2008 Blogs

Malaysia, the essence of Asia

03/13/2009

Today was a full day of the Fulbright Mid-year Enrichment Seminar.  Participants include students from the U.S. who are doing research (often for doctorates), faculty who are doing research, and faculty like me who are lecturing and consulting.  I'm just a little envious of the students who are at the begining stages of their careers because the Fulbright is such a great opportunity for them to build the foundation for a future in public health, or environmental work, or many other areas.

 

Our morning sessions on higher education in Southeast Asia helped me put my experiences in Vietnam in the larger context, while the afternoon sessions on public health included speakers who are studying maternal health in Vietnam, HIV AIDS in Malaysia, and myopia in Singapore.  I talked with a young woman studying street vendors in Hanoi, and another who is living in rural Laos where she is studying wild dogs.  I spoke with someone from the Fulbright office in Cambodia who talked about the roles that Fulbright alumni (Cambodians who had Fulbrights to the US) are playing in their country today.  Some have high positions in government while others are playing important roles at universities, filling the void created when the Khmer Rouge destroyed the nation's educational system by eradicating many of the nation's educators.

  

This evening we enjoyed Malaysian cuisine and a performance of traditional Malaysian dance at a nearby restaurant.  The food--lots of curries, veggies, meat (of course), rice, fruits, and custards--agrees with me.  It's probably a good thing I'm not stationed here because I would definitely gain weight.  Back to the performance--the lyrics of the closing tune included the words "Malaysia, the essence of Asia," which seems to be quite true--it is Muslim and Hindu and Christian.  You can see the influence of India, China, and Borneo, as well as the Malay people.  Tomorrow we have more conference, and then we're scheduled to visit Batu Caves (which I believe is sacred to Malaysian Hindus), about 8 miles north of the city, so I'd better call it a night.