Getting Oriented to Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur — the Big City

To begin my adventure, I took a brutal 14-hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong. As any well-traveled person will tell you, being stuck in the middle seat with a persistent kicker behind you for more than 10 hours does not make for a fun flight. Then, despite everyone's warnings, I hopped on a Malaysia Airlines plane to Kuala Lumpur. After arriving at my final destination alive, I promptly went to sleep. 

The next few days were a blur. I got sick but still managed to attend the day-long orientation sessions organized by the Fulbright program. In many ways, the first week of orientation was similar to the first week of college: "Hi, what's your name? What school do you go to? Where are you from?" It included a lot of information about Malaysian culture, and I quickly learned how much I didn't know. The clothing, the education system, the morals and values are all different, and I felt completely unprepared for the situation that I had put myself into. 

I believe, however, that getting out of my comfort zone allows me to grow and become a better person. As uncomfortable and exhausted as I felt, by the end of the week, I had met a majority of my cohort of 99 and felt at ease with life in the big city. 

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
Photo courtesy of Trisha Huynh

I spent the second week of orientation getting to know my favorite places surrounding our hotel. The famous Petronas Towers twin skyscrapers were only a 15-minute walk away, and I loved going there at night to stare at the beautiful architecture and observe the night show, complete with music and fountain lights that changed colors. The towers became the North Star because wherever a Fulbright group went, we knew that walking toward the towers would get us back to our hotel.

A man sells flowers at a stall in Brickfields of
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital.
Photo courtesy of Trisha Huynh

I also discovered Parking Lot, as our cohort so creatively named it. Parking Lot was a parking lot (big surprise) filled with food stalls selling laksa, a fish-based noodle soup; keuy teow, a fried noodle dish; pao, a steamed white bun filled with savory pork; and juice buah, fresh squeezed juice. It quickly became everyone's favorite eating spot.

Another highlight of Kuala Lumpur is Little India, or Brickfields, as the colonists called it. The streets of Brickfields are decorated with vibrant colors and saris, and Indian desserts and lively music transport you to another world. There, I tried a banana leaf meal in which four or five sides of curried vegetables accompany rice, which is covered in a variety of different Indian curries. This meal was particularly fun because I ate it with my hands. Since then, I’ve learned that this eating style is quite common, and the novelty has worn off.

By the time that we finished our two-week orientation, I felt comfortable in Kuala Lumpur, and my cohort felt like family. It only makes sense, then, that just when I was beginning to feel at ease, I would be torn away from it and sent off to my next adventure.

Kuala Terengganu — Culture Shock

Having waited for a year and a half since applying to the Fulbright Program, I was eager to discover where I would be living. The wait was well worth it, though — I was excited to learn that I would be in the state of Terengganu, one of the most religious and conservative states in Malaysia. I would be placed in a town called Setiu at the school of Sekolah Menegah Agama Setiu (SMA Setiu), a religious school. As one of the few English Teaching Assistants placed in a religious school, I would have the opportunity to learn more about Islam and better understand the workings of the school's specialized education system. 

During my third week in Malaysia, I and 30 other members of my cohort who would be placed in Terengganu and Pahang states traveled by plane to Terengganu, my state. There, I had my first major culture shock. Although the city we were in, Kuala Terengganu, is considered quite modern by Malaysian standards, it was nothing like Kuala Lumpur. I was no longer anywhere close to a westernized community. The buildings were slightly run down; the pace of life was slower, and less English was spoken and understood in the streets.

Trisha Huynh and one of the murals in Kuala Terengganu.
Photo courtesy of Trisha Huynh

We were greeted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), and put through a second orientation, which was organized by the Malaysian government. Unfortunately, because the MOE and the Fulbright program do not collaborate much, there was lot of repetition. We had our third safety talk, our eighth Bahasa Malay lesson, and our second scavenger hunt. During this orientation, however, we were given more free time, and I was able to discover the beauty of Kuala Terengganu. All the walls have been carefully decorated with intricate murals. There are remnants of vibrantly colored furniture perched in alleyways, and secret side-streets surprise you with umbrella-adorned rooftops, turtle mosaics or love locks. 

The best part of this orientation was meeting our mentors, locals who will help us adjust to our towns and schools. My mentor's name is Sarah, and she is 29. Her English is superb because she studied in Sydney for two years to gain her TESOL certification. She understands Western culture and is open to any and all questions about Malaysian culture. She has played a vital part in helping me adapt to my new home. 

Similar to the previous orientation, just as I was getting comfortable, I had to leave the Fulbright family with whom I’d become close during the past few weeks. I left for Setiu with Sarah; Saliza, the head of the English Department; Sir Joe, the principal; and Haikal, another English teacher. As I had known Sarah for less than 48 hours and had just met Saliza, Sir Joe and Haikal, I was reluctant to trust them to bring me to my new home and help me get settled there.