SEALNet is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Stanford University, and its mission is to bring service to Southeast Asia and to promote the spirit of service leadership in the region. This summer, Kellie, Tian and I are leading Project Malaysia 2009 in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia from May 30th till June 13th. Visit www.sealnetonline.org to find out more about PM09.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
On the video the PM08 leaders made for us
You guys are the best! :) And sooo funny. We won't let you down. Tuan, you're pretty cool for being such a loser (and there's a delta sign on your face...no, wait, two). Jokes. You're sweet. Wesley, I'm so sad that you're graduating before I got the chance to visit MIT and meet you in person, but I hope you have a really good graduation. What are you doing next year? I'm sure we'll meet at some point. And Kai, I'm glad you're still at MIT so we can meet for reals next year when I visit. Looking forward to it!
Tian and Kellie will probably want to respond to you guys after they've seen the video, so I'll let them do it here. Take care, guys!
Location: Hostel 3, Kuala Selangor Nature Park Mood: My brain is fried Music: None - everybody's sleeping
Today has been the longest day ever. It started out at 12 am, when Kellie and Tian made the first airport run to pick up Klarizze, one of our team members arriving from the Philippines. I stayed at home and slept, seeing as I needed to wake up to make another airport run; at 10am, I picked up our professional mentors, Kevin and Kathryn, as well as another team member, Ha. I realize that the names are probably starting to get pretty confusing, but I promise I'll introduce the entire team up here soon, probably in tomorrow's post. The last group of people (Kraig, Han Hsien and Wei Jian), brought in by Sam and Keng, were our last to arrive at about 10pm, after which we just played a bunch of icebreakers and went over a few things.
We got to the Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) at about 1, and basically spent the entire day chillin', making runs to Tesco's (which is sort of like Walmart), eating (Intro to Malaysian Food 101) and scouting around the area. We also picked out some good restaurants to take our team to, located the hospital and the clinic, an internet cafe and a laundromat. I've been driving, which is a little scary seeing as a) I'm not used to driving on the left side of the road, and b) I usually drive a small car on big American roads, but now I'm driving a tank (a van, actually) on narrower roads, and c) Malaysia has some scary drivers. I'm glad Kuala Selangor is not a big city. But I'm starting to get the hang of it, and I'm doing pretty well. This is good for me!
The PM08 leaders also made a video for us, which was really really sweet. I haven't actually gotten the chance to see it, seeing as the internet at the park is iffy and I need to sit outside the office to steal the wireless. I'll watch it tomorrow though, and put the link for it up. (Its http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooV6UGvzXsY).
But the most important thing we've done today was probably meet with Raj, the person in the Malaysian Nature Society we're working with. He's a pretty awesome guy, and really knows what he's doing. He's a mine of information about the environment and the park, is completely passionate about what he does, is full of ideas and is proactive. Inspiring. I really enjoyed the meeting. He works a lot with environmental education, and works with a lot of local programs dealing with the youths in the area. The detail at which the kids work at is really impressive, I looked at some of their reports and its pretty top notch. He's not actually going to be here for the two weeks, so we're dealing directly with Ashok, his "right hand man." He also managed to get the member of Parliament from around here to agree to open our final day event, so we're meeting him (the MP) on Monday. That should be really interesting too - I'm pretty psyched! Also a little nervous.
Talking to Raj definitely gave me a better idea of what I want for the project, the stake I have in it, and (realistically) what I think the team can achieve in two weeks. We're going to be talking about all that tomorrow though, and the team collectively will be coming up with a single stake - so I'll tell you how that goes. That should be a really interesting discussion to moderate, because its where all the idealism/pessimism/realism emerges. What do we all hope to achieve in our two weeks here? What have we come all the way here for? Discussing the stake/impact/outcome of the project is actually something every SEALNet project does, and if done right, its actually very worthwhile and effective. The way it works is that project leaders start out with a vision; once they get on ground, the team redefines this vision and "buys into" the project. This makes them accountable for the project, which then belongs to the whole team as opposed to just the leaders.
