READ POST BELOW FIRST
Since I have been back in Terengganu the last couple of weeks I have been seriously working on trying to find a job. I'm in the process now of studying for the MCATs but I don't think I'll be ready by September to take them. I'm not sure what I'll be doing when I return to the states. The other day I received a email from the networking site LinkedIn. I had set up an account last year sometime but really have not kept up with it so I decided to update it and send my resume out to a couple of employers. I took the email as a sign that this is a opportunity. God willing, with some more hard work something will come through. Pray for me.
Being here in Malaysia has been a blessing. BUT one thing that I wish I could change would be the concept of communication. Something that I think every ETA has experienced is the lack of communication amongst Malaysians and then affecting us. There have been countless occasions where I have had activities planned and at the last minute have had to cancel them because of something "coming up". Last week I had a camping trip planned for some student's who won my English Week activity back in MARCH and two days before we were supposed to leave I was told that we could not go because the students at the school could not leave the school. Now this activity was planned over 3 months ago but everytime there had been a last minute change in the schedule that would not permit me to carry out the trip. I have shown up to class multiple times and found out from the students that there is no class because they had a speaker come or the teacher has taken the class on a field trip. I have had 6 different schedules within the last 4 months. This makes it hard to get to know the students in a classroom setting and really have them get used to me and my teaching style.Sometimes we do not find out about competitions until the last minute or business transactions do not go through properly because there is a break down in communication somewhere. It's interesting because the Malaysians seem used to this type of procrastination or "lack" of preparation. And you know what, it's probably on like this because WE'RE not used to it. Life still goes on efficiently for them and it had been before we even arrived back in January. As good as the Fulbright officials have been to us sometimes I think we forget that the world does not revolve around us. When things like communication break down it is a reminder that we are "small fish in a big pond" sort of speak and that even though we want to know what's going on we need to continue to adjust to this lifestyle. Life here in Terenggnau will go on without us once we leave. Because of this, my resiliency skills and time management skills have definitely improved. Sometimes I find myself slowing down and thinking situations out more clearly and that has helped me in planning and recruiting.
Well because my trip was cancelled, a couple of ETAs and I decided to go to Pulau Perhentian last weekend. It ended up being one of the best trips that I've ever taken. For a couple of reasons:the water was crystal clear, the weather was beautiful, and the atmosphere was very relaxing. When I got into the water, I walked to it was about waist high and I could still see my feet. Never have I been in a natural body of water where I could walk that far out and see my feet. Check out the pics! The sand was white, WHITE SAND! I mean I'm talking about scenery you only see in movies or unless you're rich and take weekend excursions to remote islands. When we left Besut(the jeti) the water was dirty. The boat was surrounded trash and immersed in murky dark water. About 5 mins into the 30 mins transfer to the island the water turned a gorgeous blue. You could see the two islands, Perhentian Kecil and Besar, in the distance on the horizon. As we drew closer to the islands we noticed that the water started becoming a lighter blue and the water was a lot calmer. Once we pulled in the island's lagoon, you could look down off the boat and see the coral on the sea floor some 3m below. I decided to go to snorkeling. We were told that my group was going to see turtles, sharks, and all different types of colored fish. They did not lie. I saw Little Nemo, Sharkbite, Dorry and all the other sea creatures from Finding Nemo along with the coral. On the way back from the designated snorkel points, we stopped because we saw some turtles coming up for air. We quickly put on our gear and got out of the boat. I was less than 3 feet from 1 meter long turtles. They were sooooo BIG. The turtle that I got to swim with had just come up for air and it took another 15 minutes for it to come up again. Next we saw the sharks. The sharks were a little to big for my comfort so after seeing one in the water while snorkeling I decided that was enough for the day. Now I'm not too much of a "lay out on the beach all day and work on my tan" person but I definitely enjoyed being out there amongst the other ETAs and in the environment. If I had gone on my camping trip with the kids I might'veFinding Nemo cast! Well maybe not but I had a great time. THANK YOU
I tell all the other ETAs and officials that I am very happy to be teaching at my school, SMAASZA. Since being there, I have made many friends, learned from students and teachers, enjoyed teaching, and been a part of their success! The students participated in the Uniform Body Camp. Each organization participated in different team skill building competitions. Once I arrived on Friday the students had already cooked, pitched there tents, built there camps, and erected forts and statues out of bamboo. Once again amazing how resourceful these kids are. Another example of these kids intellect was illustrated at the SEM competition. The science, engineering, and mathematics fair was held right down the street from our apartment so it was easy to attend. Our students entered 2 products in the fair. The first being a light bulb changer. Picture a "trash picker-upper" with the hydraulic handle pump but at the end two grippers used to delicately grasp a bulb and unscrew it. The second which was more impressive was called " Fruity Easy Machine". It was a mechanical system that cored, peeled, ejected, and juiced fruits. Basically making it easier to make fruit juices, shakes,or to just eat fruit without the hassle of peeling and cutting. A magnificent invention all made from scrap metal and recyclable parts. The machine was also came with an electrical board used to rotate the fruit during the peeling process giving you an even cut. AMAZING!!! To see them turn it on and actually do all of this was....wow. Well we ended up earning 1st place honors in all the 4 individual categories and being GRAND CHAMPS!!! 11 of the 12 students who participated in the fair were my students and I was proud to say that I taught them. Not that I had anything to do with their success in that realm but I'm glad they were so successful. WELL.....they DIDDDDD actually have to explain their inventions to the judges in English so hopefully I helped them be more confident in speaking and conveying their message. :)
THANK YOU SMAASZA STUDENTS
Since I have been back in Terengganu the last couple of weeks I have been seriously working on trying to find a job. I'm in the process now of studying for the MCATs but I don't think I'll be ready by September to take them. I'm not sure what I'll be doing when I return to the states. The other day I received a email from the networking site LinkedIn. I had set up an account last year sometime but really have not kept up with it so I decided to update it and send my resume out to a couple of employers. I took the email as a sign that this is a opportunity. God willing, with some more hard work something will come through. Pray for me.
