4/1/11
Last week when asked on my birthday what I wanted for it, the first thing that popped into my head were two things: a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts or 4 orders of Roti Tisu. Either way I figured I would be eating goooooood. Well....I got the Roti Tisu and a whole lot more! When I arrived at school, I was confronted with all type of birthday greetings! "Sir, Happy Birthday" and "Happy Birthday, I want to take you out to lunch or dinner" or "Happy Birthday and many more, Sir!". Boy, they know how to make a person feel good! Every class that I taught that day sung Happy Birthday to me and danced. I was given treats, gifts, and food by the students of all my classes. I was even offered money by some students. It felt bad taking my students money but hey, it was my birthday!! APRIL FOOLS!!!! The English teachers chipped in and bought me a cake with my name on it(delicious) and a Batik shirt. The thought was so nice and they also sung happy birthday and celebrated with me. The head of the different academic departments bought bowls of bua or fruit. I tried Cat's Eyes(soft shell with juicy seed inside) and what I call "snake fruit". The actual name starts with a "s" but I can't think of it now. I call it snake fruit because the outside skin resembles that of snake skin. A bitter taste upon first bite but mellows out to a sweet taste. It kind of looked like a pear now I think of it. On my way back from my last class, I arrived back at the room to find my desk SWAMPED with b-day cards and gifts from the students. One gift in particular, some students bought a picture frame and decorated it with the words "Our Favourite ETA, Happy Birthday and Thank You for making a difference in our lives!" I almost cried when I read that. It feels good to know that you are appreciated in such a positive light.
I felt bad because I had to turn down so many offers to take me out for lunch or dinner that day because it seemed like everyone wanted to and I hate to turn down a free meal! That night, the SMAASZA ETA "mother" and head of the ko-korrikulum, Madam Zalina, offered to take me out with her family to dinner to celebrate the day. We went to a newly opened restaurant not far from where I live and tried about 5 different dishes! Now I say try but I should say finished! They were all so good. Even dishes that didn't look appealing oddly enough were delicious or sedap! The restaurant had a history of Kuala Terengganu motif and theme and had pictures from the major development era of KT during the 50s-70s. One of the teachers at the school who had recommended the restaurant told us that her aunt and uncle was a part of the picture gallery that laid on the wall. Sure enough the picture was there and was surrounded by which now a heavily populated area. The owner of the restaurant happened to be the teacher's nephew in-law. Small world or dunia cecil. I told him that I was a teacher and that I really liked KT and he offered to take me to an island for the weekend. I went to the island, Redang, and it was an all expense paid trip! I went snorkeling, deep sea diving....no no no no April Fools(ok that's the last one). I really did meet the owner and talk to him though.
The second and third of my English activities were that week also. The second activity, Camera Through MY Eyes, included me issuing out disposable cameras to students. The students would pick a theme and then create a presentation on the pics that they took. I instructed the participants that I wanted them to be as creative as possible in presenting. Some of the themes included nature, friendship and the elements. A total of 50 students participated in made it fun and educational. The task was to promote creativity and to build upon English conversational skills. What a success! The winning group decided to pick friendship as their theme. With their pics they decided to make a cardboard cutout of a TV and paste the pics on a pinwheel that could be seen through the screen when you turned the dial. They staged a argument amongst the 5 members of the group. When they realized that the argument wasn't going anywhere they decided to sit down and "watch TV". As they "watched", the photos that they had pasted served as reminders as why they were friends. There were pics of them at the beach, at school, and around town. Once they "flipped through the 5 channels" they decided that friendship was more important than a silly argument. I was so proud them! It was well put together and you could tell there had obviously been a lot of thought that had been put in it.
The third activity, Get To Know Me, required the students to interview a teacher and do a presentation on the material collected. Once again, the goal was to promote conversational skills and creativity. This exercise worked great because it gave students a opportunity to meet their teachers as people. There were 30 students who participated and the groups were amazing!! Groups were so enthusiastic and fun. They even through in a birthday shoutout for me as the presentations were given on my birthday. The winning groups delivered their information clearly and concisely and incorporated role playing, speeches, dancing, singing, and even PowerPoint's. I was equally proud of the groups who participated in these activities. As a reward to the groups that won, I will be taking them on a trip to Taman Negara where we can engage in many outdoor activities including the world famous skywalk. It is the world's longest rope bridge at over 500m long and 50m high. I know if they aren't excited I am. My activities I believe are working great. I have noticed a increase in the amount of students that come and talk to me or ask me questions in my office or around school. They are getting more comfortable with me and my teaching style and I believe they are enjoying it. I also enjoy and recognize that students at first were reserved in the aspect of not being open in talking or communicating with me in English because they were shy or "afraid [their] English is not good enough" but now openly will talk on a more frequent basis and ask me about differences in life in America. "Sir, what is your opinion on the man who wanted to burn the Qu'ran? Sir, how is racism in your country? What about life, what do you believe?" I welcome these questions and let them know that even though I am from America I do not represent the thought process and I am not the voice of all Americans. I tell them in many circumstances that there are many ignorant people in the world and many times that's why irrational decisions are made. I tell them one reason that I am here is to increase my knowledge about a culture and to grow as a person. One way that you can grow is by learning about others and asking questions. It allows you to hear things from their perspective and from that you cultivate a understanding and respect for them. They smile!!
As a ETA at a religious school I have also been exposed to Bahasa Arab. I am learning Arabic! So far I have a very basic 8 words down but I am picking it up pretty fast. Shukran means thank you and the response would be afwan which means your welcome. I also have learned "how are you?", "I'm fine" and the numbers 1-7 along with a couple of arbitrary words due to being in a situation. As I stated in an earlier blog post one of the things I enjoy the most is the look on the locals face when I conversate with them in Bahasa Melayu or Arab. I was eating dinner the other night at a food stall that's not to far away from my school and a man who was eating dinner next to me spoke in English. "Where are you from?" he asked continuing to eat. "Dari mana America, tetapi saya tinggal sini untuk 3 bulan" I replied. You...should've..seen this guy almost choke on his food in amazement. Now it wasn't funny that he almost choked but it his face was priceless. "Apa ajar?"(what do you teach?) he muttered. "Saya cikgu dalam Bahasa Inggeris". We talked the rest of the conversation in English. Probably because he believed initially that I could hold a conversation with him in Bahasa and that there was no reason of trying to test my ability anymore. I welcomed him to continue talking in Bahasa Melayu so I could learn and become more fluent in the language. He didn't listen. lol When the conversation was over he offered to pay for my food and but I politely declined and hit him with the "shukran". That's when his eyes got big. "Awak cakap Bahasa Arab juga?!?!?!?!" he asked surprised. "No no no" I chuckled, "But I am learning". We ended the conversation and we went our separate ways. I'm sure he left thinking I wonder how this westerner is picking up on these languages and he's not from here. I've actually had the question asked to me in many circumstances. The answer remains the same, "I am in a new place and learning a lot of new things. The culture is very interesting and the people are willing to speak to me in Malay and Arabic. I want to learn as much as possible while I'm here. Plus, I need to know how to ask for Roti Tisu!"
When we were in Bali 3 weeks ago we walked past a restaurant and overheard the breaking news report that Japan had just suffered a earthquake. Some time later we were informed that it had also been hit by a tsunami. WOW....there were sooo many people that were killed, injured, missing, and without family member, loved ones and their homes. Living in this area of the world there were many immediate questions about how this would affect us in Malaysia. When we returned to KT we arrived to sunny days and hot temps. The next two weeks would prove to be different however. It's raining NOW. I def believe that this has something to do with the tsunami. It has not only rained but rained heavily. All areas of KT were flooded but because of the infrastructure of the houses and buildings here, drainage is not a major problem. Most places were clear of 3 or 4 inches of rain in less than 2 days. My school was partially flooded in large part because we are right on the water but I came back the next day and the rain had dried up. It will rain hard in the morning and into the afternoon but by night it will slow but continue steady. Throughout the week, I thought a way to raise and donate money to Japan relief efforts. I am a member of the PBSM uniform body at SMAASZA which is a program run through the Red Cross. The club duties include promoting health awareness, learning basic medical procedures(CPR), and serving the school as the medical trainers for sporting events. I am collaborating with the Red Cross headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, PBSM, and the students and teachers at SMAASZA to raise money for the relief efforts. The kids and teachers are all excited about the opportunity to help out the people in that region of the world and are working hard to raise money. I have had many experiences here in Malaysia and the other places that I have visited and all have been learning lessons. This fundraiser has been a wonderful reminder of how kind the people I am surrounded by are. THANK YOU! Have a wonderful week!
PICS
Last week when asked on my birthday what I wanted for it, the first thing that popped into my head were two things: a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts or 4 orders of Roti Tisu. Either way I figured I would be eating goooooood. Well....I got the Roti Tisu and a whole lot more! When I arrived at school, I was confronted with all type of birthday greetings! "Sir, Happy Birthday" and "Happy Birthday, I want to take you out to lunch or dinner" or "Happy Birthday and many more, Sir!". Boy, they know how to make a person feel good! Every class that I taught that day sung Happy Birthday to me and danced. I was given treats, gifts, and food by the students of all my classes. I was even offered money by some students. It felt bad taking my students money but hey, it was my birthday!! APRIL FOOLS!!!! The English teachers chipped in and bought me a cake with my name on it(delicious) and a Batik shirt. The thought was so nice and they also sung happy birthday and celebrated with me. The head of the different academic departments bought bowls of bua or fruit. I tried Cat's Eyes(soft shell with juicy seed inside) and what I call "snake fruit". The actual name starts with a "s" but I can't think of it now. I call it snake fruit because the outside skin resembles that of snake skin. A bitter taste upon first bite but mellows out to a sweet taste. It kind of looked like a pear now I think of it. On my way back from my last class, I arrived back at the room to find my desk SWAMPED with b-day cards and gifts from the students. One gift in particular, some students bought a picture frame and decorated it with the words "Our Favourite ETA, Happy Birthday and Thank You for making a difference in our lives!" I almost cried when I read that. It feels good to know that you are appreciated in such a positive light.
I felt bad because I had to turn down so many offers to take me out for lunch or dinner that day because it seemed like everyone wanted to and I hate to turn down a free meal! That night, the SMAASZA ETA "mother" and head of the ko-korrikulum, Madam Zalina, offered to take me out with her family to dinner to celebrate the day. We went to a newly opened restaurant not far from where I live and tried about 5 different dishes! Now I say try but I should say finished! They were all so good. Even dishes that didn't look appealing oddly enough were delicious or sedap! The restaurant had a history of Kuala Terengganu motif and theme and had pictures from the major development era of KT during the 50s-70s. One of the teachers at the school who had recommended the restaurant told us that her aunt and uncle was a part of the picture gallery that laid on the wall. Sure enough the picture was there and was surrounded by which now a heavily populated area. The owner of the restaurant happened to be the teacher's nephew in-law. Small world or dunia cecil. I told him that I was a teacher and that I really liked KT and he offered to take me to an island for the weekend. I went to the island, Redang, and it was an all expense paid trip! I went snorkeling, deep sea diving....no no no no April Fools(ok that's the last one). I really did meet the owner and talk to him though.
The second and third of my English activities were that week also. The second activity, Camera Through MY Eyes, included me issuing out disposable cameras to students. The students would pick a theme and then create a presentation on the pics that they took. I instructed the participants that I wanted them to be as creative as possible in presenting. Some of the themes included nature, friendship and the elements. A total of 50 students participated in made it fun and educational. The task was to promote creativity and to build upon English conversational skills. What a success! The winning group decided to pick friendship as their theme. With their pics they decided to make a cardboard cutout of a TV and paste the pics on a pinwheel that could be seen through the screen when you turned the dial. They staged a argument amongst the 5 members of the group. When they realized that the argument wasn't going anywhere they decided to sit down and "watch TV". As they "watched", the photos that they had pasted served as reminders as why they were friends. There were pics of them at the beach, at school, and around town. Once they "flipped through the 5 channels" they decided that friendship was more important than a silly argument. I was so proud them! It was well put together and you could tell there had obviously been a lot of thought that had been put in it.
The third activity, Get To Know Me, required the students to interview a teacher and do a presentation on the material collected. Once again, the goal was to promote conversational skills and creativity. This exercise worked great because it gave students a opportunity to meet their teachers as people. There were 30 students who participated and the groups were amazing!! Groups were so enthusiastic and fun. They even through in a birthday shoutout for me as the presentations were given on my birthday. The winning groups delivered their information clearly and concisely and incorporated role playing, speeches, dancing, singing, and even PowerPoint's. I was equally proud of the groups who participated in these activities. As a reward to the groups that won, I will be taking them on a trip to Taman Negara where we can engage in many outdoor activities including the world famous skywalk. It is the world's longest rope bridge at over 500m long and 50m high. I know if they aren't excited I am. My activities I believe are working great. I have noticed a increase in the amount of students that come and talk to me or ask me questions in my office or around school. They are getting more comfortable with me and my teaching style and I believe they are enjoying it. I also enjoy and recognize that students at first were reserved in the aspect of not being open in talking or communicating with me in English because they were shy or "afraid [their] English is not good enough" but now openly will talk on a more frequent basis and ask me about differences in life in America. "Sir, what is your opinion on the man who wanted to burn the Qu'ran? Sir, how is racism in your country? What about life, what do you believe?" I welcome these questions and let them know that even though I am from America I do not represent the thought process and I am not the voice of all Americans. I tell them in many circumstances that there are many ignorant people in the world and many times that's why irrational decisions are made. I tell them one reason that I am here is to increase my knowledge about a culture and to grow as a person. One way that you can grow is by learning about others and asking questions. It allows you to hear things from their perspective and from that you cultivate a understanding and respect for them. They smile!!
As a ETA at a religious school I have also been exposed to Bahasa Arab. I am learning Arabic! So far I have a very basic 8 words down but I am picking it up pretty fast. Shukran means thank you and the response would be afwan which means your welcome. I also have learned "how are you?", "I'm fine" and the numbers 1-7 along with a couple of arbitrary words due to being in a situation. As I stated in an earlier blog post one of the things I enjoy the most is the look on the locals face when I conversate with them in Bahasa Melayu or Arab. I was eating dinner the other night at a food stall that's not to far away from my school and a man who was eating dinner next to me spoke in English. "Where are you from?" he asked continuing to eat. "Dari mana America, tetapi saya tinggal sini untuk 3 bulan" I replied. You...should've..seen this guy almost choke on his food in amazement. Now it wasn't funny that he almost choked but it his face was priceless. "Apa ajar?"(what do you teach?) he muttered. "Saya cikgu dalam Bahasa Inggeris". We talked the rest of the conversation in English. Probably because he believed initially that I could hold a conversation with him in Bahasa and that there was no reason of trying to test my ability anymore. I welcomed him to continue talking in Bahasa Melayu so I could learn and become more fluent in the language. He didn't listen. lol When the conversation was over he offered to pay for my food and but I politely declined and hit him with the "shukran". That's when his eyes got big. "Awak cakap Bahasa Arab juga?!?!?!?!" he asked surprised. "No no no" I chuckled, "But I am learning". We ended the conversation and we went our separate ways. I'm sure he left thinking I wonder how this westerner is picking up on these languages and he's not from here. I've actually had the question asked to me in many circumstances. The answer remains the same, "I am in a new place and learning a lot of new things. The culture is very interesting and the people are willing to speak to me in Malay and Arabic. I want to learn as much as possible while I'm here. Plus, I need to know how to ask for Roti Tisu!"
When we were in Bali 3 weeks ago we walked past a restaurant and overheard the breaking news report that Japan had just suffered a earthquake. Some time later we were informed that it had also been hit by a tsunami. WOW....there were sooo many people that were killed, injured, missing, and without family member, loved ones and their homes. Living in this area of the world there were many immediate questions about how this would affect us in Malaysia. When we returned to KT we arrived to sunny days and hot temps. The next two weeks would prove to be different however. It's raining NOW. I def believe that this has something to do with the tsunami. It has not only rained but rained heavily. All areas of KT were flooded but because of the infrastructure of the houses and buildings here, drainage is not a major problem. Most places were clear of 3 or 4 inches of rain in less than 2 days. My school was partially flooded in large part because we are right on the water but I came back the next day and the rain had dried up. It will rain hard in the morning and into the afternoon but by night it will slow but continue steady. Throughout the week, I thought a way to raise and donate money to Japan relief efforts. I am a member of the PBSM uniform body at SMAASZA which is a program run through the Red Cross. The club duties include promoting health awareness, learning basic medical procedures(CPR), and serving the school as the medical trainers for sporting events. I am collaborating with the Red Cross headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, PBSM, and the students and teachers at SMAASZA to raise money for the relief efforts. The kids and teachers are all excited about the opportunity to help out the people in that region of the world and are working hard to raise money. I have had many experiences here in Malaysia and the other places that I have visited and all have been learning lessons. This fundraiser has been a wonderful reminder of how kind the people I am surrounded by are. THANK YOU! Have a wonderful week!
PICS
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2083153&id=11104806&l=a129bf66ec
Happy belated Birthday
ReplyDeleteTake care and like they say in Arabic Allah yahmik, which means God will protect you
Nada