SSU Travels the World

We have arrived in Kota Kinabalu for our final few days in Malaysia… after weeks of rice, veggies and the occasional pig snout KK offered us the foods we have all been craving. I forgot how easily the words “non-fat chai tea latte” rolled off my tongue until we were faced with our beloved Starbucks.  Although it’s been nice to have the comforts of home here, I have yet to feel homesick. The days are always packed full of new experiences and sights that I just don’t have time to be homesick… sorry mom.

Our time in the Philippines was spent in lectures at North Western University, hanging out with our homestay family or exploring the city of Laoag. I was blown away by the hospitality we were shown in the Philippines and will always have fond memories of our time spent there.
Malaysia has offered us an experience most tourists don’t find. We have found ourselves in beautiful jungles surrounded by mountains and even got to live in a Muslim village. In the village we were able to eat their food, wear their clothing and attend their mosque, an opportunity not many 21 year olds have.

My favorite experience of the whole trip was waking up at 5am to the sound of the Muslim “call to prayer”. There is something peaceful and even enchanting about living in the jungle and hearing these beautiful prayers on speaker throughout the village.
Tomorrow we leave for Thailand, I am ready for the next adventure and what Thailand has in store for us.