"Introspect for Retrospect":A couple of days makes a world of difference!

3/19

I first want to start off by thanking everyone who has been keeping up with my blog. I realize that I have not been writing in it as frequently as I would like or as I was when I first started but thank you. As I am traveling to these beautiful locations around southeast Asia and engaging in activities with my school, I often think about what I would be doing had I not 3 years ago walked into Dr. Legget's office or even gone to Morgan. How would things be different had I not played sports in college or if I had moved to North Carolina after graduating? What would I be doing right now if I had not just returned from Bali, Indonesia for a week long vacation? How would my life be different if our mother had not passed away? What would have happened if my father, family and community were not there to raise my two sisters and I? I recently returned from Tanah Lot temple outside of Ubud, Bali. While amazed at the majestic sunset in the background of this pristine and setting, I realized that without those things happening or not happening maybe I wouldn't be here to appreciate this. Everything happens for a reason and I those different circumstances shaped me to who I am today. THANK YOU

The last two weeks have been veeeeeeeeery interesting to say the least. Sometimes I feel like I live in a animal clinic with the animals or lizards that pass through the apartment. I've seen sooooooo many different types of new species of animals and heard so many different bird calls that I feel like I could be a Zoologist and have a second degree. The ETA's and mentors had a meeting at Sekayu waterfalls. Sekayu is amongst the heavy tourist attractions in the state of Terengganu. I went fishing for the first time in a long time and made my own pole. That's probably why I didn't catch any fish.  The next week would prove to be even more of an adventure.

When I booked my ticket to go to Bali almost two months ago, I would never have thought that I would have the experiences that I have been through. I set out Wednesday night on the trip with the "intentions" that everything would go as planned. Firstly, the bus ride was about 7 hrs to KL which was not bad because we got to sleep on the ride. Once we arrived at PWTC at 5 am, we met up with my friend who agreed to pick us up and take us around before taking us to the airport before our flight. We arrived in Surabaya, Indonesia at midnight and decided to take a van to the ferry in Banyuwangi, Indonesia. What we did not anticipate was the ride to the point. We fell asleep shortly after renting the van. When we woke up that next morning, we still had 3 hours to go at 8 am. Our driver, who knew no English, and had been driving all night decided to stop 2 hours out at his friend's house to take a break and so we could eat. After that we drove 2 hours to the ferry point whee we would catch it to the Bali island. Once we got to the island, we caught a bus that promised the ride would only be 30 mins to Denpasar where we would then catch a taxi another hour down the road to Ubud. WELL.....it actually turned out to be one of the longest, most beautiful, scenery enriched, non air-conditioned, and tightest traveling trip of all time. The trip lasted 4 hours but we drove along the coast, passed rice patties, and passed through lush jungles! When we arrived in Ubud, we checked into our hostel and was elated at how nice it was. The group couldn't wait to go out as that's something that is not as readily accessible here in KT. The spot to be at was called The Laughing Buddha. Jazz, Funk, Salsa, and Groove all were being played by a multitude of  different musicians. The next day we decided to take a tour around Ubud and surrounding areas so we visited The Elephant Caves, 4 different temples and saw Mount Kintamani. All were spectacular. My favorite being the last temple, Tanah Lot, about 20 mins out of Ubud. When we pulled up to the temple it was about 6 pm so the sun was just over the cliff that we were now approaching. As we walked to the edge of the cliff, we embraced a sunset over the water and reflected off this temple that stretched out on a inlet. This has to be one of the top 10 most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It was simply......a blessing. The way the orange, yellow, pink, and reds reflected off the water was undoubtedly gorgeous. We spent most of our time at the temple taking pictures and reflecting. The next day we traveled to Kuta, Bali.

