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

You Know You're an Exchange Student When...

Exchange students are pretty unique creatures. As exchange students, we did things that no one else would have really done, such as dream in languages that is not our mother tongue, simple because we can. We have experienced odd, awkward, hilarious, tickling moments that are applicable only to an exchange student. How much of an exchange student are you? Scroll down the list to check out!

You know you're an exchange student when....

1. You ask for some type of food/snack/drink to be care packaged to you as your X-mas present.

2. you classify "doing your homework" as translating half of it. And that alone took three hours.

3. you'll read anything in your native language just to have something to read...even packaging labels.

4. you're better than your teacher in your foreign language class.

5. you've ever mispronounced something in your native language (for example, names of products, TV shows, companies) because you know the others will understand it better if you say it with an accent.

6. after you come back everybody tells you that you have a weird accent.

7. your dreams are bilingual.

8. you automatically use words in a foreign language that you cant even translate but they just seem to fit the context.

9. you begin to enjoy foods that you had previously despised at home.

10. it becomes a habit to introduce yourself by saying: "I am from (country) and my name is (name)."

11. you are always counting the time difference between where you are and home.

12. you always forget the time difference when you call a friend or family member back home.....sorry for waking you up at 4 AM mom.

13. you carry a dictionary and a camera in your bag.

14. you do something wrong and people look at you weird, your excuse is "That's how we do it in my country" even if it isn't.

15. You can sing all the Top 20 songs from your exchange year...even a year later....

16. You get letters and emails in a language that no one else can read.

17. You cringe at the mention of 'baggage weight limit'.

18. You go to school only to do nothing

19. You 'talk' to your pets when you phone home.

20. You watch really stupid television shows late at night, and you stay up late to do so, just because they're in English.



To all our beloved returnees young and not so young anymore *ehem*, we hope this fun post made you smile a little brighter today. (:

Waterfall Postponed

Dear All,

Due to unforeseen circumstances that was inevitably unavoidable, the Waterfall Beautification Volunteer Project has been postponed to 7th March 2010 instead. We apologise for the changes, and do hope that more people will be able to join us in our ventures to help save Mother Nature in the most heroic manner!

Like Captain Planet and his friends:

before our waterfalls becomes like this:

What are you waiting for? Sign up today! And we'll be seeing you there in a jiffy (:

Waterfall Beautification Volunteer Project

Hey Folks,

Have you been back to nature lately? Surround yourself with lush greens and the sounds of gushing sparkling waterfall? Give back to Mother Nature?

No? We thought so.

That is why in February, everyone in AFS is invited to our Waterfall Beautification Volunteer Project for some nature appreciation, gotong-royong, and picnic fun at Perdik Falls, Ulu Langat!

Exclusively open only for AFS returnees and volunteers under the AFS Malaysia Alumni project, we decided it's time to branch out in our volunteering and explore something new in our community outreach! It's also an opportunity for all to get to know your recently-appointed AFS Alumni Malaysia Committee Members :)

So what will it be? Read the following for more details!

Venue :
Perdik Waterfall, Ulu Langat

Date :
21 Feb 2010 (Sunday)

Time :
9:00am to 6:00pm. Meet up at 8:50am.

Attire :
Sportswear and comfortable shoes.

Gathering place :
Taman Jaya LRT where bus will be provided (next to A&W PJ)

Contact person :
Suraya Zainudin
(who says please comment to RSVP or check out our Facebook event page)

Payment :
RM 5 on-the-spot payment to cover transport fees and water only.

Please bring a change of clothes and towel if you plan to "mandi" (bathe) in the waterfall. Don't forget that lunch is POTLUCK style, so bring something nice to share!

Please RSVP as by 17th February (Wednesday) as only 40 spots are open!

annnnnndddd.... in case you're wondering, this is what Perdik Falls look like. Awesome :D