1. My Job.
Although I was almost dragged kicking and screaming into becoming a teacher at a kindergarten that I did not approve of, I am glad that I stayed on. It is an awful job working in overcrowded conditions and getting paid peanuts. I am grateful for the experience because I now have fresh proof that kindergartens (well, at least this one) in KK have taken only 1/2 a step forward since my own kindergarten days. I suspected the place was going to be bleak; a place where kids are artificially pushed to excel in paperwork and I was RIGHT! Despite being told by a VIP from higher up that my 'Western' training ( I am not aware that I am a cowgirl from Aust.) is of no good locally and that I should learn and apply local teaching methods, I have signed up for another year at the current kindergarten. Probably to reward me for my loyalty, I was given a crazy timetable for 2014. I will be teaching English to 3 classes of soon to be 5 year olds and assisting another 2 classes. Each class will be made up of 30-35 kids. I am at the ready to apply more than a bit of my 'Western' approach in the classroom whether they like it or not.
2. My Visit to a Montessori kindergarten in Taiwan
My Mum and I were allowed to observe a group of 20-25 children at a Montessori kindergarten in Taiwan in the middle of 2013. Although we were only there for 2 mornings, it was delightful to see Montessori in action in Asia. I was not at awe with the equipment but the humane way the staff dealt with the multi age group. The kinder is not one catering to expartriates. All of the children at this kindergarten are Asians and only Mandarin was spoken. I came away thinking that Montessori is possible for Asian children. Some people were quick to point out that Taiwan is an advanced country. Montessori may work there but it may not work with wild, unruly children in Malaysia. Nevertheless, I found the visit refreshing and am happy to see that there are Asian children enjoying such a positive beginning to their education without having to leave Asia or attending an international school. If only more locals are willing to make a change over here.
3. Tong Hing, City Grocer & Lintas Supermarkets
I have always been a fan of Tong Hing Supermarket. I remember going there since I was a wee babe. It is the first shop that I went to after I came back from Melbourne in 2011. Gone was that rickety coin operated ride on toy at the front door. Gone too was Datuk Wong who used to greet me when I visited the shop with my Dad as a child. Glad to inform though that it is still the place to go if you are hunting for comfort food items. They now even have strawberry flavoured Kit Kat from Japan. Saw them today.
New to the scene of imported food items is the City Grocer @ Suria. They have quite a range of Aussie and British products and they don't have shocking price tags. They are more reasonable. Nowhere else in Sabah could one get a jar of 3 Threes Sweet Mustard Sandwich Pickles but they have it. It got me wondering who else in Malaysia likes that stuff like me.
Located near my home is Lintas Supermarket. It is within walking distance and they have a small range of imported goodies. Enough to satisfy me for when I crave for some Tiny Teddy or Chicken Crimpy bikkies. For Christmas 2013, they had packs of Cadbury Flake & Freddos and Uncle Toby's Yoghurt Topps.
These shops cheer me up a great deal when I am feeling down.
4. Piglets Sold to Develop British North Borneo
Soon after I reached my Maternal grandparents hometown in China, I thanked God that I wasn't born there. Thank goodness that my grandparents (both sets) came to BNB. I wondered what it would have been like for me to grow up in the village. My non competitive nature would have made things rather difficult for me even if I am given the opportunity to move to a big Chinese city. So even though there's money to be made in China nowadays, I am grateful that I am a Malaysian. The home in my heart will almost forever be Melbourne, Australia but I would definitely pick Kota Kinabalu over any village in Guang Dong anytime.
5 Impressive Lecturers from Fujian, China.
After I came back from China, I had to attend a course given by visiting lecturers from Fujian. Some of my colleagues attended the course as well. We were picked because we all comprehend Mandarin. I was reluctant to go at first because I was sickly but I was sold after just half a session. LOL. The lecturers were splendid. They were speaking in Mandarin but the stuff that they taught were backed by the same 'Western' experts that I studied when I was at university. They called for all teachers to respect little children, to listen to what they have to say and to let them lead their own learning and discovery. When they show pictures and videos of their kindergartens or pre-school, I fought back tears learning that even mainland children (in Fujian) are learning in conditions that are much more humane and similar to the kids in Australia. Unlike here, what they do is developmentally appropriate. I really appreciate these Chinese lecturers. They are on the same boat as me but they are not blonde haired or blue eyed. They look like me and they are calling for the same changes as me. They have already implemented such methods in Fujian and it is working for them. So it is high time for Chinese schools in Malaysia to change too.
