To Dwell in Possibility

Hari Raya Qurban **warning this post may get slightly graphic** Today was a Muslim holiday, known in Malaysia as Hari Raya Qurban, Hari Raya Aidaldha, or Hari Raya Hajji. For the holiday, just as we did for Aidilfitri, my host family and I went balik kampung, or back to my host dad's home village. This morning was the man event of the holiday, celebrated in a very interesting way. Two live animals were slaughtered as per tradition. I'm not going to get too graphic, but basically a man took a long blade and sliced the cow and the goats neck while the others said prayers in Arabic. Apparently this is a very humane way to kill livestock, but I admit I got a bit teary eyed when the animals took their last breaths. And there was a lot of blood. I owe my host dad an apology for not taking more pictures for him, I was busy trying to blink back tears, not faint and keep my breakfast down. Did I mention that I was a vegetarian for almost 2 years before I came to Malaysia..? On a lighter note, the meat from the animals is distributed among the family and also given to those who are less fortunate. Also on a lighter note, goat is delicious. Yes, I ate it. Yes, it was slightly weird to think about... So I tried not to. This practice of slaughtering the animals comes from a passage in the Qur'an. The prophet Abraham was told by Allah that he must sacrifice his only son. He is willing to do so, showing utmost devotion. When Allah saw this, he was very pleased in thw faith Abraham displayed and allowed him to offer livestock as a sacrifice instead. Actually, I knew this story before my host cousin told it to me. The same story is in the Old Testament of The Bible. It's really interesting to see where Christianity and Islam cross over. Besides the slaughtering, this weekend was a time for family. I had already met a good portion of the family during Aidilfitri and then saw them again at various open houses throughout the festive season. Family plays such a big role in life here; I wish the US would take a leaf out of Malaysia's book when it comes to family. In America, it seems like sometimes spending time with family is viewed as an obligation rather than a blessing. Time with loved ones is sadly limited, and it should be cherished accordingly. One of the best things for me was seeing how much my Malay has improved since I've been with this host family. If you read my Hari Raya Aidilfitri post, you may recall that a lot of my interactions were very sign language based. Fast forward two or so months to now, and things have definitely gotten better. This time when people asked me if I want to eat (a total of 16 times these past 2 days. I counted.), I was able to say dah makan (already ate) or tak lapar (not hungry) instead of the head shaking and poor English attempts I made last time. Yay for progress! I think I ate only 5 meals Friday and 2 meals Thursday (we arrived around 6 Thursday night). For the kampung, this is nothing. They are always trying to feed the orang putih! Although I am not Muslim, I respect this holiday and its customs. It might not have been my favorite holiday I've experienced during my stay here, but it's definitely something I probably won't have the opportunity to experience after I go back to the US. It was unlike anything else I've witnessed and although a bit gruesome, I feel blessed to be able to learn about the traditions of Islam firsthand while spending time amongst great family and even greater food.

Relay for Life KL!

First of all, thanks to everyone that leaves me comments. You readers are seriously awesome and thanks for all the well wishes after my last post. I'll be fine, no worries :)

Anyways, two weekends ago I went back to KL! For anyone that doesn't know, Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and it is a really fabulous city. The public transportation rivals those of New York or DC and the ethnic neighborhoods add some Malaysian flair to a big city.
After a 2.5 hour journey on the KTM train from Ipoh, I arrived at KL Sentral and wa reunited with two of my Americans. It had been 3 months since I had seen any exchange students besides the ones in my chapter, let alone my fellow YES Abroad'ers. Our reunion was very hug-filled, something just not as common among teens in Malaysia.
With my fellow Americans and two German exchange students we met up with along the way, I played tourist for the day. The last time I was in KL was for our arrival camp and there wasn't enough time to see a lot of the city. We went to Mid-Valley Mall (shopaholic at heart, what can I say?), KLCC, Bangsa, and various places in between. Although it was awesome seeing the city, it was even better to be back with other exchange students. Don't get me wrong, the exchange students in my chapter are really awesome people, but there's something to be said for being able to speak rapid-fire English with other Americans.

On the train

I spent the night at a friend's house. The next morning it was pouring, but we had to walk to the LRT station near her house, so we tied plastic bags around our heads and ran like mad to the train. We had lunch at McDonald's (unofficial official favorite restaurant of exchange students in Malaysia. It tastes like home!) and then met up with the other exchange students... Reunion with Kaila! Kaila is one of my best friends in the country, even though she lives all the way in Melaka. Wahh.
After various exchange students were all assembled, we met up with some YES returnees, people who had gone to the US from Malaysia and took a very long train ride (the train randomly stopped during the middle of the tracks?) to Stadium UKM, where Relay for Life was located.
Relay for Life is a really amazing event to raise awareness for cancer victims and support to search for a cure. During the 16-hour event, someone from each team is always walking around the track to show that cancer is a never-ending battle that so many people face. In addition to the walking, there was face painting at our AFS booth, music, and lots of food. Having so many exchange students all rallying together for such a worthy cause was so incredible. We had fun while supporting the mission of Relay for Life.
After a rather sleepless night (I managed to catch a few zzz's lying on a track, lying on a friend, lying on bleachers, and lying on a chair) we headed off to Little India with Jimmy. Kaila left to return to Melaka and Rachael, Jimmy, and I explored more of KL, going to Central Market, Chinatown and Merdeka Square. At this point, we were dead on our feet! Luckily, we headed back to our friend's place and had a very restful sleep.

Cheesy mirror pics.. in a random giant mirror?

Chinatown

We found this store selling only Christmas items... in October?

We took naps in the park because why not?

