Tag: UTM

#AgEd2Malaysia: Kristi Mensen’s Final Reflection

Kristi J MensenAgriculture

Today I left, from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and will return home after a 28-hour flight to Dyersville, IA. As the #AgEd2Malaysia team had arrived in Malaysia 27 days ago. Our time has flown by- just as I was told it would. Our study abroad program has been an experience. I have tried to replace or come up with another word or perhaps a better word than experience. Yet, each time I try to come up with a better word I scratch it out. I think this is because there is no adjective to describe my experience in teaching and studying in a foreign country.

Over the course of this trip, I have often heard and found myself saying it is a “life-changing experience.” This may be true for some, but not for me. Every time I have been abroad studying the experience has taught me to bring myself to the world and bring the world to myself. For this typical exchange, it is something very different. I am the same person with additive perspectives. Studying abroad in Malaysia has provided me with teacher enrichment, opportunities that have empowered me to engage globally, and learn the intricacies. Studying abroad has given me a greater sense of the world and my place within it.

During my time in Malaysia I lived in Johor Bahru at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Malacca, and FELDA Ayer Hitam Kluang with a host family. I was fortunate to interact with so many different nationalities, cultures, and lifestyles; no two people were alike. I am certain after what I have experienced that I have been fortunate enough to receive everything I could ever ask for in my life, and will never take the luxuries in my life for granted.

The month spent in Malaysia was full of knowledge about tropical fruits, religious values, wildlife, and Malaysian secondary schools. I have prepared, instructed, and reflected for forms 2-5. (high school) The teams made up of one student from UTM, one per-service candidate, and one teacher candidate objectives where to always have cooperation, creativity, and innovation for the agricultural topic assigned to the Malay students.

During the classes I wanted to see the students become successful by showing engagement, collaborating with their peers, and the obvious one; excitement. Reflecting post workshop was beneficial to me, questioning myself what did I do to become a better Agriculture Educator? The impact of connection is so crucial for students. I want to be able to relate to the students; knowing the topic was relevant to the scholar. While I am sad to leave my UTM family and friends, I am feeling a lot of mixed emotions right now, but I most strongly feel a sense of appreciation and gratitude. Thank you #AgEd2Malaysia participants,  Jeff Zimpleman Iowa Sister States Scholarship, and UTM for the experience abroad in Malaysia.

Ms. Kristi Mensen (@kristi_mensen) is a
pre-service agriscience educator candidate
at Iowa State University (@AgEds_IaStateU)
who graduated from
Hawkeye Community College
(@GALC_Hawkeye, @HawkeyeCollege)!

 

The Value of Community: Saturday at FELDA Ayer Hitam – Day 13

Shelby D FaulknerAgriculture

The community members of FELDA Ayer Hitam could not have been more welcoming. The sense of family that is built within their community is endearing. It took no time at all for them to accept us as their own and to give us a taste of what their daily lives are like. Saturday was no exception as we were given the opportunity to participate in activities that community members do for fun and explore where many of them make their livelihood in the palm oil and rubber plots.

In the morning, we were able to participate in a Zumba class with the women of the town. Most of us were expecting an easy workout, but were in for a rude awakening when we saw that the instructor had Zumba branded clothing and a wireless headset. Needless to say, we laughed the entire time and were worn out by the end.

 

After Zumba, we were taken to see the rubber and palm oil plantations of the FELDA community. When this community was settled, 336 families made this area their home and were given 3 hectare lots to grow rubber trees. As consumer demands have changed, many of the plots now hold palm oil trees instead of rubber. Community members are able to share machinery and can also market their crops together with other community members.

We continued our day by participating in traditional games like coconut bowling and netball (basketball, but with no backboard and the ball isn’t dribbled). As we gathered at the community hall to play games together, I was fascinated by the number of people that drove their motorbikes to join us or heard the commotion and walked over to see what was going on. People of all ages were gathered together laughing and cheering for one another.

To wrap up our day, we all gathered once more at the community hall for our closing ceremony. Our meal was served on plates large enough that 4 people could share one dish. We sat on the floor and enjoyed the company of our host families for our last meal together. The ceremony continued with the exchanging of gifts and ended with dancing.

As you can see, community is not just a word to the people of FELDA Ayer Hitam; it’s a way of life. After having the opportunity to spend time with these people, I hope that I never take the value of community for granted again.

 

Ms. Shelby Faulkner (@ShelbyDFaulkner) is a third-year secondary agriscience teacher/FFA advisor at Ridgemont HS in Mount Victory, Ohio.

