🌸Hirodai Ambassador Activity Report
Mana Sato, XNUMXth year, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
[Destination] Tunku Abdul Rahman University (Malaysia)
[Study abroad period] August 2022 to January 10.
[Type of study abroad] Long-term study abroad at a partner university
After arrival
From October 2022, I will be studying at Tunku Abdul Rahman University in Kampar, Perak, about 10 kilometers northwest of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.I live in an apartment about a 170 minute walk from the university.
The day after I arrived, I went shopping for essentials.There are few shops around the apartment, so I had to go to a shopping mall about 10 minutes away by car.I used “Grab”, a local taxi dispatch service, as a means of transportation. With Grab, you can enter your destination and the actual amount you will pay will be displayed, so you can ride with confidence.Therefore, most of the local international students use it as a taxi.We used "Grab" on the way back from the shopping center.
My university has a buddy system for local students to support international students.
If you have any trouble, your buddy will tell you anything.Also, when we get along well, we sometimes go out to play, shop, and eat together.In fact, on the 3rd day after I arrived, I went out to eat with 4 Japanese people, my friend Buddy, and his friend.During the week from arrival to the start of classes, I mainly spent time building a local community and shopping.
Kampar's cityscape seen from the apartment
that was difficult
Looking back from the time I left Japan until today, the hardest part was getting to the meeting place from Narita International Airport.I arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Narita International Airport via Changi Airport in Singapore.There were two difficulties along the way.
The first is Singapore immigration.It seems that you can enter the country by entering your personal information on the "SG Arrival Card" at the time of entry and reading the bar code that will be sent afterwards. The second is changing the meeting place.I was supposed to go from the airport to the local university by chartered car.However, after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the driver contacted me and told me to come to another airport.I remember being at a loss because I didn't know how to get to the designated meeting place.When I asked the locals for directions, there were some who showed me to the bus stop and others who looked up directions.I was able to touch the kindness of the people living in Malaysia.
It was an event that reminded me of the words “The journey is the reward” left by Steve Jobs.
Dinner with Japanese people I met on the ground