Being here in Malaysia has been a blessing. BUT one thing that I wish I could change would be the concept of communication. Something that I think every ETA has experienced is the lack of communication amongst Malaysians and then affecting us. There have been countless occasions where I have had activities planned and at the last minute have had to cancel them because of something "coming up". Last week I had a camping trip planned for some student's who won my English Week activity back in MARCH and two days before we were supposed to leave I was told that we could not go because the students at the school could not leave the school. Now this activity was planned over 3 months ago but everytime there had been a last minute change in the schedule that would not permit me to carry out the trip. I have shown up to class multiple times and found out from the students that there is no class because they had a speaker come or the teacher has taken the class on a field trip. I have had 6 different schedules within the last 4 months. This makes it hard to get to know the students in a classroom setting and really have them get used to me and my teaching style.Sometimes we do not find out about competitions until the last minute or business transactions do not go through properly because there is a break down in communication somewhere. It's interesting because the Malaysians seem used to this type of procrastination or "lack" of preparation. And you know what, it's probably on like this because WE'RE not used to it. Life still goes on efficiently for them and it had been before we even arrived back in January. As good as the Fulbright officials have been to us sometimes I think we forget that the world does not revolve around us. When things like communication break down it is a reminder that we are "small fish in a big pond" sort of speak and that even though we want to know what's going on we need to continue to adjust to this lifestyle. Life here in Terenggnau will go on without us once we leave. Because of this, my resiliency skills and time management skills have definitely improved. Sometimes I find myself slowing down and thinking situations out more clearly and that has helped me in planning and recruiting.
Well because my trip was cancelled, a couple of ETAs and I decided to go to Pulau Perhentian last weekend. It ended up being one of the best trips that I've ever taken. For a couple of reasons:the water was crystal clear, the weather was beautiful, and the atmosphere was very relaxing. When I got into the water, I walked to it was about waist high and I could still see my feet. Never have I been in a natural body of water where I could walk that far out and see my feet. Check out the pics! The sand was white, WHITE SAND! I mean I'm talking about scenery you only see in movies or unless you're rich and take weekend excursions to remote islands. When we left Besut(the jeti) the water was dirty. The boat was surrounded trash and immersed in murky dark water. About 5 mins into the 30 mins transfer to the island the water turned a gorgeous blue. You could see the two islands, Perhentian Kecil and Besar, in the distance on the horizon. As we drew closer to the islands we noticed that the water started becoming a lighter blue and the water was a lot calmer. Once we pulled in the island's lagoon, you could look down off the boat and see the coral on the sea floor some 3m below. I decided to go to snorkeling. We were told that my group was going to see turtles, sharks, and all different types of colored fish. They did not lie. I saw Little Nemo, Sharkbite, Dorry and all the other sea creatures from Finding Nemo along with the coral. On the way back from the designated snorkel points, we stopped because we saw some turtles coming up for air. We quickly put on our gear and got out of the boat. I was less than 3 feet from 1 meter long turtles. They were sooooo BIG. The turtle that I got to swim with had just come up for air and it took another 15 minutes for it to come up again. Next we saw the sharks. The sharks were a little to big for my comfort so after seeing one in the water while snorkeling I decided that was enough for the day. Now I'm not too much of a "lay out on the beach all day and work on my tan" person but I definitely enjoyed being out there amongst the other ETAs and in the environment. If I had gone on my camping trip with the kids I might'veFinding Nemo cast! Well maybe not but I had a great time. THANK YOU
I tell all the other ETAs and officials that I am very happy to be teaching at my school, SMAASZA. Since being there, I have made many friends, learned from students and teachers, enjoyed teaching, and been a part of their success! The students participated in the Uniform Body Camp. Each organization participated in different team skill building competitions. Once I arrived on Friday the students had already cooked, pitched there tents, built there camps, and erected forts and statues out of bamboo. Once again amazing how resourceful these kids are. Another example of these kids intellect was illustrated at the SEM competition. The science, engineering, and mathematics fair was held right down the street from our apartment so it was easy to attend. Our students entered 2 products in the fair. The first being a light bulb changer. Picture a "trash picker-upper" with the hydraulic handle pump but at the end two grippers used to delicately grasp a bulb and unscrew it. The second which was more impressive was called " Fruity Easy Machine". It was a mechanical system that cored, peeled, ejected, and juiced fruits. Basically making it easier to make fruit juices, shakes,or to just eat fruit without the hassle of peeling and cutting. A magnificent invention all made from scrap metal and recyclable parts. The machine was also came with an electrical board used to rotate the fruit during the peeling process giving you an even cut. AMAZING!!! To see them turn it on and actually do all of this was....wow. Well we ended up earning 1st place honors in all the 4 individual categories and being GRAND CHAMPS!!! 11 of the 12 students who participated in the fair were my students and I was proud to say that I taught them. Not that I had anything to do with their success in that realm but I'm glad they were so successful. WELL.....they DIDDDDD actually have to explain their inventions to the judges in English so hopefully I helped them be more confident in speaking and conveying their message. :)
THANK YOU SMAASZA STUDENTS
I am sure you are a great influence on these kids!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great job and the wonderful, positive attitude.
I am so anxious to meet you soon
God bless you
Nada
Scholar, you will do well!!! You now have so much more to offer than ever before. Everybody wants to network with Fulbright Scholars.
ReplyDelete