2007.09.20: September 20, 2007: Headlines: COS - Malaysia: Return to our Country of Service - Malaysia: Bernama : RPCV John English returns to Malaysia to witness and cover the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
Malaysia:
Peace Corps Malaysia :
Peace Corps Malaysia: Newest Stories:
2007.09.20: September 20, 2007: Headlines: COS - Malaysia: Return to our Country of Service - Malaysia: Bernama : RPCV John English returns to Malaysia to witness and cover the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations
RPCV John English returns to Malaysia to witness and cover the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations
English, who enjoyed eating at the street vendor food stalls in the city, relished the sizzling steaks served at the Coliseum Cafe in Kuala Lumpur. "It was a mouth-watering treat," he confessed. One of the most remarkable things which English learned in Malaysia -- he first arrived in Malaysia with visions and concerns about the famous circus character, The Wild Man of Borneo, who was a headhunter -- was to sit in "peaceful silence", a kind of meditative, introspective self-examining reflection. He recalled how he built a swing set for the village children, and also founded a Boy Scout troop with donated uniforms. He replaced his stereotypes with long hikes and personal discovery. "Although I grew up in the United States, I really grew up in Borneo," he makes this observation as he plays on the words. "It was the first time I was self-sufficient and it was the first time I learned that I actually had expertise and could make a real, long-term difference in people's lives." "My time there absolutely changed my life. It gave me the desire to see the world and be a part of a global society. I honestly would not trade my Peace Corps experience for anything," he spoke of what would become a defining moment in his personal life.
RPCV John English returns to Malaysia to witness and cover the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations
Retired US Professor Impressed By Malaysia's Modern Face E-mail this news to a friend Printable version of this news
By Manik Mehta
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- It was not merely a journey down memory lane for John English.
Returning after 10 years to Malaysia to witness and cover the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations on Aug 30 and 31 in Kuala Lumpur, the 66-year-old retired professor of journalism and a former United States Peace Corps volunteer felt that a brand new city had been "simply dropped" in the midst of an old city, as he knew it from a much earlier association with Malaysia.
English, who taught journalism at the University of Georgia, was a member of the first-ever group of the US Peace Corps to travel to Malaysia and had taught English in Borneo from 1962 to 1964. The Peace Corps was then a fledgling organisation set up by the former US president, John F. Kennedy.
In the 1980s, during his second visit, he taught English in Penang.
English, who now works as a freelance journalist and writes on travel, art, culture and such, has also authored six books, one of which is about Malaysia in the popular Fedora travel book series.
Indeed, English has even penned a Malaysian script called "Pertama" which was later adapted for a Malaysian film depicting the typical lives of teenagers and issues of concern and interest to them.
Of course, the old city of Kuala Lumpur still co-exists with the new and ultra-modern one. "This juxtaposition of the two is simply colossal," he told Bernama in an interview at the KL International Airport as he waited for a flight to Penang.
He said that a visit to the imposing Petronas Twin Towers was "a must" for any visitor to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's business heartbeat.
"The elegant and sophisticated shopping malls and cluster of offices here easily surpass the best you can see in many countries of the West," he maintained. "The Petronas towers are a brilliant symbol of the city."
He discerned a growing affluence amongst Malaysians. But the quaint, colonial style structures preserved in Malaysia have created "a lasting impression" on English who is fascinated by Malaysia's art and culture as well as its ethnic diversity manifested in the ubiquitous of Malay, Chinese and Indian religious, cultural and culinary mix.
"The architecture and the buildings of the old evoke what I would refer to as the Nasi Kandar memories. I have had a 45-year-old association with Malaysia. You still get the old stuff here though I see a distinct trend towards more fancy restaurants which increasingly appeal to Malaysians," he said.
English, who enjoyed eating at the street vendor food stalls in the city, relished the sizzling steaks served at the Coliseum Cafe in Kuala Lumpur. "It was a mouth-watering treat," he confessed.
One of the most remarkable things which English learned in Malaysia -- he first arrived in Malaysia with visions and concerns about the famous circus character, The Wild Man of Borneo, who was a headhunter -- was to sit in "peaceful silence", a kind of meditative, introspective self-examining reflection.
He recalled how he built a swing set for the village children, and also founded a Boy Scout troop with donated uniforms. He replaced his stereotypes with long hikes and personal discovery.
"Although I grew up in the United States, I really grew up in Borneo," he makes this observation as he plays on the words. "It was the first time I was self-sufficient and it was the first time I learned that I actually had expertise and could make a real, long-term difference in people's lives."
"My time there absolutely changed my life. It gave me the desire to see the world and be a part of a global society. I honestly would not trade my Peace Corps experience for anything," he spoke of what would become a defining moment in his personal life.
Besides the cultural landmarks, the former Peace Corps volunteer was also impressed by the humility and unassuming character of Malaysians.
He noticed instances of unique camaraderie amongst people in some professions, even though they were rivals and competing against each other in their respective fields.
He cited a touching example of solidarity at a so-called "chefs' table", an informal gathering of chefs from various hotels and restaurants, who sat together to eat and enjoy the food cooked by other chefs.
