Bali Hi

I just returned from heaven- Bali, Indonesia- where I spent my week-long March vacation from school. Indonesia is a collection of various islands and archipelagos. Bali is literally a small Hindu island in the middle of a sea of Islam (as Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world). Bali is the most popular destination in Indonesia for westerner visitors and I can absolutely see why. A pounding surf breaks against this tiny volcanic island, carpeted in emerald green rice terraces and dotted with distinctive temples and charming inhabitants. 

4 of my ETA friends and I journeyed a grueling 20 hours on plane, night bus, ferry, and taxi from the airport in east Java (where we got cheap flights on AirAsia- Asia’s discount airline- like Europe’s Ryan Air) to our destination of Ubud in central Bali. (Let’s just say that next time- and there will indeed be a next time- I hope to fly to Bali directly)

Ubud- Bali’s cultural hub- is known for its artistic, hippie-chic scene. Organic restaurants, live music, and art galleries mingle with ancient moss-covered stone temples and palaces. We stayed in a bungalow, hidden off of the main street behind a winding alley, amid quiet gardens and a large infinity pool. The main street in Ubud is Monkey Forest Road, because there is indeed a large forest inhabited by hundreds of mischievous macaques. Ubud is great for wandering in and out of eclectic shops and art galleries, where you can see beautiful examples of Indonesian batik, wood carving, painting, etc. Ubud is also a great place to take in a traditional Balinese dance performance. At night there are at least a half a dozen performances at various venues across the town, all performed by different dance troops in different Balinese dance styles. We attended a Kecak and fire dance. There were no musical instruments throughout the entire dance; instead men used chanting, sometimes singing, and various vocal tricks to provide the background sounds. About a hundred men, all ages, dressed in checkered sarongs with flowers in their hair stepped out into the open air temple complex and created a circle around a sort of enflamed stone chandelier on the ground. The dancers then emerged in elaborate costumes to perform the tale of the Ramayana- the famed Hindu romance epic, in which the monkey god helped Rama save his beloved Sita from the evil king Ravana. The story was followed by a trance dance, in which little girls danced with their eyes closed throughout the entire piece. The spectacle ended when they lit a pile of dried coconuts on fire and a man riding a wooden horse danced, barefoot, through the flames, splattering hot embers everywhere as he went. It was quite a good show.

One day in Ubud we hired a driver, which is a cheap and convenient way to see the Balinese countryside. We toured around central Bali for 8 hours stopping at places of interest along the way. We drove through miles of rice paddy terraces as we journeyed to various ancient temple sites. It is as if the land of Bali is carpeted in bright green. We saw the Kintamani volcano aka Gunung Batur, towering ominously above a small lakeside town, a thin veil of clouds enshrouding its peak. We took a coffee break, most appropriately, at a coffee plantation, where we were able to sample the famously thick black Balinese coffee grown and roasted right there, as well as the plantation’s special concoction of ginseng coffee, ginger tea, lemongrass tea, and hot chocolate- all grown on site. Besides growing coffee, herbs, spices, fruits, cocoa, macadamia nuts, vanilla beans, etc. the plantation also produces the infamous and lavishly priced kopi luwak. This delicacy is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by a small mammal creature called a civet then passed through the animal’s digestive track. This process imbues the still intact beans with a unique and prized aroma and provides, oddly enough, for a delicious brew. Other stops along our tour included a wood-carving studio, the ancient ‘elephant cave’ ruins hidden in the jungle, a silver-working factory, and many beautiful Hindu temples- including the mother temple- Besakih, the holiest place on the island.

Temples are ubiquitous in Bali, as are fragrant flowering trees. The most prized Balinese flower is the sweet, sexy-smelling frangipani. These divine white and yellow blossoms are called bunga japun in Bahasa Indonesia, and bunga kemboja in Bahasa Malaysia. Another Balinese bloom is the equally perfume-worthy cempaka flower. Flowers of every color and fragrance are scattered everywhere: tucked into the crevasses of statues, adorning the hair of Balinese women, and sprinkled in decorative patterns in ornamental water bowls. Flowers are abundant and the supply is refreshed daily.

Every day the spirits of Bali are presented with tiny canang sari - palm leaf trays containing of flowers, aromatic pandan leaves, incense, and rice as a token of hospitality. These offerings are placed not only around temples, but storefronts and sidewalks. These beautiful little bundles were virtually everywhere around Bali, and are again refreshed daily.

