As I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, I felt both nervous and excited for the next two weeks. The first leg of the trip I would be spending my time in Malaysia. I flew in a day early so that I could get settled and adjust to the new time zone. My first full day I visited the second tallest tower in the world, Merdeka 118, as well as the Perdana Botanical Garden. These places marked both the industrial and technological progress that Malaysia has made in recent years in addition to the beautiful and serene nature that the infrastructure was built upon.
The next day I spent the morning exploring Chinatown, a colorful district heavily influenced by Chinese culture. The evening prior, I had briefly looked around Brickfields, a vibrant maze of textile and jewelry stores inspired by Indian culture. These two distinct locations finding themselves in Malaysia made me realize something. When I think of the US, I think of a melting pot of various cultures with their own belief systems, food, and skillsets. When I thought of every other country, I would think only of one type of person or stereotype. However, it is now clear to me that in Malaysia and many other southeast Asian countries, they are also mixing pots. Chinatown and Brickfields is a blend of cultures that I didn’t know existed as often in other countries. This new mindset will help me in the future to be more inquisitive and specific about where people are from. Later on in the day, we also visited the Batu Caves (pictured), a major Hindu religious site. After climbing the 272 steps, we adventured inside the caves, respectfully appreciating the statues, temples, and gorgeous sights. This was the first of the many religious locations we visited along the trip.
The following morning, we spoke with Malaysia’s Ministry of Digital who focuses on driving the nation’s digital transformation and competitiveness. This experience was a great networking event and gave some insight into technological issues currently in Malaysia in addition to perspectives from government employees. We also saw and walked around Perdana Putra, the Prime Minister’s Office complex. In the afternoon, we spent some time at the Petronas Twin Towers, shopping at the mall located at the base of the towers as well as taking an elevator up to the skywalk between the towers and to the viewing point at the top.
The next two days were spent traveling to and enjoying Redang Island off of the coast of Kuala Terengganu. While I was there, I relaxed on the beach, took an island excursion to swim with sea turtles and snorkel a coral reef, and spent time laughing and getting to know the other students on the trip. It was a very fun experience, and while there, I also spoke with tourists from other countries, including people from the United Kingdom and Norway. Having the opportunity to understand other cultures and how they view me as a citizen from the United States was both interesting and rewarding.
And with that, my time in Malaysia had come to a close. I loved every moment of the first portion of my trip and take with me valuable experiences and lessons moving forward. Cambodia, I am on my way!