Tomorrow's schedule looks a little crazy. We're taking a tour of KSNP, checking out the mangroves and the watchtower where we'll be painting a mural, I'm waking up in 5 hours, so I really should sleep! Just one funny thing I wanted to add though. Today Kellie had to open the gate for the car, and she spent like 10 minutes tugging on the gate (everyone who worked at KSNP who saw her started laughing) until someone eventually came over and told her it was a sliding gate. Hilarious. I thought it was so funny and was laughing so hard that I forgot about her and started driving away - Tian had to remind me about her. Diego also broke the door handle to the guys' hostel - there's a pretty sweet picture of the door lock without the handle. Oh, Diego.
Oh, Kellie.
The door to the boys' room, after Diego was done with it.
(Most of) the team at dinner.
Alright, bed. More to come later! Goodnight, everyone.
Location: The living room, home Mood: Sweaty, happy, tired Music: Check on it - Beyonce ft. Slim Thug
Warning: This post is going to have lots and lots and lots of pictures.
Today, at 7:30am sharp, I rolled out of bed. I was greeted by this sight.
Yeah, Kellie the blanket monster waking up Tian (it took a while, too). What?
Also, Kellie was cold, so she came up with a way of putting on her contacts without leaving her bed (check out the contact case on the floor). THESE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!!!
We picked up some water for the team (about 100 litres) and started the one and a half hour drive to Kuala Selangor to meet Ashok, one of our contacts at the Malaysian Nature Society. Tian, Kellie and I hitched a ride with Min Sern, a Swarthmore freshman on our logistics team, while Sam and Keng, two of our local logistics team members, followed in Keng's car.
Breakfast in the car: Roti Canai and iced Ipoh coffee.
We headed to the Kuala Selangor Nature Park, met up with Ashok, and walked around the site. Together, we came up with a more detailed schedule and a list of environmental activities for the college students and the high school students to do together. We're going to be clearing areas for mangrove planting, planting mangroves, prepping seedlings for planting, picking up litter in mangrove areas, water pollution monitoring, painting handrails, painting a mural, making environmental education posters..... amongst other things. We also got to check out the hostels and the A-frames we're going to be staying in, and I found out why they're called A-frames.
Talking to Ashok
Ashok: Made you look!
Our logistics team. From left to right: Min Sern, Sam and Keng.
Min Sern is a rising Swarthmore sopohmore who lives in Petaling Jaya, about an hour southeast of Kuala Selangor. He sings a capella and he's a pretty cool kid. Sam is a friend of mine from primary school, we've known each other since we were 7. She was my prefect and got me in trouble lots, but now we're pretty cool. Her and Keng go to IMU, a local university - they're both medics. They're our trusty logistics team, responsible for the money, the welfare of our team, feeding us, making sure things go smoothly and checking that everyone is feeling okay.
Our hostels
Us fanning Kellie
There are actually lots more really funny pictures from today, but the internet is down so they'll have to wait. You'll just have to wait to see the crazy car pictures, the A-frames, our mosquito bites and our outing to Luna Bar (we were all pretty stressed out from planning and decided to treat ourselves). Luna Bar is this swanky bar at the top floor of a hotel in KL; its right next to the twin towers and gives you the most amazing view of the city. We got to sit right next to this huge glass window, so that we really awesome. When we first sat down, Diego (accidentally) intruded on the couple next to us by stretching out his arm into their cuddle group. Hahah. And I'm pretty sure there are also videos of Diego eating all the mangosteens in my house. Hanging out in KL after the project is going to be fun. :)
BUT I think the thing that takes the cake today are Ashok's cool crocs. You guys will get to see them later. They're pretty much the most amazing things ever - you guys are really missin' out. Sorry this post is kind of messy, I'll come back and clean it up and add more pictures later.