Did I mention we got massages? A glorious hour massage at an Ubud spa will set you back a whopping $9.

We hired our driver to take us from Ubud to Kuta- the tourist capital of Bali. On the way we made two amazing detours. We had a 3 hour visit of the Green School. I cannot say more positive things about Green School. Please check out their website: www.greenschool.org The Green School is an international school in Bali. What makes it special, among many other reasons, is the fact that it is almost entirely sustainable. The school buildings are made of bamboo, each class has their own garden (including the 3^rd graders’ pizza garden of vegetables and herbs meant for pizza toppings) and helps to care for a different set of animals living at the school (oh ya, did I mention the school also serves as a sanctuary and breeding center for a nearly-extinct species of bird). Toilets are compostable, food is organic (they have an awesome school café where I tried freshly-made strawberry bread), and they are beginning to harness hydroelectric power (they also have a methane gas extractor to use on animal and human waste). Bamboo classroom buildings are open air and instead of using pvc pipe white boards, they use recycled car and truck windshields. Fourth graders study human rights and kindergartners are encouraged to play in their purposefully-made mud-wrestling pit. The school embraces its location by celebrating Balinese culture throughout their curriculum, by providing Balinese student scholarship, employing local teachers and aids, and by using local building materials and products. The school has been gaining international attention (CNN, NY Times, BBC, ABC, etc.) not only for its green ideals and innovative educational philosophy, but also for its breathtaking bamboo architecture. From the moment we stepped on the school grounds and saw the students playing tug of war and rehearsing for the Wizard of Oz, we were in love. And after an almost 2 hour tour by the admissions director, we were getting business cards and asking about employment opportunities.

We also fell in love with our next detour on the way to Kuta. On the southwestern shore of Bali lies a collection of temples built upon rocks in the ocean- Pura Tanah Lot. The sun sets dramatically upon waves of mindboggling-size curls, behind the marooned temples. I cannot convey the scene as sufficiently as my photos can attest. Tanah Lot is, in fact, Bali’s most photographed sight…

Kuta was an entirely different experience. Partying all night; clubs were invaded by Australian surfer bros with tan bodies, blond hair and tank tops. These frat boys of the east stumbled drunkenly in and out of the club strips of Kuta, where the concept of a closing time seemed unworkable. We were made dizzy by the freely flowing shots of Arak- the local Balinese liquor, which some describe as palm-sugar firewater. Kuta nightlife offers everything from happy hour at an island dive, to sunset cocktails at a swanky lounge, and hours of techno dance beats at multilevel megaclubs (including the first gay club I’ve seen here in southeast Asia) to chill live music at a smoky Reggae club. Kuta, however, is lacking in daytime offerings.  The beach was teeming with vendors ready to pounce at tourists. You cannot even close your eyes for thirty seconds without being bombarded with sellers and their wares- ranging from massages to sarongs. Elderly women balance baskets of fruit atop their heads as young men try to lure you into a surfing lesson. The ocean, however, is not for swimming. The heartpoundingly huge waves are meant only for boards, and the waters are completely littered with trash. The Kuta beach was disappointing, but it was a good place to try some local cuisine. You can find some of Indonesia’s favorite dishes at the small food carts underneath the shady palm trees. 

So you may disregard my visit to Kuta, as I have done. And instead, focus on the picturesque Bali, the real Bali. The people, the scents, the volcanoes, the art, the temples, the rice paddies, the dancing, the taste of coffee, coconut, banana, vanilla bean…is this real life? 

 Nicest Starbucks ever.

 A lotus pond

Offerings to the gods of the island

 Beautiful Balinese woodcarving

 At the elephant caves site in the jungle

 Freshly roasting coffee beans

 Batur volcano

 Rice paddy terraces everywhere

 Sea, waterfall, rice paddy, volcano- Bali in a nutshell

 Balinese sunset

 Pura Tanah Lot

 Pura Tanah Lot

 Pura Taman Saraswati

Bali Babi and Other Foods

And now for my favorite part!

