Malacca

Sunday marked the return of our second weekend trip and the beginning of the last half of my trip here. It's crazy to think that in a few weeks I will be stepping off a plane back in Michigan. But before I start thinking about hamburgers, fajitas, my own bed, warm showers and regular toilets, I'll give you an update on the past few days of my life.

We left on Friday for Malacca, in the southern part of Malaysia. On the way we stopped at the airport to pick up an MSU College of Ed staff person who is coming to check out the happenings of MSU's first ever study abroad to Malaysia. Hopefully all goes well on her visit and they'll let this trip happen again next summer.

The hotel we stayed at in Malacca was fabulous! Right on the beach, a huge pool, individual bathrooms (with shower curtains!), just a great hotel. But no worries, we didn't spend much time there. We toured around Malacca, visiting historical sites and Mini Malaysia in which there were replicas of the traditional homes of each state in Malaysia.
And on Sunday we went to a traditional Malaysian wedding. It was so cool to see the different traditions they do here. The bride was beautiful and together the bride and groom are called the king and queen for the day, a tradition I would love to bring home with me :)

School this week is very different. Almost all the students are taking exams Tuesday-Thursday, so I don't really have any classes to go to. My host mom invited me to two of her classes today, so I will go there in a little bit. But I'm not sure what I'm going to do all day tomorrow because all my classes are taking exams. Good thing we're leaving for this weekend's trip a day early, so I'll miss the last day of exams on Thursday. I don't think I'll ever get used to the strict schedule of government regulated curriculum. The school system is just so different here, there are some things I like, but being here makes me excited to start student teaching in the fall. I want to be in a classroom for the whole day every day and know what the students are learning so I can actually feel effective in a classroom.

So how am I doing, you might ask? (And if you don't ask, I'll tell you anyway...) Well, I'm doing alright. I have moments where I just wish I was home, in my own comfort zone. I know in the long run being here for 6 weeks will be such a great experience and one that I will look back on and wish it would have been for longer. I want to go home and prepare for my hectic year to come, but there is part of me that thinks when August 14th comes, I will want to stay just a big longer. There are parts of Malaysia we will not see that I want to see, and countries nearby that I would love to visit. Maybe I will just take a trip back to this part of the world and travel around. Anyone want to come with me in a few years?