The Uniqueness

     After spending the last 20 years of my life in the United States, it has been quite the adjustment to travel outside the bounds of it. As many of you may know, this is my FIRST TIME OUT OF THE COUNTRY! It is due to this relocation (8,767 miles to be exact), that I have begun to compare and contrast my life in the states to my life in Peninsular Malaysia.

     In the United States, there are many things that you can only witness within the bounds of its 50 wondrous states and just like back home, Malaysia has MANY unique characteristics that set it apart from all other places in the world!

     In Malaysia, some of the many unique aspects are the culture and the people. First and foremost, people in Malaysia live and breathe in hot weather. On average, it is between 80 and 90 degrees here (HOLY COW- I'm hot all the time!) while Minnesota is mostly cool year round (besides the 6 months of snow) Secondly, food is VALUED here! This is not to say that that food isn't valued back home, but food is treated differently. Americans eat food to survive, but Malaysians eat food for goodness and cultural understanding -food is a delicacy here. In addition, "eating out" is incomparable to the "eating out" in the states. In Malaysia, everyone goes out for EVERY meal, but thats good here! The food system in Malaysia encourages individuals to eat out because it is the same price as food you'd make at home (not like in the United States). Plus, the food you pick up is freshly cooked (NOT PROCESSED like the United States). So basically, eating out is both cheap and healthy in Malaysia!

    In Malaysia there are other things that set it apart from the United States including the lack of lines of any fashion. For example, you could be in line waiting to order and from out of the blue, someone could come in and order before you.The same goes for the bus; you literally have to barge your way through people because no one forms any proper lines. So basically, I have adopted the cultural disregard of "waiting my turn." I have acquired the art of ordering fast and efficiently and even getting onto crowded buses without getting trampled.

    Over the past couple of decades, the role of women has drastically changed in the United States. Women's roles continue to build substance and generate change. In Malaysia women's roles are something that I have attempted to compare and contrast to that of American women.  In Malaysia the role of women is a bit confusing. Women are highly encouraged to pursue education and attain the highest academic achievements one can, but they are ultimately submissive to males. In fact, some women have attended grad school, graduated from medical school and settled down (into domestic housewives) before even beginning their career - I find that baffling. In a way, Malaysian women's roles are conflicting. The culture inspires women to educate themselves, but also to remain within the bounds of their gender roles.

    Lastly, the idea of exercise in Malaysia is drastically different than that of Americans (well most Americans - Gusties more so). In America, and at Gustavus in particular,  Exercise is deemed necessary. You can go into Lund just about any time of the day and find men and women getting their fitness on.  In Malaysia, exercise is not as highly regarded. The exercise facilities have small amounts of people occupying them. Ultimately, I believe this difference is heavily contributed to Malaysian culture and religious practices. Many Malaysians are incredibly modest, and thus there aren't many inclinations to have an "appealing body" like in the United States.

   Other random cultural adjustments:
                   - People take pictures of us here (they must be fond of us Americans!)
                   - The Gutters are massive and i've almost fell into them a few times
                   - USM is HUGE (comparable to the U of M) and we walk EVERYWHERE
     
   Since my time in Malaysia, I have learned a lot about the culture practices and the people that make up this great island! I have attempted to compare and contrast the cultural differences of Malaysia and the United States, but I have only begun to fully grasp the complexities of Malaysia and its people.

Thanks for reading!


Love, 

Hales


“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

MONKEY!

Chillin' with the Monkey's

Beauty :)

Captured the Magnificence of this Giant Leaf

The Power of the Hand! :)

Hola!

     As I have stated in my previous posts, traffic is CRAZY here in Malaysia. Traffic comes from just about everywhere; there is no sense of traffic laws and pedestrians DO NOT have the right away. It takes a lot of getting used to in order to navigate Malaysian streets as a driver, so take the time to imagine the will power it takes to navigate as pedestrians.

     During the course of our orientation, we were introduced to one of the most powerful tools in Malaysia in accordance to safety. It is a little something known as "The Power of the Hand." This tool is used quite often by native Malaysians in order to communicate the message to drivers and motorcyclists that they'd like to cross a busy intersection. So how does it work??!!  How it works is that you stick out your palm as if to high five someone and face it at a 45 degree angle in the direction of on coming traffic........AND IT ACTUALLY WORKS. Drivers that are speeding down the road slow and gesture you to safely cross the busy intersections - I'TS MAGIC!

