Home far away from Home

Home is where the heart is. Being away from home for 6 years will almost stir up the homesickness in everyone. Mummy's cooking and Daddy's ATM are so far beyond reach. It's all by myself. Cooking on our own , doing our own laundry and living on string budget are just a few obstacles we meet in every day life.

And the only pillar of support is friends. Thankfully there are still friends around to back each other up. Malaysian students have formed our own Malaysian community here. It is a time when we see the rainbow of Malaysian races of varying colours and creed coming together as one. Coming from the same background and sharing many things in common , we have come to see each other as member of a family and not as individual of different colours. The bond has transgressed the border of race ,culture and religion.

The food and the festive seasons are what we miss the most. In compensation , we will have to celebrate it in our very own way , making use of what we have to dish out Malaysian-style curry , chinese-indian style fried rice and malay rendang.It is an assimilation of culture and custom. Though we might not have the grand open house,the spirit of sharing is still there. Spirit of "gotong-royong" is packed all the way from Malaysia to Czech.

The warmth of home can still be felt in this chilly autumn. The hot soup we share in one bowl , though lack the essence of Mummy's love , still warm the body up. The chocolate waffle which we substituted for birthday cake ,though pale in comparison to Secret Recipe's , still bring the joy to the birthday boy.

My room is just nice and cosy. It's a twin sharing room with our own fridge , well furnished and equipped with internet connection. I am sharing the same apartment with two other Malaysians , Esmond and Hamsath and also 3 other Czech students.We share two common WC and kitchen , with cleaner doing weekly cleaning. So no fuss , no worry.

And this is my second home....my second family....

An Eye Opener

As the popular Malay proverb goes by saying "Seperti katak di bawah tempurung" , we have been kept in our own shell of self contentment , self satisfaction and self pride for all these while until now that we are brought back to reality to realise what the world around us is like. Since young , we have been brought up , cultivated , nurtured and taught to appreciate our eastern cultures and our values. At the same time , we are incessantly being brain washed to believe how morally decadent the western cultures are. Those derogatory remarks are publicly disseminated through our text books ,in our moral lessons and even in our essay writings. So that was the case before we see the real pictures with our own eyes. Naive mind can be easily manipulated. But having experienced their culture and lived in their society for merely a few weeks , the brain is suddenly enlightened to see the other side of the coin. There is no culture that can claim superior to the others. Ours is not as good as we think , and at the same time theirs is not as turpitude as we believe. Below are just a few scenarios that compare our budaya Malaysia with the Czech's culture:
Scenario 1:On the road

Our Malaysian government are seriously obsessed with the superlative-termed achievement. Tallest tower , tallest mountain , first astranout , largest silicon city , best airport so on and so forth. Of course we also boast about our high rate of road accidents , among the HIGHEST in the world. Our drivers , our Mat Rempit are well too popular for their driving skills and driving etiquette. Oblivious of traffic lights , ignorant about zebra crossing , unaware of double lines and a long list to go. When i first walked on the road here, i just could not believe that zebra crossing still means a thing in this part of the world.Cars do stop at zebra crossing for pedestrians. Red light still means "STOP" unlike us who perceive it as "increasing the acceleration".We can walk on the road with peace in mind without worries of being sent into the hospital. Up till now , i have not witnessed a single car accident on the road.

Scenario 2: In public transport

In Malaysia , we squeezed ourselves into public transports without bothering about the safety of the others. We elbow through the way , occasianally stepping on others feet , shoving the weaker ones aside as long as we make it ourselves. It will be even better if we get a seat despite the stickers showing "seats reserved for the old , pregnant and disabled". Everyone wants the privilege of the "senior citizens" ( the same case as when queuing to board the plane when anyone with a strand of grey hair can coin themselves senior citizen). Here , surprisingly people like to stand. Even without the presence of real seor citizens , people still rather stand than grabbing for seats.

Scenario 3: Shopping at the supermarket

In Malaysia , CCTVs have to be set up at every corner of the shop to prevent petty thefts , looting and any other dishonest acts. People take advantage of every loophole they can think of.When supermarket impose ration for the number of oil per customer during promotion , a whole family consisting of 90-year-old great grandfather and 1-month-old infant will throng the supermarket to increase the head counts. When the price tag is wrongly attached to the packet (of course cheaper) , people will hope that the cashier won't discover it when paying. Here , customers are entrusted to weigh their own fruits and vegetables , pack their own groceries

and state the number of buns they take without the need for rechecking.

Of course there are more differences between our very own culture with theirs. And this is not to say that we have to embrace theirs, as theirs have their own flaws as do ours. It is a matter of respecting the others to gain others' respect.

Anyway,as a Malaysian , brought up ala Malaysian , and live a Malaysian way , i am still a pure breed of Malaysian laaa!

