Magic of the Night
10:51 PM
Our last night at the camp after
4 long days of ice breakers, Q&A sessions, a city tour, and the standard
information about support structure, we were lucky enough to attend an event
called Magic of the Night. The AFS Malaysia President, a well-known emcee
managed to secure all 55 of us VIP seating for this festival. I sat between two
French Pierres, and talked using my
basic French and their simple English. We had front row seats for the parade.
The night opened with a special introduction of us! Dato, the AFS President,
introduced us by country, having all the students from one country stand up and
wave. The applause was awesome and we were all beaming, feeding off the energy
of the crowd. Applause finished, complimentary dinners eaten, we settled into
our seats and the parade began.
Our seats overlooked the water where
the parade was taking place. It began with a dance by people on a stationary
float. Each state in Malaysia and Tourism Malaysia were represented by floats,
along with floats for Kenya and China. The floats were lit up beautifully,
reflecting their lavish colors on the black of the water. Coupled with the
background drum beats and starry night sky, it was clear to see how the event
earned its name. As the floats from each state floated past, we cheered extra
loudly for the state we were to be hosted in. I gave Perak my best shouts and
laughed as Pierre whistled for Selangor.
The night drew to a close, ending
with fireworks and all the floats gathering in front of us on the water. We
voted for the float we liked most, trying to decide between the holographic
projections on the Melaka float, or the vibrant flowers of the Putrajaya float.
After photos were taken of us with the Dato, we headed back to the vans to return
to the hotel, hearts full from the laughter with new friends, heads full of
memories of the bright lights.
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