Bali is famous for its suckling pig- babi guling. Every foodie from Anthony Bourdain to the wide world of food bloggers has heard about Ibu Oka- a little warung (local restaurant) famous for its whole roasted pig, which you can witness being carved up- snout, curly tail, and all as you enter. Sitting on bamboo mats, rubbing elbows with locals and visitors alike, you will dine on a simple, yet elegant meal of pork goodness. The house special comes with the obligatory helping of rice, topped with a hefty serving of fatty, juicy pork, a piece of the crispy amber skin, a slice of sausage (the contents of which remain, thankfully, unknown), pork crackers (slightly reminiscent of Fritos), and a mixture of local green veggies in a light and slightly pickly sauce. I washed this deliciously satisfying meal down with an Indonesian drink of choice- Tehbotol: a smoky, sweet, almost overly-brewed bottled ice tea. Going to Ibu Oka fulfilled a) my desire to follow Anthony Bourdain (one of my idol’s) global food trail and b) my hankering for pig, after having been deprived of it in Malaysia (where I sometimes dream of my prosciutto-filled days in Rome). 

Another Balinese specialty (which brings me to my favorite category of food: dessert) is black rice pudding. The pudding is sickeningly sweet from a more than healthy dose of palm sugar, sometimes flavored with vanilla bean, and topped with thick coconut cream. This is rich- great with some unsweetened coffee.

Gado-gado is a food found all over Indonesia. Loaded with vegetables, it is a healthier alternative to a predominately fried cuisine. The sauce is the best part. Women use large mortals and pestles for the gado-gado sauce made-to-order. Peanuts are ground up and a chilli pepper (or two) is added for heat, as well as sugar, lime juice, and a little water to loosen the paste. The dish itself is comprised of green beans and sprouts combined with tofu and tempeh. Slices of glutinous sticky rice, which have been cooked in banana leaves, are added to the sauce-coated mixture. Yummy.

Bakso is a popular Indonesian dish. The bakso is a meatball made from beef, chicken, or fish and combined with tapioca flour making it light grey in color. Bakso is usually served in a soup with vermicelli noodles (meehoon), or yellow noodles (mee), salty vegetables, and chunks of fried tofu.

A popular Balinese snack is fresh snake fruit (Salak): a teardrop-shaped, the salak has a brown, scaly skin and a slightly bitter taste.

Penang: Livin in a Gastronomic Paradise

I spent Chinese New Year in Penang- an island off of the west coast of Malaysia- once called the ‘Pearl of the Orient.’ Penang is known- in fact it is famous- for its delicious, cheap street hawker food. And so, my adventures in Penang revolved around a continuous ‘food crawl’ between the various food stalls, street markets, and food courts this culinary mecca had to offer. 

Penang is known for having a Chinese majority population, and therefore, for being the best destination in Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year. The year of the rabbit began February 3 and lasts 15 days. Even though my state of Terengganu contains next-to no Chinese people, all of our schools had both Wednesday and Thursday off for the Holiday, because it is a national Holiday. Most people spend the holiday returning to their hometowns with their families. I was incredibly lucky though to be able to spend the holiday in the center of Chinese life in Malaysia. Everyone was extremely friendly- almost like visiting America during Christmas-time: everyone seemed to be in the festive spirit. The streets were smoking with the intense aroma of incense. Oranges were practically everywhere- adding to the sweet aroma. The doors of Chinese homes stayed open, men sat on their patios peeling fresh water chestnuts, bright red lanterns hung from building to building, giant gold Chinese letters read Gong Xi Fai Chai- or ‘Happy New Year.’ Fire crackers and fireworks exploded sporadically, and huge lion/dragon dances paraded through the streets, accompanied by loud drums and cymbals. The various temples throughout the city were almost suffocating with incense and burnt offerings, flaming inside huge fire pits. 

After an overnight bus from Kuala Terengganu on the east coast, we (my fellow English Teaching Assistant friends and I) arrived in Georgetown, the capital of Penang, around 5am. Not able to check in to our accommodation, we wandered the streets and watched the city slowly come to life. Luckily we found a 24-hour eatery (which they have quite a few of in Penang), that was famous for its Nasi Kandar. To many, Nasi Kandar is synonymous with Penang. A middle-aged Indian Malaysian man wore a cowboy hat and an apron as he scooped out a pile of rice onto my plate. He grabbed a big piece of fried chicken and a hard-boiled egg, and smothered my dish with a curry-smelling red sauce studded with whole pieces of okra (which they call ‘lady fingers’ here). The dish originated from the hands of Indian Muslims who immigrated to the island way back when, and it can be served with anything from chicken, to seafood, or beef.  I washed down my breakfast of champions with a chrysanthemum soda. As we ate in the alley of ‘Line Clear Restaurant’ rats ran past us, an old man sharpened his knife on the pavement, and the chef blew a whistle that hung around his neck- just to give us a the extra wake-up call we needed before sunrise. 

