By Fin Clancy

All my lectures are now finished and I’m studying for my upcoming exams. My time here feels like it’s gone past so fast. I have met so many amazing people and made great memories with them. Thanks to them I have gotten to learn and experience not only Malaysian culture but also parts of other cultures from a bunch of different countries.

Universiti Malaya has a group of local students who help out and do a bunch of stuff for the exchange students. It’s been so fun being a part of the clubs and the other activities they organise. My favourite highlight is from their sports club where we would play futsal till midnight every week and get a late night feed afterwards. It’s also been cool learning parts of the local language with them and other exchange students.

One thing I’ve come to appreciate more in Malaysia is having English as a first language. Most other exchange students have English as a second language so it’s harder for them but for me, it makes the Uni work and just general communication a lot easier. A lot of international students want to improve their English in Malaysia so it has been cool trying to teach them NZ English and in turn, I get to learn some words in their local language.

It’s been a bit of a challenge living in KL without a car. The bus schedules can be pretty inconstant sometimes and the Grab (their Uber equivalent) prices are volatile. Plus there can definitely be a bit of traffic around. Once you get used to the heat, it is usually alright to walk to a lot of places and KL in my experience is quite a safe city.

Overall I have had an awesome time here in Malaysia. I’ll definitely miss a lot of the people I met and hopefully, I’ll be able to travel and meet back up with them in the future. Choosing to do this exchange was one the best decisions I’ve made.