Learning to ask the "right" questions is a skill I'm still developing. A recent ladies excursion planned by "yours truly" is a perfect example. When I casuallly mentioned that I thought there might be a Lantern Making Workshop on Pangkor Island, a short 15 minute ferry ride away from our homes, four women said they would be "up for the adventure." I agreed to make the arrangements.
Several days before the workshop, I searched the internet for detailed festival information and dialed a "for more information please call...."The person on the other end did not speak much English but did hand the phone to someone who did. Explaining that four of my friends and I would like to attend the lantern making workshop, she was thrilled and asked me to SMS the names to her. I also verified the time of 10:30 a.m. (a flyer said a.m. and a brochure said p.m.), and sent our names to the organizers as requested. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for finding something "culturally interesting" for our gang to attend.
One day before the workshop after searching Google and various tourist maps of the island, I was still unable to locate the venue for the workshop so I again texted my contact.
Me: Where is the temple for the workshop? Should we walk or take a taxi?
Her: It's a folk temple. It's not on any maps. Just take a taxi.
Me: OK
Upon arrival at the island we were bombarded by taxi drivers hoping for work. Still having no idea where the workshop might be and if there would be a taxis available after the workshop, I negotiated a price to hire the driver and his pink van for six hours. (Workshop, lunch, sightseeing, swimming and sunbathing, etc.)
We hopped in and gave the driver directions for our first two stops. 1. Dutch Fort (We had a little time to kills before the workshop) 2. Chinese Temple (where workshop is located). I even proudly produced a flyer about the festival to show him where to go.
The Dutch Fort was interesting and we even had time to purchase some cute little batik bathing suit cover-ups at the tourist hut/gift shop.
The "Temple" where the driver took us was beautiful, ornate, and colorful with lots of little alcoves/picnic/meditation areas built into the surrounding mountains, and a serene goldfish pond with a whimsical bridge across the center. I was surprised that an island of this size had such a nice temple.
Definitely worth a visit.
Definitely not the location of the workshop.
I scanned the crowd and used hand motions to ask the lady sweeping the floor in front of the alter. No workshop. I finally spied a bunch of teenagers in matching shirts who appeared to be participating in a festival activity called "The Great Race" - probably modeled after the TV show of the same name. I approached their leader and asked if he knew where a lantern making workshop was taking place. He shook his head no.
At this point I remembered that the cute Malaysian girl at the ferry terminal who had given me a flyer had also pointed out a phone number to call if I had questions. I whipped out my phone and dialed....
Me: Hello.
Her: Halo
Me: We're looking for the Lantern Making Workshop. Our taxi driver does not know this temple.
Her: Can you pass the phone to the driver?
After a brief conversation between the two, our driver reached knew where to go. He reached inside the open window of the 1980s era Toyota pink taxi van and grabbed the rope (aka. door handle) to slide open the door. We hopped back in. After a short two minute ride winding through a tiny Chinese neighborhood on a small alley-type street, we arrived at our destination. Motorscooters, bicycles, cars, lots of children and smiling festival organizers greeted us. A covered patio was filled with paper floats that might have been made by children and used for a parade. A nice young man approached.
Him: Halo. Are you here for the workshop?
Me: Yes!
Him: Welcome. There has been a little change in plans. We decided the lanterns would be too difficult for children to make so we've changed the program to a Chinese musical instrument making demonstration. Please have a seat.
(Darn...this isn't looking good.)
He motioned us to sit on the concrete floor among about 40 children who were watching an older man speaking in Chinese holding a tiny drum made out of a tuna fish can. The children were giving him their full attention. We sat and tried to give our full attention, but all I could understand from watching was that if I poke two holes on opposite sides of a tuna fish can and run a string through the holes and tie balls on the ends of the string and put a stick through the bottom, I can twist the drum between the palms of my hands and make the balls hit the "drum" and make a noise.
(Definitely not a lantern, not hands-on, and not quite what we had in mind...)
Luckily, the festival organizer sat down beside me with some festival maps and ideas of places to visit on the island. We quietly exited the "musical demonstration" and found our way to a beach-side restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of steamed fish and a relaxing swim in the Straits of Malaka.
