Partial view of the King's Palace

Peeking out of a wall display in the museum

With the horsey & guard in front of the King's Palace!

Cultural show, 1st night in KL

Petronas Towers at night

Tristan and I on the bus to KL

Today was my last day in Malaysia. I slept in a little, had a quick lunch on the ship, and headed off into town to explore before my FDP left at 2pm. We took a short bus ride over to St. Joseph’s Orphanage, the oldest orphanage in Malaysia. There are just over 40 children, ages 3-17. They were so cute…we got to color with them, play with bubbles, and toss balls. I gave out all kinds of stickers and a few bracelets and necklaces to the little girls. The first table I went over to there were 3 little boys sitting there. Two of them looked very sad and would not say one word. I took out my drawing pad and pens and stickers and started putting them on the little boys. We eventually got them to smile and tell us their names and talk to us a little. It was really a lot of fun. The boys are part of the indigenous Malaysian population, from the Cameron Highlands, where the people there are said to be the earliest known settlers. That particular area and these little boys were Christian so I was very excited and gave them a bunch of cross and angel stickers. One little boy pointed to a cross on his hand and said “Jesus”. It was very cute. We had a lot of fun hanging out with them today and it was nice to see smiles on their faces. I had a great day and a great trip and can’t believe I’m already leaving Malaysia. A couple of my roommates didn’t have the greatest experiences, but that is another story…I have learned it’s nice to have friends supporting you when you’re having a rough time. I love my roommates and feel very lucky to have gotten three I like so much! Off to Vietnam, we will be arriving Thursday morning…:)

Also I meant to add, today marked the beginning of Deepavali. Walking around Penang, we saw it being celebrated throughout little India. "Deep/dip means "light of the dharma", and avali means "a continuous line". The more literal translation is a very good festival or "rows of clay lamps". Deepavali, or Divali, is a major Indian festival, and a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Lights,"where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being."It was very cool because there were lights everywhere and music and people celebrating. Weird going to little India in Malaysia!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

It is Saturday evening and I am back in Penang after a few days in Kuala Lumpur, which I am told means Muddy River, though I can’t exactly remember why. I had a great time and have really enjoyed Malaysia. The first day (Thursday) we left the ship by tender around 10am for a five hour drive to Kuala Lumpur. En route we stopped at a Thai restaurant for a delicious meal of chicken, prawns, and what I was told was ostrich (looked and tasted like beef!). That was probably my favorite meal here. After that we continued on to the Swiss Garden Hotel where we stayed. It was very nice and comfortable. We had a chance to shower and get ready, and then we left to go to a restaurant with a beautiful view of the Petronas Towers and Kuala Lumpur Menara Tower lit up at night. We enjoyed a traditional Malaysian dinner and a cultural show filled with music, dancing, and different extravagant and colorful outfits. For dessert, they had some kind of ice slushy where you add various ingredients like strange colored jelly/gelatin and beans. I stuck to just the slushy but it wasn’t what you would expect. That seems to be a trend on this trip! About ¾ of the Semester at Sea group went out after but I was feeling tired after a long day so I was happy to head to bed early.