 Some of the best Nasi Kandar in town

 Our 5am breakfast 

My culinary exploits continued to get better and better. Char Koay Teow is probably the most popular street hawker dish among the locals. It is perfectly satisfying. Flat, silky rice noodles are wok-fried (in pork fat- yum) with crispy bean sprouts, fluffy egg, briny cockles, chewy Chinese sausage, plump shrimp (prawns here in Southeast Asia) and flavored with hints of chive and chili.  This is like amped-up comfort food. They serve it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner- like most dishes in Malaysia. 

 Char Koay Teow

Our breakfast of yummy Penang noodles

Probably the most popular dessert treat in all of Malaysia, and especially in Penang is Ais Cendol (pronounced ‘ice chendol’). It was very sunny and hot while we were there and a Cendol is just what you need to cool the heat, and quench your thirst. It is made from shaved ice topped with these green, chewy, worm-looking things called ‘cendol’ made from pandansantangula Melaka (a smoky black palm sugar syrup). (a mild-tasting green leaf used frequently in Malaysian sweets) and rice flour. The ice and cendol are topped with red beans (which are cooked down so they are tender), (coconut milk) and gula Melaka (a smoky black palm sugar syrup).

 A famous ais cendol and ais kacang stall

 Ais Cendol

Other Penang specialties which I was lucky enough to indulge in, include Hokkien Mee: mee (noodles) in an intensely-flavored prawn soup, served with more prawns, hard-boiled egg, pork, crispy fried shallots, and a spoonful of chili paste. Most of the Chinese people in the state of Penang are Hokkien and speak the Hokkien Chinese dialect. Another Penang classic is wanton mee- basically wantons (meat and shrimp dumplings) with wheat and egg noodles- served either dry (with a light soy sauce element) or wet (in a broth soup). Both dry and wet wanton mee are served with barbequed pork and some leafy vegetables. I could go on and on for hours about the food…

Whole pigs hung from market ceilings and a man used an axe to chop off fish heads on a wooden stump. Giant jackfruits were hacked apart to retrieve their juicy pockets of fruity flesh; sugar canes were put through a grinding mill to retrieve the saccharine juice inside, which would be served on ice; young coconuts were opened and scooped of their soft flesh and put in blenders to make the most amazing coconut shake you could dream of.  Tables flowed with cakes of bright pink, rounds of gooey sweet rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves, and buns filled with sweet bean pastes. Special sweets were laid out for the New Year. 

 A jackfruit

The food isn’t the only thing that is rich in Penang- this former British colony has a rich history, and diverse culture. And for this Georgetown is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lying in the advantageous position on the Straits of Malacca, Penang has attracted traders and settlers for centuries. It is a mash up of disheveled Chinese shopfronts and British Raj-era architecture. Colonial buildings (such as the old Town Hall and City Hall) pair up with Fort Cornwallis and old Christian churches to make up the historical district of Georgetown. UNESCO also recognizes the historical importance of the Weld Quay Clan piers, a series of long rows jetties on which are built low houses, religious shrines, and shops- each row belonging, traditionally, to a different Chinese family clan. 

We visited the Snake Temple- which, like its name suggests, was swarming with passed-out snakes, high off of the enormous amounts of incense offerings. I cannot even count how many gorgeous Chinese temples I visited the trip- they were almost as ubiquitous as the Catholic churches are in Rome. The most spectacular of these would have to be the Kek Lok Si Temple, on the outskirts of Georgetown, the largest Buddhist temple in all of Malaysia and one of the most recognizable buildings in the country. Well, it isn’t a building; it is more like a huge complex of buildings. I cannot even describe how enormous and awesome the temple was, lit up at night in celebration of the New Year. 

