Endless Love - The Malaysia Experience
As soon as you arrive in Malaysia you realize how different this land is to Chile. You find somehow difficult to understand the native language, a little hard to cope with the heat, and definitely experience another taste in their food.
Nevertheless, all this is easily forgotten once you see how friendly Malaysians are. They make you feel like one of them everywhere you go.
My visit to International Languages Teacher Training Institute (IPBA) has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had, as not only I got a chance to live in a foreign country on a daily allowance but also had the opportunity of attending a training course together with 27 other participants from 21 different countries and above all, I could experience how Malaysians live their lives, how they respect each other despite the three main ethnic groups which harmoniously share their everyday.
A regular day of classes started at 08:00 a.m. attending modules of our course which went up until 16:00. After that, we were free to discover the culture.
Countless trips and walks were taken all around Kuala Lumpur, which is indeed, a fascinating city.
China town, Little India, Pasar Seni, Petronas Towers and the Central Market are some of the places you do not find anywhere in the world. There is so much to see out there.
If you are into Shopping Malls, you will be amazed by visiting Mid Valley Centre, KL Centre, Lowyat Plaza and many more. On the other hand, if you are the adventurous type, Genting Highlands, KL Aquaria and the Zoo are some obvious visits.
We had official trips, where all participants were taken either on tours within the city, or outside Kuala Lumpur for a few days to visit schools and other facilities; and also we went on unofficial trips, always accompanied by an administrative from IPBA, to really exotic places, such as Tioman Island, a place to dive in warm, crystal water; feed tropical fish, try the local cuisine and get lost trekking up the hills.
It is impressive how well organised the course was, we had different teachers for different subjects, constant evaluations, lectures and even a Cultural Exhibit day. All the academic activities ran smoothly and I could see careful planning and coordination among the different units.
I had the privilege to be chosen the leader of the lot attending 'Integrating ICT into language teaching' class and therefore to channel all relevant information to each individual, organise operational stuff, make sure no one in my group was missing when we were out in field trips, and many more things. It was a rewarding experience as I also had the opportunity to give a speech on behalf of the group during the Closing Ceremony. This visit to Malaysia has undoubtedly been a real gift for me.
If you happen to be reading these lines and are about to leave for Malaysia, enjoy every bit of it; the sudden rain, those million smiles and colours right before your eyes, the people and their culture.
Malaysians are truly integrating people from all over the world and helping us spread our wings.
Thank you so much for this.
Terima Kasih.
Alejandro Araya
MTCP Participant
Integrating ICT into Language Teaching
03-28 September 2007
Santiago, Chile.
www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/santiago