It’s not all work and no play for our ICE Malaysia students – although they have been completing work experience placements to support their chosen career paths, they also get to visit some of Malaysia’s popular tourist attractions during their stay. UK Student, Bronwen Lloyd tells us all about the students’ visit to Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching. Bronwen has been undertaking work experience at Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) throughout the ICE Malaysia programme.
“On our last Sunday in Malaysia, we all spent the morning at the Sarawak Cultural Village; often described as a living museum. Here we were able to walk freely around the village, visiting traditional longhouses from the different native people of Sarawak. If you are familiar with Wales, you can compare the site to St Fagan’s National Museum of History. We were all fully covered in sun cream and bug repellent as we walked through the scorching heat of Kuching, surrounded by the beautiful, natural landscape of palm trees, masses of greenery and the bright blue sky.
“The cultures showcased, one from each longhouse, were those of the Bidayuh, Iban, Orang Ulu, Melanau, Malays and the Chinese. We were greeted at the entrance of each longhouse by people dressed fully in traditional clothing, inviting us to partake in activities and to taste their food. We were all able to try shooting targets with a full size blowdart, using a sugar cane cracker and tasting the various traditional treats.
“After touring all the way around the village, we watched the Cultural Show, which was filled with live music and dancing. My fellow student, Kristina was even invited on-stage to attempt shooting balloons with a blowdart. It was incredible to be able to experience such a vibrant, colourful culture.
“My favourite part of the morning was how it felt as though we had used a time machine to visit the longhouses – even though none of them were original, they were clearly replicated with every detail in mind. In addition to this, the actors and staff were all so friendly, and were happy to answer all questions asked about the village and the cultures of the people of Malaysia.
“Before driving back to Kuching city, we were able to have a dip in the sea and some time on the beach.”
Categories: Student Blog
