Saturday November 7, 2009
Participants’ take
In the week-long homestay programme held in four states, bodies were bruised, cultures exchanged, experiences shared and friends made. Here’s what some participants thought of the programme.
Ahdan Salleh, 25
Malaysian artist
“I’ve been on several homestay programmes before, and I think it’s a great way to introduce the kampung life to city folk. We get to go to places we would otherwise never visit. It’s a different way of life at every single home.
“Every time I enter a new village, I am curious to find out what their life is like? What kind of food do they eat? What do they do for a living? Most village folk are not that well off and their facilities may not be the greatest in the world but they still welcome us with open arms.
“We could help them by having gotong-royong to paint their fences, tidy their compounds or help them in some handiwork or other. I’m sure they would appreciate that a lot, and the participants would be proud to feel that they have contributed to the community.
“What I enjoyed the most was the wedding night at Laman Bangkinang. We, city folks, rarely get to see weddings in full traditional costumes. I felt as though I had been transported back in time with all the ceremonies and dances. It’s good that participants from Indonesia and Thailand were invited, as now can they tell their countrymen about it.
“Most young city folk do not know about the existence of such places either. I hope the Tourism Ministry can allocate a bigger budget to upgrade the homestay facilities. The Government should do more to highlight the programme to the world.”
Rahma Hayuningdyah and Nuntharat Suntimaneerat. Rahma Hayuningdyah, 23,
Indonesian TV host
“I found the homestay programme to be very interesting because when I visit Malaysia, I usually head to the city to see the Twin Towers or shop in the many shopping malls.
“The programme was fun because I met people from different countries and shared cultures and experiences. I saw the other side of Malaysia.
“The most memorable experience for me was the task of lugging two coconuts from the beginning of the trip till the end. Each team was given two coconuts, and we had to decorate them at the end of the trip. The coconuts were so heavy, and we didn’t know how to decorate them! But it was fun.
“There are several things that could be improved, though. We should have had more time to get to know our foster parents. There was so much focus on village games that there was hardly time to visit the local attractions.
“I want to know more about how the people live, what their family lives are about, their culture, everything. All this is very interesting to me.”
Nuntharat Suntimaneerat, 25, Thailand magazine writer
“Although the schedule was very tight, and the days very long, I enjoyed myself because I got to make new friends from different countries. Most of them were from the media, which made it easy for me to communicate as we are in the same field.
“It was interesting to find out how the Malaysian and Indonesian media work. I also got to experience different cultures. I liked the second homestay better, as the place was cleaner and our foster family was nicer. Maybe it was due to the fact that the kid there could speak English and translated when we wanted to communicate with her parents.
“Although there was a language barrier, they made us feel at home and they fed us well! We put on a lot of weight.
“There should be more promotion to other countries as I’ve never heard of this programme before. They should advertise more, and there should be a good, comprehensive website.”
Source:
RSS
