Refresh back to the USA, part 1
Refresh..Refresh...Refresh.
Hi my dear blog, and my dear readers, if there were ever any.
Today is 18th August 2014. So, it has been 2 months since i left St.Paul, Minnesota, and 8 months since I left the day I left for the USA. I used to say that I would update my blog frequently while I was there, but my schedule there were just too hectic and time is just too precious to lose. Every second, every tick, every moment are to be cherished. So i guess I will just update it roughly and answer the main questions.
What had happened once I left Malaysia ?
Sleeping in the plane and watching movies and start to get use to the food in the plane, of course. It's a 12 hours flight to London, and Thank Goodness they had private movie compartments on the plane. OK, so the first thing that you want to do once you touch down in London while it is still snowing : Blow your Breath and watch the mist XD I know, but trust me, you would do that too. Next, find FOOD and WATER and WALK to STRETCH. So, we started using our money that we don't even recognize, yet. The hardest part was eating in the restaurant, you need to WAIT TO BE SEATED. I think many of us gave up trying to understand what the hell was going on when the waitress kept keeping us out.
Upon reaching Washington, you have to grab your luggage. and Finally out into the world of the USA, and the snow, Touch them, feel them. Its creepy,but it just isn't the time for making snowball. Do you wanna build a snowman ? Hell NO. Its freezing. I spent two days in Washington D.C with awesome facilitators. Workshops are conducted in a relaxing and fun way. You interact more than having to brainstorm for points. Anyway, who cares when we have the jet leg to deal with. It was awful.
Where was I exactly,and who was I living with ?
I was living at the edge of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Quite near to Roseville. Under the care of The Hubbells who have both retired and focus on community work and volunteering projects. The house, if you ever wonder, here it is , Al though I do say it did not look like that when I first arrived, It was all white and magical.
I was living with these two wonderful people, Jan and Jym Hubbell. And of course we met up with their son Nathan and his wife, Autumn, with Wilder the baby boy. Wilder is now finally one year old and already walking, at the same time , his teeth are bursting. It was fun looking at him taking his first few steps. I was so happy to see him finally walk towards me. Haha!
What were the first few things that happened once you reach Minnesota?
The first thing that I did once I reached Minneapolis International Airport was asking how to claim my luggage. Yup, because I am all alone now, and I need to find the correct gate. Next, was to look out for signs of my Host family. But i need not worry about that during that time, they were there with the Welcome sign ready, standing with my Area Representative. Ow well, I am glad they recognized me and the fact that they were even there early, it was such a relieve to finally touch down and to know that there would be no more flights until 6 months later. ( Yeah, i flew for 12 hours to London, 6 hours to Washington, 2 hours to Chicago and another hour to Minneapolis). My Area Rep. ( Marcy Werness) searched for my passport and checked my Visa ( that's their Job, and take a Picture.) It's then your job to email it to your natural parents. And you are all set.
What does it feel like to be in your new home for the first time ?
ITS BIG ! Grab that. They show me my room which I like it a lot because there were cute bed sheets with sheeps ( It rhymes in a away) and a cute small window an some decor of course. Very simple. They were in fact very kind and thoughtful enough to prepare a list of questions that I was sure going to ask soon. And the first one was authentic :
What day is today ?! Friday, 24th of January. Yes. EXACTLY!
That was what I have been dying to know for days because I didn't even have time to keep track of the time, and of course, there were major changes in Time Zone. Minnesota is in the Central Time Zone. And there was the plan of the house where they gave a copy to me, because at that time, that house just has too many doors and corners,and tricks. So, once all confusions have been cleared up. YOU NEED TO EAT AGAIN. Supper! ALTHOUGH I AM ALREADY DEAD ON MY FEET but you're not allowed to sleep before 8pm. That was the rule. I suffered alot from that Jet Lag especially when you are 14 hours apart from Malaysia. So, I practically clean up and went to bed at 9pm. Instantly falling asleep, and woke up at about 9am the next day.
