This article (of which a short version is printed in our AFS yearbook) is dedicated to all the persons mentioned who were a huge part of my experience and made my year the one it was. I love you.
Giving my friends and parents the last hug for at least 11 months wasn’t easy for me and stepping into the airplane felt like a rollercoaster ride. Not really knowing where I’m going to stay, what kind of people I’m going to meet and how it will be to live in a completely different culture was pretty scary to me and I seriously cried like a waterfall. Arriving here caused quite a lot of culture shocks and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. How should I get along in such a big and chaotic city, especially with my non-existent sense of orientation? How to use the toilet and why do I get my drinks in a plastic bag? So many different names and characters to learn, not understanding what everyone around me is talking about, spicy food I wasn’t used to, experiencing a different way of educating and handling children. It was a lot.
Time flies and now I only have 3 months to go. And do you know what? I don’t want to leave my life here.
Penang is awesome. I am so lucky to live in such a colourful state that has so much to offer. Just walking around the heritage side with the street art and temples, buying my new tube of henna in little India where it smells like heaven, the evenings in our favourite pub full of interesting and weird people and not to forget the best food in the world in the most unhygienic-looking places ever.. Seriously, how am I going to continue my life without Char Koay Teow and Roti Canai? Furthermore, I have the opportunity to buy everything I need, even German bread. And if it’s too much for me some days, I can just go to the national park and have my time out with the monkeys or spend some time at the beach. But it’s not just Penang that showed me the beauty of Malaysia. Due to the organized trips to other states to stay in host families for various festivals or the bus rides to several camps made me understand that also other parts of Malaysia are impressive by its nature.
With that, I want to thank my host families during Hari Raya Haji and Deepavali for letting me experience the wonderful festivals, helping me to get to know your culture and language, welcoming me in your house and giving me a feeling of home. Terima Kasih to AFS Malaysia for motivating me with every camp we had as well as to the Penang Chapter and Datin Teo for her great sense of humour.
Most importantly I want to say thank you to my fellow batchmates who went through the whole journey with me. Even though we had different lifes here, we all went through the same thing and no one can understand each other better than we do. Thanks for the motivation you gave me. But most of all I want to thank my Penang-Crew, especially Tom and Jana who became really close friends of mine. Thank you for always having an open ear for my funny stories and problems I faced here; for your patience when I go crazy and for calming me down when I got stressed by the simplest things, for experiencing all the incredible moments together, for sharing our views of life and every laugher we had (which were a lot though). Thank you for accepting me the way I am, that I could be myself in every second and for dealing with the good and also negative sides of me. We all know, it’s not always an easy thing to do. You can’t imagine how precious it is for me to have you.
Over all, the biggest and most important part of my journey in Malaysia is the place I am staying and working in, the Children’s Protection Society (CPS), which became a second home to me. The relationships, to my Aunties as well as to my children became so intense, involved and complex and just impossible to say goodbye to. Knowing that I have to leave them soon and not being “Sister Julia” anymore literally breaks my heart.
Well, working there wasn’t always that easy for me. It was a challenge to find my role towards the children: being a friend to them, the one they can trust and talk to, but also being respected at the same time. It’s all about the balance but that’s easier to say than actually finding it. You know, working in a children’s home can be a very stressful job. Even though we had our difficulties and moments, for example when the kids just can’t remember simple things, discuss a lot, just don’t listen or make it impossible to play a game peacefully sometimes felt like I am going to lose my mind – but in the end, I’m so glad I didn’t miss one of these moments.
It’s priceless to watch the children improving, growing and forming their personalities.
When I think about how some of them started and seeing them reading their first storybook now makes me incredibly proud. Seeing the children dancing or enjoying playing outside, the thousand hugs and moments full of joy and laughter was worth all the struggles I had. These are the moments that made my year and I’ll always remember them. And believe me or not, I experienced the stress in a good way with no single day being boring. I’m so glad to feel useful and having that many responsibilities and the people’s trust to do things in my own way.
The work with my children, the challenges I faced and the feeling of being responsible for others advanced my character in a way I can’t find words for. More than anything else, I learned how to be patient, the need to take things with humour, the importance to look twice before judging the action of others and the fact that our reaction to a situation has the power to change the situation itself– just to name a few things. All in all I can say with a good conscience that I put all my effort and all my love towards everyone in every single day of my year here and hope I did a good job.
This is the point where I want to say thank you!
Thank you Aunty Prema for the best hairstyles, answering every stupid question and explaining the Hindu culture to me whether through teaching Tamil or sharing crazy stories about the Hindu gods.
Thanks Auntie Davy for our weekly gossiping, late night talks and your patience to go shopping with me in Little India. It felt good to have someone to open up to.
Thanks Auntie Mangles for our little talks I enjoyed every time and the best fish curry in the world.
Nandri vanakum to Aunty Rajesh for trusting me so much and including me into the CPS family like no one else did by always translating everything that’s going on and sharing so much with me. Seeing and working with you always put a smile on my face.
I also want to thank Aunty Rajam who cared so much about me e.g. letting me be her foster daughter for a weekend or organizing the best birthday I ever had so far. Thanks for your support and trust to let me fulfil my own projects and ideas.
A warm hug goes to Aunty Elisabeth, the probably sportiest and healthiest person in Malaysia, for always having an open ear for me and being even more European than I am. Hearing your opinion was always so precious to me. Thanks for your enthusiasm and always making me smile. I admire you for staying the course in your own way.
And a huge thank you to Aunty Suria, a person I really look up to and admire for her incredible effort and being a mother and more for so many people. Doing a job like this with so much passion and effort became my life goal. Thanks so much for teaching me so many lessons.
I will never forget one of you in my life. I don’t know what I would have done without you and hope I didn’t disappoint you.
Last but not least thousand hugs and kisses to my little heroes. Even though you are the naughtiest little fellows I know and the experts in driving me crazy, each of you will have a place in my heart forever. I really hope each of you will go his/her way and grow up to have a successful and happy life. I’m so proud of you.
