AFS YES - MAS Alumni Picnic

Hey guys!!


Busy with life and wishing you had some time to just drop all the things that demands your responsibility and attention, take a breather and just CHILLAX with friends? Well, how does a picnic sound to you right now?

Our good friends from the YES Alumni have cordially invited us from the MAS Alumni to join them for a time of fun and fellowship for their 4th YES Alumni Picnic this coming 1st of May (Saturday) in Central Park, One Utama.

WHAT TIME IS IT?

4pm to 7pm!

Their selected theme this time would be America! So come dressed in anything that represent America, bring games that you played in America or even bring American food!! Yes bring real food people, as this is a pot-luck styled picnic.

So what you can do is just comment here on this post if you're interested/confirm coming. Just so we know and can look out for your AWESOME presence on the day itself (: Let us know too if you need maps/directions/recipes. Heh!




Toodles~

Volunteer Training to Denmark

Dear all,

AMAZINGGG NEWS TO SHARE!



There will be a Volunteer Training in Denmark, home to Legoland, Little Mermaid and the Aarhus Cathedral in November 2010, and we're inviting YOU, fellow volunteers, to come apply for this rare chance of a lifetime to be a part of it and represent AFS Malaysia. So what do you need to know and what do you need to do? Read on below!

Basic Information:
The training is held from Nov 5th till Nov 7th 2010. The exact city where the training is not yet known for now. AFS Volunteers from all over the world is expected to participate in this training and each to bring fresh perspectives to the table. Further training information will be provided nearing the event itself.


Volunteer Requirements:
Firstly, you need to have been actively volunteering for at least 2 years. And when we say active, we mean really quite active in volunteering. Aside from that, it doesn't matter how old you are, what gender you are, or what anything else you are (:

To apply, you will need to contact AFS Malaysia for the application procedures. Look for Kuhan. The deadline is 30th April. From then on, all applicants will be subjected to an interview by a Selection Committee. The usual stuff lah, really (:



Costs
This is what must be on everyone's mind as they read this post. So I have taken the liberty of breaking it down into two parts for you : -

What you need to pay for :
Cost of traveling to and from Denmark only (for now)

What AFS Interkultur will cover:
1. Transport within Denmark (e.g public transport, domestic travels)

2. Room and board AFS Interkultur style, that means your lodging and yummy food is provided

3. If you arrive early, AFS Interkultur will arrange for you to stay with some volunteers and experience the warm welcoming of the Danish culture there.

4. Participation fee

What else should I know?
Upon returning from this training, the volunteer is required to conduct a nationwide training on what has been learnt from this Volunteer Training. In addition, a detailed report is required from the participant with photos and learning experiences.



So tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, you know whats the next step. Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity! Remember, the deadline to apply is April 30th!

Perdik Waterfalls : Not Your Average Sunday Afternoon

Imagine the sounds and sights of nature. To be protected by the shade of huge bamboo shoots, the cool stream touching your feet while the insects sing their songs. To reach this state of bliss in paradise, a group of AFS students had to go through more than ten soiled diapers, mountains of plastic bottles and endless piles of wasted plastic bags. This is the tale of how I and my fellow comrades,”MAJLIS PERBANDARAN AFS”, cleaned up the disgustingly filthy Perdik Waterfall of Ulu Langat.

We departed rather late thanks to my tardiness. As I entered the bus that would bring us to the destination of our cleanup mission, I was disappointed by the small number of AFSers. Although we were a small group it didn’t mean we didn’t get the job done, for we accomplished great heights on that eventful day. Once we arrived on Ulu Langat soil, we were briefed by the lovely Cheng Yee, AFS Alumni Committee President and her equally charming Vice President, Suraya. We started with a few ice breaking games before getting our hands dirty, literally of course. We were divided into groups of five, to scavenge for rubbish. The group with the highest amounts of rubbish would face the promise of a treat from Starbucks.

If I do recall accurately, we spent almost two hours searching high and low for all types of rubbish. Amongst the “treasures” uncovered were the usual plastic bags and plastic bottles, but what proved more surprising were a used up barbeque pit, car tires, stinky socks and the jackpot, soiled diapers collected mainly by the courageous Jon Wern. Judging by the way he collected those diapers fearlessly, proved that he sure is going to make one heck of a loving dad someday. Everyone did a decent job collecting rubbish and by the end of it we had filled out the twenty black huge garbage bags.

We didn’t travel all the way to Ulu Langat to just collect rubbish; we AFSer work hard as well as play hard. So of course we enjoyed a mesmerizing forty five minute hike to the waterfall. At first all I could concentrate on was reaching the waterfall quick enough to avoid being the victim of leeches, but halfway through I looked away from the leeches and fell in love with nature. We were so lucky to be in the very depths of Mother Nature’s territory. We enjoyed a relaxing picnic on the rocks by the waterfall, feasting on sandwiches, “keropok”, cake and fried chicken together with each other’s stories and shared lame jokes.

By the end of it all, we were exhausted but reluctant to leave the once filthily disgusting place. We looked at the twenty black garbage bags brimming with rubbish from our sheer sweat and blood. I mention blood not to be melodramatic ,but blood was involved as several of us couldn’t escape the wraths of those blasted leeches. All in all it was a joyful experience, yet no matter how much fun we had as a team, it saddens me that even today some people can be so ignorant and easily pollute and strip away the beauty and marvels that nature has offered to us. It’s time we made a change.

Written by: Arththi Sathananthar ( Italy IP 05/06 &YES programme 07)
Edited by: Suyin
Photo courtesy of CNU @ cnu-cama.blogspot.com