New Friends in Unexpected Places

20 November 2013
Kandy, Sri Lanka

I woke up with the sun. The morning haze shrouded the hills, blocking the colors of the sunrise. As the sun broke the horizon, at the base of the hills, unseen by my eyes, the haze slowly started drifting away. I decided to take a walk, away from town, into the hills. I wanted to reach the top of a hill to see what remained of the sunrise, the power of the sun scaring away the last of the haze.

Mothers and fathers were walking their children to school. A smile and a greeting sent waves of happiness through the faces of the locals I passed. The sound of flowing water got stronger. Alas, at the end of the road, a waterfall, quickly flowing down the hill into a stream. I took the paved stairway along the water a short distance until it ended in the stream. I passed a small house. An elderly woman had exited the house and was standing by the entrance. I smiled and greeted her “good morning”. In return, I was greeted the same. A stern face tensed certain muscles to create an image of contentment and appreciation.

A woman brushed her teeth outside her house upside the waterfall. We looked at each other wondering what the other must be thinking. I waved. She waved. It is enough.

Walking back down the road, I reached a staircase. A short distance later I arrived at a temple. Buddha sat behind the fogged glass. Small flowers had been offered on green leaves. Vibrant colors. Peaceful. A small striped squirrel ran along a tree branch. A blue and black bird, a kingfisher, rested on the rooftop. An old man appeared. I believe I must go to leave him in peace. But he began to speak in broken English. A temple, he says. It’s Buddha. We began to chat, using simple English, letting the silence between our questions sink in. He told me he used to be a runner. He went to New Zealand to race in 1950. He is happy. He invited me to his house, and I followed him, continuing up the flight of stairs past the temple. I am impressed by his stamina, the ease with which he climbs the stairs. A body well practiced. Fit even in old age. He walked with his hands clasped behind his back, his back hunched, and yet he appeared to glide up the stairs.

We reached his house. Removing our shoes, he invited me inside. A girl, his granddaughter, was doing her hair. Her mother was helping. It’s almost time for school. I greeted them and took my seat on the couch. The grandmother sat across from me. They spoke in Singha, and I smiled.

Vincent and his wife have been married for 50 years. They are 75 and 73, respectively. They have three daughters. One lives with them. Nayana has two children – a 9 year old daughter whom she just took to school and a 15 year old son who is staying home sick. He woke up and stood at the corner of the doorway, half hiding. Only Vincent speaks decent English. His daughter and grandson know minimal words. We sat, sometimes speaking, sometimes in silence.

Vincent stood and left the room. He momentarily returned with a package. An Australian man also visited his home. Later, he mailed the photos he took. Photos of Vincent and his family, the landscape, the hills, even a few pictures of the Australian’s family – his daughter’s wedding. “He came here,” Vicent repeats, visibly proud.

I took a sip of my milk tea. I’ll take a photo before I leave and I’ll mail it to them also, I think to myself. I’ll include a picture of my family as well. I’ll return their kindness.

We’re a poor family, she says. Poultry is expensive. We usually just eat rice with vegetables. We have lived in this house for 32 years. We are from Kandy. This place is called Nagasstenna. For poor people.

Vincent and I are left alone. I commented on a wood hanging of three elephants, trying to ask if he had seen the elephants. Instead, he asked if I wanted it. His daughter enters a side room and returns with a small poster of an elephant. For you, Vincent says. It’s a political advertisement. 2013. Candidate 32. It is written in Singha and I cannot understand. I thank them profusely. Nayana brings a bag and gingerly places the poster inside.

We entered the kitchen. The grandmother is cutting green vegetables for their lunch. The mother is preparing milk tea for her son. He took the mug and sipped slowly, leaning against the stone stove.

Come. I followed Vincent out the side door. There is an open bedroom. He scurried to the next door, opening it with a smile across his face. This is my room. This is my room, he repeats. He chuckles. The upstairs is not finished. Barefoot and outside, a back courtyard. We stepped over slightly muddy ground. I’m cautious not to get my feet too dirty. I didn’t wish to track dirt into their clean house. Vincent opened a gate. I stepped around it and followed his agile feet up a flight of stairs. There is a balcony. We stood, looking out over the hills. We could not see the waterfall. The bright, hot sun beat down on our faces. It’s a hot day, he says. I felt the burning power of the sun on my skin. We didn’t stay long. We took it all in, admiring how our morning paths brought us together as we glanced down at the temple where we met.