The next morning we woke up sometime around 7 or 8 I think and got breakfast in the hotel lobby. After that, we visited the King’s Palace which was beautiful and exciting. We got to see the changing of the guards, and saw two uniformed men on horses protecting the palace. The flag was up which means the King was on the grounds. After that we went to Muzium Negara which had historic articles from wars and houses, and then we went to a few temples and mosques, including the National Mosque. It’s interesting who certain places are targeted to, as many places use English as the main language, rather than Malay or Chinese. I can’t remember if I have said this already, but there is a 60% Chinese population in Malaysia. My friend Tristan and I stopped at a little chocolate boutique after going to a memorial site, and I got this little local chocolate called an almond cup which was really good. Later in the day we visited the Kuala Lumpur Menara Tower and headed up to the observatory. It is over 420 meters high and said to be the fourth largest building in the world. The Petronas Towers once were the largest, and may still be, but there is a lot of controversy surrounding that, as buildings are always trying to claim that by measuring from different areas. The Malaysian flag is absolutely everywhere. I have never seen a flag more proudly displayed; more so that the United States. It is interesting because of first glance the flag actually looks similar to the US, with red and white stripes, and a blue square in the top left hand corner –however their flag has a star and moon in the blue patch. After this, we had the choice to either end our day with the tour guide, or to continue on for the firefly viewing as planned. Only 15 out of 65 people decided to continue on, and happily I was one of them. We spent the next two hours driving to Kuala Selangor where we stopped at a local restaurant for dinner. It was kind of a shack but very good food. We had shrimp, crab, chicken, vegetables, rice, and calamari all fresh from the area. We had to wait there until it got dark, and then we left to go to the firefly site. We had been worried we might not get to see any fireflies because they are not out when it rains, but luckily we only got a light rain and it was gone in time. We took a little boat ride down the river where we could see fireflies blinking in all directions. It was very cool and they looked like they were lighting up a Christmas tree. The blinking is some kind of chemical reaction and is used to attract mates. From Wikipedia, my only internet source, “Tropical fireflies, particularly in Southeast Asia, routinely synchronise their flashes among large groups, an example of biological synchronicity. In some fields, this phenomenon is explained as phase synchronization and spontaneous order. At night along river banks in the Malaysian jungles, fireflies (kelip-kelip in Bahasa Malaysia), synchronise their light emissions precisely. Current hypotheses about the causes of this behavior involve diet, social interaction, and altitude.”Interesting…After that we headed back on the two hour drive to our hotel, and overall I think it was well worth the trip :)

The next day, today, I got up at about 8am and met the girls for breakfast so we could explore the city a little bit. We planned on going shopping a little bit but it turns out most of the shops don’t open until 10am so we walked around in search of some place to go. Tristan and I ended up going to a massage place called Best Friends. Tristan got a reflexology foot massage and I got a body massage. Mine only cost $10 American dollars for about 45 minutes, it was great. That was my first real massage so it was definitely an experience having it in Malaysia. After that we left the hotel to have lunch at an Indian restaurant (I only ate rice and nan –kind of like a pita –because I had gotten sick after India). It’s weird getting India food when I was just there. After that we had a very long drive, where we arrived back at about 6:30pm. Oh I also tried this chocolate on the way which had a fruit called duran on the inside. It was awful. I should also add, most of the toilets in India and Malaysia are squat toilets (which are not fun at all and make me really appreciate the states) and no toilet paper but sometimes we can find western style. I found one today in the mall where the Indian restaurant was, and I thought the thing I was pressing was the handle to flush, however I was wrong and sprayed water everywhere like a shower would. I left a little wet and had a good laugh about how unfamiliar I am with foreign places. So anyways, after the long drive we were happy to get back to ship and after eating dinner here quick, we went out to walk around and find an internet café. I got an hour for only 3 ringgit (which is less than one American dollar). Now I am back on the ship and going to bed soon, because tomorrow I want to walk around town and I am going to a local orphanage tomorrow afternoon.

Hope all is well back home and it is not getting too cold yet! Here is a little poem I wrote on the bus ride back to Penang, which I am submitting to our voyager’s book we receive at the end of the trip…

We’re traveling the seas
The world is ours today
We’ll visit ten countries
There’s so much we could say

We meet the friendly and the poor
With every place we go
These places we adore
How they change the things we know

Every face is so unique
Yet we are all the same
All we find and what we seek
Will tell what we became

We’ve seen the world from all sides now
Nothing’s out of reach
So lucky and we wonder how
As we learn and grow and teach

We appreciate the life we live
Living in another view
We’re inspired to give
And let go of all we knew

We live on the ocean
With a stranger, now a friend
Our lives in constant motion
Wishing it would never end

Look how little I look!

Kek Lok Si Temple (under construction)
The top level encompasses a gold, silver, and diamond Buddha statue which is being protected and is not available for public viewing

Turtle pond symbolizing long life!

One more thing, today I was in my room with Rebecca and we got a knock at the door. When we opened, we found our interport student from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, who just arrived today. Her named is Phup ...I can't really pronounce it, but I think one of the p's sounds like an f. She was really nice and Rebecca and her made plans for tomorrow (I will be leaving for KL). It's so cool we get people from around the world traveling with us and teaching us about their lives and cultures. ...Alright, time for a few pictures!

