Life has become hectic the last couple of days in Singapore and the short, sweet days I have in the US! It hasn't even been a week since I arrived home, but I already miss my AYLP family. Although we only met last month in person, this group has become a second family to me. We spent countless hours talking, laughing and absorbing every aspect of this trip together. I vividly remember our group laughing at ourselves when we taught the first school we visited in Malaysia the "Macarena" to spending every night with all of the girls doing our nightly ab-workouts in the most peculiar places (airplanes, public hallways and outside, just to name a few.) It'll be hard to go back to life on my own without all 17 of my favorite people. Saying goodbye to them was incredibly hard, but I am 100% certain that these friendships will last a lifetime, whether it's only through memories and common interests we share or even if it's through traveling with them again. Anything is possible with this group!
Already one month ago, at our pre-departure orientation in LA, we all wrote down what we wanted to learn from the experience ahead of us. These ranged from being funny to absolute serious. I wrote that I wanted to learn how to eat with chopsticks using my right hand instead of using my dominant left hand as it is customary to eat with your right hand there because the left hand is considered impure. I also remarked that I wanted to become an engaged global citizen and be open to experiencing activities outside of my comfort zone. I kept this my points vague so that they covered a variety of things.
I think I accomplished all of what I wished to get out of this experience. Here are some reasons why I believe so....
Chopsticks-
Through dining at countless Hawker stalls and eating traditional Chinese, Indian, and Malay meals with my host families, I learned how to use chopsticks with my right hand, although they told me that it was fine to use my left hand as they saw I was struggling with my right hand.
Becoming a better, more conscious global citizen-
this one can always never be completely completed because there is always more you can advocate for and learn about as well as the fact that I've only seen a small sliver of the world. But since this trip, I've taken several steps in the right direction to achieving this goal...
I learned what roles the U.S. plays abroad to help maintain stable trade and peace through the time I was able to spend with diplomats at the U.S. Embassy Malaysia's Independence Day reception and through meetings at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore and Malaysia. Also, I have learned about global issues impacting people both here, in Fort Collins, CO and half a world away. There are many issues, particularly ones involving the environment, that countries everywhere must collaborate and work together on and set aside their diverse beliefs and political views.
As for stepping outside of my comfort zone, it was inevitable that this would occur. Some instances include:
-Staying with host families with varying beliefs, customs, backgrounds and languages.
*At my traditional for Malaysian homestay near Melaka, my host family did not even speak English, only Malay! I had to leave my comfort zone in order to communicate with them. I had to find another way to communicate, even if it made me look crazy, like acting and drawing my opinions or questions out.
-Trying all sorts of food and not even having the slightest clue what it was made of. Before this trip, I didn't like seafood and I was timid when it came to trying new foods. Now, I just go for it and try the food- I don't want to regret not trying it even if I hated it (which was very much the case with durians.)
-Asking for directions
-Attending other religious ceremonies where I was one of the only persons that wasn't tide to that religion.
*With one of my host families, I visited a Hindu temple during a ceremony and it was quite obvious that I wasn't Hindu. But nevertheless, I gained a greater respect and understanding for their beliefs.
*We were in a predominately Muslim part of the world during Ramadan, their fasting month. After seeing how difficult it was to wake up and eat at 5 a.m. and having no food or drinks until 7:25 p.m. I have the upmost respect for how dedicated they are to their religion. I couldn't even last a full day fasting!
All in all, I feel so blessed to of taken part in such an amazing trip. I cannot wait to tell my peers all about it and share what I've learned. I've already had a Bollywood-style sleepover with a group of friends where we ate Malay cookies and candies, listened to a little bit of Bollywood music and did henna! But I this experience has not been completed as I must apply all that I've learned on this trip into a post program project that must be implicated into my school and community. I am still working on developing my project, so I'll describe it later when I'm more prepared!
Over the weekend, I went to a hot air balloon festival and it was spectacular! There were over 60 hot air balloons flying directly over our house. I often found myself jogging or biking over to the heart of the festival not even 3 km away! I loved hearing the balloons as they prepared to lift up and the cheers of the crowd as every balloon took off.