There’s one more room. Nayana gave me her slippers. We crossed the courtyard. Inside, there was a Christmas tree. Vincent is proud. Next month is Christmas, and her birthday, he says looking fondly at his daughter. A Christmas baby.

I wiped my feet on the mat, trying to remove any grains that remained before re-entering the kitchen. A photo album was brought out, spurred by my admiring Nayana’s wedding photo I passed her husband in the street. He greeted me ‘good morning’ I am reminded. He was in the army, now on pension. She is proud. They are happy. She was a beautiful bride. He is serious, wearing his army uniform. His brow is furrowed, his mouth closed. In his tuxedo, he smiles. There is a gap between his front teeth. He looks down lovingly at his new wife, his left hand resting on her shoulder. She looks up at him. Her eyes glisten. They are in love.

The moments passed slowly and yet too quickly. It was time for me to go. When you come again, you come here. You remember the way. Yes, I will mail you the pictures. Thank you. You come again, you stay here. You are always welcome. God bless you. And God bless you as well. Thank you. Stuti.

I gave Vincent a friendship bracelet I had in my bag. He gave it to his grandson who examined it. The color matches his shirt. Thank you. No, thank you.

Vincent escorted me down the hill, back to my hotel. Today, they are happy. We are happy, he says. Today, I am also happy. What an incredible and unexpected experience.

At the Temple


Vincent and his family


Me with Vincent and his family

Adventures in Mulu National Park

5-8 November 2013

After my Fulbright grant ended at the beginning of November, I spent the next several weeks traveling. One of the highlights was going to Mulu National Park in Sarawak on Easy Malaysia. I traveled with another ETA and we met a new friend who traveled with us for several days in the Park. Here's a photo blog of our adventures.

Initially, Brian and I flew into Kota Kinabalu, spending a day exploring the city and the markets and watching a lovely sunset over the water.


After flying to Mulu National Park and settling in at our park hostel, we ate lunch at a family run restaurant on the river. The son, after being incredibly shy at first, quickly warmed up to us. He would run down the hall and playfully hit his head on the wall, fall down, then turn around to make sure we were watching.


Once our stomachs were fully satisfied, we went on a hike to the Deer Cave. This is one of the largest caves in the world. Every evening, around dusk, there is a four million bat exodus that is truly remarkable to watch.


Along the way, we saw many interesting fauna and flora.




Deer Cave is very expansive. Since there are so many bats, the ground is covered in guano. Let's just say I'm glad I was wearing a hat!


Abe Lincoln can be found in the cave too. The bats greet him as they exit the cave every night.


See you later bats! Have a good breakfast!


In the evening, we went on a Night Trek finding many unique critters, including this stick insect...


and this fuzzy caterpillar.


The next day, we began our three day, two night adventure to the Pinnacles. Hopping in a little motor boat, we rode several kilometers up the river...


stopping at a Handicraft Village to learn about the local indigenous groups and to see all the crafts they make.


We also stopped at a few more caves that were just as impressive as the ones the day before. (This is the King's Chamber in the Clearwater Cave.)


Arriving at the end of the boat ride, we were dropped off at the start of the trail. Just follow the signs, it's clearly marked. And the boat left. Brian, Dougal, and I successfully made the 9km hike through the rainforest alone, carrying all the supplies and food we needed for the next couple days.


Two hours later, we arrived at Base Camp Five and met the other hikers with whom we would trek to the Pinnacles the following day. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the scenery, cooking dinner, and playing card games with our guide.


The Pinnacles is a very chalenging trek. Although it is only 2.4km in distance, the increase in elevation is 1.2km.


Of the seven people who started the trek, we were the only three to make it all the way to the top.


Finally, after climbing 17 ladders and walking along several boards, we reached the Pinnacles, limestone karsts jutting out of the surrounding hills.


Well worth the effort!


There were many plants and animals at the top as well.
Pitcher plants, also known as Monkey Pots


Lizards who jumped from tree to tree


And even sleeping humans!


Back at camp, we took a group photo to remember this momentous occasion.


The next morning, we once again made the 9km trek back to the boat,


crossing two swinging bridges


wading across swollen rivers


and enjoying the sounds of the rainforest around us.


