My First Pot Luck Party

Last Sunday, We had a pot luck party. Pot luck party is a simple party where everyone brings some food and have fun. Since pot luck party is not a common in Korea, it was my first experience.

Also, we made some brownies with assistance from Rhonwyn as I’ve never made brownies before. It was great, new experience.

By preparing food and sharing it, people become closer. Also, pressure on the host in preparations for meals can be reduced.

When I go back to Korea, I want to try hosting a pot luck party with my friends.

Blogged by Sohee Lee

A Visit to Montfort Boys Town

After an eventful first day in office, we were tasked to do some field work on our second day in internship. Today I shall be accompanied by Lisa, another South Korean intern for the task that lies ahead.

Our destination was Montfort Boys Town (MBT). We were tasked to key in their contact list into their database and assist them in using our DWMA program. I was worried as it is my first field task.

MBT was established in 1959 by four pioneering brothers. MBT was purposed to be a house for underprivileged boys such as orphan and the poor. Also, Montfort Boys Town provides education in vocational skills such as baking, cooking, sewing, engineering and IT training in hopes that one day these boys will be financially independent.

In the present, Montfort Boys Town is home to approximately 200 boys and 40 girls. In my country, there is no such system like this; therefore, going to MBT was a really good experience for me.

Since MBT was so far from eHomemakers, CEO of MBT, Mr. Chin Kin Onn came here to pick us up at 10a.m. He has a good smile, and also is really humorous. We got into a car and headed for MBT.

It is the first time I’ve commuted in a local’s vehicle (excluding Taxi). Another thing that caught my eye was the fact that in Malaysia, the driver’s seat is on right side, whereas in South Korea it is on the left side. For the 5 days I’ve been here, I realized that the world was bigger and more diversified than I imagined.

I was very surprised when we arrived at MBT. In my mind’s eye, I pictured MBT to be a large building. However, it lived up to its namesake; MBT really looked like a miniature ‘Town’.

First, we went to his office to perform data entry into DWMA. As soon as we began, our first challenge surfaced. Unlike South Korea names, local people’s names can be very complicated to an extent that we could not divide their names into the first name and last name categories.

Fortunately, the locals were very helpful and taught us how to differentiate the first name from the last name. In my opinion, I think Malaysians are very helpful people.

Once we finished the data entry, it was lunch time.

A local staff at MBT named Jeki gave us our lunch. We haven’t settled down with the local food yet so we curiously opened our lunchboxes. Today’s lunch was ‘Chicken rice’.  It tasted better than we thought and gobbled up the food in no time.

After we finish eating, we were given time to explore their facility. I noticed there were a lot of Catholic-themed statues and pictures. In the ‘town’, there were several buildings that were allocated as classrooms for the students.

Similar to faculties in university, the buildings were purposed for different skill training.

There were many types of equipment in the buildings that were relevant for their skill training. For example, in the hospitality building there were real beds, tables and even a drinks bar. I was amazed to see the students learning various techniques to serve a table. In South Korea, we mostly ‘study’ by memorizing!

In fact, there is no such center such as this in South Korea. In my opinion, the people of South Korea should adopt and establish this system as it will benefit our unprivileged teenagers.

In conclusion, it was a very good first experience for me to see the diversity of culture and working ethics of the local people.

Blogged by Hae-Wook Choi

A Radical Experiment in Empathy

Understanding another perspective is a challenge especially when the values and practices by another parties are so different from our own.

But if you put yourself 'in someone's shoes', you will find that we are all very similar, learn to see 'the other side of the coin' from this talk:

Durian Torture

Ah-po forced us to eat a Durian. See the video.

Cultural Adjustment

If one wants to be of use in other country, especially in social work, then it is essential that one be flexible enough to integrate into your new home and open enough to understand the details and circumstances of this new home. 

Otherwise, at best you will be able to do nothing, and at worst you will cause more problems than you solve. Sadly, this has been the story of many “Do Gooders” by foreigners. If you want to read about more Western “Do Good” attempts gone wrong read William Easterly’s White Man’s Burden of check out his blog “Aid Watch.”

Prior to my arrival, I was not worried about cultural adaptation. 

I even had a bit of an attitude I must admit. Why not, right? I’d lived in Russia for a whole fourteen months, surviving the dark, cold northern winter. 

I had even briefly lived in Morocco, another Muslim country. I arrived feeling comfortable and prepared. This state of mind, however, manifested itself as the wrong attitude. 

The I’ve got it down, no need to worry attitude.  

My brief stint here highlighted my misperception. I was not nearly as prepared as I thought. Earlier experiences were useful, but not in the way I initially expected. I expected the same process. I simply was living in a foreign country again. 

What I took from these earlier experiences and could use in Malaysia was how to be flexible and open, so I could integrate and understand this wonderful new place.

