Melaka was SO beautiful. Everything is alive, and buzzing with excitement. The streets smell like beaches and warm, spicy Malay and Chinese food, Tourists flood mini bazaars, outgoing street vendors make their best effort to converse in English, and mostly, the 3 main ethnicities in Malaysia came together to celebrate the history of the city by visiting museums, national landmarks, and just buying food from street vendors!
(A collage my Ibu made for me with pictures taken in Melaka!)
(A mini portable toilet....hmm....)
(A small Chinese temple inside of a parking garage for a mall is one of the many examples of Malaysian diversity as well as the outgoing efforts put into preserving the traditions.)
(The historical museum of Melaka)
(Street vendors in Melaka)
(Just another day in Malaysia!)
(A small mini-restaurant in the street of Melaka! Sorry for the poor quality!)
Also, in Melaka, we went to a nearby Chinese night bazaar called Jonkerwalk. It was huge, filled with everything ranging from traditional aroma and healing therapies, to shops selling expensive Prada and Gucci scarves.
(A Catholic Church in the Chinese area of Melaka)
(A store called 'Heaven for Durian' lovers. Durian is an extremely strong smelling fruit, so this was an....exotic...smelling store to walk next to!)
(A performance happening at Jonkerwalk)
(A handmade jewelry stand at Jonkerwalk)
(I'm not entirely sure why I photographed this, probably because its cute.)
(Also while in Melaka, I rebonded my hair to straight, because Malaysian weather and my curly hair severely disagree with eachother.)
Also in recent doings, I returned from an AFS (my implementing organization) arranged program called the Delayed Orientation, in which all the AFS exchange students also living in Kuantan traveled to many locations and saw some incredible sights, including the "Sleeping Buddha in a cave" and a museum showing the history of Sungai Lembing, the town we spent the night in. We also had interviews asking us how our adjustment and family lives are going.
(The view from the top of a museum in Sungai Lembing)
(A very old car preserved for the museum)
(Inside a Buddhist cave containing the "Sleeping Buddha")
(Inside the cave containing the "Sleeping Buddha" there were many small shrines.)
(Deep into a cave, The sleeping Buddha!)
(At a temple for Taoism in Sungai Lembing)Sungai Lembingis a primarily Chinese town, and I am currently living in a Malay village, so it was almost like culture shock again to be surrounded by such a strong Chinese influence. Chinese foods, homes, language, religion, and style are all extremely different from the Malays'. That is what I love about Malaysia. With the three most predominate ethnicities here (Malay, Chinese, and Indian) there also comes the unity of three very different cultures, and all can be experienced in the same year. It's like getting to go three different countries all during one exchange!
To close this post, I would like to say thank you for following, and I'm sorry I'm not very good at updating habitually. The life as an exchange student is so different than I think anyone prepares you for. Many of us go into our journey thinking that living in some exotic country will mean constant adventure and seeing tigers and giant elephants everyday, but in all honesty, life is life, no matter where you live it. Classes can be dull, students can be immature, and day-to-day life continues consistently with chores, being told you can't go out with your friends sometimes, and sitting inside watching television. Being an exchange student dosent mean always going out into a jungle, or always participating in cultural holidays, it means living the life as a local. So, I apologize if my posts are few, but honestly, it's because things are relaxed and pretty normal right now.
So until next time,
-Kaley
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