Malaysia

My time in Malaysia is now over and due to not so great Internet I was unable to send you all updates.  So here is a month’s worth of things that I learned and experienced in Malaysia, plus a quick trip to Singapore.

Teaching English

This month I was given the privilege to teach English to students from age 4 to age 18.  The students’ first languages are either Malay or Mandarin.  They do teach English in the school here, but these students chose to take an extra two-hour class on Friday night or Saturday.

Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia

One cool thing about the town I stayed in was that in the middle of the town is a milestone that marks the center of the Peninsula of Malaysia.

Food

There are many different types of food in Malaysia, but the ones I ate the most were Indian and Chinese.  My favorite thing to eat is an Indian dish called roti. Roti is round, soft, flat unleavened bread.  There are many kinds, but my favorites where roti canai (plain), roti bom (with condensed milk), and roti telur (with egg).  I can say without a doubt that I ate at least one or more roti a day for three weeks.

Money

Here the currency is called ringgit.  As of right now the exchange rate is 

3.17 ringgit = $1.00.  So let’s see if you can figure out how much each of these items are in American currency.

A bag of peanuts – RM4.50 

A bottle of Gatorade – RM3.20

A Quarter Pounder Meal at McDonalds – RM9.90

A 12 inch pizza at Papa John's - RM15.40

A train ride from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Lipis – RM35.00

Places I visited…

Petronas Twin Towers

Right now the Petronas Twin Towers are the seventh largest buildings in the world. They are located in Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital of Malaysia.  Can you find out what is the largest building in America/world?

The Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands is a city in the Titiwangsa Mountains. The weather there stays cool all year round, so it was nice to take a break from all the heat.  While I was there I visited a tea plantation, a mossy forest, and a strawberry farm. I also went to the top of Mount Gunung Brinchang, which is 6,663ft above sea level.  In the mossy forest I saw a plant that eats insects, it is called a pitcher plant.  What is the tallest mountain in America?

Pitcher Plant

Singapore

Very interesting, Singapore is a city-state.  It is also the 3^rd most densely populated country in the world.  We were only there for about 2 days, so we were unable to do a lot. However, while I was there I went to the Guinness World Record largest aquarium, S.E.A. Aquarium.  There are only two other countries like Singapore, that are city-states, can you find out what they are?

I am now on my way to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and then on to Da Nang, Vietnam.  There is a lot of history in Vietnam.  I can’t wait to learn something new!

Answers to Ms. Waller's Questions - Philippines

Good Morning Ms. Waller!

I bet you’re asleep, but while you rest, we are going to answer your questions:

Can someone find out which city is the largest city in the Philippines?

Quezon City is the largest city in the Philippines.

Philippine currency vs. American currency

43 Piso = $1.00. 

Bag of Skittles – P48.00-  about $1.12

A ride on a trike – P8.00-  about $0.19                                            

A pair of jeans – P695.00-  about $16.16

A donut at Dunkin Donuts – P20.00-  about $0.47

A 16.9oz bottle of Mountain Dew – P54.00-  about $1.26

A Quarter Pounder Meal at McDonalds – P195.00-  about $4.53

What we learned about Taal Volcano:

Conner-  Taal Volcano has erupted 33 times since 1572.

Jack-  The last time it erupted was in 1977.

Kahi-  There are 16 Decade Volcanoes, and Taal is one of them.

We have a volcano in the United States called Mt. Ranier.  It is located in Washington.  As of 1821, the Taal Volcano was also called Bombou.

Many people live in the middle of the lake. Can you find out why?

Mrs. Miles asked Mrs. Perilloux about this.  Mrs. P told her that the people in the middle of the lake are fishermen/women.  They stay out there until they have caught a bunch of fish.  They then come to the island to sell their fish and buy supplies they need. 

There is a hot spring inside the volcano. What is a hot spring?  

Hot spring are caused by rainwater seeping deep in the earth.  Compression and the warmth under the Earth’s surface cause the water to become very hot and burst through the surface  as a hot spring or geyser.  Mrs. Miles and Jack have seen hot springs and geysers at Yellowstone National Park.

Questions: What is a typhoon? Is it like a hurricane?

A cyclone is any mass of air that spirals around a low pressure center. It is an organized collection of thunderstorms embedded in a swirling mass of air. In general, both typhoons and hurricanes are tropical cyclones but differ in their locations. The difference between hurricane and typhoon is that tropical cyclones in the west Pacific are called Typhoons and those in the Atlantic and east Pacific Ocean are called Hurricanes. It's the longitude that matters.

We found this information online and learned what longitude and latitude lines are.