Today we were on display again when we went to a kind of fair where schools from all over the state of Terengganu came together to create different displays and exhibitions. It was a little bit like a science fair, but there were also people writing Arabic calligraphy, universities
promoting their programs, and children's choirs performing.
Our group just kind of wandered around for a few hours, and we met tons of students and teachers who wanted to talk to us. Everyone was so sweet, and it made me excited to get my school placement and start building relationships with students and teachers. (By the way, the Malay word for "teacher" is "guru," so we get to be English gurus here. Probably the only chance I'll get to be a guru, so I'll try to enjoy it.) Before we left the fair we met the chief minister of Terengganu. He's the man who started the ETA program in the state, and he and his wife seemed excited about our stay in Malaysia.
Other things worth mentioning:
1. The Floating Mosque
The Floating Mosque is one of the main tourist attractions here in K.T. It's a beautiful white mosque that's built out onto a lake so it looks like it's floating on the water (hence the name). To go into the mosque, women have to have their hair covered, and so most of us weren't able to go in. We did get to walk around the lake, though, and take pictures of the outside of the building.
2. Malaysian Cell Phone Etiquette
Here in Malaysia, people never seem to silence their cell phones, and so when a phone goes off during a class or a meeting it's not a big deal. In fact, it's perfectly polite to answer your phone -- even if you are the teacher or speaker -- and have a short conversation. It's hilarious every time it happens because in America that would be so rude.
3. A New City
Kuala Terengganu, until January 1 of this year, was not officially a city, it was a municipality. In order to become a city, a municipality has to make a certain amount of money and keep that amount stable, so it can be a risky decision. Kuala Terengganu has been dubbed the "Heritage Waterfront City," and they are extremely proud of their new status. They're hoping that tourism will increase in the area to boost the economic activity in K.T.
4. Weekends
Weekends here are Friday and Saturday, instead of Saturday and Sunday. It's kind of strange and will take some getting used to. Friday is the day of prayer, so it's kind of the equivalent of Sunday back home since many things tend to be closed that day. Yesterday, though, we did find a few things open. First we went to a Chinese department store (appropriately named "The Store") where you can buy everything from shampoo to socks to greeting cards. Since the store is Chinese, they are all decorated for the upcoming Chinese New Year (in early February). Later on, a few of us went to a wonderful market by the water. It was huge and full of people, and there were tons of different foods, clothes for sale, and there was even a snake handler!
5. Malay Greetings
When Malay men greet Malay women, they don't shake hands unless the woman offers her hand first. In fact, most of the time men pass women over completely. One of our Malay language teachers last week was a man, and before the lesson he went around and shook all the guys' hands while pretty much ignoring the girls. It was a strange feeling, but then at the fair today I noticed that when Malay women greeted our group they shook the girls' hands but excluded the guys, so it's just a cultural thing that I'll have to get used to. One thing I love about Malay greetings, though, is that after shaking hands, people will place their hand to their heart. It is such a warm and genuine way of saying hello, and I really love that they do that.
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