14/8/2006 - They love taking things too far
AIMING to foster cultural understanding between Malaysian students and their counterparts in other countries, AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia organised a fundraising Gala Dinner to enable needy students to participate in its student exchange programme.
“Students who have attended our student exchange programmes come back more mature and independent,” said AFS Malaysia programme manager Annie Yap.It costs between RM4,000 and RM24,000 for a student to participate in the exchange programme, for a period ranging from two months to a year.“Students get to stay with host families to learn their culture,” she said.Among the countries Malaysian students had been sent to were Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and Germany.Proceeds from the gala will go to Yayasan Antarabudaya Malaysia (ABM).“A committee will then decide on the deserving students to be sent abroad,” said Yap.Currently the funds are used only to subsidise local students who are going abroad.“But we are looking forward to sponsoring students from other Third World nations to come here,” she said.Themed “Celebrating Cultural Diversity”, the gala was attended by AFS returnees and alumni.Ho Hann Yeong, 18, from Seremban, was thrilled to be given the chance to go to Anchorage, Alaska in June last year.“It was the first time I saw snow,” he said.Ho, who is visually impaired, attended West High School for six months.“I enjoyed the pottery lessons during which I learnt to make pots from ceramics and other materials,” he said.Long Seh Ling, 22, said she treasured the friendship that she had forged during her time as an exchange student.Currently reading biodiversity conservation and management at Kolej Universiti Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia (KUSTEM), she went to Zurich, Switzerland for a year.“They are active people who play sports. Their class timetable allocates four hours per week for sports,” she said.The character of the Swiss also struck her.“They are very straightforward people. If they don't like something that you are doing, they will tell you to your face rather than criticise you behind your back.” she added.Jasmin Petrick, 16, who had been in Malaysia for only three weeks, was already starting to feel the differences in culture.“The people here are more disciplined, like having to wear school uniforms and the use of hand phones being forbidden in schools,” she said.Coming from Spremberg, Germany, she is impressed with the school in which she is studying in.“I like the assembly we have here every week to sing the national anthem,” she said, adding that the spirit of togetherness was strong here.Petrick, who looks forward to learning more about Malaysia, hopes to have the opportunity to study in every state.
 |
Printer Friendly |