But at some point, all wonderful holidays must come to an end


Sometimes, you just have to accept it and walk on to the next great adventure.

Student Farewell

28 October 2013

This was my official last day going to school. I wasn’t even supposed to go in this week, but the school wanted me to give my farewell speech this morning. Last week, the Monday assembly was very short due to an early start to the Form 4 exams, so we had to do it this week.

I arrived extra early so that I could give some teachers a small gift. This weekend I printed several photos and put many into frames for the teachers who have made the largest impact on my time – all of the English teachers, the head administrators, and a few others. I also gave photos to many of the other teachers with a short thank you note and a small gift.

I wore the new baju kurung that Rozillah bought and gave me from the BAG – the teacher’s association – at the annual teachers’ dinner on Wednesday night. I received many compliments on it.

The assembly started as usual. I sat in front with the head honchos of the school. The headmaster was not here today, so Haji Anuar gave the farewell speech. First, I had several students speak, very briefly. Three Indian girls from Form 1A said a few words. Next, Ina, from 4A gave a short speech thanking me for everything we did in class and outside of class this year. Tuan Haji Anuar spoke next. As this was one of the last assemblies of the year, he had many items to address with the students, so he spoke for a long time. The end of his speech was about me. And he even addressed me in English. He told the students that at the annual dinner, I said a pantun to end my speech. A pantun is a four lined traditional Malay poem used as a form of expression often said at important gatherings. He recited the one I said for the students, and then responded to it. (it happened to be the same pantun I used to end my farewell speech to the students). He told the students that I will be returning to Malaysia to teach another year, but we don’t know where. I believe he said that he hopes I return to SMK Labis.


My Form 1A students speaking on my behalf


Tuan Haji Anuar giving a farewell speech

People don’t tend to directly tell their feelings to others, but I do feel that I have made a significant impact on the school and on the teachers. I am honored to have worked with such an amazing group of people this year. I can’t believe these 10 months are already over. Just shows how time continues moving no matter what.

After Haji Anuar spoke, I was invited to say a few words. I prepared my speech last night over dinner with Hasnul. It was entirely in Bahasa Malaysia, the national language. There were several points where I was given a round of applause by the students. Among other things, I said that if I can learn BM in one year, I know they can learn English. Try. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Have confidence and be brave.


My speech

Next was the gift giving portion of the ceremony. Earlier, the students had given money which was collected by the teachers who then bought gifts to give me from the classes. Each form, including upper and lower form 6, gave a gift. Several teachers gave gifts of their own accord also. The back seat of Thilaga’s car was quite full, but I did manage to bring everything home.


Teachers giving gifts


Students giving gifts

After the singing of the National Anthem, all of the students lined up to Salam me, boys and girls alike. Nearly 700 handshakes, perhaps 100 hugs, many thanks and goodbyes. When my upper form six girls came to me,I teared up. It looked like one of my students, to whom I am very close, was going to cry, so of course I started tearing up. Luckily the students wanted to take a picture at that time so the sad moment was broken. I’ll miss those girls tremendously.


Saying goodbye to every student

Many goodbyes. Many gifts. Many hugs. Many pictures. Many sad faces and hopes to see each other again. I took pictures with the cleaners and the canteen women. I love them all! They don’t speak much English , but man, I feel a connection to them. Always smiling and always greeting me, even though the conversation was minimal.


The canteen workers

I can’t believe I won’t be seeing this exact group of people again. Next year, if I return to the same school, the upper form six and form 5 students will be gone and they are some of my closest friends. There will also be a whole new batch of Form 1 students. The headmaster may not return next year as he has applied to transfer closer to his home. Some of the teachers may be gone. But even though there will be changes, more people than not will be remain. And for that, I am very excited.

*****

I sat in the front row, looking out over the entire student body, faces that I’ve grown so used to seeing every day. Faces that are no longer just faces, but the expressway into the personalities of beautiful, intelligent young men and women. Eyes that sparkle, smiles that light up the room, laughs that are contagious, minds that are brilliant beyond expectations. I’ve grown so attached to these individuals, this group of unique personalities, I can’t believe I have to leave.

