All-in-one Asian experience

2009/07/10

SUZIEANA UDA NAGU

Four European teens tell how close ties with homestay families help them adjust to life in Malaysia, writes SUZIEANA UDA NAGU

LIVING abroad can be a life-changing experience, say those who have done it.

You not only learn a foreign language but also pick up survival skills you may otherwise not have the chance to hone in your home country.

This has been the case for Claire Helene Jacquet from France, who came to Malaysia under the AFS exchange programme.

“I was not the type to seek new friends and speak in front of a large group of people before I left France.

I was shy and too comfortable with my own circle of friends.

AFS students liken their experience in Malaysia to a crash course on Asian culture

I didn’t feel the need to find new ones.
“But in Malaysia, I was forced to talk to people to improve my English and Bahasa Malaysia just to get by.

Now I’m not afraid to speak in front of a crowd,” says the 18-year-old at a farewell dinner held at Kota Damansara recently.

The event marked the end of the July 2008-2009 school-based exchange programme for participants whose host families belong to the Damansara and Kuala Lumpur AFS chapters.

Jacquet is among the 34 students who had spent the last year with their host families in various locations in Malaysia, attended local schools and learned the culture and language.

Formed in 1914, AFS is an international organisation that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.

Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 are eligible to take part in one of three AFS school-based schemes for the following duration: 10 to 12 months, six months and four to eight weeks.
Malaysia has been an active AFS member since 1958.

To Felix Gabriel Israel from Germany, living in Malaysia has been a valuable experience in personal development.

When Israel was given a family to stay with in Malaysia, the 17-year-old gladly accepted his option.

Still, he was nervous about staying in Malaysia, a country he knew little about.

“I was scared of being away from my family because I didn’t know what to expect in Malaysia,” says the lanky teen.

After staying for six months with a Malay family in Kota Damansara, Israel now says he has no regrets about coming to Malaysia.

“I get to experience different Asian cultures in one place. The experience is more than I could ever learn from just reading about Malaysia. The chance to improve my English is an added bonus,” says Israel.

His pleasant experience in Malaysia is also shared by Carima Grunder (Switzerland) and Julien Cossais (France).

They also liken their experience to a crash course on Asian culture.

Cossais, 18, who stays with an Indian family in Kota Damansara and goes to school in Kepong says he enjoys “visiting Indian temples and witnessing the (Hindu) religious ceremonies”.

SMK Assunta student Grunder, 17, who also lives with an Indian family, will never forget celebrating Wesak Day and watching the colourful procession at Batu Caves.

AFS exchange students are also exposed to cultures and religions other than those practised by their host families.
Students staying with Malay families, for example, will spend Chinese New Year with a Chinese family and vice versa.

Cossais enjoys exchanging notes on cultural differences with his host family.

“I like discussing about Malaysian culture with them as it makes me feel part of the family.

The strong bond developed between students and their Malaysian family have helped them better adjust to life in Malaysia.

“I’m still getting used to the tradition of bersalam and kissing the hands of elders.

In Europe, the closest thing to this tradition is kissing the ring of the king as done in the olden days,” says Israel.

He had to adjust to the differences in the way Europeans and Malaysian greet each other, especially between a man and a woman.

“In Europe, we greet friends with a kiss and a hug. But that’s not the case here,” he says.

Cossais and Grunder, on the hand, had to get used to putting on school uniforms.

They were also surprised to know that classrooms doors are kept open while class is in session.

They admit that following the local curriculum, especially subjects taught in Bahasa Malaysia, is tough.

But the support from friends and teachers at school has been invaluable.

Jacquet has so many fond memories in Malaysia — so much so that she has mixed feelings about going home to France soon.

“My family is coming for a holiday in Malaysia before flying home with me.

I’m excited to see them but also sad to leave my new home and family.

I’m not ready to go home yet because I also have my mum, dad and siblings here,” she says referring to her host family in Damansara.
Jacquet hopes to pursue a tourism course in university, which will give her a chance to become an exchange student in South America.

Israel, Cossais and Grunder have yet to decide on what course to pursue at university.

Whatever their future holds, rest assured that for the three — who have six months more to complete their programme in Malaysia — travel will be on their cards.