It was so beautiful here...

But even more beautiful at night!

Normally I try to keep my blog pretty cheery, definitely playing up the good stuff, but there's something I feel like I need to say to people I interact with, and anyone who's ever around a foreign exchange student. Its not easy to say this to someone's face and writing has always come easier to me than making a speech. So here are some things I wish I could tell people about being an exchange student, my experience in particular.
1) Being an exchange student isn't easy.
A lot of the time, its really really hard. Not only do you have to adjust to a new culture, climate and daily routine, but you have to do so without your family and friends by your side. Which leads me to
2) I'm sorry for crying.
Most of the time, it's nobody's fault. Sometimes the combination of being so far from home mixed with the pressure of trying to ensure that my host family and classmates like me is really overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like no one really likes me here and that everyone is forgetting me back in New York. Crying doesn't solve anything, but sometimes it's good to let it out.
3) Please don't judge a book by its cover.
Especially when that book is me and the cover is a first impression. It's been said that exchange makes people talk in all clichés, and this one holds so true. It's not fair to hold a grudge against someone because of what your friend said about them or because of what country they're from. Which leads into
4) Exchange students have feelings too.
Lately I've been dealing with a lot of problems at school. People talk about me behind my back, others overhear and then they tell me. I've been told that I'm a freak, weird, uncommunicative, mean, scary and that I make people cry. It may be the global nature of teenage girls to be catty, but that's not an excuse. As hard as I try to laugh the insults off, they still hurt. A lot. Especially because many of them come from people I don't even know. These people know only my name and where I'm from, yet they find it necessary to criticize and hurt me. I wish I knew why.
5) I can tell when you're talking about me.
If you're looking right at me, and saying something, its pretty obvious. Please just tell me if you have a problem. I'd rather have someone let me know what's wrong rather than having to wonder about what
 the heck you just said and why on earth you're suddenly laughing at me. Leading off of this
6) Don't be scared of me!
I don't bite and even if I did I've gotten all my necessary vaccines. I love having conversations with new people or people I've talked to before. I love talking in general. And finally
7) I'm a normal teenager.
I stress about grades and school. I talk to my friends about cute guys. I worry far too much about the future rather than living in the present.
I still love Malaysia, I just had to get that off my chest.

After a really amazing weekend in KL (post about this later), my friend and fellow YES Abroad'er Rachael followed me back to Ipoh for some volunteering, and of course some fun. This is the report we submitted to AFS MAlaysia, I tried to make it less formal, but apologies if this reads as formal or too wordy.

One hundred days in Malaysia! Say what?! Time has flown and flies quicker every day. I'm in a list making mood, so bear with me. The following will be 100 things, separated into groups of 10, that are somewhat organized thoughts about my time here so far. Enjoy!



Top 10 Favorite Malaysian Foods

1. Roti Canai
2. Satay
3. Hainan Chicken Rice
4. Lemang & Rendang
5. Wonton Mii
6. Nasi Lemak
7. Nasi Goreng Cina
8. Chapati 
9. Char Kway Teow
10. Clay Pot Rice

Today was the best day of school ever. Seriously.

It started out as most mornings do, a very tired me trying to figure out what's going on in Bahasa Melayu class, or History class, or any class that's not taught in English... But after recess, Bahasa Inggeris, and Add Maths, things got interesting. Every Thursday my class has a time called "mentor." It is kind of like a study hall in the U.S, only it isa time for teachers to have meetings. This particular day though, our class teacher didn't have any meetings so he came to our classroom.
I guess I should start by saying today I brought my camera to school. Originally it was just to take a picture of the mooncake Mr. Lau was bringing for, but then Mr. Lau decided I should take pictures of the school and of the class! We first gathered around the volleyball court and snapped a few shots, and then we were off to the coconut trees for more photos! Or so I thought.
After snapping some more close photos and a couple really nice ones with friends, Mr. Lau showed up with a ladder! Some of my classmates helped him set it up against the tree and he began the process of pulling down a bunch of coconuts before. After a long battle with rope and a long pole, success! 6 or 7 coconuts tumbled to the ground. With a cleaver (literally, the blade was insane) he sliced off the top off a coconut and stuck in a straw.
Fresh coconut is amazing. Really amazing. It's sweet and smooth, reminiscent of a day on a tropical beach. All the coconuts were passed around the class and we all enjoyed them very much! After all the juice was gone, Mr Lau whacked the coconuts in half and we scooped out the flesh using pieces of the skin, a sort of natural spoon you could say. Again, really delicious. To use my Malay, very sedap. The inside of the coconut is kind of jelly-like and also very sweet. It is very different from the dried coconut flakes we have in the United States. It's a whole lot better first of all. Looking back, it made me smile how uniquely Malaysian today was. Picking fresh coconuts from a tree is something that wouldn't- and couldn't happen in the U.S.
While eating/ drinking the coconuts, I was with the other 40 girls in my class. These girls, who didn't even know I was coming, are some of the nicest people I have ever met. They not only accepted me into their class,but welcomed me. They help me with my Malay, walk with me to classes and are there to listen if I need to talk. I am both happy and proud to call them my friends, and I hope they think of me the same way. Massive thank you to Mr Lau and 4 Kekwa for a truly fantastic day.

The wonderfully  crazy 4 Kekwa girls!

Getting the coconuts down?

Master Chef Malaysia??

YAY coconut

Friends :)

Lovely carved coconut.. It says "4 Kekwa <3  you Hannah xoxo" Hannah <3 4  Kekwa as well!

I've officially been in Malaysia for 3 months now, which is absolutely crazy! A quarter of my year seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye.