Reflections from halfway around the world and a little bit more
There is no direct translation for the word “confused” in French. The closest word, “confondu”, means a messy mixture of “muddled” and “has gotten incorrect”. In conversation although the meaning is understood, it doesn’t quite translate. The next best option to say “je comprends pas” which means “I don’t understand”. While this is slightly more comprehensible …
Some vignettes from my first week: The first cold shower is the hardest. But it gets way better from there. My roommate and I moved to our beautiful and spacious four bedroom, two bathroom (one Western toilet, one not) home on last Thursday. Gracious does not begin to scratch the surface of how we feel …
Last Sunday, our bus spit us out from Kuala Lumpur to what we thought was going to be a beachside resort in Kota Bharu. When we arrived we realized that we weren’t quite in Kota Bharu, and our hotel wasn’t quite a beachside resort. In contrast to bustling Kuala Lumpur, the feeling of seclusion enveloped …
Malaysia is a country full of contradictions. It is rapidly modernizing and developing economically yet clings fiercely to its conservative roots (and including its religiosity). It advocates for a strong unified Malaysia, yet it’s policies don’t always clearly indicate such ideologies. In a way this all makes sense - development, both as a nation and …
So much has happened since I last posted it’s almost impossible to believe that I’ve lived here for just two weeks. Perhaps this sentiment will be the theme of my Fulbright experience – so much and yet so quick. It’s seemingly impossible to put into words everything that I have done, seen, felt, and saw. …
I have only been in Malaysia for four days, but it already feels like I’ve lived here for six months. My life is jam-packed. There’s so much to learn, see, and experience while we are in the capital city (Kuala Lumpur) for orientation. There’s so much to prepare for and look forward to (up to …
In typical Christine fashion, I have grossly underestimated the time it would take to pack and re-pack my bags. While over the past few months the implications of my last minute packing have been relatively minute (after all, the adventures were weekend trips), with now less than 48 hours before I officially move across the …
Greatfull 