Sunset behind my house in Malaysia.. |
I m sitting on my bed, the rains splatters at the window and
the weather seems incredible grey and cold. Compared to Malaysia this would be
the coldest temperature ever measured but here in Switzerland we just call it
Summer.
I m looking through all my 4000 pictures of my exchange year
and get in a melancholic and happy mood if I rethink at all those wonderful
moments.
I am back in Switzerland for almost two months now and well adjusting here seemed harder that I thought, it is/was a bit like getting used to something you actually should know.
Actually I wanted to write a Goodbye Post long ago like in…Mai/June
or something but I was so busy during my last weeks in Malaysia and anyway not able to get some good words or
conclusion on paper(well it is Microsoft word). So now finally I m giving it a try.
Almost exactly one year ago I took a flight into a country where
I knew barely anything about it. Malaysia was a book with empty pages for me
and now I cant believe how filled up with emotions, memories (good and sad
ones) and experiences that book became.
Really I remember my first week where I got sick and
thought:”Oh god, 320 days seems like an infinity, this will never end!” ..and then time flew past faster and faster
till in the end I couldn’t believe that one year had passed and I had to take
the plane to fly back home? It was really the first time where I was leaving
and returning home at the same time!
Thank you to all of you, first of all my wonderful family
here, all my lovely school friends and AFS friends from all over the world, but
also to all the people I met on the way,
had good conversations with, my host family in Cameron Highland, and many many
more...
I have felt so much appreciation, love, and friendship that I feel so so blessed, words cant express that feeling and still cant decide if I
should smile,laugh or just cry bitterly about it.
So many reasons to miss Malaysia. Simple things that just
belong to my home there…
I miss sitting around the table, laughing with my
host family about a stupid joke or funny incident and knowing that we are a
family too..
I miss dressing up with my sisters in Baju Kurung for
weddings, listening music and fighting for the best place in front of the
mirror.
I miss talking to my Host mom about Religion and Cultures or
joking with my Abang about typical Malaysian or Foreigner habits.
I miss just sitting outside in the evening, seeing the
sunset and palm trees and listening to the evening prayer which is as familiar
as the sound of church bells.
I miss living in a wonderful pretty big house with a pool to swim and having a double bed .
I miss eating all the delicious Malay/
Indian/Chinese/Indonesian/Japanese Food…I really do I haven't eaten any roti canai, nasi lemak, laksa, rendang or kuih since forever..!!
I miss joking and laughing with my school friends ( most
awesome Malaysian students ever) , attending school choir and just being a Malaysian student in school
uniform and eating 1 RM school food.
I miss using the KTM to go to KL Sentral, sitting in the
Women only Coaches and observing the diversity of people in the train.
I miss using my Malay or my Malay English Mix... memang
suka cakap melayu tau.. and all the terms like alamak, -lah, amboi, or elee …
I miss going out with other exchange students and
pretending to be just tourists.
I miss the whole AFS activities and awesome camps and just being
an exchange student!
I miss even the heat and the sunshine all year through
mixed with heavy thunderstorm and rain.
...or celebrating Hari Raya! Everybody keeps sending me pictures of their Raya activities and I feel a bit envy haha
...or celebrating Hari Raya! Everybody keeps sending me pictures of their Raya activities and I feel a bit envy haha
I could just go on and on and on but I guess that s enough so I ll just emphasize with pictures… ... I start at the end of March... haha so long ago it seems..
with my hostmom and sister in Cameron Highland |
2 weeks in the Village in March. |
with Chiara from Italy and our host"cousins" :) |
Selfie .#hijab :) |
One day with the Interact Club in a Chinese School |
Choir competition! |
with my babysister <3 |
Langkawi..a dream! |
Short visit over the border to Thailand |
Last meal all together+rice on banana leaf |
Ready for the last AFS evening |
AFS Malaysia Students 2013/2014 |
my Farewell .. |
at the airport, before the tears stared flowing |
<3 |
This is my last blog post here and well thank you so much for reading.
If you get the opportunity to do an exchange, do it.! It doesn't really matter where to or how long but in any case it will be an enriching experience where you can only learn and grow from.
http://www.afsmas.org/
http://afs.ch/
http://workaway.com/
Take a look, save your money, pack your bag and go..(:
Love, sincerely
Hannah