 

Day 9: Keep Calm and Plan On

Kaitlin LiszkaAgriculture

Today we spent the morning hard at work putting the finishing touches on our lesson plans for our second teaching episode, Ag Day, which will occur during our FELDA visit. We also created our third (and final) grouping of instructionals teams for our third teaching episode in Malaysia. Creating and working with unique instructional teams each time allows for us to learn and engage with different teaching styles. Each instructional team is composed of a U.S. secondary agricultural teacher; a U.S. pre-service agricultural teacher candidate and a U.T.M. pre-service agricultural teacher candidate. Our third lesson will be taught at a Vocational College, and each team will get to teach on a different topic.

A Vocational College in Malaysia is a little different from what we would envision in the United States. It is comprised of students aged 15 to 18. Students in Malaysia take a one to two week exam when they are in Form 3 (about age 15), and their score determines the options they have to finish their education. There are three main choices that students have based upon their scores; go to what we would consider a boarding school or elite university preparation academy, attend a Vocational College, or continue in a National Secondary School (SMK). The digging that we did during our lesson planning session has me super excited to see what their facilities include. I know that their food processing facilities look very intriguing! (Check out their Facebook page here)

 

To wrap up our morning of planning, we did a partial working lunch of SPAGHETTI! Dr. Melanie, Dr. Husna, and the other faculty have been hard at work for this whole experience to try to accommodate all the participants, and to the joy of the American participants somehow got us almost American-like spaghetti. The UTM students were a little less thrilled, as they were missing their staple of rice in our meal again. After lunch, we had a quick orientation to staying with host families because tomorrow we will begin our travels to FELDA to see another aspect of Malaysian culture and education!

In the afternoon, we traveled to another part of UTM’s campus to see the Institute of Bioproduct Development (@ibdutm). Not only did we learn how they uses herbs to support the nations wellness industry, we learned from the director about his experiences that demonstrated the need for understanding other cultures to better your lifestyle and the importance of truly immersing yourself in the culture so that you can learn the most about it. I also found interesting the idea he brought up of taking probiotic supplements when you take antibiotics to replenish the good microbes in your body because antibiotics kill all the microbes, good and bad. We also learned that some put probiotics in animals feed to help prevent them from becoming sick as opposed to using antibiotics to treat illness.

 

During the tour, we got to smell some of the products that they produce in the Herbal/ Phytochemical Processing part of the facility.

 

I think the real fun fact that we all learned today though, is that the reason your coffee creamer is flammable. It’s because of the lactose in it! So I guess don’t try to put out a fire by dumping your milk on it…

Ms. Kaitlin Liszka (@KaitlinLiska) is a pre-service agricultural education candidate (#psuaged21) at The Pennsylvania State University (@TeachAgPSU).

The Beginning of the Best Journey

Darla Joanne RombergerIn-Country Sharing

“The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning, you didn’t even think to ask.”  This quote is very fitting as a group of Agriculture Teachers from the United States begins experiencing the culture, customs, and traditions related to Malaysian culture. Even though our group has been preparing for this trip since January, I wondered about our first few days in Malaysia and several questions began running through my mind during our 24 hours of travel from Pennsylvania to Southeast Asia.

  • Would we be able to communicate with the Malaysian students?
  • What will they think of Americans?
  • Will they want to talk to us?
  • Do they want to know about the United States? 

Upon arrival at the Senai Airport in Johar Bahru, I knew something would be special about our time in Malaysia. We were greeted by a group of smiling students and faculty members from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Even though we were exhausted from over 24 hours of travel, this welcome brought smiles and excitement to our group and set a positive outlook for the next 4 weeks of our journey.

Although this may seem like a traditional airport welcome for some travelers, I felt an instant sense of hospitality, friendship, and camaraderie as our Malaysian hosts made it a point to introduce themselves to each member of our group and offer to assist us with luggage. This sense of instant friendship has continued during each day of our experience as we continue to meet new faculty and students at the Universiti.

Even though we have been on the UTM campus for only 3 days, it seems like we have known our hosts for a week or more as we have talked so comfortably with our hosts about anything from sports, religion, politics, and traditions. As we begin to ask some questions, we find ourselves being very cautious about how we phrase the question because we aren’t sure how our UTM counterparts feel about the topic. However, we are often met with the sentiment, “We are happy to tell you what you want to know about anything in Malaysia.” In return, the Malaysian students are very curious about our lives in America and how they can learn from us as well. In my past international travels, I’ve never experienced a shared sense of curiosity and mutual learning that has been demonstrated by our entire #AgEd2Malaysia team a short 3 days into our experience.

