Journal: Integrating Into My Community

Location:
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Latitude/Longitude:
3.139003000000, 101.686855000000
Journal Entry:

I'm currently living in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur for two weeks of training before heading to Malacca to teach. Malacca is a state near Kuala Lumpur, so when I move to Malacca in mid-January, I will have another process of integrating into my community, including getting to know my school, students, neighbors, home and town. I will live in an apartment with another American English teacher (we've been spending time together this week at training - she's amazing!). For now, I'll discuss how I've adjusted to life in Malaysia's capital city. There are 100 Americans coming to Malaysia this year to teach, so all 100 of us boarded flights to Kuala Lumpur on January 1 and have spent the first week and a half finding our routine in a foreign setting.

Step One to making a place feel like home is getting to know the surrounding streets, shops and restaurants. I've spent time seeing the main tourist attractions, learning the names of different foods and exploring a different neighborhood every night after our days of training. As I mentioned last week, the Twin Towers are the famous buildings in Kuala Lumpur's skyline and the Batu Caves house an incredible Hindu temple. Other attractions include the National Mosque, Central Market and Petaling Street (photos attached).

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