AHH THE PROJECT IS STARTING SOON! I can't believe this.
(Countdown: 3 days) Project Preparation and way too much food
Location: My room, home Mood: Chipper Music: Wreckless Love - Alicia Keys
After 3 flights, a couple of transits and a hectic day of running around KL, I'm finally home. Its been such a long two days, and its been mad since I got back. I'm with Kellie and Tian, my co-leaders, at the moment. They're busy working on the schedule as I write.
The madness started the minute I got into the waiting area in the airport, where I was supposed to meet Tian, who had supposedly arrived from Texas an hour earlier. I was hoping to find her quickly, since a) my Malaysian sim card was not working with my phone, b) Tian did not have a cell phone on her, and c) I was hungry and so ready for some legit Malaysian food. Recipe for disaster. After a bunch of frantic calls to Gianne (our local contact who was cracking up at the way I sounded more and more out of breath with each subsequent call), running back and forth between the two entrances of the second floor food court (Tian, of course, had to pick a meeting point with two entrances) and seriously contemplating just making a missing person announcement, I decided to just head downstairs to the train and wait for her there. In the elevator, I noticed that there was also a food court on the fourth floor... AH! TYPICAL TIAN. Of course, she had no idea she was on the fourth floor instead of the second. And had just gone a level up to get an elevated view of the arrivals hall so she wouldn't miss me. Oh boy. :)
Tian and I find Kellie at KL Sentral.
The rest of the day quickly filled up with too much food (I love Indian mangos), stationary shopping, project planning and picking up supplies (water, mosquito repellent/coils, soap, toilet paper!). I guess when you're paying 3USD a day for lodging you can't really expect toilet paper. I also managed to get in a couple of visits to my grandparents, which was nice, but for the most part we've been working all day. So far, we've made phone calls to confirm homestays for our out-of-town high school kids, arranged airport pickups for our team, basically reworked our entire schedule, decided on some ice-breaker activities, designed our team T-shirts and sent out a bunch of emails. We also have an early day tomorrow- we're meeting our logistics team at 8:30am and heading to Kuala Selangor to scope out the town/meet with our local partners. Fingers crossed that there's a place for us to do our laundry in town - 2 weeks without laundry would be dire.
Now, let me introduce you to Kellie and Tian, my lovable and awesome co-leaders. I honestly cannot imagine having to plan/run this project without them. After the thousands of emails, freakouts and project calls all over the world at crazy hours (from as late as 4am to as early as 8am), I can just tell that this is going to be an amazing two weeks.
So the one being beaten up is Tian. She's also the one sandwiched between Kellie and me in the first picture. She's Malaysian and from Sugarland, Texas. Also a sophomore Chemical Engineering major from MIT. You would think this would make her intense and sleep deprived, but she actually sleeps a lot (I believe Kellie's description was..."she misses her 10am classes and then sleeps through her afternoon ones") and gets lost a lot (as evidenced by our airport adventure). She's actually falling asleep right now, despite Kellie's clamours of "stay with meeee....stay with meee!" I met her at the SEALNet retreat in Stanford this January, a few days after I joined the project as her co-leader.
Kellie's the one beating Tian up with a roll of paper we bought today... and she's from Hawai'i. Today was my first time meeting her in person. She is also a sophomore Chemical Engineering major from MIT (she sleeps less than Tian, though). She's also a little crazy, and uses the word "fruit" and calls people "fruitcakes" instead of swearing. This video basically sums her up. Watch it! Its worth it, I promise.
Hot. :)
More pictures from my trip.
My gate at HK airport - the last flight separating me from home!
Local coffee - iced. Kopi kemamam, to be specific. Sooo good.
