Terengganu (English)

In the past few weeks I have been to lots of trips.

In the end of March my host family and I spent a weekend in a huge hotel at the west coast, next to the city of Port Dickson, some 100 km south of Shah Alam. My host siblings and I enjoyed the swimming and entertainment facilities of the hotel complex. On the way back we first drove to the historical city of Malacca. In former times this region was very interesting for the colonial powers, like the Portuguese, the Dutch and finally the British, because of its strategic location in the Straits of Malacca, which was and still is a main trade channel. We visited the historical city center with its fort and the famous clock tower. I recognized a lot of things, because I have been to Malacca in 2002 together with a group of students and my family.

In mid April the so called “Delayed Orientation Camp” was held for three days in the “Bukit Ceraka National Agricultural Center” in Shah Alam, not far away from my house. It was organized my exchange organization AFS (American Field Service) and it intended to discuss about the first three months of the new exchange students in their host families and their environment. Beside these discussions activities, like a trekking tour, a night walk and an obstacle course in the jungle.

Beside the exchange students of the new batch and our chapter committees there were also some students of the old batch and volunteers, former Malaysian AFS-students who have spent a year abroad. We talked a lot, exchanged experiences and all had big fun during the jungle activities, the discussion and our free time inside our accommodation inside the jungle, the “Rumah Perlis”, a traditional elevated house of the northern state of Perlis.

The last weekend I enjoyed an amazing trip with two friendly families to Terengganu. Terengganu state is located on the east coast of Malaya. We rented a house next to the beach. In the last few years I have never seen such nice scenery. The sun was shining, the beach was deep blue and there was the endless stretch of “our” clean, coco palm-lined, sandy beach.

Several times I went with some friend to the sea to go fishing. On the last, the third try I caught eight squids. It was during the night, when some friends and I went deep sea fishing. We caught many fishes and other sea-inhabitants of all sorts.

We also visited the state capital Kuala Terengganu and its annoying city centre, its “floating mosque” and its market “Pasar Payang”, where I bought some local handcrafts and local food specialties, like turtle eggs. Their taste is similar to those of chicken eggs.

It was another wonderful trip. I experienced a lot and I talked to many friends in Malay, which is in my opinion steadily improving.

This weekend I’m following a trip of my host father’s colleagues to Sibu Island east of Johore state. I hope that I can soon provide you an article about this trip.

For additional pictures please also look at the previous texts in German, Malay and French.