 Kuta was only about an 30 mins away from our first 3 nights in Ubud but it was night and day compared to Ubud. Kuta is the more touristy area as oppose to Ubud which is more cultural relevant. Beaches, beaches, reggae music, parasailing, interesting hostel, AND lost itouch just about sums it alllll up. When we arrived it was afternoon and our first order of business was to get a hotel or hostel for the night. We found this spot close to the beach and soon realized what we were paying for was location not quality. The only thing that worked there was the price. Nevertheless, we got the room then decided to go to the beach and enjoy the sun and water. That night we met up with two other ETAs who were also on the trip and we all went out to a Reggae spot and had a BALL!!! It's nothing like reggae music. It changes your whole perspective on everything. One of the things that I decide I wanted to do even before i went on the trip was that I wanted to go parasailing. I went to Tanjung Benoa Beach which is known for its watersport activities and went parasailing. What a experience! Scary at first but you get used to it. I had a wonderful time. That night we went BACK to the reggae spot and again had a wonderful time. The next day I woke up and looked around for my itouch to charge it. I couldn't find it...."ok think think think...where did I have it last???!?!" I must've went through the hostel 4 times looking for it. Last night, after I came back from being out I went back to the mart to use the itouch there and remember walking back with it. NOW, I don't have it. The logical explanation is that I dropped along the way of only about 100 m from the mart to our hostel. BUT I know better to be that careless with an electronic. Where could it have been? I retraced my steps that next morning atleast 5 times hoping that it fell on the ground or grass and that all of Bali that night walked right past it unnoticed. BUT I know better than that also. I always try to look at the positive side of things so I keep telling myself that atleast it wasn't my wallet or passport because then THAT would be a problem. It could always be worse. The next couple of days I met a lot of wonderful people who were from Bali and surrounding islands and we had long talks about everything. That night not to break suite, Kelley, Elizabeth and I went back to the reggae spot. I saw some of those same people I met at the beach earlier and we all had a great time.

Even though I lost the itouch, it was times like this past week that make life that much better. Good food, interesting adventures, beautiful scenery, and great company! THANK YOU

PICS!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2083068&id=11104806&l=262b326ca7

NEW PICS!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=11104806&aid=2082401


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=11104806&aid=2082416

SMAASZA #1 and 2011 English Extravaganza Week #1

3/1/11

SMAASZA BOLEH!!!! SUKAN CHAMPIONS!!!! CHUKAI, KAMAMAN, TERENGGANU!!! FEB 25-27 2011!!!!

This past weekend I was invited to attend the district sports competiton in Chukai,Kamaman, Terengganu. I was soooooo glad that I went as SMAASZA was crowned overall champions of all and both boys and girls activities. We left on that Thursday and returned on Saturday afternoon. Congratulations to all of SMAASZA's participants and coaches. I am proud to be apart of such a rich tradition. The finals will be held in Besut, Terengganu next Tuesday-Thursday and will include all teams of Terengganu.

Today 3/1/11, I held my first activity of my 2011 English Extravaganza Week #1. Students who were interested in participating were instructed to arrange themselves in a group of 5. Each form was to only have 3 groups so that there would be 90 students for each activity. Well I didn't quite get those numbers for the first activity but it's ok. So the week includes 3 activities. The first, Relay While You Relay, was held today. Nine teachers were selected to aid with the game and their task was to ask 3 students questions. See Diagram below. Questions would range from: name 5 words that have the letter P as the second letter to make a complete sentence out of the word interpret. Now along with questions there were also riddles and funny/silly acts that were to be answered and performed. For example, what has teeth but does not eat or what has two hands and goes round? Answer: Zipper, comb, bike chain and a clock. The silly act would include sing your favorite song for 10 secs or dance to imginary music for 10 sec. VERY VERY VERY FUNNY to watch!!! When the student got the answer correct, the teacher would give the student a piece of a puzzle. 3 of the students would go through the "maze" and come out with a total of 9 puzzle pieces. Each puzzle piece had a part of a phrase or sentence on the back of it that the students had to arrange in the correct order. The 4th student would be the designated arranger of puzzle pieces and the 5th person would be the designated speaker for the group when they presented the correct answer to me. Whoever completed the task in the shortest amount of time won a FREE trip with me to somewhere "fun". These trips included KL, Hot Springs in Besut, National Forest, Genting Highlands(theme park), go-karts trip, picnics at Lake Kenyir, and a host of other locations and attractions. IT WAS A SUCCESS!!!! The students and the teachers that helped both had a wonderful time. Both said they learned a lot and had a great time while doing so. Those were just a couple of the goals. I wanted to promote interactions and I got interactions. This activity fostered creative thinking skills, communicative skills, and confidence in speaking in English. I got positive feedback from some of the teachers also who were in attendance to support. I also had a great time and learned a lot about some areas that I need to focus on moreso than others. This was a great activity and glad that I had the support of the SMAASZA teachers and staff and also three of the ETA's that came to show support and help: Leigh, Billy, and Megan. It went so well in fact, that we were treated out for a celebratory dinner at Secret Recipe by Madam Zalina, the Co-curricular leader at SMAASZA. THANK YOU teachers and staff and the three ETAs; also....THANK YOU Teacher Zurina for being helping me out with organizing everything regarding the 2011 ENGLISH EXTRAVAGANZA WEEK #1
Stay tuned for the next two activities!!!

