Over the weekend, we stayed in Ayerlimau for a traditional Malay village homestay. This community was predominately Muslim (all but 2 families out of 1,000 people were Muslim) and they lived a very modest, traditional life. I stayed with 3 other girls: Valerie, Jamie, and Sophie in a small, hot pink house with the grandma, mother, son (aged 27) and a family friend. During the time we stayed with them, it was Ramadan, that if you all don't know, is one of the five Muslim pillars in which they're supposed to fast from sunrise to sunset for a month. So we fully immersed ourselves into their religion and culture. We got up at 4:50 a.m. with the family to eat with them. The first day we had Roti Canai (an Indian tortilla, I LOVE it) and the second, we had spicy rice with octopus. Let me tell you how hard it is to eat spicy food or seafood before your brain is even functioning! We participated in many activities so we didn't fast until sunset. But I have a new respect for them for being so dedicated to their religion and resisting temptation.
In the village, we learned how to traditionally cook pourage for entire communities, play cultural games like Chinca (similar to Mancala,) learn how to fish with a pan and even our bare.hands (I caught 2 fish with the pan and one with me.bare hands...success), and even take part in a mock wedding! However, the most fascinating part of the trip was either one of two things....
-Dressing up in a traditional Muslim outfit (everything was covered from my face to my feet) in 90° degree weather.
-Learning how to overcome language barriers through drawing, playing charades, and through facial expressions
Both were valuable life lessons that I'll be able to take with me throughout my life and travels. The first one especially allowed me to understand a commonly misunderstood religion and help them avoid stereotyping Americans, too. So even though there were some rough patches here and there, it was a great way to complete our visit to Malaysia. Now we're off to Singapore!
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