Unique Malaysia
by Alejandra Ruiz
Journalist & Filmmaker
I must start the storytelling of my trip saying TERIMA KASIH (Thanks) to Malaysia Government for a unique and unforgettable experience. I spent 6 weeks in this country, getting to know the culture through loads of places in Kuala Lumpur as well as others cities like Putrajaya and Malacca. I was so impressed by the friendliness of the people, the diversities of food and landscapes; and how safety was for a woman to move around that, when the course ended, I decided to go by myself for a week to Perhentian Islands.
The reason why I went to Kuala Lumpur was for accomplish 5 weeks course of TV Documentary Production given by IPTAR, the government-training institute for media. As soon as I arrived to the hostel located in Angkasapuri (complex for the Government?s TV and Radio ) I met Mama Yam and Mama Jue. Both lovely women who pampered me every time with typical local food.
As the course started I realized I was the only western participant. There were people for countries like: Bhutan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Syria, Philippines, Seychelles, Djibouti, Mongolia, Palestine and Malaysia. From the national custom till how they eat, it was quit interesting to learn about others countries tradition. I remember going each morning to the kitchen for my cold orange juice and always was a Cambodian participant eating noodles, at the end of the course I started to call him Mr. Noodles; or a lunchtime I taught a Salomon Island participant how to use the microwave.
During the course, I learned with Mr. Zaki about the preproduction steps for documentary making. His humor and knowledge made each lesson interesting and easy going. IPTAR assigned to each one of us a theme to produce a documentary. Mine topic was the Kuala Lumpur´s iconic buildings: Petronas twin towers and Menara KL. During the recce and shooting I got to know Mr. Mohidin, coordinator, and Mr. Udin, cameraman. Both, with their relax manners, were an excellent crew especially for a Latin character like mine.
MALAYSIAN PRIDE VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME0xzRyDC1k
After duties, I managed to go into KL (as local people called Kuala Lumpur). I dazzled into Chinatown's immense brands offers and, of course, I got my Prada's red sunglasses. I dived into a whole electronic world in Low Yat mall where I bought a Canon digital photo camera, and I delighted my sense of taste eating at Little India or trying an exotic fruit in the street.
Outside KL, I had the opportunity to visit the impressive Putrajaya, the intelligent government seat city; the historical Malacca, UNESCO world heritage city; Genting Highland, the amusement park and casino spot and Perhentian Islands for the best snorkeling I ever made!
Definitely the most curious activity so far was Mr. Zaki's invitation to assist to the Malaysian Film Festival Awards 2008. It was amazing to see the red carpet where all Malaysian famous people walked through, to experience the live TV broadcasting of the event and, of course, see the shows of the best local artists.
I titled my report as Unique Malaysia because my experince was so; because I enjoyed every meal I ate and every conversation I had with local people. Beyond the expertise, I feel that the major lesson of Malaysian culture was about diversity and tolerance, about patient and calm down attitute. In my point of view, those are essential values for a global world harmony living.
