
-Sarah-

Malaysia Malaysia oh how I'll miss you

Looking back at the 3 week seminar here in Malaysia, I can sum it up with one word. AMAZING

With the Professors expansive knowledge concerning Malaysia and ASEAN, we were able to truly learn about this country and the politics playing into daily life.

The day at Parliament stands out in my mind. We met high ranking officials from each political party who were able to give us their version of what is going on in the government. It was very interesting to hear all different perspectives. I won't go into detail in hopes that you come to the program next year and find out for yourselves!

The city is an architectural wonder to me, as it is a fairly new city being a developmental state. Also, it is great the Mahathir was an authoritarian who had a love for architecture. The bridges in the area where are the ministries of the government are built are very unique. When you fly in to the city you can see 5 bridges close to each other each with their own unique modern style. Also the Petronas towers are just simply awesome.

I am surprised at how Western this city feels with shopping malls carrying brands like Forever 21, or Gucci. However, the food here makes me realize we are not in the West. That's because the spices here are delicious in every Indian dish they serve or in the Chinese food the things they do with tofu are wonderful. I think the food in Malaysia can only make people happy because it tastes so wonderful!

I will be sad to leave this country but can honestly say I hope to return and see how the country progresses and how as a regional player in ASEAN they develop.
-Sarah-

Malaysia's Most-Wanted

As a farewell, Hanim treated me to lunch at Lala Chong, a Chinese restaurant that specializes in extremely fresh seafood steamed in garlic, ginger, and Chinese wine; Chinese style fish head curry; and glass noodles stirfried with seafood. We ended up ordering steamed fish, along with many other sides. I must say that I was relieved not to have to try fish head. I even ate some beef because it looked so good.

Our meal was more somber than normal. I was slowly beginning to accept that I would be leaving Malaysia in a few days. More importantly, the day before, the Bersih 2.0protests had taken place in Kuala Lumpur. Put simply, Prime Minister Najib was appointed to his office. To prove his legitimacy, it is customary to hold elections. The opposition, led by Anwar Ibrahim (former Deputy Prime Minister/current member of Parliament), planned a protest demanding election reform (transparent, free, and fair). PM Najib legally banned the protests. He later changed his mind due to the intervention of King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and permitted the protest to occur inside of Stadium Merdeka. Later in the week, he retracted that permission. This caused them (the yellow shirts) to decide to march to the stadium anyway. The protests were not pretty.

Hanim did not participate in the protests, but watched them unfold on television with a heavy heart. She spent that whole day crying and worrying about the future of the country that she loved so much. The emotional drain was written all over her face. I could not completely empathize with her given her status as a member of the ethnic majority of her country. Hanim is a proud Malaysian (nationality) and a proud Malay (ethnicity) who understands the value of progress. The dichotomy of my US pride and her Malaysian passion is rooted in a sense of belonging. Hanim lives and breathes Malaysia. She looks, acts, and feels Malaysian.

While we continued discussing the politics of yesterday’s protest, a tall Chinese-looking man, wearing gym clothes sat a couple of tables away and began snapping photos of us with his iPhone. At first I just dismissed it as him being intrigued at the spectacle of a black man having a one-on-one meal with an older Malaysian woman. Then Hanim told me that she used to be a lot more politically active in her youth. She believes that she’s on a couple of watch lists and gets followed around sporadically. She turned to wave (mockingly) at him and I forced uncomfortable eye contact with him. Embarrassed, he got up and left without ordering any food.

Lunch always tastes better with a little tear gas

Before I go any further, with Jeremy as my witness, I promise we did not go out looking for trouble. We went to Little India so Jeremy could get his final fix of chicken Tikka, which was heavenly. We found a small North Indian place called Jassal and had a feast. The lunch was rather uneventful, until about 30 minutes before we paid. We heard sirens and the owner quickly went over to close the metal shutters. Before we got up and left, Jeremy offhandedly commented that his eyes felt a little uncomfortable. We left the restaurant to a scene of people quickly exiting the area holding cloth over their face. We moved toward crowd, trying to enter KL Sentral train station. To get there we had to go through a covered section of the building. As soon as we started walking through, the unmistakable feeling of tear gas hit us. Our eyes and nose immediately started tingling and running, while our throats tightened up. According to Jeremy, who had been gassed before, he said that was only about 1/10th of the total strength.