I stayed at a backpacker hostel on Love Lane, which is so named because it used to be the red-light district for Chinese tradesmen. Love Lane was bordered Georgetown’s sprawling Chinatown to the west. Unfortunately the Chinese take their holiday seriously and many of the Chinese shops and restaurants were closed, so they could partake in family festivities.

Luckily Love Lane also bordered- to the east- the best, most intensely-Indian Little India I’ve ever seen. It was there, that I’ve had some of the best Indian food of my life. Imagine a street with stereo-systems blaring energetic Indian beats and the scents of incense mixing with the spicy fresh samosas, right out of the corner fryer. Then grab a ginger tea mixed with sweetened condensed milk, which is then poured back and forth from pot to pot in a long stream of sweet, milky goodness so that it is frothy enough to receive the title ‘tarik’ meaning ‘pulled’ tea. The streets of little India are lined with brightly colored textiles, traditional Indian garb, and lavish gold jewelry, as well as posters advertising the newest Bollywood films on DVD, such as ‘I know what you did last Diwali’ haha. I purchased the most amazing silk saris that I am going to use as tapestries in my room, as well as a beautifully woven, ornate blanket to match; all in somewhat subdued golds and pinks. 

 sweet sweet Indian desserts

The best samosas ever

 Now, this is a true story- in one city block I breathed in the intoxicating incense-smoke of a crowded Chinese temple, received a white-powdered bindi from a priest inside a technicolor Hindu temple resplendent with flower blossoms, and heard the calming lowly sung call-to-prayer (Azan) from the nearby Mosque. There are many streets like this in Georgetown. And near the historic district, you may even add a Christian church or two to the mix.

We walked a ton in Penang. We even got foot massages from blind reflexologists. 

One can see how its geographical location is reflected in the Peranakan culture as the megaliths of India and China converge on this seaside town of Malaysia. There is also a unique Baba Nyonya culture that has developed over centuries- a merger of Chinese and Malay elements. This culture is seen in other Southeast Asian trading centers such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Malacca (in Malaysia). 

Penang has everything. Like any Malaysian island it is resplendent with beaches and wildlife. It also has a spectacular culture- with its marbled history and diverse people. But one must go to Penang-ultimately-to eat.

My Life in a Malaysian School

My Life in a Malaysian School 

My New School 

I teach at SMK (which essentially stands for 'secondary school') Mak Lagam in the city of Cukai, in the district of Kemaman, in the state of Terengganu, in the country of Malaysia. There are about 600 students at my school and about 60 faculty members. My school is also known as TESMAL (Terengganu Elite School Mak Lagam). The education system in Malaysia is very hierarchical and schools are ranked into categories. Amongst schools run by the state government, ‘Elite’ is the highest rank. However there are some schools run by the federal government, called ‘Boarding Schools’, which are considered superior. Either way, my school is a very good school and is one of only two Elite schools in the state of Terengganu. 

In Malaysia, primary school is Standard 1-6, which is equivalent to our grades 1-6. Secondary school is Form 1-5, which is equivalent to our grades 7-11. The Malaysian school system heavily emphasizes the national exams, which rank students and stream them into the appropriate schools and programs, based on their results. These exams take place in Form 3 and Form 5 and test students in 8-9 subjects. This year 99 out of 156 students got straight As (on all subjects) on their Form 3 exam. This was celebrated with a huge, elaborate ceremony. Signboards are scattered around campus with the school motto: “we strive for straight As.” 

I am teaching Form 1, 2, and 4- the non-exam years because they fear that they will not have time to wander outside the curriculum for the exam. I have 16 different English classes each week. So I only see each class once a week. Each class is about 25 students, so I have about 400 students. Plus the Form 3 and 5 students I spend time with outside of class. SO MANY NAMES! Some of them are quite shy, but I intend to draw them out of their shells. There is an expression here, which I find very fitting for many Malaysians: “malu, malu kucing” or “shy, shy cat.” The students here are really good though. Every single student says 'hi miss!' when they walk by me. They even yell from classrooms or across campus. I'm loving it all this attention haha. They also frequently use the differentiation between afternoon, evening, and night, which has fallen into some disuse in the West. I will say something like- “I will see you tonight” and they will correct me, “no, Miss, this evening!” 

