Ramadhan: A Journey in Photos

The Holy Month of Ramadhan was upon us before I knew it. I had many incredible, eye-opening, memorable experiences during this month. I learned so much about myself, about the Malaysian culture, and about the Islamic faith. I could have taken one step at a time or hopped right in. I jumped. Here are some of my stories:

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What better time than during Ramadhan, the Islamic Holy Month, to try on a hijab?



And get your photo taken with so many people!


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In solidarity with my teachers and students, I fasted for the entire month. While it wasn't too difficult not eating from 6am to 7:30pm, not drinking water in the Malaysian heat was. But I managed. And having the opportunity to break my fast with friends and families made everything worth it. I even got to teach how to cook Mexican food!



And then there was the evening of the school Iftar. All the teachers and some students returned to school for prayers and a joint breaking of our fasts. We sat on the floor in the surau, the Muslim worship hall on the school grounds, and ate delicious foods prepared by one of our own!



I wore a hijab again as a sign of respect for entering the place of worship.



Here we are lining up for our food. The women ate on one side of the surau, and the men ate on the other.



So it wasn't until after the meal when I was able to spend time with my male students. They are such fun, energetic individuals!


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There are many special foods during Ramadhan and Hari Raya at the end of the month. I taught some of my students how to bake Cream Cheese Cookies. It took us a while to get them right, but we did, and they were delicious!



And then we broke our fast together with dinner from the Bazaar Ramadhan!


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The Bazaar Ramadhan was a food market that stood in our town square for the duration of the month. Every day from 2pm until 7pm, there were many stalls selling various foods. I frequented the Bazaar quite often as I knew several of the people working and always saw some of my students.



One of the food stalls and the lovely ladies working it. They are selling traditional Malaysian foods.



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In addition to, or instead of, working at the Bazaar, many families will sell additional items during Ramadhan in order to have a some extra money for the Duit Raya, small money packets that are given to the children/unmarried individuals. Here I am with one of my teachers and her son selling periok kera.



These are periok kera, literally translating to "monkey pots." They are picked from the forests, washed, and filled with glutinous rice and coconut milk before being steamed.



After a long day of selling periok kera, we decided to go to the local waterfall to relax in the river. We had breath-holding competitions, splashing fights, and accepted the challenge to catch little fish with our bare hands. It was a successful mission.



Back at the house, we went to the garden to pick fruits. Here I am trying to get mangosteens from the tree using a long bamboo pole that is split at the end.



Soon enough, it was time to break our fast. I had the privilege of serving the rice, and then together we all enjoyed the food.



There are always so many options. And of course, everyone tells me not to be shy and to take more and more and more.



Perhaps the time most enjoyed by children is in the evenings when they can play with fireworks. There were sparklers, fireworks that stayed on the ground, and, if you're lucky, fireworks that shoot into the air


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Another night, I was invited to a students' house. She has 9 siblings, and two of them also attend my school. These are the three siblings who go to my school.



The night before I came, their extended family from Indonesia had arrived. There were nearly 30 people in the house. What a lovely, and occasionally loud, environment! We ate together on the floor, family-style.



And again, there were fireworks!



And they were clearly enjoyed.



Back inside the house, my students' mother and grandmother had returned from prayers. I was invited to try on the telkung, the traditional covering worn by women for prayers. Naturally, the occasion wasn't complete without some photos.



At the end of the night, the mother wanted to give me a gift. This is a painting done by her second oldest daughter and it's absolutely stunning.



In the morning, I met the family again at their durian farm. DUring the night durians fall from the trees and must then be collected.



Of all the durians we collected, I was only able to find one. I guess my eye is not trained to find durians yet! (My nose is however!)



There were also rubber trees in the forest. Some people were collecting the latex while we were there.


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ON the last night of Ramadhan, I joined one of my teachers and her family to prepare their Iftar meal. I learned how to cook rendang, a spicy, dry meat curry, and periok kera.



Here we are filling the periok kera with rice and coconut milk!



Time to eat. Her girls were adorable and quickly warmed up to me. I helped the oldest with her Englist homework before the night was finished.


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That same night, instead of going straight home, I decided to ride through the Malay neighborhoods where I know many of my students live. The next three hours were spent joking and laughing...



eating at one of the boy's house (more traditional foods)...



taking pictures, and playing guitar. I had to cut my night short at 1am as I had a train to catch at 3am and still needed to finish packing.


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Spending Ramadhan in Malaysia was incredible. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the Islamic faith, develop stronger relationships with my students and teachers, and become more fully engaged in the local culture. I say let's do it again!

A Day of Hijabs and Burritos

Every Friday night there is a Pasar Malam, or Night Market in Labis. It’s in the Dataran (Town Square), and many booths are set up selling all sorts of food, clothes, and miscellaneous items. The tents and tables start to appear in the early afternoon and are gone by 9pm the same night. This month, as it is the Holy Month of Ramadan, there is also a Bazaar Ramadan, semi-permanently set up in the center of the Dataran. The tables and tents remain all day and night, but the people and the food is only present from about 2pm to 7pm every day.

