AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia 1st Idea Spinners Meeting: Intercultural Learning, Training and Beyond

Dear all,


As part of our strategic plan in developing AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia as the regional intercultural learning hub in Asia, we are inviting motivated returnees and members of AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia to come join us in the inaugural Idea Spinners Meeting on May 20th-May 22nd at Quality Hotel Shah Alam. The theme for the first Idea Spinners Meeting is "Intercultural Learning, Training and Beyond". This 3 day event aims to get together the best minds within our organization to plan, develop and execute trainings and modules that would tap into our expertise in intercultural learning and push forward the organization to beyond intercultural exchanges.

We are looking for highly motivated individuals to attend this meeting in May with the following qualities:-
1) Passionate about developing modules with the ability to follow through the development and execution of the modules
2) Team player and ability to work with other highly energized individuals
3) Willing to sacrifice your time to help drive AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia to higher levels

With your participation in the Idea Spinners Meeting, we promise you the following:-
1) Your chance to be a change agent within the organization
2) Opportunity to work with people with diverse talents and skills both locally and internationally
3) Develop your intercultural communication skills
4) Working with individuals who are equally as passionate about intercultural learning such as yourself
5) Recognition in the modules you have developed

If you think you are up for the challenge, kindly fill in the following form before the 6th May and we will get back to you by the 13th May to inform you on the results. Limited space is available so why wait? This is your chance to contribute and we would love to hear from you. The link for application is:-
http://tinyurl.com/ideaspinners2011

However, if you are unable to make it to the meeting and would like to contribute, kindly fill in the form and also indicate that you are unable to make it to the meeting this time. We will try to absorb you into different workgroups based on your skill sets and interest.

As a reminder, closing date is by 6th May 2011.

Thank you.

The Idea Spinners Team

Suitcase of Memories in Italy

Hi there & ciao! I’m Muhammad Faizan, an AFSer from Sabah, Malaysia, who went abroad on an Intensive Program to Italy during the short winter terms break (18Dec-18Feb).

18 December 2010 is an unforgettable date for me. All of us (32 Malaysian students) had actually step foot in Rome after the 13hours+ ride in the airplane. We were greeted with warm welcome by the AFS volunteers. All of us were so excited plus crazy that time as we had made our first Italian friends with those volunteers as soon as we meet up at the airport. The volunteers then took us to the arrival orientation camp in a hotel at Rome and we had so much fun throughout the camp. I can still remember the following morning as we including two of our friends from South Africa experience our first white snow in Rome. We were like monkeys non-stop taking picture with the snow without wearing any winter jacket and the temperature was like almost 0˚C. Mamma Mia! E molto freddo (Very cold)! I almost caught the flu that day.

The following day, we were split into groups and was sent to our respective host family throughout Italy. I was placed at the northern part of Italy which is located in small town called Cassine, Alessandria.

I was in a 9hours train along with some of my Malaysian friends going north. I only had one host sister and mom and dad in my host family. My host sister was very generous in letting me to use her bedroom during my 2 months stay because she seldom stayed at home as she is in university right now. She is currently doing her practical in medicine in Torino. My host dad is a director while my host mom is a tourist guide in that area. Although my host parents are quite busy with their career, there was never a day that they would not treat me with a generous heart. Sometimes, I follow my host mom on her tour guides every week and so I had a chance to visit many places in Italy!

Then I attended my first day of school. I was placed in a Liceo Linguistico (language school) in Alessandria. I learned other kinds of foreign languages which I never expected to ever learn. I met many new friends with various kinds of faces and attitudes. Some of them are friendly and nice, yet some of them are way too crazy and are passionate to know about me and my home country as they don’t know where and what Malaysia is. But as least, they know where Borneo a.k.a Sabah and Sarawak is and it make my job lot more easier to introduce Malaysia to them!

I can still remember the day when I present my Malaysian presentation to my fellow friends, wearing full set of Baju Melayu that I brought all the way from Malaysia. With only around 30minutes of my presentation, they were all amazed with the beauty of Malaysia, the culture and also the people. Some of the teacher and students even plan to visit Malaysia someday. Proud to be Malaysian! Being a young ambassador representing your home country is a honor especially when you are in a completely different surrounding. Not to mention the language. But I manage to speak their language fluently with all the help from my teachers and friends. This helped me to communicate with the people in my surrounding a lot easier. With that, I can now speak a total of 5 different languages, including Italian and Spanish.

My relationship with my host family and the people in my town is one of the important part in my experience. I was welcomed with incredible hospitality by the people at Cassine as soon as I first arrived. Not to mention my host family but many of the people of Cassine gathered and prepared a welcome feast for me. And that is the first time I ate my host mom homemade meal. To be straight forward, my host mom and my sister are great cookers. Thanks to it because now I can eventually cook many kinds of Italian meal and dessert, including lasagna which I like the most!

