Dunia Kecil: More on a Day in the Life of an Ambassadorial Scholar

As you may have guessed from reading this blog, our duties as Ambassadorial Scholars are very flexible, and we are forever grateful for that. Our mission is to serve as a catalyst of exchange of information and ideas between our host and sponsor Rotary Districts. Rotary in Alaska is much different than Rotary in Malaysia. By visiting, interacting, and presenting to Rotary Clubs, Rotaract Clubs, Inner Wheel Clubs, and other groups, my knowledge of how Rotary works and the spirit and pure energy of the people who engage in this organization has blossomed. Since Rotary Clubs reflect the cultures in which they exist (socioeconomic, gender, age, formality or informality, level of interaction), I have been exposed to many inside delights of the country that I would not have a chance to understand if I was merely a traditional exchange student at the University of Malaya. I have learned so much about everything from religion to government, to eating habits and, of course…how to be a passionate and engaged global citizen!

A pleasant afternoon spent at a Sikh temple experiencing a thanks giving prayer ceremony.

Any day that you get to wear a Punjabi suit is a good day. Learning about
global religions with my Malaysian Rotary host counselor Kiren.

Through volunteering with clubs on service projects, I have enjoyed tasting the fullness of life, stretching my mind and perspective in new and extraordinary ways. It is through these opportunities that we are able to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. The joy of living in a foreign country is the luxury of leaving all of my beliefs and certainties at home and allowing myself to see everything I thought I knew in a new and different light.

At this point I have to put a plug in for Rotaract, as I've seen this group in a new and different light in Malaysia and globally. I'm sure I've mentioned this segment of Rotary a few times before in this blog, but recently it was great see how strong and vibrant this group is in Malaysia. Rotaract Clubs are Rotary sponsored clubs for young adults aged 18-30ish and the title stands for Rotary in Action. Rotaract's purpose is to provide an opportunity for young men and women to enhance the knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development, to address the physical and social needs of their communities, and to promote better relations between all people worldwide through a framework of friendship and service. D3300 Rotaract had their awards night recently and it was amazing to see all the energy that these students and young professionals bring to the community projects they execute.

Current District Rotaract Representative awarding the immediate past District Rotaract
Representative the coveted recognition of Rotaractor of the Year. Nice work guys!

Congrats to the Rotaract Club of Kuala Lumpur for their numerous recognitions throughout the evening.
Truly an inspiration for me when I head back to Alaska and re-engage with Rotaract there.

Of course the evening couldn't end without dancing! Kudos to the organizing committee for pulling off such a great even with such large attendance (over 300 people!). All the hard work paid off.

So far, by rough count, I’ve formally given over 30 presentations to Rotary Clubs and other groups. I’ve informally visited many more clubs and participated in Rotary in as many other ways that you can think of. So here’s a few more flag exchange photos for you and highlights from recent Rotary related events and activities.