Every weekend I don’t travel, I enjoy going to the Pasar Malam. This is one such weekend. A 15-20 minute walk down the road from my house brings me right to the Dataran. Once there, I am immediately encouraged to buy food from many of the stalls I pass. Graciously, I decline.

One of the great things about living in a small town is that everywhere I go, I typically see someone I know. Tonight was no exception. Within five minutes, I run into four of my Form 5 students. They invite me to walk with them as they purchase food with which to break their fast later that evening. As we walk, I see other students as well as the wonderful women who work at our school canteen. I engage my acquaintances in short conversations using a mixture of English and Bahasa Malaysia depending on each of our abilities.

Once these students finish buying their food, they wished to return home. I walked them to their motorcycles, passing a few more students along the way. As soon as they leave, I am greeted by Latif, the man who catered for my most recent English camp. He is a very nice man, always eager to speak with me. As he owns one of the stalls at Bazaar Ramadan, he politely “forced” me to follow him so he could give me a take-away container of biryani rice “usually eaten with goat, but for you, I give you the fruit side.” For the record, it was delicious.

As I still had not made it through the Night Market, I continue walking, only to meet more of my students. As we are greeting, one of our English teachers arrives. See why I love small towns? Anyway, they invite me to walk with them, an opportunity I will never turn down. Conversations shift from one topic to another and eventually come to a discussion about clothes. At one point I mention that I want to learn how to wrap a hijab, one of the many styles of head scarves. They link their arms in mine and together we walk to the clothes section of the market. We found a style I liked and they picked out the color, a light blue that hopefully matches my blue baju kurong. I also needed a head cap (I’m not sure what these are actually called). It’s a knit cap in which the women keep all of their hair so none of it shows if the hijab shifts. Final preparation step, we needed to buy the pins to hold the hijab in place. Since I am a simple person, I picked out simple pins, shiny gems with no bling.

“Teacher, tomorrow you bring everything to school and during break, we will teach you how to wear.” Yes ma’am. What a glorious trip to the market.

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Today we had school. Yes, on Saturday. It was a replacement day for the day they cancelled school a few weeks ago because of the haze from the Indonesian fires. During the upper form break, about halfway through the school day, I met these four students, with another friend, at the surau, the Muslim prayer room. When it is not prayer time, non-Muslims are able to enter. In the side room, Syarizan, a teacher I really like, and a couple students were preparing a bulletin board. When they realized what was going on, they stopped and came to watch and help. Here are some photos to show the process of dressing a hijab. The tudongs, what the students are wearing, are much easier to put on as you literally only have to slip them over your head. However, I prefer the styles of the hijab.


Tying up my hair in preparation


Putting on the hair cap


Attaching the first pin


Attaching the second and third pins, one on top of my head and one on my left shoulder


Still pinning


With Syarizan


Group photo!

Can you only imagine the responses I got from the teachers and students when they saw me?! I got exclamations of disbelief, looks that lacked recognition, and once I was recognized, I received compliments on how beautiful or different I looked. Recently, we have had several new teachers come to the school, so many people thought I was just another new teacher, or even a new student. Until they looked at my face for literally 5 or more seconds. I wish I had a video camera to record the reactions of everyone when they realized it was me wearing a hijab. Malay students of all forms enjoyed helping me fix it when it shifted slightly throughout the rest of the day. Teacher becomes student, students become teachers – the beauty of cultural exchange.


Even the boys wanted to wear a hijab! Possibly my favorite picture.


With Lia, my desk mate

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To make the day complete with more cultural exchange, Hasnul and I broke fast together again. This time, I taught her the ever desired Mexican food. Last year’s ETA wanted to teach her, but they ran out of time. We made burritos with all the vegetarian toppings – rice, black beans, sautéed green peppers and onions, home-made tomato salsa, and fresh, home-made guacamole, topped with Mexican blend shredded cheese on a wholegrain tortilla. First burrito success!


Hasnul, me, and the makings of burritos


The food


Hasnul about to wrap her first burrito!!

Fasting in Solidarity

10 July marked the beginning of the holy month of Ramadhan. During this 30 day period, all Muslims around the world must refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. In Malaysia, that is about 13 hours. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is a time for spiritual purification and the recognition of oneself and the denial of one’s worldly desires. Many Muslims will also give to charity during this time, as they experience conditions more similar to that of the poor.

This year, I am fasting. Although it is not a religious act for me, it is an opportunity for me to show solidarity with my students and fellow Muslim teachers. I also benefit from reflection and recognizing my personal and worldly desires as I refrain from eating and drinking for 13 hours every day, from 6:30am to 7:30pm. Today marks my sixth day of fasting. I missed four days last week due to traveling with the Tamil Society at my school on their annual trip. (See previous blog!) In the Islamic faith, sick persons, menstruating women, the elderly, and travelers are exempt from fasting, but those who are able must make up these days before the following Ramadhan.

