Handing Over Ceremony

The morning of our handing over ceremony everyone was full of anticipation and excitement. After days of orientation we were finally going to meet our host family and become one of them. Finally we were going to experience Malaysia full on. We had all memorized or at least tried to memorize the song that we had been taught. We all nervously filed in a single line to go on stage where our host family would be eagerly waiting for us in the audience. As I stood on stage I scanned the audience to see if I could spot my host family. I was glad to see that they were on the first row. I sat down and we began to sing our song.

Rasa sayang, hey!,

Rasa sayang sayang hey,

Lihat nona dali jauh,

Rasa sayang sayang hey!

Buah cempedak di luar pagar,
Ambil galah tolong jolokkan,
Saya budak baru belajar,
Kalau salah tolong tunjukkan

Afterwards we were each handed over to our families. My family gave me flowers and a gift. As soon as my little sister Naseha gave me the flowers I wanted to cry right there in front of everyone. It was one of the best moments of this whole experience. After the hour long drive I was finally in Johor Bahru, the city where I will be living in for one year.