High Tea with The Ambassador

My invitation to High Tea with the Ambassador

Last Friday, all 50 of the Malaysia Fulbrighters were invited to High Tea at the home of U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, Ambassador Paul W. Jones. He hosted the event at his home, and in addition to the 50 Fulbrighters were individuals from the U.S. Embassy (who we met the prior week at orientation), U.S. high school students who are high school exchange students in Malaysia, Teach for Malaysia representatives (the Teach for America of Malaysia) and about 40 Malaysian secondary students who are leaving in two weeks to study in America for four months.

As I entered the Ambassador’s home with my fellow Fulbrighters, it was pouring rain, but the energy and enthusiasm was overflowing. Individuals from the Malaysian Ministry of Education as well as the Ambassador himself greeted us. It was a tremendously heartwarming experience, and it was on this night that it finally hit me: My dream to get a Fulbright is reality. I was immensely touched by the experience of being among such fantastic individuals who were just as excited about their experiences as we are about our upcoming experience.

The 40 Malaysian students getting ready to go to the USA presented a dance to the Ambassador and all other guests. Their presentation was a coordinated, enthusiastic dance to Cha Cha Slide. Although I immediately got a flashback to being at home and out with my friends and being at Saint Mary’s Formal, I certainly was still in a foreign country. The young Chinese, Indian and Muslim students did a fantastic job, and then motioned to us Fulbrighters to come join them. So the 50 of us Fulbrighters in our twenties did the Cha Cha Slide with young women, some in traditional dress and young men. These students were close in age to the secondary students I will soon be teaching. Although this was just a simple dance to Cha Cha Slide, this collaborative dance was representative of what Fulbright is about, bringing people from two different cultures together. I will certainly never forget dancing next to these young people who were so enthused about their upcoming months in America. In fact, it was somewhat bizarre to know that they are going to be so close to my home, while I will be staying here.

Moreover, I had the incredible opportunity to meet and converse with several Malaysian students. There was a young Muslim girl headed to East Moline, Illinois, several headed to Michigan and many headed to California among other places such as South Dakota, New York and Colorado. In addition, I was able to talk to three young men who are from Terengganu (my future State) and who are headed to America. 

One of these men actually had two previous Fulbrighter ETAs as his English teachers. He explained to me that both of these ETAs inspired him to increase his English abilities and they also told him that someday he could study in the USA if he studied English enough. Now, here he is about to embark on a competitive exchange program to a town in northern Michigan. As we stood around a table eating vegetable egg rolls, he told my friend Melissa and I about his future host father purchased him new winter attire for cold Michigan. This young man told us about his hopes to get involved with drama at his exchange high school in the Midwest. This story was just one of the many stories I heard from Malaysian students that night. I realized first-hand the impact that my fellow Fulbrighters and I can have on even just one student. Through talking to that young man, I felt an extreme sense of excitement to finally arrive in Terengganu, get settled and start teaching. I regret to admit that I forgot this young man’s name, but I will forever remember the advice he gave me for teaching to students his age and the kind words he provided about my future placement. I wish him all the best during his exchange semester in Michigan!

After the High Tea at the Ambassador’s residence we were invited to the U.S. Marine base to converse and socialize with local American men and women at their local hang out spot on base. It was the first time outside of training that all 50 of us were able to unwind, connect and socialize together. Needless to say, we had an awesome night, and probably my favorite memory thus far! I look forward to keeping in contact with members of our Fulbright group during the year ahead. Although only 17 ETAs will be in Terengganu, the other 33 will be spread amongst Pahang and Johor, Malaysia, and all of us plan on visiting one another.

This night instilled a further evident sense of Fulbright’s mission to exchange culture and facilitate mutual understanding.  It also reminded me that I am not only embarking on this experience as an individual, but I am going as a representative of my country, my state and my community. Therefore, I am representing you blog readers as well. So, if there is a question you have or a topic you would like to learn more about, let me know. Your questions and interests and ideas will only enhance my experience and better allow me to carry out my ability to bring knowledge back home. I would be happy to have another aspect of culture or the country to research and explore!