So Many Differences/Taman Negara

4/21/11

"All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything"

 Swami Vivekananda

Sometimes when you are engaged in a conversation with someone that speaks a different language, has a different belief system, and has a different perspective it is expected for the two sides to have contradicting opinions on how life should be carried out. The hard part about hearing these difference of opinions is that you want to superimpose your beliefs on that contradicting opinion. I mean you've been raised to think a certain way is "correct" or "proper", so why should you not try to "educate" the opposing party and bring him or her to the "light"? The thought process when this happens can take one of resentment, anger, and often superiority. (Don't worry this didn't happen to me, I'm just laying the backdrop) Many times conversations, jokes, and nuances are lost in translation. Those can potentially alter the whole dynamic of the conversation and lead to an altogether different conversation. Differences are natural; however, I believe it is education and understanding which bridges those cultural gaps. Recently, I have been a part of conversations where there was definitely a difference in beliefs and ways procedures should be carried out. While in these types of conversations I have been confronted with questions about my faith, war, habits, love, and any other personal topic you can think of. The reaction of the person is always funny because its with a reluctant tone. It is often followed with a " I don't want to be rude or you don't have to answer." I understand the reasoning behind that behavior. My student's (who I receive the bulk of these inquiries from) are really opening up to me and letting their curious minds pose a host of questions to me. I showed the school Cool Runnings a couple of weeks ago and there were parts where I was certain the kids would find funny and I was the only one in the room laughing. After the movie, we had a discussion about some of the lessons and values that were portrayed throughout the movie. At first, I thought maybe because the movie's characters talked in an accent it would make it hard for them to follow and understand the jokes. I was wrong, not only were they able to understand the movie but they picked up on somethings that I didn't. I asked them about some of the parts and if they thought they were funny or not and their overwhelming response was that it just wasn't funny. WOW...here I was cracking up at some parts and they did so much as to not crack a smirk. Stone cold.


 Last weekend I decided that it would be good to get out the house and take a road trip. I mean hey, I have a car, why not get my monies worth? I decided to go to Taman Negara in Pahang. Taman Negara which means National Park, is the oldest rain forest in the world dating back more than 150 million years old. Leigh and I set out early Friday morning intending to beat most of the weekend traffic. It was a beautiful scenic trip. Seeing the sun over the mountains and bounce off the mountains and valleys is simply gorgeous. Now I don't want this to seem like a sob story but when you are in the presence of God's creations, you can really reflect on what life is really about. The trip was a little over 5 hours long but I had to stop and admire the "small things". I thank my parents for that mindset. I can remember on multiple accounts traveling somewhere as a family and hearing" Hey, yall wake up and learn something. See something new and turn off that music or game". Now at the time I was not trying to hear that but as you get older you really can reflect on and apply those memories and words to life. Now every time I take a trip somewhere, if there is something that I see or is interesting , I make it a point to stop and learn and appreciate. THANK YOU Mama and Daddy
 Once we arrived there, we realized that it had progressively got hotter outside the air conditioned car. As soon as we stopped we could see the car sweating! It was at least 97 deg at about 2:30 pm; at 2:32 pm it had rose to 100 deg!! We ate lunch and checked into our hotel. The park information desk attendant was cool. He was only 20 yrs old and very relaxed. He looked like the Malaysian version of Will Smith! Before I could tell him who I thought he looked like he interrupted me and said " I know I know, Will Smith right?" I figured because of his promptness and tone that he had heard it before. We just laughed and joked as we booked our reservation for the night safari. The night safari all but promised that we would see lions, tigers, and bears.....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my. We checked in the hotel after and relaxed in the first air conditioned bedroom that I had stayed in since arriving at my school and departing from the Tanjung Vista Hotel. The room also boasted warm water, HBO, HBO, HBO, and HBO. I was so excited that I took a picture(check out the pics). Our night safari started at 8:30 so we at around 7:30 and took the jeti(boat ride) to the other side of the river where our safari would start. Our safari guide was very nice and said that we probably wouldn't see too many animals because of the amount of people in our group. I think I was the only person in the group that did not necessarily think that was a bad thing. SO MY first question was do you think we are going to see any snakes? It didn't matter whether poisonous or not I just wanted to know. As we started on our safari it became apparent that there were no lights along this trail except for the small lights we were expected to bring. All I could think about was Jurassic Park and how the Velociraptors attacked the crew from the sides. Now I wasn't expecting a dinosaur to come rumbling out the woods but I def made up my mind that if need be I would the quickest and fastest in my group if confronted with a hungry animal. Along the walk we saw spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and caterpillars all that were poisonous. A couple times I mistook a hanging branch or unearthed roots for a Anaconda. I tell you my footwork was so quick I should've tried out for Dancing with the Stars. I even yelled to a guy that there was a snake above his head but it turned out to be a dangling branch(check the pics). I'm sure they got tired of me "crying wolf" but hey I'd rather be safe then anybody sorry. That night I wore long sleeve clothes because of the potential dangers that could have contact with your arms and legs. Well my intentions were to protect me against the living things but I def paid for it with the heat. IT WAS SOOOOOOOO HOTT!!!!! By the time that we finished all my clothes were soaking wet with sweat. We walked back to the hotel and got ready for bed. I have been talking about going to med school now for over 3 years. I think that it time to seriously act on that dream and stop talking about it. I did some reading from a Kaplan book(thanks Ana) and fell asleep reading. Good night