There is an odd relationship between teacher and students. It is very informal- in that the students roam the staff room and main office as they please- which would never be allowed in the States. Every time a teacher passes by they yell, ‘cikgu!’ or ‘teacher!’ When I pass by it is an even more enthusiastic cry of ‘Miss!!’ But when a teacher enters a classroom, all the students rise in unison to great the teacher in a sort of creepy, lugubrious chant of ‘assalamu alaikum, cikgu’; or ‘good morning/afternoon, teacher’ to me. At the end of class, the female students may rush up to me and ask for my hands which they hold between theirs and bow their foreheads to meet with my hands, and then press their hands to their heart. This gesture is it is reserved for people of great respect. Malaysians do not simply shake hands. They exchange hands (held intertwined with another’s) and then touch their heart. This motion is called a salam. The bowing is only done by someone either of inferior age or rank to their superior. It is unbelievably sweet when a student does this to me J

My New Home 

My personal relationship with the student is somewhat complicated by the facts that a) I am a foreigner and non-Muslim, b) I am very young and seem like more of a big sister to them and c) I live with the students. TESMAL, like many secondary schools in Terengganu, is a boarding school and I am living in the dormitories, which they call the 'hostel’ or asrama.  All students live at the school in the hostel. There are 4 hostel buildings- blok A, B, C, and D- two for boys and two for girls, a girls dining hall and a boys dining hall, as well as a laundry facility (dobi) where students pay to have their laundry done for them. Each student dorm room has 8 beds and it is big enough so that they don’t even need bunk beds. 

I have my own little apartment. This means that I see the girls all the time and many come to visit me, welcome or not, in my room. This also means that I hear them screaming and running through the hallways well past curfew (which is 11:30pm). I have a bedroom, open to a sitting area, and a small kitchen. I have a small fridge, a blender, coffee maker, rice cooker, and a plug-in wok- looks sort of like a crock pot. They don’t have ovens in Malaysia L. Some Malaysians have small, plug in stove tops, but I do not… I am about to enter the fascinating, hopefully underappreciated, world of microwave cooking. With a little creativity, I am sure I will make it work.  Fortunately I have most of my meals at the hostel dining hall, which is pretty good. The hostel offers breakfast, lunch, tea-time, dinner, annnnnnd supper. Who knew there were 5 meals in one day? It doesn’t make much sense to spend money on food when I have some for free right next door. They also have a 'canteen' where kids can buy snacks throughout the day, as well as a late-night stall next to the dobi/laundry, which sells ice cream novelties like Cornetto cones- which is the closest most will come to ‘real’ ice cream, while in Malaysia. My living area has a big dining room table, some lounge chairs and a TV. I don't have cable, but I have a DVD player. I have already purchased some illegal DVDs which are of surprisingly good quality. They just installed air conditioning in my room which is a huge deal- I also have a bunch of fans. I have 2 twin beds which I pushed together. (I have, unfortunately, had to request new beds because mine are infested with bed bugs and I am covered with small red bites.) My bathroom has 3 sinks- so it is quite big. Luckily my showers are luke-warm, as opposed to the freezing cold showers you often get here in Malaysia- so I am pretty grateful. Sometimes I feel as though I should do some jumping jacks or something in the morning to warm up before the shower.  Even though I do not open my windows, mosquitoes (aka disease demons) seem to be are everywhere. Thus, I commit murder on a daily basis. One less mosquito, one less itch I have to scratch, right? 

The entire student body is divided into 'houses'- sort of like Harry Potter- and each is named for a Malaysian university (USM, UKM, UM, and UPM). Each house has its own color (Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green, respectively) and animal mascot (ant, cat, a cartoon character, and spider) and they hold these 'University games' throughout the school year. The kids are very passionate about their house loyalties and they are always trying to get me to pick a side. The rest of the faculty is divided amongst the houses and when game day roles around they don their house colors and join in the rivalry. 

These pictures are from a cross country competition between the four houses

The school grounds are gated and there are guards at both the campus entrance and the residence entrance at all times. The campus is comprised of an administration building, a large classroom building with a courtyard in the center, a special classroom building for classes like ‘living skills’ and ‘engineering drawing,’ a canteen, a mosque, athletic fields and courts. The campus is dotted with gardens and fountains, little gazebos and sitting areas; it even has a mushroom growing facility. All of the buildings are open-aired and the hallways are really balconies looking out on courtyards below. Classroom doors and windows remain open, lights off, and fans on. Luckily I have never felt hot while in class, despite the constantly high temperature and humidity outdoors.   