     Thus, since I've been here, I have learned to master the power of the hand. I use it multiple times per day and I am quite fascinated by how the system works. Drivers don't stop for stop signs but they stop for a simple gesture of the hand - fascinating ehh?

    Among us, there are many other international students on the trip (including some Canadians) who I'm not sure know about the power of the hand and I question their ability to make it in and around campus without this helpful tool!

    Back in the states, we rely on  traffic laws and regulations to protect us, but here that is obsolete, so one most adopt the tools to safely and effectively get around. Therefore, The Power of the Hand has been one of the most powerful tools that I have learned during my first week here in Penang, Malaysia.


Love & Best Wishes from Malaysia,

Hales


*Photos..*

Popular Malaysian Signs

Beach Shoreline

Hostiles @ Sunset

Double Selfie with Liz at a Chinese Temple

"Being Uncomfortably Comfortable"

Hello!

     As I headed into my third day immersed in traditional Malaysian culture, I began to holistically observe the islands quirky culture - geographically, linguistically, religiously, and ethnically. Penang, Malaysia as you may know, is home to a diverse population of people.  Geographically, Penang is small in size ( roughly 40 miles in circumference), but comes up big for its geographic diversity. With a rich, diverse and tropical ecosystem, Penang possesses tropical rain forests, mangrove swamps, coral reefs, and wetlands! Linguistically, there is an enormous array of languages and dialects spoken within Malaysia such as Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien, but Bahasa Malaysia is considered the national tongue. Religiously, there are large populations of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. Ethnically, Malaysia about 42% Indigenous Malay, 42% Chinese and 10% Indian.
   
     As you may know, I have traveled here amongst 11 other students from Gustavus! What you may not know is that they are ALL caucasian, thus I am a minority among my group. As a Mixed American (African American and Caucasian) I am commonly identified as African American due to my light brown skin and voluminous curly black hair. Therefore, I am constantly reminded just about everywhere that I am a minority (relative to caucasians). What I have never felt is that of being a minority amongst other minorities such as the Malaysian people here. Here, I am different. Not only are there no other African Americans in my Gustavus group, but also there are no other African Americans on this campus! UUFFDAA! So not only does the entire group of us feel like outsiders, I feel like even more of a minority!

     Ultimately, I know that this is even more of a testament to being "uncomfortably comfortable" among my surroundings; being okay with what I cannot control.

Lots of love,

Hales

Awarded as "Most Sporting Female Student at the International Exchange Student Party!

Rice Rice Baby :)

Hello Friends!

      As I entered my second full day in Malaysia, I only began to realize the complexity of Malaysian Cuisine.  In Malaysia, there are a vast abundance of food - like everywhere! The vast majority of Malaysia's population can roughly be divided amongst three major ethnic groups: Indigenous Malays, Chinese and Indians. Thus, Malaysian cuisine is a mixture of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Portuguese, Thai and Arabian!

     Nasi Lemak is a prized dish in Malaysia and happens to be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner - literally. Nasi Lemak is also known to Americans as rice! So basically, Malaysians eat rice at all times of the day, for just about every meal! Nasi Lemak can be served with pretty much any dish, but is most commonly used as a side dish to foods like chicken and beef. Since we have been here, WE HAVE HAD RICE AT EVERY MEAL!!! 

     Besides that, we also had time to explore more of Malaysia such as the library and a local Tesco (sort of like our Walmart's!) It was interesting to learn that you couldn't bring a backpack into the library and that when you entered certain rooms it was customary to leave your shoes behind at the door - things are so different! In addition, they have a section of their library that is open 24 hours with a massage chair that costs about 30 cents! (pick it up Gustavus). We also figured out the bus system because yesterday we got no where on the bus - but actually - we ended up circling the campus for a solid 30 minutes!

      In true Malaysia fashion, we ended our day with non other than FOOD! USM thus far has been exciting (yet nerve-racking) and there is still so much to learn, explore and love! If there is one thing I have learned today, its that food brings Malaysians together!!


