The world is so much more than what we see in our own backyards.
Being nineteen years old, the opportunity to travel over 9,000 miles away from home can be quite intimidating. As I was finalizing my preparations prior to the experience, one overwhelming fear came over me. What will the people of Malaysia be like? Fear of the unknown can be a powerful thing, but it is when we test that fear, that we can discover beautiful possibilities.
While I was terrified to spend a month in a new country, having a group of kind, caring, and skilled participants from the United States helped me to calm my nerves slightly. The very moment we stepped off the airplane into Johor Bahru, my fears evaporated.
These past few weeks have been filled with laughter, learning and a lot of love, due in large part to all of our friends at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Every single day, we have been shown the utmost hospitality, but it does not stop with our friends.
Two days into the experience, the team decided to embark upon a bike tour of UTM’s campus. However, one small problem arose, I never learned how to ride a bike. But never fear, as the man, the myth, the legend, Wan Mohammad Ali Wan Mohammad Zaharuddin (better known as ALI) was there to teach me the ways of bike riding. My trainer soon became played out amidst constantly trying to keep my bicycle upright as I struggled to balance. This is when a random family took time out of their day, to teach a stranger to ride a bicycle. The next hour was spent with this family and Ali cheering me on as I made progress but still have much to learn. How likely would that happen back in the United States? Through our experiences here, it is almost a normal occurrence.
I will fully admit that my knowledge of Islamic faith was filled with only the what was shared in our U.S. daily news cycles. I had shared the same apprehension when discussing their religion when asked about it. I was completely wrong to think that way.
Famous actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda once stated in a speech given at the Tony’s that “Love is Love is Love is Love is Love,” and this statement has never meant more than it has during this trip.
Because people are people. From every corner of this Earth, there are individuals out there, who only want to make the world a better place and share their love. We all want to be loved and need to do more to find these people and break out of our scared shells caused by only seeing what is in our backyards. I consider myself blessed to have been able to find some of the greatest people on this trip.
There are good and bad people in every religion and faith in the world, but we cannot let the bad overshadow the good. No matter how many differences can be spotted, this experience has allowed my new family to grow, with members of many different faiths. I cannot wait to see how every single individual on this trip shares their love going forward. Here is to a strong finish and more adventures to come with this family even after our experience concludes.