DIAGRAM OF RELAY WHILE YOU RELAY

x      x       x


x      x       x

^      ^       ^
x      x       x

G1   G2   G3


x=Teacher with question
G1,2,3= group of students

* Students progress through maze in the direction of arrows


HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Thank you for being the man that you are. As I grow older and realize more and more responsibility and become wiser in my actions, I sometime wonder what's next. I don't have to look far to find the blueprint on how it should be done. I can only hope that I can take what you have shown and continue to show and build upon it for lessons in my life. Enjoy today with the family and continue to touch others in a positive light and be blessed.

 Love you,

  Dakari

"I want blue eyes, they're perfect!"

3/1/11

I am slipping on this blog. It just seems that everytime I have some free time something else demands my attention. Malaysia Boleh, is certainly becoming the slogan of the trip so far. There has been many cases where I have been involved in something and I would think this is not happening or I don't believe this is about to happen. I mean only here can I be called and compared to Usain Bolt, President Obama, and Will Smith. My school bus driver wants me to race him....with his bus and me running. He is convinced that I could win. Malaysia Boleh. Most people that I have met here have asked me if President Obama and I are distant cousins or is that a family member of some sort. OR.........if I could talk to Obama about letting that person get a green card. Finally Will Smith, if I had a dime for everytime someone mistakenly called me Will Smith or said I look like him, I would fly Will out here and show them that there is a difference between him and I. All of these experiences are funny and a learning. Funny because me being compared to these people because of the way I look to me is like comparing spades with hearts. It's also a learning experience; it's interesting to see what people are exposed to and to whom and what they relate to what they are exposed to. I'm sure a lot of it can be attributed to the lack of non-malays that are in KT and that they see. Another reason is because of the way the media portrays people or what is consisdered "right and wrong". Point in case, I was talking to a lady the other day and we were talking about science. Well I wanted to talk in Bahasa Melayu and she wanted to speak in English. She stated that she didn't want me to speak Bahasa to her because she wouldn't be able to learn English from me. I stated that's how I feel also with Bahasa. She then told me that they have a saying in Terengganu that went roughly like "if you speak English your eyes will turn blue." Interesting.....I wonder if that was true. At any rate, I asked her would that be a good thing or a bad thing? She stated that "it would be a great thing if she had blue eyes and that women especially would love blue eyes."
"So why are blue eyes considered great or why are they sought after?" I figured it was some logical explanation to her statement so "curiousity" and I wanted to know.
"Having blue eyes means that you are special and that's perfect....well...it's hard to explain and it's a women thing so you wouldn't understand" she responded or didn't respond. Now I've been here for 2 months and that was the first time that I had heard anything like that. I asked her why not green, or brown(the color of her and I eyes), gray, or black. It's very interesting to hear someone say that they think having blue eyes makes your more special than not having a blue colored eyes. I got the sense that she was influenced in thinking that having blue eyes makes your special or more appealing. Now here she is with a child, late twenties, and successful and she thinks that the only thing missing from her life is blue eyes. Perspective is appreciated through understanding. Maybe if she understood that how she is now, the way that she was created, her genes that were passed down from generation to generation, is a unique only to her maybe...just maybe her perception would change....maybe.

THANK YOU

Thank you to Meg Perry for teaching me to drive stick. You are a great teacher and should be getting paid for it, so I got you next time lol....no but thank you again.

PICS!!!!!!

THESE and other pics!!!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/datawa#!/album.php?aid=2082125&id=11104806

Catch up Catch up!!

2/5-2/16/11

WOW. I apologize for not writing in the blog for so long. I have been very busy as I've been a part of wonderful celebrations, amazing trips, and around beautiful people. I have been in Terengganu 1 month and in Malaysia almost 2 months! It really does not seem that long at all. The month that I have been in KT I have found that I have picked up the language at a rather fast pace. It helped that I was "thrown in the fire" here and emmersed in the culture. I'll be at school, the store, or bypassing people and now I am able to pick up on certain words or phrases. Most times they are about me anyway but I don't mind. The biggest surprise to the locals and people of Terengganu is that I can speak it and it be understandable.
"Awak boleh chakap Bahasa Melayu?" (You can speak Bahasa Melayu?) I hear that more often than not. But what I really enjoy is the smile or look of disbelief when I speak Bahasa Melayu. They look as if to say your an American, your black, AND your speaking our language with minor mistakes!! That look is priceless!!! I use that opportunity as a time to talk with the locals and hone my speaking and listening skills and also learn from them. Every interaction is a chance for learning and gaining experience in which I try not to take lightly.
It's funny, ive been here almost two months and each day brings a different and new aspect to the culture that I was not aware of before. Each day that I am able to talk to a local I learn a new word or new phrase, even a new gesture to keep me in the loop of what's "accepted" and what's not.