New Page

Winter semester has just started. And it is a new chapter in life , a new page on the diary and new experience in a foreign land.

I am currently reading medicine at Palacky Universiy , Olomouc , Czech Republic. Just in case anyone is interested to know more about the university , you can visit the website at http://www.palacky.com/




Chronicles of events..
School commenced on the 11th of September on which we had our Immatriculation Ceremony. A simple ceremony attended by all 1st year students to officially accept us into the university.














After that , everyone is swung into the study mode. Anatomy , Biochemistry , Biophysics , Biology , Czech Language , Latin Language ,everything is coming in full force. "Early bird catches the worms" , so it's better to start well then struggling in the end.

Stuying here is not just about attending lectures and tutorials to gain credits. It also includes pre lesson preparations and post lesson revisions.Digestive system must be in top condition to take in , digest and assimilate all the information and new found knowledge in such a short time . So most of the times , we will be engrossed in chewing up the books. Having said so, it is actually not that miserable and pathetic. It can be quite fun and interesting , to explore and excavate those serendipitous surprises through reading.

Of course it is not all about study. Life is not that dull after all . Everyday there will be new posters of latest clubbings , parties in town on the dorm notice boards. But for non-partyanimals like us , our haven for relaxation will be to have a decent, proper meal. The right ambience , the right food and the right price Even chinese food is easily accessible here.





And of course we also have our PalackyEnglish Program Association to guide us through the ways , to help us in our daily problems as well as our school work. We are also given a mentor from second year student to assist us in anyway that they could.

So , live it up!

Bouzov

Visit to the Bouzov Castle...
To the Arboretum where 'exotic' plants are planted. But seriously their definition of exotic plants are just those found in our backyard.

Czech Food

This blog will all be about food , food and more food!
People here eat a lot , and in extremely huge portion.Every meal is a hearty one. All the cheese , pizza , beer , wine , potatoes , ham ,pork , sausages , cakes , pastries , ice cream.........Ohhhhh!

I am learning the Czech language word by word just like the Kindy's kid. And it is especially important to know the name of the food because menu is usually in Czech only.

Here are the few that i have managed to catch up.
meat=maso
beef = hovyezee
pork= veprzhoveh
lamb=yenyechee

poultry=droobezhee
chicken=koorzhezi

side dishes=przhilohy

vegetables=zelenina
onion=cibule
potatoes=brambory
garlic=cesnek
beans=fazole
mushroom=houby
green peas=hrahshek
turnip=kedlooben
cucumber=okurka
carrot=mrkef
fruit=ovace
apple=yablko
blueberry=boroofka
lemon=citron
orange=pomeranch

desserts=zakusky
cake=dort
bread=kleb
pie=kolahch
drinks=nepoyee
beer=pivo
coffee=kava
tea=cay
ice cream=smirslina
Beer and wine here is extremely cheap. Very much cheaper than softdrink and juice. Eg , one mug of 0.5 l beer cost only 25 crown , equivalent to RM4 ++. So of course people here drink a lot. And it's nice and smooth.

Trip to the Holy Hill-Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary

Eglise de la Visitation de la Vierge Marie

Autumn is coming soon. Leaves are changing colours. A myriad of colours across the woods. Shades of green with splash of orange-amber-yellow hues dotted with slight brown colour. What a sight to behold! The picturesque scenery from the Holy Hill overlooking the town of Olomouc.
Entrance to the church of the visitation of the Virgin Mary.

One of the statue in the church.

Notice the intricate carvings on the wall , the pillars and the ceiling.No words can describe the grandeur of this place. Interior design of the church.And more..Statue..And finally me!

Olomouc- liart de vivre

Olomouc , the place i am staying now , is a smaller town three hours drive from Prague. It is the city of good cheer - l'art de vivre. It is smaller than Prague , but equally interesting with its own uniqueness. The traditional regional centre of Central and Northern Moravia , its establishment was dated as far back as the 7th or 8th century.

Life here is much laid back , less hectic and just conducive enough for studies. The Palacky University faculties are spread all over the town centre , but easily accessible by walk or tram.

Churches , statues and fountains can be sighted everywhere. Statues of the Ancient Greek heroes stand in the town centre. Century old churches with magnificent crafts and carvings also dotted the town. Paintings that chronicle the life of Jesus are displayed, too.

Flea market with a paraphernalia of goodies are out for grab. And of course for newcomers like me , it's a haven for me to try out their local delicacies. Klobasy , labose , burcak , risoloto , turkish coffee and many many more. Alfresco dining while enjoying the summer sun is just wonderful .

Walking along the brick path taking in every sight ,sound and smell a whole new and great experience. Driven by curiosity yet hampered by communication barrier just add more spice to this adventurous tour around the city. More part of the town has yet to be explored. More to come soon...