I cannot wait to continue asking questions I hadn’t even considered while gaining a sense of how a country 9,000 miles away from Pennsylvania implements Agriculture Education into their school system with the same passion, excitement, and enthusiasm that we have in the United States.

United States and Malaysian #AgEd2Malaysia participants gather at the #IAmUTM sign in front of the beautiful mosque on the UTM campus.

Darla Romberger (@DJR_131)

Cumberland Valley High School (@FlyCVEagles)

Agricultural Science Teacher (@CV_AgSciences)

& FFA Advisor (@CV_FFA1954)

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

A Full First Day – Sunday in Malaysia with Rice, Meetings and Bicycles!

Jeanne Rose CaseIn-Country Sharing

Personal Note:

It is easy to realize how addicted to caffeine you are when you cut yourself cold turkey in order to assimilate better into a new environment. Malaysia is a 12 hour time difference from Pennsylvania so our schedules have completely flopped. My fellow Fulbright Scholars caught a glimpse of that addiction when my eyes got a little watery when I realized we were being served coffee at the University. (It’s not a full addiction – I can stop whenever I want). My luggage also did not reach Malaysia yet, so I was left with the two outfits in my carry-on and the wonderful generosity of my travel companions. However, my Malaysian friend Nisa (who really likes shopping and fashion) took me shopping and made sure I bought “good material”, didn’t “overpay” and that my outfits would be suitable for wearing on campus. Despite the cloudy haze due to lack of caffeine, not having my luggage and traveling for three days… these are my observations.

Things we learned/noticed on day 1:

  • Rice is for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner, and snacks. We were smiled at when we said we only had rice about once a week and the Malay said that they have it at least three times a day.
  • “Free Style” during pictures means funny picture. A common Malay move is to hold their pointer finger and thumb together, which means I love you. They also enjoy the peace sign. (Flashback to elementary school.)
  • Durian fruit flavor lasts a long time in your mouth and comes in the forms of a McFlurry (yes, of course, there is McDonald’s here), popcorn, and the regular fruit. And apparently, there are more ways to enjoy this fruit that we will discover later on this trip.
  • The bathrooms have the showers located directly in the bathroom. No shower stall, no shower curtain. There is a step into the bathroom and a drain to keep the water going into the drain and not into the hall. (There are a lot of steps in the rooms to get from room to room.)
  • There are prayer rooms in the shopping mall since some of the people here pray at least five times a day.
  • All of the classes at UTM are in English.
  • They give you a spoon and a fork for meals rather than a fork and knife.
  • Monkeys go into peoples’ houses in the evenings to steal food – when we saw the monkeys, of course, we wanted to get closer, but our Malaysian friends told us to come back.
  • It is insanely easier when bikes have an “assist” mode on them, especially for going uphill. (Come-on America — where are these bikes for us??)
  • They also have VIP McDonald’s drive-through passes (Maybe we don’t need this trend brought to America…)

Impactful Group Moment – Why are we here?

We had a meeting at the University Teknologi Malaysia that consisted of our group from the States, our Malaysian counterparts, as well as the Dean of the University (that graduated from The Ohio State), and the Vice Chancellor.

The Vice Chancellor was discussing the University and the mobility (foreign exchange programs) and said that he could tell an “increase in student maturity, communication and worldliness when students have mobility”.

It was interesting to me that he noticed that and made a direct correlation of traveling through exchange programs, even if they are only for a week or two, to having better students. However, only about 10% of the students participate in those types of events. It was discussed that it was an issue to get students to do exchange programs in the United State as well. Since people can see a direct positive correlation between world travel and student maturity, how can we increase the number of people participating in exchange programs?

Pictured: Dr. Muhmmad Sukri bin Saud, UTM Dean, School of Education;  Dr. Daniel Foster, Penn State Agricultural Teacher Educator;  Dr. Nur Husna Abd Wahid, UTM Lifeskills Teacher Educator;  Dr. Melanie Miller Foster, Penn State Global Learning Specialist;  Dr. Wahid bin Omar, Vice Chancellor/President UTM

Another question posed to us, “What does it mean to be a Fulbrighter?”

As I am sure that we all have our own internal answer to this, that will probably grow and develop as we go throughout this trip; some thoughts that were shared was that as we are educators, it is our duty to get these experiences so we can share them in our classrooms and communities. It was determined that our job as current agricultural educators and as pre-service educators is to…

“Bring Teach Ag to the World, bring the World to Teach Ag“

Pictured: Most of the Fullbright Scholars and their Malaysian counterparts after a tour of campus via the motorized bikes

 

Jeanne Case

Fulbright – Hays Scholar – Secondary Agriscience Teacher

@_J_Case