Owh,and you must be wondering how do I address them. Well I call them Mum and Dad, Somehow it is your choice on how you want to address them, But I have clarified that thing out so it worked out pretty well for me, However, they still call themselves Jym and Jan when they talk to me. However, by the end of my stay, I think they finally addressed themselves as my "mum" and "dad" too. :D
Are you expected to start an activity the next day?
It depends I think. Whether you are up to it or not. For my case, well. I went all out for Sledding at the Winter Carnival. It really was fun, and you are supposed to start adjusting and adapting to the time now. START YOUR DAY WITH BREAKFAST! Yes, get used to a lot of cereals and bacon! Kidding. But the Cereal part is true, at least that is how it is for me. Sometimes, you might even start school the next day, so always be ready for any plans. Even if there is no school, you're assured of some project, like meeting with your counselor at school, shopping for clothing or toiletries and UNPACKING YOUR LUGGAGE!
Do I go to school ?
A BIG YES! I am a student of Como Park Senior High School. So, here is a video made by my friend who is also an exchange student from Switzerland, Lilian Wong. Her video will give you a tour of my school. But i didn't take the same classes like her except for choir and american literature. I am also taking, ceramics, economics, culinary, health and precalculus, Como is an extremely diverse school, don't be surprise . And what she said about most of the things are true, and yes, despite having some hard times in school, its important to cherish every moment. And no, I don't go by bus, and my house is further away from school compared to her's. But I guess I will be walking soon as thing starts to warm up and go brown again. And, yeah, I still have to wake up at 6am every morning, but no school uniforms ;D. So, yes, things warmed up in the end, so I walked to school , which took me 20 minutes to reach. It was fun, actually, because I get to count those squirrels that were scampering around, there were always around 15 - 20 loitering around for berries, and apples. It's also fun to see people who walk their dogs in the morning, you meet those people on the street every day and by the time you finish your journey, you will still remember them. My favourite parts were looking at street signs, and yes, NO TRAFFIC, I like those cars that stops at every junction.
What do I personally think about my school ?
First, its very near, by car. That's not the main point , I know. Hmm, at the very beginning, the first day is bad for people who aren't good in directions. You move from classes to classes all the time. And, you need the school map. I know it seems ridiculous. Next thing is, you need to quickly adjust to how loud the students talk all the times. You must adapt quickly to their choice of words , which I really disprove. But, i am impressed how students here are very much braver in terms of challenging the teachers with their own theories. The only thing that i should say is that, somehow I am always jinxed with all those commotions, fights and eruptions. -.- it was inevitable somehow. School work, I would say much much easier, and Grades, higher demand but not 100% exam based, in fact I would say 90% assignment based. Student don't greet the teachers in every class, but it is the other way round for them. There would be no physical punishment from teachers if the students misbehave, all students need to be escorted when they are ordered to leave the class by the teacher. No wandering around the hallway, every where you go, you need a pass.And, well, our favorite, cell phones are allowed, and no doubt, with WiFi. I love the classes here, don't ask me why, they seem interesting, Cullinary, Ceramics. Gosh, I had so much fun in these two, with all those Hmong and Karen friends that became my best friends there.
What do I think about Saint Paul Public Schools ?
Hmm, Technologies are put to good use. All computerized. That made a lot of things organised and simplified. All sort of information tracking and compiling were never a problem.Even the students all have to catch up with it, especially me. I feel like I am still not up to date at all. But its a good way, hopefully all these things would help me while doing assignments in college soon. Everybody has a different timetable, so you never really meet the same people everyday, you have lunch with different people everyday. For the first semester, you have the same friends, and it could be different in the next semester or quarter. I guess the main difference is the School Breakfast, is free. It's not just any breakfast. It's equipped with the essential nutrition, such as milk, fruits, juice, cereal, cupcakes, cheeseroll ( Yummy)
Whom have I met ? Who do I get to meet ? Who do I mix with ?