 Ok ok ok.....so let's see, what have I missed. Over the last week and some change I have really settled in. I'm getting transportation, the house is in order, school is great and for the most part the kids are responding well. THANK YOU Mr. Nosli for picking me up every morning and being "my brother". You have been wonderful and I really appreciate it.THANK YOU and Happy Birthday once again Hillman(state dept rep). You and Ms. Jaja have been a blessing helping us get settled in. Our apt. now looks like a apt. now in large part because of the extra work that you two did. THANK YOU SMAASZA!!! The students and staff have made my transition here and in school a remarkable one. My students are really becoming comfortable with me and I with them. One positive indicator is that they are talking to me openly in public and out of the blue. I tell my students that my task is to build their interaction skills whether it be in English or another language. As oppose to a "conventional" method of teaching, I approach class with a open discussion platform. I start class by asking them "how are you today?" then continue with a question which requires the students to "think outside the box". Sometimes it might only be one or two students who understand, but usually by the end of class they are in tune to my objective. We also might play a game requiring them to work together and communicate with either myself, classmates, or both. At the end of class(which is short, only 30 mins), I explain why we are doing what we are doing. It's a great feeling to see there faces light up and nod in agreement or to hear the "ahhhhhhhh's". THANK YOU

 Last Thursday, SMAASZA was a part of a cross country meet across the street from my apt. at SMK Bukit Besar or Large Hill(the same large hill that I run with Lynn and Megan, and most recently Leigh and Ani). There were over 20 schools represented there from KT. SMAASZA was there, in their house color uniforms. We didn't do very well but I was sooooooo proud of them for running. It was soooooooo hot that day. I was riding a bike while the kids were runnin and it felt as if I was on a stationary bike so I KNOOOOOOOOW they were hot and tired. GREAT JOB SMAASZA!!! Now because the meet was right across the street from where I live I just went home afterwords. On that Saturday, the 17 ETA's were invited to Tujong Bunut to see traditional Malay art's and crafts. We all met up at our apts and rode a bus to TTI, The Islamic Civilization Park where we then took a jeti over to the village on the other side of the river. We arrived to a procession that was fit for a king and queen. Once we got off the jeti, there was a parade or borisan of musicians and decorative "ushers". They ushered us to a location that was jam packed with all types of traditional Malaysian dishes. I had no problem sampling all that was in sight. We then followed the parade across the street where we watched Silat. Silat is the traditional Malay martial arts form. The KIDS were great. They used real daggers and sparred! You talking about people on pins and needles for their safety, there was not a single ETA that was not reluctant to say stop at one point or another. We also got to see a monkey climb a tree and retrieve coconuts and Laying-Laying or kite flying. We all enjoyed the program and of course we ate like the food was going bad! THANK YOU State dept

2/15/11
Tuesday of this week was the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday. Traditionally, schools and other organizations around participate in a parade in honor of the prophet. There were over 130 competing bodies at Shabandah Beach in town for the parade. SMAASZA WAS the 3x defending champ for the secondary school division. This year the pool included 34 and I knew it would be a tough act to follow. If for nothing else the different baju melayu's and karung's were GORGEOUS!! A sea of colors from blue to yellow, to pink, to green, the parade was a spectacle to see. Once we arrived to the stadium where the winners from each category were announced, I realized that the stadium was a Badminton court. There were hundreds of chairs lined on the hardwood floor and there was not AC so it was hot hott and hotttt!! Parade participants were sleeping and talking; the heat makes you tired so im sure that was the case. Just in time before I fell out the seat myself, the announcer came on the microphone and announced the winner of each category. The secondary school category was last. I looked at the boy's who were chosen to represent the school in the parade and they looked as if to say, " we just wanna go back and sleep". It wasn't too long before they got to the Overall Secondary School Champions. SMAASZA was victorious once again; now we are the 4x defending Champions!!! THANK YOU SMAASZA

