The Meaning of "Adventure"

I titled my blog "A Malaysian Adventure" without realizing how true that statement would be. In a way it's slightly prophetic, as I was playing around with "Asian Invasion" or "Malaysia" or "The Malayisa Experience" before I settled on the current title.

Let me share a quote with you:

"Adventures are never fun while you're having them" -C.S. Lewis

This is an idea that I have really reflected on this semester, and something that has been the basis of a lot of personal growth. Adventure is defined by Webster's online dictionary as an exciting or remarkable experience or an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks.

Traveling abroad in itself is a remarkable experience, as how often does one have the opportunity to live in a  foreign country for 4 months? I was unbelievably excited to start my journey, and I remember jumping with excitement towards the end of January when I was only a week away from leaving. 

But

It has been an undertaking. I wanted to live somewhere completely different than what I'm used to . Someplace that would place me outside of my comfort zone, a place where I would stand out. Boy, did I get more than I bargained for. The "danger" and "unknown risks" presented themselves when I learned there were 1001 ways to die in Malaysia, starting with heatstroke. I faced ungodly amounts of sweat, and sweltering heat, bed bugs, ruined clothes, and life back home throwing me for a loop in my first month and a half here. I endured stares everywhere I went, professors that didn't understand English that well, and food that hurt my stomach. I had to learn to live with no AC, on a huge campus, with busses that run according to no schedule but the driver's own. I learned what it means to live in a Muslim country, surrounded by women in hijab's and the Call to Prayer blasting 5 times a day. It has been an undertaking, and it wasn't always easy, and it wasn't always fun.

But

I've gotten to do some incredible things and meet some incredible people that I will remember forever. I've been to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore. I've held bats, birds, fish, and reptiles, and I've gone snorkeling in one of the best reefs in the world. I've stayed with a host family, traveled throughout Malaysia, and have eaten some of the best food I think I'll ever have. I've learned about the culture and history of SE Asia and have grown in confidence, maturity, and self awareness. I can live in an Eastern culture, and feel comfortable in 90 degree heat. I've met wonderful local students and found some of the best friends I could have ever asked for in my fellow international friends. You know you're lucky when leaving people after only knowing them for 4 months still produces many tears and a feeling of being lost. It's amazing really, the change that happens when one steps outside of one's comfort zone and embraces the challenges that result. 

So

To get the highs, you have to experience the lows. However, sitting in the Kuala Lumpor Airport on my 11 hour layover before my flight to Sydney, Australia… all I really remember are the highs. And that is why this great undertaking has been the adventure of a lifetime. It's been exciting. It's been remarkable. I've taken on those risks, and experienced some danger. 

I always knew I would make it through the experience. I just never knew how much it would take out of me, and how much I would gain from it. I came, and I lived, but what's more, I thrived.

It's been quite the adventure, in every aspect of that word.

The Last Two Days: A Story of no Sleep

And suddenly.. I was down to just two days and two nights.

Wednesday night I got to play pick up basketball for the last time with the local guys we met on the courts. Following that, there was a joint "Heather's going away and Annabell's Birthday party" that I helped host. It was hot and sweaty-a perfect summary of Malaysia- and a ton of people came. We ended the night at the Reggae Mansion club in Georgetown for some good techno dancing. Marie and I slept over in the apartments and went swimming until we got kicked out by the security guard around 4 am. Got a solid couple of hours of sleep that night.

Thursday night was the international Gala night for all the exchange students at the University. It was Greek Themed.. basically a Toga Party. It went a lot like the Gustavus Farewell dinner we had on Tuesday, but with even more food and better desserts! Later on, a bunch of us went back to Reggae Mansion for round 2. I grabbed a taxi back around 2:30 am after many tearful goodbyes so that I could eat something, finish packing, and shower, before getting picked up by the bus to go to the airport at 4:30 am. No sleep for me.

I just can't believe it's over. I'm not ready to leave (despite my cheer in the picture below).

Farewell Dinner

Tuesday night, the eve after we finished our last final, there was a farewell dinner held at a nice hotel in Penang. All of the faculty that were involved with the teaching, planning, and implementing this pioneer "Gustavus Semester in Malaysia" program were invited along with the local university student "buddies" who were around the full 4 months helping us out with anything we might need.

It was a wonderful night, with a few performances, a lot of awards, and really delicious food that included SALAD with RANCH dressing! Thats huge for us. We got up as Gustavus students and sang the most famous Malaysia song (quite badly) and then later entertained them with our poor traditional dancing skills but had a lot of fun.

Fun fact, I got randomly selected to give a short speech about my experiences in Malaysia in front of these like 100 people. Can't say I was too thrilled… however, I think it went ok? Totally scary though to have nothing prepared and to have all these people looking at you and your mind going totally blank. If I never get thrown into that situation again I'd be okay with it.

Here are some photos from the event! I should point out that the dress theme was officially "traditional" but I opted out and instead went for "formal." I borrowed this really cool black dress with cut outs on top that I wish I could keep.

Singapore

I spent the weekend from Friday morning until Sunday night in Singapore, and it was incredible. A truly modern, western-like city in the middle of Asia. I loved it and could have spent a few more days there, although it is quite expensive. We toured most of the city, including Chinatown, Little India, Marina Bay, the Colonial District, Botanical Gardends, and Orchard road. Below are some highlights.