Whom have I met? well, the community of course. My new community. In fact, homosexual is a very common thing here. In fact, the first couple I met were gay, and they had a daughter with another gay ( women). My pastor at church is gay, most of the members in Vocal Point are too, including the choir director. I know, my host parents literally bombarded me about Pastor D***** right in he middle of supper. I have also met some wonderful people from church, they are mostly of the mellow age, people who knits a lot, people who play violins, people who are sick, immobile, but still reach out and contribute as much as they can. In school, I have met people from Thailand, the Hmongs who were mostly from Vietnam, from Dubai. And somehow, I realized, Asians, its just good to be one, and honestly, Malaysia isn't that bad after all, that is if you are talking about school. But, it really does depend on which school you're hosted, unfortunately, mine wasn't what I expected.
What about Winter Winter ?
Well, you would ask how cold is it ? well, below -20 degree C is something, and Genting is nothing. When you have been through the worst, then less than 10 degree C is nothing at all. What does snow taste like ? ( Taste like ICE of course !) OK, really, snow taste like iron with some rust. That is what i think it is. What do people do during the winter ?
Here are some examples.
What do you notice in The Restaurants here?
YOU HAVE TO WAIT to be seated. It is always a custom where they serve you a drink of your choice if available while you are looking at the menu. They will give you a few minutes to skim over the menu, and get back to you. Now, you order. For me, I wasn't able to accept the supersized serving at first. I tried to go for a Kid's meal once, but unlike in Malaysia, you get to order a Kid's meal even if you're already an Adult. Yeah, so I had to share with my host parents or order something light and small. They usually come as fast as they can, the food I mean. You sink your teeth in, and then, after about 5 minutes the waitresses would come back to check on you. It's quite, different.
PS: This post was drafted more than a year ago, so there might be some mistakes. It's still not done yet.
Hi my dear blog, and my dear readers, if there were ever any.
Today is 18th August 2014. So, it has been 2 months since i left St.Paul, Minnesota, and 8 months since I left the day I left for the USA. I used to say that I would update my blog frequently while I was there, but my schedule there were just too hectic and time is just too precious to lose. Every second, every tick, every moment are to be cherished. So i guess I will just update it roughly and answer the main questions.
What had happened once I left Malaysia ?
Sleeping in the plane and watching movies and start to get use to the food in the plane, of course. It's a 12 hours flight to London, and Thank Goodness they had private movie compartments on the plane. OK, so the first thing that you want to do once you touch down in London while it is still snowing : Blow your Breath and watch the mist XD I know, but trust me, you would do that too. Next, find FOOD and WATER and WALK to STRETCH. So, we started using our money that we don't even recognize, yet. The hardest part was eating in the restaurant, you need to WAIT TO BE SEATED. I think many of us gave up trying to understand what the hell was going on when the waitress kept keeping us out.
Upon reaching Washington, you have to grab your luggage. and Finally out into the world of the USA, and the snow, Touch them, feel them. Its creepy,but it just isn't the time for making snowball. Do you wanna build a snowman ? Hell NO. Its freezing. I spent two days in Washington D.C with awesome facilitators. Workshops are conducted in a relaxing and fun way. You interact more than having to brainstorm for points. Anyway, who cares when we have the jet leg to deal with. It was awful.
Where was I exactly,and who was I living with ?
I was living at the edge of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Quite near to Roseville. Under the care of The Hubbells who have both retired and focus on community work and volunteering projects. The house, if you ever wonder, here it is , Al though I do say it did not look like that when I first arrived, It was all white and magical.