I am just about to post a few pictures and I have noticed something interesting in both India and Malaysia, and will find it in the coming Asian countries as well. The swastika, widely known as the German Nazi symbol, carries an extremely negative stigma, while around the world - is connected to peace and religion. It is found on clothing garments, jewelry, and temples. "The symbol as it is used in Buddhist art and scripture is known in Japanese as a manji (literally, "the character for eternality", and represents Dharma, universal harmony, and the balance of opposites. When facing left, it is the omote (front) manji, representing love and mercy. Facing right, it represents strength and intelligence, and is called the ura (rear) manji. Balanced manji are often found at the beginning and end of Buddhist scriptures (outside India). Because of the association of the right-facing swastika with Nazism, Buddhist manji (outside India only) after the mid-20th century are almost universally left-facing. In Hinduism, the two symbols represent the two forms of the creator god Brahma: facing right it represents the evolution of the universe, facing left it represents the involution of the universe. It is also seen as pointing in all four directions (north, east, south and west) and thus signifies stability and groundedness. Its use as a sun symbol can first be seen in its representation of the god Surya. The swastika is considered extremely holy and auspicious by all Hindus, and is regularly used to decorate items related to Hindu culture."I find it interesting that something that hurts so many, is seen as peace and harmony for the rest of the world.

Penang, Malaysia

Today is my first day in Malaysia. At about 9am we were allowed to get off the ship, only this time, we aren't docked at land. We have to take something called a tender boat, which can hold about 100 people but is surprisingly small. It is very rocky near the ship, so it is a little difficult getting on and off and I found myself feeling nauseous on the short ride over. Luckily it is just that...short. ...About a 10 minute ride. This morning I had an FDP (field directed practica) for my drawing class to the Kek Lok Si Temple. It is a Chinese name and means Temple of Paradise. It was beautiful there, with the architecture influence by the Burmese, Thai, and Chinese. It was so peaceful and relaxing. It started raining pretty hard, but it actually made it that much more relaxing. After visiting the temple and climbing to the top, I found a little store with souvenirs. I saw this little spinner toy that reminded me of my cat Teddybear, because when he was little we had one and we used to throw it in the air and he would catch it and bring it back to us. We lost the disk that flew, so when I saw this, I had to get it for him :) I also found a magnet of the temple (I collect them from each country).

Tomorrow I am leaving in the morning to go to Kuala Lumpur, home of the world's tallest tower (Petronas) for 2 nights and 3 days. The last day I am going to an orphanage in Penang. I'm excited, and still trying to kick this bug, so staying in tonight trying to feel better.

So let's see, the only thing new on the ship is that yesterday was an A day for classes, and I had Philosophy in the morning. The last A day I was sick and didn't make it, so when I went in yesterday I planned on getting notes and catching up. I was just in the middle of getting someone's notes, when our professor tells us to put notes away. He began passing out papers, which I soon realized was an exam. It turns out we had an exam that day and I had absolutely no idea. In all my years of going to school that has never happened to me. It's not like it was a pop quiz we didn't know about - we knew, and I completely forgot, being sick and missing the class before. Luckily he is a really nice professor so I explained the situation and he gave me the option of either taking the exam his next class period about 3 hours later, or we had had the option to write a 6 page research paper (again I guess I did not realize what day this was). I chose this as I was not prepared to take the exam in the slightest, and spent the afternoon writing a six page paper. Funny how your day changes just like that. That's about it for me, but...

Today is Founder's Day! On this day in 1963, "the first voyage, the University of Seven Seas, sailed out of New York City."If you go to: http://www.semesteratsea.org/alumni-and-friends/overview/founder-s-day.php - you can see a picture of the shipboard community. Kind of small so I doubt you will find me...I am on the level closest to the eye, third row, behind the Y and the F in Happy Founder's. If you look really close you will see I have a white headband on and a maroon sweatshirt. Ha good luck!

I am enjoying myself very much and can't believe the trip is more than half over. Malaysia here I come!

I will leave you with Semester at Sea's Alma Mater...
Composed in honor of Max Brandt. Words &music by John M. Rosenberg (Spring 2000)

As we sail from this harbor
Off to see the world
As we sail from port - to starboard
All our flags unfurled

We remember many new faces
And the friends we've come to know
And the memories of new places
Remind us of how we've grown

Raise our voices high
Open wide our eyes
Open up the world to me
On a voyage of discovery

Across the oceans wide
Where the waves uncurl
Life will never be the same -
Now that I have seen the world...

Me on the left on the elephant!