Sept 1st Brings a Promise

All right. My promise to you: I will write something every day from now on. I found myself only writing long blog entries of grand stories and cultural findings only to get sick of writing them altogether and never finishing them. I will write something every day. If I feel like I don’t have anything interesting to write about from that day, I will write about a previous experience/thoughts. Also, I read a Q&A with David Sedaris in The New Yorker and he said he started writing every day when he was 20. In the spirit of Homer Simpson’s creation of his invention timeline comparing himself with Thomas Edison, I will attempt to follow in David Sedaris’ footsteps because frankly, I’d like to be where he is some day.

OK, so now we have a contract. I did write start writing a sequel to “Malaysia: One Month is Retrospect,” and here is the beginning verbatim: “They say nothing gets done in Penang. I think my blog proves this.” Yes.

So my life in Penang so far has been day after day of enlightening/whimsical/frustrating experiences. Universiti Sains Malaysia has its quirks and it is obvious that I am still adjusting to student life here as I was asked to leave the library this afternoon because I was wearing shorts.

The classes I’m taking are as follows:

Bahasa Malaysia (language)
Microeconomics
Economic Transformation in Southeast Asia
Independent Study (researching security concerns within ASEAN)

It’s all quite interesting subject matter; just the way everything presented is very, very different from back home. Homework doesn’t really exist here and if it is assigned due dates are often pushed back 2-3 weeks at a time. I’m not complaining.

The teacher-pupil relationship is very different here. Basically the professor’s word is always fact and there’s not much room for debate. I haven’t been chided, but local students have often been ridiculed in front of the class for being late, not turning in an assignment, etc. It’s one of the weirder aspects of the culture I’ve grown accustomed to.

The campus is quite large and has many hills, which is unfortunate when it’s 90-plus and the humidity is topping out around 85-90%. Now that it’s rainy season it’s not as humid, but downpours that last for hours on end have replaced the humidity. Overall, the campus is quite pretty and I can tell the university goes to great lengths to keep the buildings and grounds in good condition.

I recently traveled to the states of Sabah and Sarawak, which are located to the southwest of Peninsular Malaysia on the island of Borneo. I really enjoyed the trip because it revealed to me a completely different side of Malaysia. The culture is completely different than Peninsular Malaysia in that it feels like a freer society. The way the locals dress is very different and social interactions just felt more, free than what I’ve seen and experienced in Penang and elsewhere in Peninsular Malaysia. I’m no expert on Malaysia, but my feeling is that the different ethnic makeup of Sabah and Sarawak contribute to these cultural differences. There are a higher percentage of people with backgrounds comprising of indigenous tribes such as the Iban who live in remote river villages.

I traveled for 11 days with my roommate Panu. We made it to some pretty isolated towns where people looked at us with an expression that said, “What the hell are they doing here?” In a few of the cities we visited there wasn’t really much for the average tourist to see, but we were more intent on observing a different side and society of Malaysia. We visited a small village called Kapit, which is deep in the interior of Sarawak. I felt like a Westerner hadn’t set foot there in ages. The side had a weird vibe as if it was the only inhabited place on Earth. I put the pictures up on Facebook if you’re interesting in looking at more. I experienced a lot during those 11 days so I’ll probably post some stories as I continue to update this daily.

Merdeka Day, or the Malaysian Independence Day was on Monday. I went and saw a fireworks show on Sunday night at midnight. Unfortunately, I feel like we Americans are always let down by other fireworks shows because well, the Fourth of July shows are probably the best in the world. I was still able to enjoy the show nevertheless. Happy belated Merdeka day.

The fasting month of Ramadan started about a week ago. I’m eager to experience the celebration week Eidul Fitri following the conclusion of the fast two weeks from now. Really the only marked difference I’ve noticed is that prayer calls are more often, you can be in and out for lunch in five minutes since barely anyone is eating, however getting a table for dinner after dark sometimes proves to be a challenge. Also I’ve had two courses cancelled this week since one of my professors is dehydrated from fasting.

I’d love to write and tell you guys everything at once, just the reality is that there’s too much to tell.

In other news, I joined the fencing club at the university. So far I’ve been to two meetings where I’ve learned and practiced the footwork fundamentals. I’m enjoying it since I didn’t know a thing about fencing, but the instruction reminds me an awful lot of violin lessons I took when I was 10. All I’m told is what I’m doing wrong. When I’m told I’m doing something right I have no idea what it is, but I’m learning and that’s what I’m there for.

I’ve started to look into places to go for a week break I have at the end of September. I ask you: where would you go for five or so days if you were me? Inspire me.

Ian



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