Sheikh Shahir

Introduction To Malaysia

KEM120702

Introduction:
On the 10th of October 2015, we undertook our trip as per the requirement of the curriculum
for our Introduction to Malaysia class. We had previously decided on travelling to Colmar
Tropicale, Berjaya Hills. As our group consisted of 9 members, we decided on booking a
microbus to carry out the trip. Our groupmate Dong Hui was kind of to make the necessary
arrangements. We started off at 8:00 am after meeting up at the bus stop of 12th Residential
College.
How did I feel about the trip?
The trip was a refreshing change of pace from the monotony of university life. As a final year
engineering student, my daily schedule consisted of countless hours of classes, followed by
lengthy lab sessions and numerous amount of time spent studying journals in preparation for
my thesis. Therefore, living behind this stressful life, even if it was for half a day, was
something to feel excited about. Even travelling to the location was a pleasant experience.
Considering that it was a weekend and there was very little traffic, the journey was pretty
fast. Travelling uphill through miles of greenery and natural beauty was also quite pleasant.
Once we arrived at the location, the slightly chilly morning weather coupled with the clear
skies had a calming effect on my nerves. Once we went in, I was amazed by the breathtaking French architecture. Even though this place served as a mere caricature of French
architecture, I was, nevertheless, impressed by the details on these buildings. We were
enjoying our time and everyone was busy snapping pictures. There was also a small lake
which was home to some domesticated swans and they were a sight to behold. Once we had
acclimatized ourselves with the place, we decided to get to work. We divided ourselves into
groups of 3 to interview people from the three prominent races in Malaysia: Malays, Chinese
and Indians. My groupmates and I were tasked to interview Malays. We walked up to the first
Malay couple we saw and asked them if we could interview them for a few questions for our
class. I felt that they were very friendly and easily approachable. I had fun interacting with
them and it seemed that they were genuinely interested in helping us out. They told us that
they had heard about this place from a friend and it was also their first time visiting the place.
They also admitted to enjoying themselves quite a bit. We finished the interview very fast and
I was happy with our efficiency. Once all of us were done with our interviews, we decided to
visit the Japanese village. We had to take the bus from the French village to the Japanese

Sheikh Shahir

Introduction To Malaysia

KEM120702

village and it was a short ride. We stopped for some drinks and refreshments and to cool off a
bit since the weather was getting hotter. At the Japanese village, there was a place where one
could rent traditional Japanese clothes. Two of our groupmates decided to do that and we had
a pleasant time taking pictures. We came across a group of Iranian tourists who wanted to
take pictures with us and we were very happy to oblige. After spending some more time, we
decided that it was time to head back. We had come here in the morning and it was almost
afternoon when we were about to leave. While leaving the place, I felt a sense of contentment
and happiness. I was also felt rejuvenated and came feeling determined to work harder.

What did I learn from the trip?

There are a number of important things that I learned from this part. First and foremost, it is
important to be well acquainted with the people you are going on a trip with. Even though we
had decided to be groupmates, we hadnt really interacted with each other before this trip
happened. This trip gave us a chance to come together and work as a team and co-operate
with each other to get a successful outcome. I also learned that Malaysia is open to embracing
to other cultures and presenting it to their own people. Despite being under colonial rule for
many years, Malaysians do not have an aversion to foreign cultures. In fact, they seem quite
interested in discovering new things about different cultures. The fact that this country is
multi-racial probably plays a part in this. Aside from that, I also learned that, in general, most
Malaysians are quite approachable and friendly if you present yourself properly to them.
Even though we were afraid of annoying anyone with our probing questions, that wasnt
quite the case as all the people we approached were quite glad to help us in our little project. I
also learned that a variety of diverse places to visit in Malaysia and it is important to take
time off as a student to visit some of these places and learn more about the country I am
currently residing in.
Recommendations/What could I have done differently in the trip?
Theres not a lot I would have done differently for this trip. Although I would have preferred
if we had more time to explore and look around and interact with more people. However, our
time limitations and our impending mid semester exams made us limit the time we spent on
the trip. However, it can be said without a doubt that we had a pretty decent time and we
definitely wouldnt mind going on a trip like this again.

Sheikh Shahir

Introduction To Malaysia

KEM120702