Banana leaf: My choice of a first meal at home. Its basically rice, curry, fried chicken, all sorts of vegetables (the crunchy fried ones are the best) on a banana leaf. I didn't eat with my hands, like most natives do though. Also, I forgot to take a picture of it before I finished it - I was way too hungry and excited about it. By the time I remembered that I was supposed to be documenting my trip, it was too late. Sorry!
Its business time.
Alright, I'm out. Time for bed, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Goodnight, everyone!
Update:// Funny story. A sign I saw at KLIA - "Stop yellow fever from coming to our home." Hahaha what. I got a real kick out of it.
Location: Gate F15 in Miami International Airport Mood: Jittery Music: Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan
So I'm ready to begin my 28 hour trip back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - my first time home in a year. I'm pretty excited to be going home; KL is such a fast-growing city that it feels like everything changes each time I leave, and its such a different place from when I left it to come to school in America four years ago. The "in" places from my teenage years have become "out," and new and hipper areas have emerged to replace the ones I grew up with. Heritage Row, The Gardens, The Curve, that new mall on Bukit Bintang whose name I can never remember.... my local friends are constantly having to tell me about the newest places to go and things to do (which means that I usually feel like a bit of a tourist in my own city!). It also feels like the crime rate is constantly going up; each time I go home I'm greeted with stories about the latest scams and scandals about the city and warned that things have gotten "more dangerous" from when I left. Or perhaps its just my mother being paranoid!
Going home this time its a little different though, because I'm going to be spending two of my four weeks there leading the SEALNet (South East Asian Service Leadership Network) Project Malaysia 2009 (PM09). The project is going to be held in Kuala Selangor, a small seaside town about an hour and a half north of KL. Kuala Selangor, or KS for short, is a town that relies heavily on eco-tourism for its livelihood, and its pretty famous for its fireflies and its bird watching. My co-leaders (Tian and Kellie) and I have been planning the project all semester, and we'll be working with the the Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) to address the growing environmental issues in Malaysia by inspiring local Malaysian youths to step up as service leaders in their communities. We'll be running some leadership workshops and helping the high school students plan their own environmental projects and a large scale community event, in addition to doing hands-on environmental volunteer work such as mangrove planting and water pollution monitoring. Community service is not really part of Malaysian culture (or encouraged in youths the way it is in the US), so I think the project has the potential to have a huge impact on the students we work with. Its going to be epic.
Just in case you haven't heard about SEALNet, here's a little background info. Its a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Stanford, and its mission is to bring service to Southeast Asia and to promote the spirit of service leadership in the region. Striving for sustainability in its projects, SEALNet accomplishes its mission by building and nurturing a community of service leaders who are passionate about social development in Southeast Asia. Every year, teams of college students (usually pairs) submit proposals for projects and undergo a vigorous leadership training process (including a retreat in January). In the summer, teams of 20 college students are then sent on these projects to various countries in South East Asia, each working on a different project and a different issue.
So we've picked a team of 17 college students from all over the world, 2 professional mentors, and 19 local high school students. Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe how strange it was to be on the other end of the application process! Kellie, Tian and I spent so long agonizing over those essays, reading and rereading those applications, discussing and arguing over them into the early hours of the morning. It was a painstaking process; you really get irrationally attached to some of the applications and it almost becomes a little painful when everyone else votes against someone whose application you really like. That having been said, I'm really happy with the team we ended up with, and I can't wait to put some faces to those essays we read.
Now... pictures! Not too interesting. Mainly of Miami airport. I'm sure things will get more interesting during the actual project.
I picked up a cafe cubano and a guava/cheese pastry from Cafe Versailles at the airport - a must-do if you're passing through. I was introduced to Cafe Versailles by Diego, a fellow Swarthmore sophomore from Miami who is part of the PM09 Team. Its amazing. Everything is so tasty.
Mmmmmm.
The plane!
Okay, well, they're calling my flight number, so its time to go. Adios for now - and more updates to come!
My name's Jing. I grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and am a rising junior at Swarthmore College, PA, pursuing an art history major and an engineering minor.
