AFS or also known as Antarabangsa Budaya Malaysia. I had a great opportunity to be introduced to this great NGO body by Dexter just last weekend from 30th to 31st of May 2009 at Kuantan, Pahang during their end year stay camp 2009 program. The purpose of this program is to celebrate those who are going back to their respective countries after a year in our country for the student exchange program. I can say that this program that held at Megaview Hotel here is quite a success judging from the number of people who turn up and the cheering and shouting and dancing and playing and bla bla...
Just let me start from where dex and me reached the kuantan bus terminal. We reached there roughly around 12something in the morning. Yes, you heard me. 12 something in the morning. Supposedly we can reached earlier but due to a little bit of profit ( the bus can save by not passing through toll) that driver decided to use old roads that were not well maintained. Then from there we spent a night at Kuantan AFS chapter leader's hse. Without her hospitality, both of us will have to sleep under the bridge coz we think that they provide hotel for us for 2days but actually only for a day that is on sat. So we seek for her shelter and she treat her really comfortably.
Next day Saturday, we together with Kuching chapter leader, Mr Bathiah who is also principal of SM Sains Kuching with his wife were brought by Ms Wendy with another Kuantan AFS leader, Madam Choo to Kuantan specialties that is Nasi Dagang. Is a very simple meal: plain white rice + a small piece of fish with abit of the sauce and it cost RM 2.50! Expensive huh?! Luckily not we pay. They treat us.. How nice of them. Oh yes, not forgetting the keropok lekor. I think you guys must have heard of it. Simply delicious. Before the program start, we had the opportunity to be toured around Kuantan. One thing i like of Kuantan is the beach. Although it might be as grand or clean as you compared with the beach at Tioman or Redang, it is definitely one of the quite beach which makes me feel more attracted towards it. I always like a lonely beach rather than a pack with ppl. It spoil the beach.
Back to hotel for the program at 11something. Was kind of happy to see those bunch of exchange students there practicing for their performance later at nite. Met Ludwig and bunch of his fren there. Kinda funny though the feelin coz we just wished him goodbye at the bus terminal not long ago and now here i meet him again. I shall skip the meeting part coz partly just those about new student exchange this coming July.
The dinner later at night was really awesome. The MC is kind of cool with his chinese accent but overall he speaks really well and the whole dinner go on smoothly. I really did enjoy those performance by those student exchange. Mostly dancing (indian dance to be exact..XD) then lastly they ended it with some fashion show by all of them. Hang out with them for awhile before we went back to our room.
The next morning we were given a talk by the famous Malaysian speaker, dato mahadzir lokman. You might not heard of him before but he's a really superb speaker. Able to speak malay with all the dialects, english, chinese, abit of chinese dialect, french and even germany. Sounds cool rite? He's speaker for NAM meeting at M'sia, Commonwealth, OIC and a lot more international events held in Malaysia. Is hard for me to describe how great speaker he is. You have to find out yourself. Next, the meeting continue...
After lunch, all of us, everyone from AFS bid farewell to those student exchange. After this, we will not meet each other again.
Alrite, some of the things that i learnt during my this 3days trip there. From AFS i really learnt that the dream of making all malaysian unite is totally possible. Based on all the people there, the staff, the volunteers regardless of race and religion, they are able to work together under the same community. This really impressed me. Then, i also learnt that meet and farewell is part of our life. We may meet today but part tomorrow. We should value more the people around us more. Who knows tomorrow the person we care the most might leave us. Lastly, this student exchange program i really feel that is the bridge to link two worlds of different cultures to know each other more. Together we move towards world peace! (how noble i am..lol..)
30 November 2010
14 years ago