I was living with these two wonderful people, Jan and Jym Hubbell. And of course we met up with their son Nathan and his wife, Autumn, with Wilder the baby boy. Wilder is now finally one year old and already walking, at the same time , his teeth are bursting. It was fun looking at him taking his first few steps. I was so happy to see him finally walk towards me. Haha! What were the first few things that happened once you reach Minnesota?The first thing that I did once I reached Minneapolis International Airport was asking how to claim my luggage. Yup, because I am all alone now, and I need to find the correct gate. Next, was to look out for signs of my Host family. But i need not worry about that during that time, they were there with the Welcome sign ready, standing with my Area Representative. Ow well, I am glad they recognized me and the fact that they were even there early, it was such a relieve to finally touch down and to know that there would be no more flights until 6 months later. ( Yeah, i flew for 12 hours to London, 6 hours to Washington, 2 hours to Chicago and another hour to Minneapolis). My Area Rep. ( Marcy Werness) searched for my passport and checked my Visa ( that's their Job, and take a Picture.) It's then your job to email it to your natural parents. And you are all set.
What does it feel like to be in your new home for the first time ?
ITS BIG ! Grab that. They show me my room which I like it a lot because there were cute bed sheets with sheeps ( It rhymes in a away) and a cute small window an some decor of course. Very simple. They were in fact very kind and thoughtful enough to prepare a list of questions that I was sure going to ask soon. And the first one was authentic :
What day is today ?! Friday, 24th of January. Yes. EXACTLY!
That was what I have been dying to know for days because I didn't even have time to keep track of the time, and of course, there were major changes in Time Zone. Minnesota is in the Central Time Zone. And there was the plan of the house where they gave a copy to me, because at that time, that house just has too many doors and corners,and tricks. So, once all confusions have been cleared up. YOU NEED TO EAT AGAIN. Supper! ALTHOUGH I AM ALREADY DEAD ON MY FEET but you're not allowed to sleep before 8pm. That was the rule. I suffered alot from that Jet Lag especially when you are 14 hours apart from Malaysia. So, I practically clean up and went to bed at 9pm. Instantly falling asleep, and woke up at about 9am the next day.
Owh,and you must be wondering how do I address them. Well I call them Mum and Dad, Somehow it is your choice on how you want to address them, But I have clarified that thing out so it worked out pretty well for me, However, they still call themselves Jym and Jan when they talk to me. However, by the end of my stay, I think they finally addressed themselves as my "mum" and "dad" too. :D
Are you expected to start an activity the next day?
It depends I think. Whether you are up to it or not. For my case, well. I went all out for Sledding at the Winter Carnival. It really was fun, and you are supposed to start adjusting and adapting to the time now. START YOUR DAY WITH BREAKFAST! Yes, get used to a lot of cereals and bacon! Kidding. But the Cereal part is true, at least that is how it is for me. Sometimes, you might even start school the next day, so always be ready for any plans. Even if there is no school, you're assured of some project, like meeting with your counselor at school, shopping for clothing or toiletries and UNPACKING YOUR LUGGAGE!
Do I go to school ?
A BIG YES! I am a student of Como Park Senior High School. So, here is a video made by my friend who is also an exchange student from Switzerland, Lilian Wong. Her video will give you a tour of my school. But i didn't take the same classes like her except for choir and american literature. I am also taking, ceramics, economics, culinary, health and precalculus, Como is an extremely diverse school, don't be surprise . And what she said about most of the things are true, and yes, despite having some hard times in school, its important to cherish every moment. And no, I don't go by bus, and my house is further away from school compared to her's. But I guess I will be walking soon as thing starts to warm up and go brown again. And, yeah, I still have to wake up at 6am every morning, but no school uniforms ;D. So, yes, things warmed up in the end, so I walked to school , which took me 20 minutes to reach. It was fun, actually, because I get to count those squirrels that were scampering around, there were always around 15 - 20 loitering around for berries, and apples. It's also fun to see people who walk their dogs in the morning, you meet those people on the street every day and by the time you finish your journey, you will still remember them. My favourite parts were looking at street signs, and yes, NO TRAFFIC, I like those cars that stops at every junction.