 The next day we woke early to beat the morning flock of tourists to the canopy walk. Our efforts didn't help. Being that this particular canopy walk is the longest and tallest of its kind in the world, many people were out and ready early. It was a 30 minute walk to the canopy's entrance and once we arrived it was worth every step. The views from the canopy walk were of lush rain forest and offered many sounds of the rainforest's birds and animals. As we were scaling this canopy walk and came to the end of one segment, I noticed that the segment was partially held in place by hanger wire's.......I SAID HANGER WIRES!!!! (check the pics)  If that wasn't enough there was a lady behind who was so scared that she kept yelling hysterically. I almost stopped and said if you are that scared then why come up and CONTINUE! Then I figure each has his reason for doing something so I supported and encouraged her to continue and be positive. At the end she thanked me and we laughed about it. Our next stop was Bukit Teresek, the highest point in peninsular Malaysia. What a gorgeous sight to see. There were a lot of people who trekked to the summit and all were talking along the way. As soon as we arrived it was one of the moments where we all just relaxed, sat down, and appreciated what we were experiencing. I met a guy from Kelantan(neighboring state) who was soooo surprised that I could hold a conversation with in Malay. Leigh and Seth(NYer who was on vacation) caught up with us and we took pics. Before we parted, I asked the tour guide from the night before what would be the fastest way back to the jeti. She told me to go down the path we came and take a right at the break point where the canopy walk ended. We did just that and ended up walking for an hour in the jungle. I SAID WE GOT LOST IN A JUNGLE. While stuck in Jumanji, Leigh and I trekked for an hour deeper and deeper in the jungle with only our spit to keep us hydrated. Luckily, there was a beaten path that we followed into and back out. The whole time I thought, "What would Bear Grylls do?"(reference to Man v Wild). To make matters worse, Leigh was severely dehydrated and was very tired. With teamwork and dedication, we made it out safely. A potential dangerous situation turned out for the positive and we both walked out unscathed. Our first item of business, replenishing what we lost. We found the FIRST food stall on the water and ATE!! I ordered 4 drinks(non-alcholic of course) and a big BIG meal. After we recovered from our hike, we walked back to our hotel changed clothes and drove back home. THANK YOU GOD


 There are some wonderful people in this world who are put in your life to make you a better person. Many times its just knowing that you have somebody there who cares. Knowing you are supported by someone who reads your blog,sends you care packages, or sends emails means a lot when you are on the other side of the world. Sometimes they do small things, sometimes they do big things but regardless of what the size of the "gift"is the important thing is the thought. Continue to keep me in your prayers. THANK YOU Family, Friends, and Mrs. ElHarake


PICShttp://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.618588037562.2084860.11104806