Here are a few points I have struggled with since arrival and am slowly overcoming. The number one is food and table etiquette. 

Food is a major obstacle for proper cultural adaptation. Upon arrival in another country, many Expats refuse to try local food. They either reduce their calorie intake or substitute usual eating habits with the cheap Western fast food (i.e. American food) found throughout the world. 

(On a side note, for some reason, the U.S. seems to export the worst of our food, but people everywhere seem to love it. I don’t). 

Although I was never subject to them, I witnessed dietary changes among fellow travelers in Russia and have heard stories about it in Malaysia. 

While in Russia, one friend of mine subsisted primarily on coke, refusing to eat the free, daily lunches. In Malaysia, I’ve heard about earlier volunteers eating nothing but KFC and McDonalds. Neither of these two dietary habits can be healthy. 

If one is flexible and open to new dishes, however, these problems are easily avoided. Especially in Malaysia, food consumption should not be a problem. 

The food in Malaysia is as wonderful as it is diverse. One can choose between three distinct types of food: Malay, Chinese, and Indian that can be found on almost every street corner. Beyond that there is a range of good international cuisines, albeit they are typically more expensive. 

For me at least, diet adjustment has not been a problem.

On the other hand, I’ve encountered several problems relating to manners at the table. For instance, placing your chopsticks vertical in a bowl is offensive. 

Although I do not completely understand the meaning, but it is a sort of funeral rite and represents death. 

To the chagrin of several individuals, I have mistakenly done this when looking for a resting position for my chopsticks. Another table misdemeanor occurred when I was collecting food for my dinner. In the US, we place the amount of food we wish to eat for the entire meal on the plate at one time. 

It is quite common for the entire meal to be served on this one plate. In contrast, Chinese take one or two pieces at a time, continually placing new pieces on the plate after they finish each bit. 

A problem develops between these two eating styles as I end up quickly monopolizing a large portion of the food at the table. This appears quite rude to the your dining companions and is a mistake I made several times prior to correction.

While a seemingly insignificant difficulty, misunderstandings of table etiquette can cause substantial obstacles to the development of relationships with those in your new country. 

As an American, how do we feel about someone who does not hold their fork right, chews with their mouth open, or does not follow some other minor table rule. 
  

Making this situation more difficult, people here are generally loath to inform you of your bad manners. 

Often times, those around you will quietly judge your actions without informing you of your transgression. This leaves you open to further mistakes and judgments. Luckily, my host has the courtesy of informing me.

Why I'm Here

Writing in this blog, I am hoping to convey my experiences as I participate in development work in South East Asia. 

I hope, then, it can act as a guide for other Westerns and in particular Americans, who wish to follow a path similar to my own. I suppose a good starting point would be a discussion of my motivations, which are deeply rooted in my upbringing in rural South Carolina.

I am twenty-two years old. I grew up in the Wren community, a small place on the outskirts of Greenville with little more than a stop light, a gas station, and a high school. 

To say the least, it was an isolated place, but somehow or another I developed a love for the world. Although I am not absolutely certain,

I think this interest originated with my father, who often traveled and had spent several years in Ethiopia as a Peace Corp volunteer in his younger days. Since high school, I’ve sought opportunities to indulge my fascination, whether through my university studies, travel, or simply befriending foreigners. In university, I studied international politics and economics, lived in Russia, traveled to Morocco, and met people from the four corners of the world. I decided not too long ago that my career would need to allow me to continue exploring the world. 

I am also an eternal optimist and believe hard work and reason can solve many of the world’s ills. Individuals can be force of good in society, and I hope to be such an individual. In this respect, I am under the influence of my mother, who always encouraged learning and development of strong morals. 

Her career as a social security lawyer provides a guiding light for this philosophy. She works tirelessly to support victims of circumstance, whether those born with defects, struck with debilitating illnesses, or pained by severe injuries.  

Through her career, she acts as a catalyst for positive change and betters the lives of others. I hope I too can follow in my mother’s footsteps and act as such a catalyst.

As a student of economics, however, I’ve also developed a healthy skepticism for feel good schemes and respect for the effects of unintended consequences. 

There are far too many examples of well intending Westerns showing up in some foreign land and causing more problems than they solve. I know I must be careful not to end up as one of those Westerners.

My past experience, desire, and knowledge fundamentally shaped my current direction and my decision to seek an internship outside of the United States. 

Working in Malaysia, I hope to develop the knowledge and skills to be a catalyst for positive change in diverse communities. 

I know it won’t be easy, but my experiences and shortcomings will provide readers of my blog with the knowledge to more effectively follow their goals and ambitions.

Visiting Weavers' Houses

I would like to show one of our daily tasks.  Today, we visited weavers' houses in Long House. Long House is built by government for poor people in Malaysia.  Some trainees skipped our training session recently.  So, we tried to find the reasons and encourage them to finish training.