2/13-2/19
On Thursday the 17th, SMAASZA was involved in another parade or borisan this time to the mosque. It was a beautiful and hot day. Luckily, the walk was along the beach so we  felt that beach breeze. SMAASZA Ladang(school where I heard Hotel California) also showed up both schools dressed in the traditional Malay clothing. The kids and some of the teachers went into the mosque to pray so I stayed outside and talked with some of the other teachers. While there were some students inside the mosque there were a fair number of students outside either waiting to go in or waiting because they had already done so. I got a chance to talk with some of the girls who were not in my scheduled classes. We called it a Exchange Session because we both asked each other questions concerning religion, school, and life. I learned a great deal from them that day and it was good to hear their perspective.
I was invited to go to Tasik Kenyir or Lake Kenyir, the biggest man made lake in southeast Asia by Ani's mentor's husband(Mr. Koo) for a camping weekend. the lake is located about an hour away in Hulu Terengganu in the western part of the state. I told him I didn't have any camping gear with me but I would love to go. "Not a problem brother, just call me on Thursday to remind me to pick you up," he told me at the cross country meet last weekend. We arrived at SMK Padang Mydin(Megan's school and place of departure) at approximately 4 pm. Before we left, the band had practice so of course I looked for the percussion section. I didn't have to look far because I heard them before I saw them. They all looked surprised to see me and even more surprised when I played a cadence on the quads and snare. I even learned one of their cadences and mixed it a little with what I had played. It sounded great and we had fun. The trip included the Taekwondo club at the school and 4 other practical or interning teachers. We left the school and set out for the lake which was about an hour away. Along the way I sang american children songs and they sang Malaysian children songs, what a interesting time lol. The drive was beautiful because I was able to see the country side of Malaysia. Along the way, I was introduced to cattle scattering across the road, children riding their bikes alongside the major highways, and motorcycles going the wrong way on the major highways. Every time we witnessed something luar biasa or extraordinary I was told by Mr. Koo and the 4 other female teachers Malaysia Boleh or Malayisa ok/sure/can. In other words, anything can hapen in Malaysia. Once we arrived our first order of business was to set up camp, and to cook dinner. The students, 4 teachers, and I collected firewood or palm and prepared the food to be feasted upon. That night I stayed up with the students and the Taekwondo teacher and we had another exchange session. This time we talked about differnces in the language, different food, and american colleges. We also talked about family in which I mispronounced and we all laughed for hours it seemed like.

  The next day, we woke at 8, ate breakfast and began our journey to jungle trek through one of the streams that brancehd off from the lake. Maybe stream is not an appropiate word because at some points we were up to our chests in water. It had potential to be quite dangerous but thank God we navigated through it successfully. Once we stopped right about noon, we were all pretty hungry after the walking and treading. I saw the kids had some Maggi Mee or Ramen noodles(loosely) but I didn't see any pots or cooking utensils. Now I'm all for experiencing and trying new things but how we were to cook those noodles without a pot. Before I knew it, Teacher Hami(professional outdoors man who also works at the school) and Mr. Koo were chopping down bamboo stalks with their Rambo size machettes. They brought them back to our point of relaxataion and started giving out orders. Without hesitation everyone began to move in separate ways. I looked around and everyone was busy so I decided to help out also. They insisted that I relax but I told them that if one person helps we all help. They agreed and let me make the SPOONS and chopsticks. They both turned out great. We boiled the water and cooked the noodles in a bamboo stalk! They were the best Ramen noodles I EVER had. I was now thirsty, I had eaten sooo good that I needed something to drink. Well before I knew it, they had cut down another bamboo stalk and created a cup....with coffee lol. I don't even drink coffee but it was great. We then made our way a little further up stream and decided to head back. This trek was 10x harder than the one at Cemerung a few weeks ago because there was no path at all, we had to walk through water, and scale rocky and  slippery slopes. We all had a great time and returned back to KT later that night. THANK YOU Mr. Koo, Mr. Hami, and Padang Mydin

 Today, Saturday is the big day. I had been waiting for this day for almost two months. I woke up at 7:45 to make sure that I had a full stomach so I cooked and got my game plan together. My mentor Zurina called me and told me she was outside waiting so I walked downstairs. We left the apts. and drove over to the Proton service shop. Engine....check, AC....check, key.....CHECK( i checked more than that) lol. Leigh and I had just become the new lessees of a 2006 Proton Iswara. We had not had our own transportation since we arrived in KT and we wanted to have something that if we wanted to take a trip or go to the store we were able to. THANK YOU MS. SARAH