A Day Spent on Cloud 9

Special Moment #1

The school day began with playing a new (to me) version of group Rock, Paper, Scissors with several Chinese boys who don’t speak much in class. Their laughter was contagious. In this game, everyone starts with one hand. When only two options are present (ex. everyone plays rock and paper), the losers stack their hands in the middle and then use their second hand. When everyone, except one person, has both hands in the stack, the hand on the bottom of the stack is removed and challenges the initial winner. The new loser places his/her hand on top. The game continues like this – one v one – until one person has both hands out. They are dubbed the ultimate winner. Can you just imagine the laughter and joking that occurred when I had to put my hand on top of a male student’s hand? Such silly students.


Special Moment #2

Next, I had English with Form 2B. Their regular teacher had a teacher’s program today, so she was not in class. 2B is a pretty good class anyway, so it was no problem for me to take them alone. We wrote “Letters to Leslie,” a lesson I’m doing with many of my classes. Since I leave in a couple weeks, I want the students’ feedback on the activities and programs we have done this year. As they were being good students, I also played music for them from my laptop and we all sang along to some of their favorite songs. I usually only stay for one class period, but because their English class on Friday is three periods and their teacher was absent, I ended up staying for all three periods. And we all enjoyed it.

During the second period, the relief teacher came with an assignment for them to complete. It was pretty good timing since most of the students had just finished their letters. Of course, they were not thrilled that we now had work to do. It was a worksheet about one of the poems they read earlier this year and one that is bound to be on their final exam. I tried to get them to work on it alone first, and some students did, but then we ended up doing it together. But overall, they were really good today and made me quite happy.




Special Moment #3

During the lower form break, I joined a group of Indian students. I joked around using a mixture of English and Bahasa Malaysia. We laughed and laughed. I tried to get them to dance with me, but they were all malu (shy). However, one student did teach me a few Tamil dance steps, to the amusement of everyone watching. I don’t even remember what we talked about, but it was a grand time.


Special Moment #4

After the break, I tried to do a bit of preparation, but ended up talking to a few of the male teachers instead. What great guys. Always joking, laughing, and having a great time. I’m getting to know them better now through futsal and our nearly daily discussions in the teacher’s room. One says he wants to come to America, but was baffled when I told him how much a flight ticket is. I told him to start saving.


Special Moment #5

My final class of the day, 4B, we also wrote “Letters to Leslie,” but first we spent several minutes laughing and joking at me being silly and speaking BM. With music playing and me singing and sometimes dancing, the students started writing their letters. I told them that I wouldn’t read their letters until I leave Labis and that got them excited to write. One student, however, wanted me to read part of his:

“It may take only a minute to like teacher someone like you, only an hour to have a best friend like you and only a day to love teacher someone like you but it will take a lifetime to forget you. Teacher Leslie!!!”

All smiles. Quite touched.


Special Moment #6

Later in the afternoon, all of the English teachers met in Segamat at the restaurant Secret Recipe to have a farewell dinner for me. Oh my goodness, the cheesecake is so good! Hasnul, one of the English teachers, and I went early to go walking in One Segamat, the new mall. I wanted to buy a gift for my friend who is about to have a baby (if she hasn’t already had him!). This excursion led to me discovering more delicious food options at the mall. Double whammy.








Special Moment #7

Lastly, the day finished with three hours of amazingness. During my 4B class, I asked the students if they wanted to jalan-jalan (go walking/hang out) tonight. A time and location was set. I agreed to bring Ultimate Frisbees and I asked a student to bring his guitar. When I returned home after school, I posted a status on my Teacher Facebook account to tell more students to come. Based on the amount of activity that post received, I knew that students would come; I just didn’t know how many.

There is a group of Form 6 students who play Ultimate pretty regularly after school. They came and brought more friends. Then some Form 4 students came, and then other students who saw my Facebook status. In the end, we had over 30 students there and not all of them were from my school! So many people that we had to play two separate games.
Not everyone played Ultimate at the same time. Since one of the students brought his guitar, several students played and sang while others played Ultimate. When I took a break from Ultimate, I taught a few students the chords to Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”! And then I taught another student a few gymnastics moves. More Ultimate, more gymnastics, more laughing and running. Glorious night. We ended the night by combining fields and playing one big game all together.

Since we were playing at the dataran (town square), Ultimate received lots of exposure. The night market was finishing up when we started, the nightly Tai Chi group was exercising, a few people were jogging, and others were playing on the playground and sitting with their friends and family enjoying the night. Many people stopped to watch us. This is what I’d like the call the beginning of a mass ultimate takeover.



