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