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Friday, 20 December 2013
Eat Wind 3 Guang Zhou China
On the afternoon of the 20th of November, I napped for nearly 2 hours but the recharge was inadequate because I had a hectic morning at work. After getting up, I dashed around finalizing my luggage packing and was pleasantly surprised to learn that my check-in luggage weighed less than 15 kg. By around 6:30 pm, we were well on our way to the Air Asia terminal. Everything went smoothly until we got to the waiting area. I sat separated from my Mum and her helper due to a lack of seats and watched my Mum as she frantically went through her carry on luggage looking for something. It was quite amusing. Yes, I know that I shouldn't be laughing. I found out later that she was looking for her brand spanking new mobile phone. She had mistakenly left it at home.
We got to Guang Zhou at around midnight. I immediately assumed my role as an alien while waiting to get off the plane. I declared, "I come in peace." One westerner on board laughed. We were exposed to China's ugly manners almost right away as we waited to have our passports stamped. One guy was assigned to help the aliens, oops, foreigners queue. He took one look at me and barked in broken English. My Mum stepped in to tell him that we (my Mum and I) are Chinese. I sarcastically reminded her that we are not. We are not even 华侨 (Chinese citizens residing outside China). We are 华裔 (ethnic Chinese living outside China). My Mum was fast losing her patience with me. LOL. Some people have an ability to aggravate me real quick and that man did just that. I looked at the signs indicating 'Foreigners'. I pointed at one and told my Mum that we were in the wrong line. I just couldn't resist being sarcastic. LOL. "We need the line for aliens, Mum." OK. OK. I get it. Only I found that funny. The man just stood there glaring at me. ROFL. I really shouldn't have been mean.
From the Bai Yun Airport, we went to bed at a hotel nearby. There we were greeted by 7/8 pink smiling fish (plus a few catfish) who seemed eager to see me. It was a sleepless few hours as I was tortured by some hungry mozzies. Alien me eventually zapped out at least a couple. In the morning, we took a taxi to get to Tian He and moved into two rooms at 7 Days Inn (Tian He branch). We chose to stay here because it is close to my Uncle's home.
At the 7 Days Inn, we were joined by another traveller from West Malaysia. S is a friend of my Mum's and she joined us for the first part of our trip because she couldn't speak Mandarin or any Chinese dialects. We took two rooms for the first night but to cut costs, we cut down to just one room later. Unfortunately just as expected, I fell ill almost right away. S was not impressed with most arrangements and that affected everyone's mood. I couldn't help but prayed for Tuesday to come ASAP.
During this first part of our trip, we went to IKEA simply to eat some non-halal meatballs only to be barked at twice by shopkeepers at other parts of the store. I read recently that IKEA is finally making quite a profit in China. So the Swedes probably succeeded in charming the Chinese into buying furniture that one will have to put together at home but they are obviously still exploring how to churn out super friendly shop keepers.
On the 24th, we went to church. We attended mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (耶穌聖心主教座堂 / 石室). The mass was in Mandarin. Go in the afternoon if you are looking for an English mass. I don't know why but I felt nothing when I was there. It was like God was not home. Eventually I ended up playing with my new camera and took a couple of snaps. According to my Lonely Planet guide on China, the twin spired Roman Catholic Cathedral was designed in the neo-Gothic style and was built by the French after the 2nd Opium War. I wasn't really impressed. I just felt empty the whole time. I guess nothing beats the little St Francis Church on Lonsdale St in Melbourne city. Below are a couple of snaps I took of this church in Guangzhou.
We got to Guang Zhou at around midnight. I immediately assumed my role as an alien while waiting to get off the plane. I declared, "I come in peace." One westerner on board laughed. We were exposed to China's ugly manners almost right away as we waited to have our passports stamped. One guy was assigned to help the aliens, oops, foreigners queue. He took one look at me and barked in broken English. My Mum stepped in to tell him that we (my Mum and I) are Chinese. I sarcastically reminded her that we are not. We are not even 华侨 (Chinese citizens residing outside China). We are 华裔 (ethnic Chinese living outside China). My Mum was fast losing her patience with me. LOL. Some people have an ability to aggravate me real quick and that man did just that. I looked at the signs indicating 'Foreigners'. I pointed at one and told my Mum that we were in the wrong line. I just couldn't resist being sarcastic. LOL. "We need the line for aliens, Mum." OK. OK. I get it. Only I found that funny. The man just stood there glaring at me. ROFL. I really shouldn't have been mean.
From the Bai Yun Airport, we went to bed at a hotel nearby. There we were greeted by 7/8 pink smiling fish (plus a few catfish) who seemed eager to see me. It was a sleepless few hours as I was tortured by some hungry mozzies. Alien me eventually zapped out at least a couple. In the morning, we took a taxi to get to Tian He and moved into two rooms at 7 Days Inn (Tian He branch). We chose to stay here because it is close to my Uncle's home.