***

This is a long four-day weekend. Tuesday is Hari Raya Korban, an annual Islamic celebration commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Unfortunately, this means many cows will be slaughtered on Tuesday. I was going to travel for Saturday and Sunday and then return to Labis to celebrate the holiday with my student and her family, but the bus tickets were already sold out. Now, though, I am grateful that the tickets were sold out. This weekend is going to be fabulous and packed with great things, just like today.

The Caucasian Population Triples!

This is a long-overdue post about my family's visit to Labis in mid-August.

***

That’s right, folks, you heard it here first. The Caucasian population in Labis has tripled, from one mat salleh* to three!

Monday marked the official end to a two week school holiday. And what a lovely school holiday it was. I spent five days in my town Labis, celebrating the final days of Ramadhan with students and teachers and their families. Fasting all day, cooking in the late afternoon, breaking fast together at a table or on the floor, eating with our hands, watching and partaking in setting off fireworks, sharing photos and stories, until the clock chimed late-o'clock announcing my time to depart.

On Wednesday night, the eve of Raya, I took the overnight train to Singapore where, in the morning, I was reunited with my mother and sister! We spent that first day together walking around Singapore, seeing some wonderful sights. It was lovely reuniting with my family after eight months apart. For the next three days, my sister and I played for our respective countries’ Ultimate Frisbee teams at the Asia-Oceanic Ultimate Club Championship (AOUCC), the largest tournament in Asia where teams from 17 countries competed against each other to see who could come out on top. Malaysia has a relatively young team, in terms of playing experience, but this tournament was a great experience for our players and I know we all learned a lot, myself included. We ended up placing 19th out of 27 teams. We would have liked to do better, but we never gave up and fought through the last point of every game – what more can you ask? Robin’s team had more experienced players and performed quite well, making it to the Quarter finals and finally finishing 8th in the tournament.

A week in Indonesia – in Ubud and on Gili Meno – brought us back to Singapore just to hop on a train straight to Labis. I was so excited for my mom and sister to come to my home and see where I live and work in Malaysia. Unfortunately, they were only able to stay for two nights, one full day, but we somehow managed to pack most everything in. They met an overwhelming number of people at school and in town, ate an absurd amount of delicious Malaysian foods (even managing to eat with their hands!), and through it all somehow managed to keep smiles on their faces regardless of how tired they felt and how many photos they were asked to stand in.

Monday morning we arrived at school by 7am, giving us enough time to greet the headmaster before the morning assembly. As we sat down with the teachers, I briefed Mom and Robin on our morning schedule. Encik Wahab will introduce you in English and in Bahasa Malaysia. Then we will all be invited to the stage and you will be asked to say a few words. "Oh dear," Mom exclaims. But they successfully give their mini speeches and I say a few words before taking them on a tour of the school.

Throughout the day, we entered four classes - 4A, 4B, 2A, and 2B (the equivalent of 8th and 10th grades). Each class had questions for them and information about Malaysia to share. 2A got to play a short game with Robin, spurred by the question, "how do you teach drama?" The students really enjoyed that.

After school, we explored downtown, stopping at the bus station to buy their tickets to KL, buying sugar cane juice and fried bananas at the small stall next to the station and enjoying a cup of cendol (a Malaysian dessert) while we waited for our ride back to my house. After a short rest, Mom and I went to a Chinese friend's house for tea. And then shortly after returning home, we all left for a traditional Malaysian dinner at an Indian family's home.

On Tuesday morning, I went to school late so that I could take my mom and sister to the bus station. Another friend they had yet to meet picked us up in her car and we went to breakfast at my landlord's restaurant. Every step of their journey, Mom and Robin met someone who plays a significant role in my life in Labis. A teary-eyed goodbye and a drawn out wave later, my family is safely on the bus to Kuala Lumpur.

***

I'm so glad my mom and sister were able to come and see where I live and work. It meant so much to me and to my teachers and students. The students kept talking about my family for weeks after and still ask when they will return to Labis.


Robin writing in Korean for Form 4B


A special visit to the Special Education class


Form 2A asked many good questions to my family


Family photo with Form 2A


Thank you for the gift, Headmaster and English teachers!


Thank you for the lovely gift, class 2B!


A final farewell photo