Even though we did not learn to make lanterns, we did have an excuse to get out of our houses. And, I learned some more valuable "foreigner living abroad" life lessons.
1. Ask what age the "workshop" is for.
2. Ask what the word "workshop" means.
3. Ask what we will be "doing."
Several days before the workshop, I searched the internet for detailed festival information and dialed a "for more information please call...."The person on the other end did not speak much English but did hand the phone to someone who did. Explaining that four of my friends and I would like to attend the lantern making workshop, she was thrilled and asked me to SMS the names to her. I also verified the time of 10:30 a.m. (a flyer said a.m. and a brochure said p.m.), and sent our names to the organizers as requested. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for finding something "culturally interesting" for our gang to attend.
One day before the workshop after searching Google and various tourist maps of the island, I was still unable to locate the venue for the workshop so I again texted my contact.
Me: Where is the temple for the workshop? Should we walk or take a taxi?
Her: It's a folk temple. It's not on any maps. Just take a taxi.
Me: OK
Upon arrival at the island we were bombarded by taxi drivers hoping for work. Still having no idea where the workshop might be and if there would be a taxis available after the workshop, I negotiated a price to hire the driver and his pink van for six hours. (Workshop, lunch, sightseeing, swimming and sunbathing, etc.)
We hopped in and gave the driver directions for our first two stops. 1. Dutch Fort (We had a little time to kills before the workshop) 2. Chinese Temple (where workshop is located). I even proudly produced a flyer about the festival to show him where to go.
 |
| Remains of Dutch Fort - Tin was stored here before it was shipped around the world. |
Definitely worth a visit.
Definitely not the location of the workshop.
I scanned the crowd and used hand motions to ask the lady sweeping the floor in front of the alter. No workshop. I finally spied a bunch of teenagers in matching shirts who appeared to be participating in a festival activity called "The Great Race" - probably modeled after the TV show of the same name. I approached their leader and asked if he knew where a lantern making workshop was taking place. He shook his head no.
 |
| Bridge over koi pond at temple. |
At this point I remembered that the cute Malaysian girl at the ferry terminal who had given me a flyer had also pointed out a phone number to call if I had questions. I whipped out my phone and dialed....
Me: Hello.
Her: Halo
Me: We're looking for the Lantern Making Workshop. Our taxi driver does not know this temple.
Her: Can you pass the phone to the driver?
After a brief conversation between the two, our driver reached knew where to go. He reached inside the open window of the 1980s era Toyota pink taxi van and grabbed the rope (aka. door handle) to slide open the door. We hopped back in. After a short two minute ride winding through a tiny Chinese neighborhood on a small alley-type street, we arrived at our destination. Motorscooters, bicycles, cars, lots of children and smiling festival organizers greeted us. A covered patio was filled with paper floats that might have been made by children and used for a parade. A nice young man approached.
Him: Halo. Are you here for the workshop?
Me: Yes!
Him: Welcome. There has been a little change in plans. We decided the lanterns would be too difficult for children to make so we've changed the program to a Chinese musical instrument making demonstration. Please have a seat.
(Darn...this isn't looking good.)
 |
| Location of the workshop. It would have been fun to make these animals and walk in a parade. |
He motioned us to sit on the concrete floor among about 40 children who were watching an older man speaking in Chinese holding a tiny drum made out of a tuna fish can. The children were giving him their full attention. We sat and tried to give our full attention, but all I could understand from watching was that if I poke two holes on opposite sides of a tuna fish can and run a string through the holes and tie balls on the ends of the string and put a stick through the bottom, I can twist the drum between the palms of my hands and make the balls hit the "drum" and make a noise.
(Definitely not a lantern, not hands-on, and not quite what we had in mind...)
Luckily, the festival organizer sat down beside me with some festival maps and ideas of places to visit on the island. We quietly exited the "musical demonstration" and found our way to a beach-side restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of steamed fish and a relaxing swim in the Straits of Malaka.
 |
| Relaxing end to a "workshop." |
1. Ask what age the "workshop" is for.
2. Ask what the word "workshop" means.
3. Ask what we will be "doing."
No comments:
Post a Comment