The Next Generation

Just a quick note on Malaysian kids.

Despite the frustrations of 1) living in a foreign country  and 2) teaching high school students, I have to say that I am quite hopeful for the future of this country. This past week the kids have really shown me just how capable they are of being deep thinkers and good leaders, and that was something I desperately needed to see before I leave. So, here they are, little bits of hope that the future will be chock-full of confident, thoughtful, bright, caring and compassionate people:

Amirah:

Amirah came up to me the day after Pen Pal camp in tears. She told me how she realized I was leaving so soon, and how she would miss me because "I always smile and teach her to be proud of herself." She even hugged me when I started to tear up a bit, and when I could find the words I reassured her that of course she could be proud of herself, and that I would miss her too. Every day since that moment, she has brought me fresh flowers to put on my desk. It is one of the most thoughtful gestures I have ever received. It's been almost two weeks and she hasn't missed a day.

Amirah (center) at Pen Pal Camp

Liza:

Liza speaks English really well. She even knows English idioms like "I'm feeling fit as a fiddle" and "I hope you are in the pink of health." She practices speaking with me every day, and always tells me that she knows how important it is to be "an international person" and always listen to other people and perspectives. She says she wants to study English, and she wants to go to college abroad. Recently, she stopped by our house to bring me a tourist brochure from Malaysia. She said that she loved hearing my travel stories, so she wanted to encourage me to come back to Malaysia one day and travel more, and of course to visit her. Hopefully, she said, she will have some travel stories of her own. 

Liza (far left) during my cookie-baking class

Space Camp:

Last weekend I helped Ez and the other ETAs out with their English "Space" Camp for 150 students. It was space-themed, so each group of 25 kids created their own planet and culture and did ETA-lead activities with their planet. The second night, we had a "war" between planets (a dodgeball game) and then a peace ceremony where all planets loved each other again and performed in a Talent Show to showcase their unique cultures. It was great. What I learned at space camp though, as these were the cream of the crop for English students, was that these students are SMART. They understood everything we said, completed their tasks correctly and creatively, and were outgoing and fun to be with. Ez and I lead improv games for all the planets, and one scene in particular that I loved was when I was giving an example with one volunteer student of how to play freeze tag. She and I were given the positions of holding hands and looking at the ground in fright. She started the scene, as I was just going along with her, and it turned into this complex jungle scene where she and I were trying to escape land mines. It was brilliant.

Students doing an improv scene about duck hunting

Traditional Medicine:

I have known for months that in addition to using Western medicine for common illnesses and injuries, Malays also use traditional medicinals such as herb mixtures and oils. I decided that I wanted to know more about this, so my lesson plan for this week was to turn the students into my teachers. First, we all brainstormed common illnesses and symptoms such as the flu, fever, stomach ache, etc, and then I divided them up into groups and assigned each group one sickness. Not knowing what they would tell me, I simply asked them to teach me about how to cure their sickness using their traditional knowledge. Every single student, from ages 13 to 19, had a wealth of knowledge about local plants and herbal mixtures that would ease pain, dizziness, nausea, etc. I learned so much from them, and in return I assured them how wonderful I thought it was that even as children and teenagers they all knew how to treat their fellow human beings using mother nature.

Tonight we're going to Tioman island for a 3-day weekend. It is supposed to be one of the top 10 most beautiful islands in the world. A great ending to a great week!