 The administration buildings

 The main entrance

 A little sitting area

 In the main classroom building courtyard

Names

The Malaysian name is comprised, firstly of their two (sometimes three) names, which are purely aesthetic- like Kelsey Celina. Then they have bin for ‘son of’ or binti for ‘daughter of’ followed by their father’s first two names. Thus I would be ‘Kelsey Celina binti John Joseph.’ There is really no family name that continues down through generations. A man, i.e. Kalid Abdullah bin Zanial Abiddin’s son would be i.e. Muhammad Hafiz bin Kalid Abdullah. But the next generation would be Ahmad Ashraf bin Muhammad Hafiz. 

Most of the students names begin with A, F, or Sh (note that in Malay, the ‘sh’ sound is spelled ‘sy’- but I will use ‘sh’ to make things easier for you), sometimes N or I or J. They are usually Arabic names and most of them sound so similar to each other. It is so difficult to remember the differences between Shahira, Shafikah, and Sharifah! 

Girls names include: Aififah, Alia, Ain, Aishah, Afiqah, Aqilah, Amirah, Farhana, Faten, Fika, Faziatul, Janah, Nabila, Izzati, Tasha.

The boys: Akim (or Hakim), Arif, Afiq, Amir, Amar, Ashraf, Shafiq, Shukri, Hafiz, Iman. Many of the boys have Muhammad in their name- but do not go by it. 

Dress

Malaysian women wear a Baju Karong- which is essentially a long skirt accompanied by a long sleeved, high-cut, baggy dress. These are usually in very bold, bright patterns. I have about 10 baju karongs, all given to me by my fellow teachers. (I am not required to wear the baju, but they get very excited when I do. I am required, however, to cover my chest, legs, and forearms. Luckily, after class I can wear tee shirts and capris. Never shorts or tank tops though.) All Malaysian women and girls are required, by their religion, to wear a head scarf, called a tudong. Islam dictates that this practice begins at the age of puberty. All Malaysian women in Terengganu wear the tudong. Even if they are wearing a tee shirt and jeans (which the students are only to wear outside of the school), they must still wear the tudong. Women are only allowed to show their hair when with other women or with their family at home. Most of my girls will go tudong-free while in the hostel though, which is refreshing. They look completely different when you can see their ears, hair, and neck. 

All of the girls wear the same uniform to school, including the headscarf, and as all of my students are racially Malay, they have the same skin tone and eye color too. Thus, the only thing to distinguish them physically from one another is their facial features. Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday the girl students wear white tudongs, a white baju (or long shirt/dress) and a light blue skirt. Some girls may also wear a dark blue skirt. Some girls may also wear a navy blazer with a maroon neck tie. Boys wear long sleeve oxford shirts with olive green khakis, maroon neck ties, and black dress shoes. They also don little black hats called songkoks. The female prefects (just like in Harry Potter) wear a yellow tudong. The male prefects wear yellow shirts.

Adorable form 1 boy

Tuesday is ‘uniform’ day- when everyone in the school wears their respective uniforms- from head to toe. This is the only day when the girls wear pants to class all day. The uniforms look sort of like army uniforms. There are several different co-ed clubs including scouts (gray shirt and red tie), cadets (dark green), fire fighters (a suit of orange and black like tiger stripes), and red cross (white). In addition, there are also some all-girl clubs, including the ‘Islamic princesses’ (who, quite fittingly, wear white and pink), and girl guides (aka girl scouts, who wear teal green).

Thursday is when everyone, including the teachers and administrators, wear batik (the traditional hand-painted silk textile famous in Malaysia). The students are divided into red or blue batik uniforms based on their year.

During the day, when students have PE they change into athletic clothing. So you will often see girls, even in class, wearing track pants, sneakers, and long sleeve tees, and a black tudong. The boys also wear track pants, but they are allowed to pull them up to capris-length, and they are allowed to wear short sleeve tee shirts. But shorts are not accepted for either sex to wear. During the evening, everyone changes into athletic clothing for sports practices and recreational exercise.