What do I personally think about my school ?
First, its very near, by car. That's not the main point , I know. Hmm, at the very beginning, the first day is bad for people who aren't good in directions. You move from classes to classes all the time. And, you need the school map. I know it seems ridiculous. Next thing is, you need to quickly adjust to how loud the students talk all the times. You must adapt quickly to their choice of words , which I really disprove. But, i am impressed how students here are very much braver in terms of challenging the teachers with their own theories. The only thing that i should say is that, somehow I am always jinxed with all those commotions, fights and eruptions. -.- it was inevitable somehow. School work, I would say much much easier, and Grades, higher demand but not 100% exam based, in fact I would say 90% assignment based. Student don't greet the teachers in every class, but it is the other way round for them. There would be no physical punishment from teachers if the students misbehave, all students need to be escorted when they are ordered to leave the class by the teacher. No wandering around the hallway, every where you go, you need a pass.And, well, our favorite, cell phones are allowed, and no doubt, with WiFi. I love the classes here, don't ask me why, they seem interesting, Cullinary, Ceramics. Gosh, I had so much fun in these two, with all those Hmong and Karen friends that became my best friends there.
What do I think about Saint Paul Public Schools ?
Hmm, Technologies are put to good use. All computerized. That made a lot of things organised and simplified. All sort of information tracking and compiling were never a problem.Even the students all have to catch up with it, especially me. I feel like I am still not up to date at all. But its a good way, hopefully all these things would help me while doing assignments in college soon. Everybody has a different timetable, so you never really meet the same people everyday, you have lunch with different people everyday. For the first semester, you have the same friends, and it could be different in the next semester or quarter. I guess the main difference is the School Breakfast, is free. It's not just any breakfast. It's equipped with the essential nutrition, such as milk, fruits, juice, cereal, cupcakes, cheeseroll ( Yummy)
Whom have I met ? Who do I get to meet ? Who do I mix with ?
Whom have I met? well, the community of course. My new community. In fact, homosexual is a very common thing here. In fact, the first couple I met were gay, and they had a daughter with another gay ( women). My pastor at church is gay, most of the members in Vocal Point are too, including the choir director. I know, my host parents literally bombarded me about Pastor D***** right in he middle of supper. I have also met some wonderful people from church, they are mostly of the mellow age, people who knits a lot, people who play violins, people who are sick, immobile, but still reach out and contribute as much as they can. In school, I have met people from Thailand, the Hmongs who were mostly from Vietnam, from Dubai. And somehow, I realized, Asians, its just good to be one, and honestly, Malaysia isn't that bad after all, that is if you are talking about school. But, it really does depend on which school you're hosted, unfortunately, mine wasn't what I expected.
 |
| The barbershop Quartets . |
 |
| Rubeena Bibi from Pakisatn |
 |
| Lisa Hofman from Germany |
What about Winter Winter ?
Well, you would ask how cold is it ? well, below -20 degree C is something, and Genting is nothing. When you have been through the worst, then less than 10 degree C is nothing at all. What does snow taste like ? ( Taste like ICE of course !) OK, really, snow taste like iron with some rust. That is what i think it is. What do people do during the winter ?
Here are some examples.
What do you notice in The Restaurants here?
YOU HAVE TO WAIT to be seated. It is always a custom where they serve you a drink of your choice if available while you are looking at the menu. They will give you a few minutes to skim over the menu, and get back to you. Now, you order. For me, I wasn't able to accept the supersized serving at first. I tried to go for a Kid's meal once, but unlike in Malaysia, you get to order a Kid's meal even if you're already an Adult. Yeah, so I had to share with my host parents or order something light and small. They usually come as fast as they can, the food I mean. You sink your teeth in, and then, after about 5 minutes the waitresses would come back to check on you. It's quite, different.
PS: This post was drafted more than a year ago, so there might be some mistakes. It's still not done yet.
Comments
Post a Comment