“The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
As I sit and reflect on the month that I was fortunate enough to spend in Malaysia, I smell durian, I taste the many fresh fruits we were able to try, I can feel the constant sweat on my skin, I hear the laughs of so many people that I now consider friends, and I can see people smiling at me even though we might not speak the same language. Writing this blog post is so difficult because I know that I will never be able to capture the whole experience in the way that it deserves to be preserved. So instead of attempting to recreate the entire experience in this short blurb, I will instead share a few realizations that I made while abroad.
Language can be a barrier, but only if you let it. As can be expected when I am only fluent in English and those that we were around did not commonly use English, language could be seen as a huge hurdle to overcome. When I think of language, I immediately am taken back to my time spent in FELDA Ayer Hitam with Romi, Rohaizat, Siti, and Maizatul. I wanted so badly to jump right in and ask all kinds of questions about how they live and what they enjoy, but I knew only about 4 words in Malay and they weren’t extremely comfortable speaking in English. The first night was full of a lot of awkward laughs and shy smiles, but as the stay continued I decided the only way that I was going to get the most out of this experience was if I pushed myself. So I began to use a lot of hand motions to explain myself and decided it was better to attempt to ask questions even if it took 15 minutes, than to let this experience pass by. My days spent in FELDA were some of my favorite because of how kind my host family was. They weren’t afraid to let me into their lives and didn’t let language come between us.
Leaving your comfort zone can cause extreme discomfort, but can also lead to immense growth. Before leaving for Malaysia, so many people asked why I would even want to go to another country for an entire month. Sometimes life begins to feel comfortable and I think the best way to continue to grow is to do something that is completely out of the normal. I had no idea what to expect from a month spent in a country that I really knew nothing about, but I knew that I was ready to learn and I was ready to push myself. I won’t say that my time in Malaysia was always the easiest or the most comfortable, but it did cause me to think about life in a different way and to engage in conversations that helped me to grow as a person. I immediately think of the day that we arrived in Malaysia and were greeted by our UTM friends. As the US participants made it through security, we were each greeted by our UTM counterparts. We were all so excited, but were nervous to engage in conversations. I can still see the physical space that was between those from the United States and those from Malaysia. That evening, we all boarded a bus and were taken back to the UTM campus. We were able to sit and learn about each other. From that bus ride on, things were different. There was no space between us because we had each stepped out of our comfort zones and taken time to get to know each other. Though it might not have been comfortable, we had become a team and continued to grow together throughout the month.
People are people, no matter where you are. It’s easy to notice and focus on physical differences between people, but the reality is that no matter where a person is from they more than likely have similar insecurities and desires as you. It makes me smile as I think about all of the conversations that I was able to have with my UTM friends. Favorite musical artists, clothing, and hobbies were all things that many of us shared in common. As we were able to talk more we shared that we had been nervous for this experience and teaching in general. No matter which country we were from we were excited to be a part of this, but also were afraid of failure. As we continued to get to know one another it became apparent that even though we were all nervous, we also all have a desire to make a difference in the world. We all have the same root desires to be accepted and to feel like we are making a difference.
The world is only as big as you make it. Now bare with me, I know this sounds crazy seeing as it took 28 hours for us to reach Malaysia, but think about how you’re reading this now. This post was written in Ohio and you are currently reading this from miles away. Technology has made our world so much smaller and allows us to stay in contact with people from across the globe. Before I was born, my family met a man named Boon that was from Malaysia and was attending the college where my aunt worked. On weekends, Boon would spend time at my grandparents house. After a few years, Boon graduated and moved back to Malaysia. My grandma stayed in contact with him through letters and eventually Facebook. When I found out that I would be traveling to Malaysia, I messaged Boon and was able to chat with him. When we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, I was able to meet with Boon for dinner. The world is only as big as you make it.
I am so thankful for the experiences that I was able to have while in Malaysia. I was stretched more than I could have ever imagined and pushed to think in a different way. I know that I am forever changed because of this experience and that a part of my heart will always be in Malaysia.