At the 7 Days Inn, we were joined by another traveller from West Malaysia. S is a friend of my Mum's and she joined us for the first part of our trip because she couldn't speak Mandarin or any Chinese dialects. We took two rooms for the first night but to cut costs, we cut down to just one room later. Unfortunately just as expected, I fell ill almost right away. S was not impressed with most arrangements and that affected everyone's mood. I couldn't help but prayed for Tuesday to come ASAP.
During this first part of our trip, we went to IKEA simply to eat some non-halal meatballs only to be barked at twice by shopkeepers at other parts of the store. I read recently that IKEA is finally making quite a profit in China. So the Swedes probably succeeded in charming the Chinese into buying furniture that one will have to put together at home but they are obviously still exploring how to churn out super friendly shop keepers.
On the 24th, we went to church. We attended mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (耶穌聖心主教座堂 / 石室). The mass was in Mandarin. Go in the afternoon if you are looking for an English mass. I don't know why but I felt nothing when I was there. It was like God was not home. Eventually I ended up playing with my new camera and took a couple of snaps. According to my Lonely Planet guide on China, the twin spired Roman Catholic Cathedral was designed in the neo-Gothic style and was built by the French after the 2nd Opium War. I wasn't really impressed. I just felt empty the whole time. I guess nothing beats the little St Francis Church on Lonsdale St in Melbourne city. Below are a couple of snaps I took of this church in Guangzhou.
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Got Burgled
Minutes before the plane landed on Thursday (05/12) morning, I spotted the majestic Mt Kinabalu sitting there to welcome us home. One Chinese tourist seated behind me said, "Hey, check out that odd looking cloud. It looks like a mountain!" That group obviously didn't know about our not so little beauty. LOL. After touching down, I truly felt like I was lucky to be home. That was probably the first time I called Sabah home.
That homely feeling didn't last long. My brother came to pick us up from the airport. He wasted no time in dropping a bombshell. Our home was burgled on Monday (02/12). The idiots took away only one item containing mostly stuff that will one day belong to me. OK, I understand that no one could be interested in our old tvs but the idiots didn't remove anything else. The whole story stinks and I was immediately suspicious.
At this stage, I am still feeling somewhat angry at what had happened. I lost the little world that I was used to 2.5 years ago. Now someone had come along to rip away things put away for when I get married. OK so I am not getting married anytime soon but I feel violated that my possessions were taken away just like that. Like the X who didn't give me much of an option a little over 2 years ago, these things were ripped away when I least expected it. Now I know how travellers feel when they come home to learn that they have been robbed while they were away.
I am suspicious about the whole thing. I am observing the behaviours of a couple of people but I have no tangible proof as yet to help the local coppers catch the idiots. They probably wouldn't bother to do much. Such is life. Some people work hard to accumulate wealth. Others just snatch whatever they need or want from wherever.
Instead of asking why me or estimating how much more has to be taken off me to punish myself, I try to turn to hope. I continue reading a book by Nick Vujicic to give me comfort. I also keep reminding myself that 2014 will be a good year. I could make things happen if I just stick to my plans.
If you read my blog and if you like what I have written, drop me a comment. Give me encouragement to keep going. Thank you.
That homely feeling didn't last long. My brother came to pick us up from the airport. He wasted no time in dropping a bombshell. Our home was burgled on Monday (02/12). The idiots took away only one item containing mostly stuff that will one day belong to me. OK, I understand that no one could be interested in our old tvs but the idiots didn't remove anything else. The whole story stinks and I was immediately suspicious.
At this stage, I am still feeling somewhat angry at what had happened. I lost the little world that I was used to 2.5 years ago. Now someone had come along to rip away things put away for when I get married. OK so I am not getting married anytime soon but I feel violated that my possessions were taken away just like that. Like the X who didn't give me much of an option a little over 2 years ago, these things were ripped away when I least expected it. Now I know how travellers feel when they come home to learn that they have been robbed while they were away.
I am suspicious about the whole thing. I am observing the behaviours of a couple of people but I have no tangible proof as yet to help the local coppers catch the idiots. They probably wouldn't bother to do much. Such is life. Some people work hard to accumulate wealth. Others just snatch whatever they need or want from wherever.
Instead of asking why me or estimating how much more has to be taken off me to punish myself, I try to turn to hope. I continue reading a book by Nick Vujicic to give me comfort. I also keep reminding myself that 2014 will be a good year. I could make things happen if I just stick to my plans.
If you read my blog and if you like what I have written, drop me a comment. Give me encouragement to keep going. Thank you.
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