It’s been about a week since we’ve arrived in Malaysia, and time is already flying bye. Getting here may have been a bit hectic, but after 40+ hours of sitting on planes and waiting in airports, the YES Abroad Malaysia Cohort 2018-19 finally made it to the beautiful city I now call home, Kuala Lumpur.
During in country orientation, which we had at a hotel in Pentalling Jaya, just outside the KL city limits, we Americans met several other exchange students/volunteers from Italy, Germany, and India, and attended sessions with AFS Malaysia to prepare us for the next year. The first full day in country was my sweet sixteen, which was a blast. I even got sung “Happy Birthday” to in five different languages!
For five more days after the initial orientation, Sejal, Harnoor, Corey, Liz and I stayed at the Crystal Crown Hotel for our Bahasa Melayu Language camp. Everyday, we studied the language with an amazing teacher from the US Embassy inside the hotel, and out. We went to the Central Market and China Town in KL to practice our bargaining skills in Malay, which was so fun, even though we got ripped off when it came to the inai (henna) costs. During the language camp time, our group also visited the US Embassy, and met with diplomats that do a variety of different jobs.
I personally had a blast at orientation/language camp and became really good friends with everyone in my cohort, which I think is extremely valuable. After all, we are all going through the same thing, so it’s important to have a good support system in case any of us need any.
Now, I’m more excited than every to meet my new family for the next 11 months, and learn as much about Malaysia as I can. I feel so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing and once in a lifetime opportunity with YES Abroad, to explore a different part of the Earth, meet people from all different backgrounds, and be immersed in a new culture 10,000 miles away from home.
- MIA
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