He narrated how the chefs spontaneously decided to help a cancer-stricken chef and present him a purse out of donations collected from their professional fraternity.
"I also noticed how they discussed their daily concerns and issues in their profession. For example, they were talking about the dwindling stock of the popular tiger prawns, which is affecting the gastronomy trade.
"They even discussed questions about environmental pollution and over-fishing which were creating the shortage," English narrated, making no effort to conceal his amusement at the lively debate amongst the chefs.
Despite all of Malaysia's distinctive tourist landmarks, history and culture, American tourists continue to bypass the country, preferring to head for Thailand, Bali, Cambodia and other destinations in Southeast Asia.
English had a ready reply for this peculiar behaviour of American tourists. "Being a small country which remained below the radar in the 1970s and 1980s, I believe, it was largely unknown to Americans.
"However, Malaysia is now beginning to have an impact on American tourists. Many American tourists, who know Malaysia, have a lot of good things to say about it. It fares a lot better than many other destinations."
English gave his own perceptions of Malaysia which, he said, had made great economic strides, thanks to political stability, the absence of conflict or war and natural disasters.
"Present-day Malaysia is a success story. I am convinced that Malaysia can achieve the goal of becoming a developed country by the year 2020, as the political leadership is striving to achieve. There may still be poor people in the country, but the level of poverty is manageable."
But there was one "tiny irritant" for the former journalism professor. The gridlock traffic of Kuala Lumpur seemed to unnerve him.
Part of the price Malaysia has paid for its success story is the incredible traffic jam and the resulting air pollution. "But I guess it's still manageable compared to other Asian countries," English quipped.
-- BERNAMA
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: September, 2007; Peace Corps Malaysia; Directory of Malaysia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Malaysia RPCVs; Return to our Country of Service - Malaysia
When this story was posted in October 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings Read PCOL's executive summary of Senator Chris Dodd's hearings on July 25 on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act and why Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter does not believe the bill would contribute to an improved Peace Corps while four other RPCV witnesses do. Highlights of the hearings included Dodd's questioning of Tschetter on political meetings at Peace Corps Headquarters and the Inspector General's testimony on the re-opening of the Walter Poirier III investigation. |
| What is the greatest threat facing us now? "People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the great threat we are facing? I would approach this differently, in almost Marshall-like terms. What are the great opportunities out there - ones that we can take advantage of?" Read more. |
| Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer Paul Theroux began by writing about the life he knew in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His first first three novels are set in Africa and two of his later novels recast his Peace Corps tour as fiction. Read about how Theroux involved himself with rebel politicians, was expelled from Malawi, and how the Peace Corps tried to ruin him financially in John Coyne's analysis and appreciation of one of the greatest American writers of his generation (who also happens to be an RPCV). |
| Dodd issues call for National Service Standing on the steps of the Nashua City Hall where JFK kicked off his campaign in 1960, Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd issued a call for National Service. "Like thousands of others, I heard President Kennedy's words and a short time later joined the Peace Corps." Dodd said his goal is to see 40 million people volunteering in some form or another by 2020. "We have an appetite for service. We like to be asked to roll up our sleeves and make a contribution," he said. "We haven't been asked in a long time." |
| Public diplomacy rests on sound public policy When President Kennedy spoke of "a long twilight struggle," and challenged the country to "ask not," he signaled that the Cold War was the challenge and framework defining US foreign policy. The current challenge is not a struggle against a totalitarian foe. It is not a battle against an enemy called "Islamofascism." From these false assumptions flow false choices, including the false choice between law enforcement and war. Instead, law enforcement and military force both must be essential instruments, along with diplomacy, including public diplomacy. But public diplomacy rests on policy, and to begin with, the policy must be sound. Read more. |
| Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director A post made on PCOL from volunteers in Tanzania alleges that Ambassador Retzer has acted improperly in revoking the country clearance of Country Director Christine Djondo. A statement from Peace Corps' Press Office says that the Peace Corps strongly disagrees with the ambassador’s decision. On June 8 the White House announced that Retzer is being replaced as Ambassador. Latest: Senator Dodd has placed a hold on Mark Green's nomination to be Ambassador to Tanzania. |
| Peace Corps Funnies A PCV writing home? Our editor hard at work? Take a look at our Peace Corps Funnies and Peace Corps Cartoons and see why Peace Corps Volunteers say that sometimes a touch of levity can be one of the best ways of dealing with frustrations in the field. Read what RPCVs say about the lighter side of life in the Peace Corps and see why irreverent observations can often contain more than a grain of truth. We'll supply the photos. You supply the captions. |
| PCOL serves half million PCOL's readership for April exceeded 525,000 visitors - a 50% increase over last year. This year also saw the advent of a new web site: Peace Corps News that together with the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps serve 17,000 RPCVs, Staff, and Friends of the Peace Corps every day. Thanks for making PCOL your source of news for the Peace Corps community. Read more. |
| Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences . |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: Bernama
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Malaysia; Return to our Country of Service - Malaysia
PCOL39091
71