After coughing and sniffling our way through the tunnel, we entered KL Sentral to find a large group of people waiting inside to escape the threads of tear gas still lingering in the air. Sadly, to get where we needed to go, we had to go back out into the tunnel and face the gas again.

Reports are showing that there have already been many arrests yet the Bersih crowd has yet to disperse. Should make for an interesting rest of the day.

Taman Negara

We just got back from Taman Negara. The rain forest was beautiful. The rides down the river were relaxing. I spotted many animals and some native species of the jungle. We ventured on a hike. I enjoyed the scenery and the exercise. We got to meet some of the aboriginal community, the Orang Asli. I am having a great time in Malaysia. I have taken hundreds of photos so far documenting my travels. Everywhere i turn is a new opportunity for a photo. I have fallen in love with this country and would like to come back later this year. The multicultural context Malaysia brings is breath taking. Walking down the street i get a flavor of three cultures. I am very happy english is widely used and understood here. Getting around and communicating has been simple. Very important for myself, the food offers a diverse array of options. Eating vegetarian or Halal is easy for anyone.

Orang Asli Settlement

We were assigned a 40-page chapter to read about the Orang Asli people before meeting them. Basically they are composed of several indigenous groups on peninsular Malaysia that used to live on the coasts. As settlers, mainly Asian, moved in and claimed the land, they were continually pushed into the interior of the country if they chose not to assimilate. Depending in the time in history, they were either neglected, targeted, or taken advantage of in instances of communist and ant-communist movements in the country.

Presently, they are semi-nomadic groups of people who speak several different languages, and whose beliefs are animistic and nature-centered. Most of the kids don’t go to school and very few of them use electricity or plumbing. Their integration into the Malaysian economy is very limited—usually they sell their tools, arts, and crafts to tourists in exchange for money to buy petrol (gasoline) for their wooden motor boats. Occasionally an indigenous young person goes to school and college, but it is rare that they return to live amongst their people. By international standards, they meet the definition of poverty. Within the Malaysian government, there is an Indigenous People’s Council that is composed completely of Malays—not one indigenous person. In the name of protecting and providing services for these groups of people, the government continually attempts to set up schools for their children. They get significant indifference and even push-back because the schools will teach them the Bahasa Malay language and Islamacize them, causing their language and religion to die off as they assimilate. Furthermore, children who spend all day at school are not seen as immediately productive for the family to eat each day. Integration seems to be the least popular choice within the government.

As with most destinations in the jungle, we took a relaxing boat ride to the settlement. We were told that different groups set up at a location separated, but reasonably close to where tourists would be. They only stay for a few months at a time. They sell their goods to us and go back deeper into the jungle to live more naturally. Other than purchasing their goods, it was recommended (by Malaysians) that we bring cigarettes for the men and candy for the children as gifts (I guess the women don’t deserve gifts). From the beginning, a couple of people in our group objected to the idea of gifting cigarettes—such a deadly and disgusting vice. I have to admit, I initially thought that it was slightly pretentious of us to judge this exchange ritual that has been suggested by actual Malaysians.

When we stepped off of the boat, there was another group of white people sitting at the benches watching a blow dart demonstration. Their cackling and applause made it evident that there were thoroughly entertained. This was juxtaposed to our somber group milling about mentally comparing what we had read and discussed with what we were seeing. I was self-conscious about being the only dark-skinned tourist in sight. How different was I to the rest of the group? Did they notice our similar hair texture & skin tone (I was only slightly darker than most of the people there)? Did they care? Had African or other African American tourists ever visited them? While I was going through this in all of my mind, we were being told to hand out the candy to the children. These were not the jubilant 7-year-olds that I remember from my travel in Senegal. They were teenagers with that “screw your candy” look on their faces. I was too embarrassed to reach into my pocket or approach them. Some people in our group felt the same way. Meanwhile, other people were photographing them as if they were animals. I was growing very uncomfortable. I walked off and pretended to admire their houses made mostly out of bamboo and giant palm leaves.