Some boys in athletic clothing

Around dinner time the girls change into all different, unique, very colorful, and flowery baju kurungs (this is what the female teachers wear to teach in during the day). The boys change into these flowy, silk pajama-looking outfits-a long sleeve high-necked shirt and matching pants. These are usually beautiful colors like lilac purple or yellow. They also wear their songkok hats to match. This ensemble is called the baju Melayu.

Schedule

Their day is punctuated by prayer 5 times a day: 6 am, 1:30 pm, 4:45 pm, 7 pm, and 10 pm. And their daily schedule is long and intense! 

They wake up to a siren and a call to prayer blasting on the loud speakers at 5:30 am. (I am unfortunate enough to be the one living in closest proximity to this god-awful siren. It definitely makes me feel as though we’re living in an army camp.) They have prayer and then breakfast at 6:30 am. They go to school for assembly and start class at 7:40 am. They have classes until 10:20 am when they have rehat (or recess), when they can grab food at the school canteen. The canteen serves things like rice dishes (nasi lemak, nasi goreng) or noodles (mee goreng, kway teow), as well as burgers, and various fried items including a sort of spring roll with crab meat, donuts, hot dogs wrapped in what looks like fried French toast, etc. Rehat (which is the only organized break during the day of classes) lasts 20 minutes and they continue with class until 2pm. Students who take Arabic have an extra period at the end of the day until 2:40. Lunch is between 2pm and 3pm. Then all students are required to return to school for afternoon prep (aka study hall) until 4:30 pm. At this time, the dining hall offers tea-time snacks- warm the tarik and usually either a bun filled with red bean, kaya, or sardine, cakes, savory samosas or curry puffs. 5pm is when most students participate in athletics, either formal or informal, such as volleyball, soccer [football here, of course], tae kwon do, etc. Apparently one of the female students at my school is the best golfer in Terengganu! I am both pleased and a little surprised that the girls are very actively involved in athletics here. Sports practice (which they call training) can even be, and frequently is, co-ed. The national sport is badminton, and they are disappointed to hear that is not so beloved in America. I am currently coaching field hockey (which is simply called ‘hockey’ here, because of their lack of ice hockey). Field hockey is both a female and a male sport here (and I am coaching both). Other popular Malaysian sports include a) netball- a female sort of basketball, popular in many Commonwealth nations, which requires those with the ball in their hands to freeze and stand in place for the next pass off down the court, b) handball (which I have yet to witness), c) squash- which is played in an indoor facility in a nearby town (they look at me confusedly when I say that only old men play squash in America) and d) sepak takraw, aka ‘kick volleyball’ played with a small rattan ball, where players may use their feet, knee, chest and head to get the ball over the net (which is set a little bit lower than a volleyball net). They play sports or relax or perhaps have club meetings until 6:30 pm dinner time. 7 o’clock- everyone, except for girls having their periods, goes off to the mosque to pray. (Islam prohibits women who are menstruating to enter the mosque- sounds like quite an archaic and sexist rule, but alas). At 8 pm they return to the school for night study hall until 10 pm. During this time, there might also be night classes with faculty members for students preparing to take the national exams. A last trip to the mosque brings them back to the dining halls around 10:15-30ish for super- usually a light, but savory meal (i.e. roti jala or roti canai; meehoon tom yam) accompanied by hot chocolate. At 10:30 the Dobi (or laundry) opens for students to drop off/pick up their laundry. This seems like the cool place for boys and girls to hang out at after dark. The students all run off to their hostels at 11pm- when they are ‘supposed’ to be back, but stay up socializing for another hour (I can hear them socializing much later than that most nights). A siren rings at 11:30pm marking a theoretical ‘lights out.’ But I am certain that this is never upheld. I can hear girls screaming announcements in the courtyard about some competition or other going on the following day, running about the corridors, yelling, giggling, sometimes coming to chat with me, etc. I have calculated that at the absolute very most, students are only allowed a total of 6 hours of sleep, but the girls in my hostel don’t seem to get nearly that much. They have anywhere from 0-3 hours of free time a day and most of that is spent in athletic practice. How do they do it?!

Fortunately, there is a ton of school holidays in Malaysia- we have Chinese (i.e. Chinese New Year, Buddha's Bday), Muslim (Mohammad's Bday, Hari Raya (Ramadan)), Hindu (Dewali), and Christian (Christmas) holidays, not to mention the Sultan's Bday, Independence Day, etc.