Sending Love from Malaysia,

Hales

*pictures from the day*

Indian Malaysian Food!

Heather and I @ the campus Mosque

Mean Malaysian Streets....!!

                                             

Night stroll in Penang!

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something" - Mitch Hedberg

Hustle and Bustle of Malaysia

Hello Everyone!

Tuesday February 11, 2014, we arrived in Penang, Malaysia at 8:30am, which was roughly 10:30pm on February 10th Central Standard Time (we are 14 hours ahead of you!). At the airport we were greeted by Universiti Sains Malaysia staff who were there to pick us up and take us to campus for the first time! They introduced themselves and gave us goodie bags filled with handy USM info such as the bus routes, campus maps, USM t-shirts and bedding.

As we traveled by car to USM, I couldn’t help but notice the drastic change in which being half way across the country had on traffic.  As we bustled through the streets, people were coming from everywhere (the driving here was vastly different from that of typical American driving). Motorcycles/Mopeds pretty much own the road. They drive in the middle of the diverging lanes,  on the side of the median and basically cut you off when ever they chose.  Cars are all over the place; driving through the middle of lines and never using their blinker to merge. Ultimately, driving is so much more dangerous than back home.  Another difference I saw was the climate! There were beautiful and vibrant palm trees just about everywhere we looked. Besides that, you could feel the hot Malaysian air hit you. The average temperature in Malaysia is 85 degrees excluding humidity year round (it fluctuates between 80 and 90 degrees all day long).

When we got to USM, we were immediately taken to our residencies and given allotted time to shower, change and chill before starting our first day of orientation. The shower was much needed after traveling non-stop for over 48 hours. At 11:30am we traveled to the USM exchange international center where we further introduced to the administrative staff assisting our study abroad experience for the next 4 months. We met Jumizah Samsudin, an administrative staff member who had a very defined presence as she held the room with her voice. She explained her love of food and Penang.  We also met Ajinder Kaur the leader of our study abroad experience and Deputy Registrar at USM. She wholeheartedly addressed the fact that she wanted us to have the best time at USM. Then they served us what they called a “light Malaysian meal” of fried rice and fruit - IT WAS GOOD!! We also were able to collect 400 ringgits which is roughly $130 American dollars (1 American dollar is about 3.5 ringgits in Malaysia) for food! 

            Next, we headed to the QueensBay Mall to pick any other essentials we needed such as hangers, detergent, etc. While I was there, I couldn’t help but compare their mall to the ones back home. They were so incredibly similar. Store after store, I was beginning to see how modernized (or westernized) the culture of Malaysia was relative to the United States. But actually, they had a McDonalds, Burger King, Auntie Anne’s, Nike Store, etc. When we left around 4:30pm, we were told that we’d have to fend for ourselves for dinner, which meant exploring Penang.  As we walked down about 4 flights of stairs (yes, we live on a hill just like at GAC) to get to the main road, we found a USM bus which we thought could take us off campus to Georgetown in order to eat.  As the bus came to a stop, another student advised us that we were on the wrong bus and that the right one was just over the bridge. So we got off, went up 2 flights of stairs and walked across the bridge. On the second bus, we thought this was for sure the bus that’d take us to our preferred destination (but we were so wrong!). The bus turned out to only loop around campus. So after we wasted a good hour, we decided to go to a restaurant just across the bridge.

           

            At the restaurant, 3 of us ordered hot dog and fries (little did I know their hot dogs were vastly different). The hot dog was covered with mustard, cucumbers, tomatoes, what tasted and looked like sweet and sour sauce, and it was wrapped in an egg.  I tried the “deluxe” hot dog and I was not feeling it.  When we finally got back to the dorms, it was about 7:30pm. After showering, brushing my teeth and organizing my room, I was ready for bed!!

        What an eventful first day I had, with its ups and downs!  At this point, there is so much I know I could be fearful, but I am so incredibly looking forward to what this journey may bring me! Life is swell!

       To keep updated about my Semester in Malaysia: Living Diversity, make sure to follow my blog for routine updates, pictures, and stories about this journey!!  Thank you for reading!

Lots of love & well wishes to everyone back home!

Hales

*some pictures from day one*

My beautiful desk has so much love from back home :)

Japanese Toilet.. hmmm!