The Muslim teachers at my school appreciate my efforts while the non-Muslim teachers are impressed with my determination. Most days it is not too difficult to fast as long as I keep myself busy. I notice that when I am home, I have a tendency to nibble on snacks throughout the afternoon. Now, I cannot engage in such acts. I am actually eating better. I am cooking every night. I am making sure I have a hearty breakfast (though that’s really the same as always), and I am drinking more water.

Not drinking anything during the day is the most difficult, though I certainly think it could be worse. Malaysia is hot and humid all year round. For the past two months or so, it has not rained at all in Labis. However, recently, for the past two weeks, it has started raining again. We have had several rainstorms during the school day and every day is more overcast than it used to be. Thus, the sun is not as hot and energy can be saved.

I was warned to expect that my students would have less energy, but really, I haven’t noticed much change. My most energetic classes are still just as rowdy. My quiet classes are just as quiet. I have only noticed that my throat gets scratchier throughout the day from teaching.

I don’t know how long I will fast, but at this point, I’m thinking about trying the whole month. Why not? This is the chance for me to do it. And I’m becoming closer to some of my co-workers because of it. The best part of Ramadhan is Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast. On Monday, I had Iftar, with Hasnul, one of the English teachers. She has recently started cooking more and was very willing to try some vegetarian options. We made vegetarian tom yam soup (a local dish) and vegetable omelets. Of course there was also rice. We have plans to cook together again on Saturday. This time – Spanish burritos.

Ramadhan Mubarak. Happy Ramadhan!

Tamil Society Trip - A Weekend Away

11-13 July 2013


Group Photo!

My school’s Tamil society goes on an annual weekend-long time. This year, they went to Ipoh, the capital of the Perak state, and the Cameron Highlands, and they invited me! We left school Thursday evening around 7:30pm and drove to I-city World just south of Kuala Lumpur, stopping in Melaka for dinner. I-City World is a theme park with a few roller coasters and activities, centered around ice. For someone who never sees snow, it’s very exciting. However, since we arrived around midnight, we couldn't go inside as it was already closed. Often it is open until 2am, but I think it closes early during Ramadan. There was still plenty for the students to see outside of the actual park. There are animal figurines and plenty of light displays to enjoy. That is if you like taking photos. So many colorful trees, flamingoes, sunflowers, penguins and snowmen, etc. After spending about an hour here, we got back on the road to continue our journey north.


I-City World


With Chandara, one of my fellow English teachers

That night, we started playing a game similar to Secret Santa called Bobo Jojo that would last all weekend. I lucked out and got one of the students I know though she is not actually in one of my classes. I received various food items, a Malaysia magnet, a bracelet, and a strawberry keychain.

Early morning, after another rest stop and a stop for breakfast, we arrived at Gua Tempurung, the natural cave system where we were to go caving. Of the four tour packages they offer, we took the Grand Tour, the longest and most intense. I think we were in the cave for nearly four hours! Down several set of stairs into the largest cave opening where the guide pointed out the different shapes in the rocks. It was really beautiful in the cave. We went up several hundred stairs to an overlook before descending down just as many stairs to the river. Not only did we get our feet wet, but many students and teachers for that matter, got their everything wet. We had to crawl through the shallow river under rock hangings on our hands and knees (oh so painful on the knees). The students had a great time. We had to slide down a cliff and drop through a hole in the rock face instead of taking the stairs back out of the cave. Naturally, at the end of our caving adventure the students had a massive water fight. I ended up getting soaked as well.


Gua Tempurung


Stalactites in the cave


Weeeeee!


The hole that we all dropped through

After showers at the cave site facilities, we drove to the Little India of Ipoh for lunch. Shops along the road mostly had the same items - Punjabi suits and other Indian clothes, incense, garlands, Indian spices and Hindi figurines. A cute area with lovely music from the shops filling the streets.


Little India in Ipoh

As there was still plenty of daylight, rather than going straight to the hotel, we drove out a distance to a recreational center at the base of the Cameron Highland hills. There were some climbing playgrounds with which the students and I and one of the teachers, Kanda, had fun. Games were also enjoyed in the open grassy field.


The recreation center's playground

We stayed the night in Ipoh. In the evening we went to the temple for Friday prayers. It's apparently the main temple in Ipoh where Thaipusam piercings takes place. Dinner on the hotel’s rooftop was followed by a talent show by the students.


Waiting to walk to the Temple


The Hindu Temple entrance

In the morning, we went to Cameron Highlands which is well-known for its crops, primarily its tea and strawberries. Of course we visited one of each. We took a tour of the tea plantation, learning about the five stages of tea production. The Strawberry Farm we visited is actually owned by one of the teacher’s relatives, so we were treated to platters of fresh strawberries with crème and honey. Many students also bought ice cream sundaes topped with fresh strawberries. Before the day was finished, we also stopped at a bee hive and shopping center, and a vegetable market.


The Cameron Highlands


Students with a flower garden during our lunch stop


Me with my mentor's daughter, Kisheera, at the Boh Tea Estate


The Cameron Highlands

We arrived back at the school, exhausted but content, on Saturday night around 1:30am. What a wonderful trip.