When it was our turn to get the speaking part of the tour, I turned on my attentive/not-disturbed listening face. The Malay guy who drove our boat was all of a sudden our tour guide. He discussed their nomadic way of life, how they live in the moment, and are not planners for the future. He pointed out that there was not much of a mosquito problem because smoke was constantly burning in the settlement. We were taught that their temporary raised-houses with spaced-out bamboo floor planks were perfect for staying warm at night and cool during the day. Children are immediately given dangerous tools and the responsibilities that go with them. He shared an anecdote about why blow darts were a smarter alternative to guns for hunting, since they don’t make enough noise to alert other animals that they are the next victim. This was a well-planned segue to the blow dart demonstration. It was cool. An old indigenous man and two teenage boys created blow darts (poisonous and non-poisonous) using all natural materials, while our guide was speaking. Then the old man blew a few at a target with impressive aim. Though we were impressed, no one clapped or made any hoopla over it. A few of us tried ourselves. Professor Heng asked our guide to ask one of the boys how old he was. In a different language (not Bahasa Malay or English), he replied that he did not know. It seemed a bit too “cute” not to have been planned.

To close out, our guide explained that these indigenous peoples did not have a problem with us visiting their settlement, taking photos, and purchasing their goods. Their only policy is that we accompanies by a (pre-approved???) guide to tell their story on their terms. Our guide ensured us that he is very well-trusted by them. I found it a bit queer that there was never any direct translation between the elder of the village and our guide—no speech or greeting. A lot of us left the settlement uneasy about the experience. “A picture is worth 1000 words, if told correctly.”

Don't Go Chasin' Waterfalls

After the canopy, hills, and leeches excursion we rested for an hour, then had lunch. Professor Heng got us really pumped about the waterfalls that we’d see in the afternoon. To get there, we’d have a 45-minute boatride and a 20 minute hike.By this time; the boat rides became my favorite activity in the jungle. The hikes after a rainy night were not. Still a bit paranoid about leeches, I maintained my technique of always looking at the ground and keeping my feet moving at all times. On the other hand, Schuyler decided to wear flip flops.
At one point, less than 5 minutes away from the waterfall, Eva got a leech on her ankle. She did not panic and waited for Jeremy to help her get it off with salt. In the meantime, Sara got one on her sock. While she was trying to take care of that, Jeremy got one on his shoe. All three of them were in front of me on a narrow part of the path. There was a very steep hill on the left and a 20ft drop on the right, so I couldn’t squeeze past. Suddenly, behind me I heard Schuler panicking, “I’ve got two on me, get them off!” Jeremy began losing his patience, “Do it yourself or wait for me to take care of the others’ first!” This all happened in the span of about 12 seconds. Meanwhile I was still marching in place, trying my best not to show how nervous I was. Professor Heng instructed the people without leeches to keep going, but she didn’t realize that there was no passing room. Within about 45 seconds, all leeches were removed, my stress level went down, and we were on our way again.

A few minutes later, we reached the river again. Its flow was being obstructed by dozens of giant boulders. As few meters upstream, water was falling from a part of the river slighty higher (maybe 5-7ft) in elevation, creating a beautiful scene and peaceful sound. While it was gorgeous, it was not quite what I had imagined when we were told that we’d see awaterfall. Sure there was water falling, but not from overhead in a giant shower-like fashion. It looked like glorified rapids.

Anyway, the Europeans or Aussies were enjoying their swim, complete with Speedos, so Carline, Eva, and I jumped in. The water was very cold and refreshing, but too murky to see the bottom. I had to take my mind off of Rajwantie and my favorite show, River Monsters, to have a good time. Swimming against the current reminded me of how far out of shape I was.

During the boat ride back, Schuyler spotted a giant monitor lizard, the size of a small komodo dragon. It was amazing, since we were 100ft away from it in the safety of our boat (sorry, didn’t get a pic of it)