The following morning, I was in the local newspaper. Throughout my home stay at Italy, I was visited by quite a number of people. First is a doctor (my host sister friend) from Peru who celebrate Christmas Eve and New Years Eve together with the family. And another one is a girl (a friend of mine) from Malaysia. Their appearances during my home stay in Cassine really turn-out to be an unforgettable memory for me which I can't really describe it one by one.

As time pass by, our relationships became deeper and deeper. I was well recognized among the people at the town and also in the city of Alessandria. As I walk into the streets, I was like part of it where I belong to which I cannot described or explained in only a few sentences. Every AFSer knows that feeling. My life as an exchange student as well as a young ambassador of Malaysia ended just as quickly as how it started. The two months in Italy was definitely more than just a student exchange programme. It had changed my life entirely as a person.

The suitcase of memories with my host family, school friends and the people in Italy as well as my others foreign and Malaysian friends really will stay in my heart forever. I hope that someday, I will have the chance to see all of them again. No matter whatever and wherever the circumstances are, this bond of friendships and relationships will never end. With AFS, I believe that the people in the world really are connected. Sharing different culture and different ways of living truly lead to a peaceful and better world.

Thank you,

Grazie mille per tutto AFS!

Muhammad Faizan Bin Mohamad Su'ait

AFS Returnee,

Italy Intensive Programme 2010-2011

En Ying in ITALY

There are many things in life that cannot be described or explained in a few sentences. My experience with AFS to Italy is one of them. Standing right under the Coliseum, it is definitely a dream come true as I have always been longing to come to this part of the world. But all too soon, I am snapped back to reality. I am here as a young ambassador of Malaysia in this marvelous country, and not as a tourist.

16 December 2010 is a date I will never forget in my life. All the 32 Malaysians gathered at the Maluri Hotel, Cheras for a pre-departure orientation. A few AFS volunteers shared with us their experience of being abroad as exchange students under AFS. That evening, we departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, leaving family members behind in tears. For most of us, that was the first time travelling to a faraway country without the company of our families. Quickly, friendships were fostered amongst the merry group. All I had in mind at that very moment was, I should be grateful for being selected to participate in this once in a lifetime chance.

As I stepped foot on to Rome, the once capital of the world as its name is in Latin, I totally had no idea what lay ahead that would change my life so profoundly. The journey is yet to begin. In the beginning, there were lots of obstacles to be overcome. The culture was so different, not to mention the language, but I clearly knew that these were some of the reasons for me being here.

I was welcomed with incredible hospitality by my host family. We lived in a small village named Sant’Agata dei Goti. My host sister had been very generous in sharing her bedroom with me. Although my host parents are quite busy with their career, there was never a day that they would not treat me with a generous heart. So, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them from the bottom of my heart for all of their patience and unconditional kindness for letting me become a part of their lives. Of course, there is no way I could forget the trip to Rome and Naples with my host family.

Besides that, I was also glad to have a chance to celebrate some of the main festivals such as Christmas, New Year and Epiphany in the Italian way. We went to one of the majestic churches on Christmas Day and on New Year’s Day. I was totally amazed by the painstaking carvings in the church. We had a late lunch on Christmas Eve, a very late one indeed, which started at around 6pm. A variety of scrumptious, typical Christmas Eve dishes were served. The atmosphere of the festival was made merrier by the presence of relatives from afar.

As this is a school-based programme, we were required to attend school. In school, everyone enthusiastically helped me to fit in. Just in a few days, I was already involved in a drama which required me to speak in Italian! As I attend a classical school, Liceo Classico Tito Livo, I had to study subjects such as English, Italian, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education and many more. The challenging part was that all the subjects were taught in Italian. In the first two weeks of school, I had to fight boredom listening to the professors teach in a language so unfamiliar, which made me unable to track the beginnings and the ends of the lessons.

My Italian professor gave me crossword puzzles to help me learn some basic Italian vocabulary. Then, there was my English teacher, who was also my tutor, and who even challenged me to introduce Malaysia to my schoolmates in Italian. At last, I managed to promote the wonders of Malaysia to almost all of the classes. This is my first step as an ambassador to let the other corners of the world know Malaysia better. The students were also very cooperative and expressed their curiosity about Malaysia by asking lots of questions.

My schoolmates threw a party for me on the last week of my stay in Italy. They organized a sort-of fashion show and I was to wear baju kurung to school. The main idea of the fashion show was to make a comparison of the daily clothing and traditional costumes of Malaysia and Italy. I was shocked when I saw another Italian friend of mine wearing cheong sam! The student representative of the school even made a short video for me and I was simply touched by their thoughtfulness.

I also found myself discovering new bonds of friendship between myself and my schoolmates, although initially I knew that both party could barely understand what the other party was talking about. So, I began by communicating with everybody slowly so that the vocabulary will get into my head. As time went on, words after words were forced into my mind and before I realized it, I could already participate in many of the conversations, ignoring the grammar mistakes I made.

Some of the most cherished moments during my homestay in Italy were born out of daily lives, too. Little things such as watching football matches with the family while listening to them cheering for their favourite teams, going out for a walk with friends in the historical centre of the village on Saturday nights, playing Scopa (a popular Napolethan card game) with nonna (grandma) on Sunday mornings and watching many of the Italian movies or listening to Italian songs were all the unforgettable memories that made my two months stay more wonderful than ever.

