Trip to Pulau Pangkor
Hello Everyone,
Well, I’ve been remiss lately on keeping you up to date on my travels (for those of you who are interested). I’ve got notes on my adventures in Hong Kong, Macau and China and will get those to you when I can. This epistle will be about my initial impressions of Malaysia, my home for the next few months. Remember, the delete button is always an option.
I left Vietnam with the intention of finding a job in China and had applied to several schools. Got responses from some but they didn’t seem to inviting or I didn’t think I would like the area. One job that sounded good was withdrawn when they realized I am 68. They stated that they had contacted the local authorities and were told that I would not be able to get a work permit. One job that was offered in Tianjin, about two hours from Beijing in an industrial port city, didn’t sound that good but they said I wouldn’t need a work permit for a three month contract so I accepted it. However, during my travels, I was offered a job in Malaysia, good pay, free housing and airfare home for a three month contract. I jumped on it. So that’s where I am now. Got the job through the recommendation of a couple of friends, Joe and Marlene Foley, who were teachers with me at the Caledonian School in Prague.
Arrived in Malaysia on a Monday with the idea of settling in, finding my way around and beginning work the following Monday. Met with Joe and Marlene that night (they live in the same apartment complex) and was informed that the school wanted me to start the next day, which I did. Not properly prepared but willing to take the money.
I’m working for International House at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. International House (IH) is a huge organization with schools all over the world. I got my teaching certification from IH in Madrid. I’m very pleased to get connected with them because I may be able to transfer easily to their other IH schools. IH has an outstanding reputation. Limkokwing U. was founded by a Chinese gentleman who named it after himself. They have branches in London, Beijing and about three other spots. Their students are mostly design students and art students and architects and they come here from all over the world.
The IH students are trying to improve their English to a level that they can be accepted into an English speaking University. Evidently, Limkokwing has the franchise for International House in this area. I was hired to work i a special three month summer program designed especially for Koreans who would come for one month at a time. Unfortunately, by the time I got here, the summer program had been scrapped and the Koreans were integrated into the classes for the ﾓinternational?students. I won’t bore you with the details of the problems this has caused, mostly because the Koreans have come over in groups of about forty each week and have been introduced into classes that have already started. Oh well, it’s not my problem. I’ve enjoyed teaching all of the and have especially enjoyed meeting students from countries I have never visited. I’ve got students from Korea, China, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. There are students from Kazakstan and Russia and Mongolia. Limkokwing brags of having students from 90 different countries.
Things are somewhat disorganized at the moment because the Director of studies, my boss whom I have never met and who is supposed to be in charge, has been away for a month. But the students are nice and everyone has been helpful. I have a nice, free apartment and a nice pool that I swim in every afternoon. Life is good!
Malaysia seems to be the most prosperous of the southeast Asian countries I have visited. Of course, I’m basing this on this relatively new and growing city of Cyberjaya and Kuala Lumpur. They have good infrastructure, good roads and good public transportation. The major highways around here are almost like the interstates in the US. There has been plenty of blue sky and sunshine, which i love, and, surprisingly, it has not seemed as hot as Hanoi though it is much closer toe the equator.
Cyberjaya, the Intelligent City, as it says on the sign at the city limit is only ten years old (though I’m sure some of the buildings and businesses are older than that) and is intended to be the Silicon Valley of Malaysia. It’s growing fast but the housing projects which are going up everywhere, though architecturally interesting, have a sameness about them. Someone from our school of creative technology should step out of the box.
Putrajaya, which was developed to house all of the government offices, is new and fancy, even the mosques. It is just across the highway from our school and is probably the main reason for the rapid growth in the area.
Kuala Lumpur (KL, as it is affectionately known) is about 20 miles away, easily reached by bus in about 45 minutes to an hour. It’s a big, modern city with all the major hotels and all the big name shops. 7-11s are everywhere. Lots of McDonalds, KFCs and Pizza Huts. Those aren’t the big names I was referring to. The major landmark in KL is Petronas Towers, twin towers with a walkway connecting the two on the 40th floor. It was featured in the movie Entrapment. Until recently, it was the tallest building in the world. (The title was lost to a building in Taiwan.) It has Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, Bvlgari, Giorgio Armani, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and Salvatore Ferragamo in addition to McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut.
According to the people I have talked to, Malaysia is composed of three main groups: the Malays who are Muslims, the Chines who are Buddhists and the Indians who are Hindus. A member of the school administration, a Pakistani, who has been very helpful to arriving teachers told me that the Chinese are the businessmen, the Indians are the workers and the Malay are lazy. All the groups are represented in the the student body and the faculty. Thus, in the cafeteria each day, I see girls in head scarves (even a couple in full burkas revealing nothing but their faces), girls with the dots on their foreheads to indicate whether or not they are married and and some, mostly the Koreans, in tank tops and mini-skirts. It’s and unusual and fascinating assortment of costumes and religious. What is so wonderful is the fact that there seems to be total acceptance between them. No one looks askance at another group or shows any disapproval. They all seem to get along. Certainly there is a lot of clannishness as they stay in their groups but there is also a lot in integration as well. All the groups are represented in my apartment complex as well and little children play together while the mothers talk, one in a scarf and one with a dot on her forehead. Muslim women in the pool are almost completely covered, head to toe. Of course, some dress in completely western clothing. It’s fascinating to see all the cultures blend together. Hope to learn a lot more about their beliefs and traditions. The people are nice, friendly, and very helpful. The children are adorable with shiny, jet black hair and huge dark eyes. And they always wave when you say hello.
One interesting fact, tradition, superstition is the idea that the number four is unlucky. Think this is from the Chinese. Believe that the word for four in Chinese also means death. Consequently, just as we often don’t have a 13th floor in the US, there is no 4th floor here. The elevator shows 2, 3, 3a, 5. I live on 13a. 11, 12, 13, 13a, 15, 16. I assume the same is true for Petronas Towers and i don’t know how many floors that is.
Went to the beach last weekend, a small island of the coast, Pulau Pankor in the Straits of Melaka between Malaysia and Indonesia. Going to the central highlands this weekend.
But more about that later. My fingers are tired and you must be too.
What’s the news where you are?
Love to all,
Tom
higgiro39