Magnum Ice cream Birthday Party!
-Apparently it was the 25th birthday party of the Magnum Ice cream store in Singapore on friday night, and they were giving away free customized ice cream. Unfortunately the line was incredibly long. Fortunately, Asians are too shy to yell at you if you budge… I feel kinda bad about it but the ice cream was SO WORTH IT.

 Skybar delights
-After walking through the "Gardens by the Bay" aka the avatar gardens, we went to the highest sky bar in Asia. For way to much money, you get to go to the 62nd floor and get a free drink (Singapore Sling for me!) and enjoy the 360 degree outdoor view. It was an incredible view and the music was really good! Too expensive to buy any more drinks, we left for a cheaper bar, and met some English people who took us under their wings and brought us to "the best bar in singapore- the China1. They gave us VIP entry, and we all hung out dancing and drinking to a live band. Great night.

Orchard Road
- My inner shopaholic and girly girl was satisfied when we walked down the huge orchard road with various malls spaced along it. I've never seen so many high fashion stores in one place! Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabanna, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Versace… it goes on and on. I tried on a absolutely beautiful dress in Dolce & Gabanna. It only cost $2990. Wow. How many people can say they've worn a $3000 dress? I can! I felt like I was in New York of Paris… not Southeast Asia.

It was a wonderful last official weekend of study abroad. A few more finals to go, and then I'm gone to Australia!! I added a few more random pictures from Sinapore below.

Kampung Homestay

We spent the weekend at a traditional local kampung on peninsular Malaysia, about 40 minutes from our campus. We were all given a host family, and spread out throughout the village. My family consisted of a mom (ibu) and dad (bapa) along with a son, a daughter-in-law, and 2 male grandkids, ages 5 and 18 months. Our house was simple, but cozy and I was even given my own room. I wasn’t hungry once the entire weekend, as they continuously fed me, even when I said I was full!

The first night, I spent the evening with my family, eating two dinners, watching some TV, and playing with the grandkids. The next day, the whole Gustavus group got a tour of the village, were we saw many local fruits, rubber tapping, oil trees, and a man scaling a coconut tree like Tarzan to pick coconuts. 

We had a quick break at our family’s house before we were dressed in traditional clothes, and I attended my second Malay wedding! It was exceedingly hot, and as soon as I could, I came back to my house and took an afternoon nap. Later on, we were invited to the field to play some traditional games, of which I neglected to get any photos. They were just silly games though, like water balloon tossing, gunny sack races, and coconut bowling. I spent another half hour at the field juggling a soccer ball with some local 12 year olds (side note I miss soccer so much) before retiring to my house for rest and dinner.

After dinner, we headed back to the town hall for a traditional dance and music demonstration. It was quite the production and ended with us being taught one of the dances, much to the amusement of the local people. Finally, we were allowed to sleep.

Sunday, we planted a “Gustavus Adolphus” tree in the kampung, and then were shown the huge rice fields that are cultivated right outside the village. We stopped for Laksa during a rainstorm, and then were sent back to our houses for even more food, and a final few hours with our families before being sent back to our University.

It was a cool experience and my ibu was the sweetest woman ever. At the moment, I'm struggling to eat food, as I think I'll be full for a few days. Keep checking back on this blog if you're interested. It's my final two weeks and I have a lot of fun things planned! If I have time, I'll be sure to update about them.

My Life in Pictures!

So in typical fashion, I am avoiding working on my final papers and presentations and studying. We leave this afternoon for a homestay and I have a few free hours that I don't know what to do with. I went running, and ate breakfast, so now I think I'll give you a glimpse of places I visit here, and the hostel where I live. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but these don't do the subjects justice. But at least it's something!

This first one is a picture of my dorm room, since this picture it has gotten significantly messier! (And yes the bed is too short for me and extremely hard) Our "closets" are opposite the window and I am standing in the doorway taking the picture.

The next are a few lovely shots of our bathroom, shared with our little cluster of 5 rooms. Luckily, no one else lives near us so we get it all to ourself! I promise there's a "real" toilet too, I just don't have a picture of it. It's equally janky as the rest of the bathroom.. theres no seat!

And this is an example of the hallway we live on. We live on the top floor of our hostel, which is situated on top of a huge hill. We are literally the king of the hill. 

These are a few random pictures from around the lakes on campus (lovely green), at a typical bus stop, and then one from the stadium that I often end my runs at to do some abs.

Here are a few pictures from classes, or outside of our classrooms, and room I like to study in. I also included one of the canteen that's down the hill from my dorm as well.

These are from the complete opposite side of campus, the soccer fields. I run by them, and it takes me about 20 min to get there, if that gives you any idea how big the campus is. I don't run slow either.

I think that's all the "place" pictures I've taken so far. If I remember, I'll try and take some of the international students apartments that I frequent, or their pool which has been such a lifesaver. It's funny, looking back through my pictures, I've done a lot of really cool stuff here, and I love every picture I've taken. I haven't been crazy with my camera, nor have I been lacking, but I think the saying "you only regret the pictures you don't take" is very accurate. I'm going to try and take a lot of pictures these last two weeks. Get ready!