Looking back, I remember the times being showered with questions such as: Do Malaysians have tigers as pets? Do Malaysians live on trees? Oh, so, Malay characters do not look like Chinese characters at all, and they are written in alphabets too? Perhaps some of these questions may sound ridiculous, but to me, I am proud to have done my part of clearing the misconceptions of the many Italian friends of mine about my home country.

My two months in Italy as an exchange student as well as a young ambassador of Malaysia ended just as quickly as how it started. It really broke my heart to part with all my beloved family and friends. However, the suitcase of memories and experiences that I would not have achieved anywhere else will be etched in my mind for the rest of my life. These experiences belong to me, and there is no need for me to compare my experience with the other Malaysians who went along together with me because no one could have the same experience as mine, and I cannot have theirs either. Thanks for the memories, guys!

AFS gave me a strong belief that we are able to make this world a better place as long as we are willing to be tolerant. If I were given another chance, I would surely want to share Malaysia with more people from more places. The two months in Italy was definitely more than a student exchange programme. It totally had changed my life somehow and prepared me for the road yet to come. For this, I shall be grateful to AFS, my host family and family, both my schools in Malaysia and in Italy, and of course all my friends!

GRAZIE MILLE PER TUTTO!!! (THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!! )

Summer Academy on Intercultural Experience

Dear Returnees,

AFS Germany will again organize the “Summer Academy on Intercultural
Experience”. This program will take place in the city of Karlshruhe
(which is the southern part of Germany) for two weeks. It is a
cooperation between the Karlshochschule – International University
and AFS Germany.

The Summer Academy will last two weeks (August 1st - August 12th 2011)
and you can enroll for either one or two weeks. Classes will be
organized in three different tracks:

This is the second year that this program is offered and there are in
fact a limited number of scholarships available for AFS Returnees!
Yes, that means all of you quality! These scholarships are partial
scholarships and valid for a 2-week enrolment in the Summer Academy.
Your are required to contribute 450 € and the scholarships will cover:
accommodation, participation and the reimbursement of air fares (Up to
700 € will be reimbursed to you for your airfare upon completion on
the program)

The following criteria will be relevant in the awarding process:

- Intercultural experience (e.g. internships abroad, semester abroad,
school exchange)
- English language proficiency (level C1 highly recommended)
- Academic record of the past 2 years (Grade average of at least 2,3
respectively B)
- Proven record of active participation within the civil society (e.g.
community service programs, volunteer work, school/class
representative)
- Individual indigence of the applicant

In case of equal qualification of applicants, preferential
consideration for scholarships will be given to those who are
successfully participating in the AFS Core Competency Development
Program.

Please note that this is only a partial scholarship and you will have
to come up with the 450 € commitment fee (non refundable) and also the
initial airfare to Germany which will be reimbursed back to you likely
in September by AFS Germany. This scholarship is not offered by AFS
Malaysia and we do not have control over the selection of candidates.
AFS Germany will be the one handling all the logistics and courses.

More information can be obtained from their website at
http://summeracademy-karlsruhe.org

If you like more details on the program, I can share with you some of
my experience on the program as I was part of the pioneering batch
last year.


Kind regards,

Jason Lee
Director for Returnees Affairs
Returnee Australia 2000
Jason.Lee@afs.org

ADAPT Aftermath

AFS Malaysia Alumni and the core committee of the ADAPT movement would like to thank each and everyone of our participants for your kind and super-b-ly enthusiasm in joining/supporting the ADAPT flash mob that happened on 23rd January at e@Curve! The journey has been long, tiring but totally fulfilling cause it was just sooooooo muuuucccchhh ffffuuuuuuunnnn!

Now that that photos are up, we'll just let the pictures do the talking :)


after tonnes of meetings....

...came tonnes of practices. For dance...

...for formation (and loads of fun yelling and head bobbings!)

...to learning how to sign "Imagine" at the park

Miss Cheng Shae Nee woo-ed the crowd with her beautiful rendition of a CNY song

whoopsies make way, fireworks boys and gals coming througghhhhhhhhh....

first we did the point to the sky thing... cause we awesome like that,

then we did the star thing....

and the get together in a circle thing...

and the merry-a-go-go-round thing, cause we're "fireworks" :D

"Imagine" singing with our hands

Amalen was our charming host for the day after the performance.

Kudos to the dynamic duo that brought the performance together : Karen & Shu Fei

and lots of play time after the event :D


Watch the videos!



The ongoings on performance day



THE PERFORMANCE!

Of course, these are but a tiny, itsy bitsy, eeney weeney portion of all the pictures and videos that was taken over the course of this performance production. Check out more of the photo collections by clicking HERE (find & tag your friends and you!)

all photos are credited to our wonderful, heavyweight camera wielding superheroes Hsien Yew, Mark, Isaac Cheah, Jason Leong and many others!