Study Trip In Kuala Lumpur

Tip:
Snug under your blanket and drink a cup of hot tea for this will take some time to digest the entire story.

I was filled with dread thinking about this excursion on the accommodation, food, company and safety for the next two weeks. My mental health will be exercised for homesickness, and jet lag symptoms will manifest themselves. This was my first independent travel across the south china sea which was nerve-wracking as I was with the other three girls and I formerly never travel with less-known friends. On a positive note, three anticipated events that were installed for other students and me were: to meet the professors from America in person, meet new friends and get acquainted with my roommate.

My flight took off at 8 a.m., the earliest flight for the day. My coursemates and I gathered at the duty-free zone, waiting to depart. We were mentally tired, but our pre-booked nasi lemak had slightly subdued our weak emotions. As soon as we landed at the Kuala Lumpur airport, we took an Internet break to update our families and friends on our whereabouts. We carpooled into a 5-sitter car by Riding Pink. I highly recommend their transportation service for ladies who travel alone or with a group of girlfriends. The drivers were ladies, customer service was excellent and the price was reasonable.

We soon reached our accommodation, refreshed ourselves, settled down, unfastened our baggage and organized our bags for our class the following day.

Our lessons went well every day (weekdays) from 8-1: 30 pm. The lessons were interestingly instructed with various interactions such as discussions and video calls. My focus power drained more and more each day which perhaps was due to jet lag and homesickness. My catnap in class lasted for approx. ten seconds and I felt more revived after that. I was exhausted mentally, but I managed to listen and absorb as much information as I could. This was my life as a college student studying abroad (not as far as you think but still I have to travel across the sea anyways).  

The sections below will be dedicated to places and food that I enjoyed. 

Nu Sentral
I'm drawn to these reflective ceilings in one of the stores. 

Wins Cafe

This is a fancy-dancy cafe/bakery. The food is average, but the decorations are artistically designed on every corner of the cafe. I find the most elaborate section of this cafe is the toilet. The hallway to the entry of the bathroom is surrounded by fancy pop art and a mini walk of fame. How cool and fancy that is. I especially love the Marilyn Monroe tile art. They put many thoughts into their design.

Moments

These cool t-shirts from the popular bands are hung up on the walls of the hallway in one of my course mate's hotel. Iconic. Love their music. 

Rainbow raysssss

Omaya

I never tried a full Korean set dish that has lots of cheese in them, and I'm intrigued. The waiter asked us to take pictures of all the cheese-pulling moments. The food served was cooked on the spot, and the portions of these two dishes were huge. The three of us had a hard time finishing the meal, but we managed to do so after we sat in that cafe for about 2 hours.

Pavillion

Aesthetically pleasing arrangements of homewares and body care.

4 fingers

You may be thinking why isn't I ordering chickens at a cafe that is popular for their chickens. Well, I wasn't so keen on fried chicken, so I ordered a vegetarian, but chef hat approved, tofu mushroom salad with seaweed French fries and a cold drink of choice as a side. I love that the skin is crispy and crunchy, which blends well with the soft and tender tofu. I'm not a fan of mushrooms, but the dressing is fine. This is a raved fast-food chain by my coursemates, and I understand why- the chickens are the difference.

Amarin Heavenly Thai
I never try real Thai food, but this is one of the best places that serve authentic Thai food in Malaysia. I ordered their chef-recommended pineapple rice with chicken floss which tasted & smelled divine — a bonus for the fancy decoration and cosy ambience.

If you ever look closely at the signboards above you like I do, you'll find interesting Malaysian term signboards. I never know "Makan Place" is a term to describe an eating zone. #truemalaysian

Big Spoon

This was located at the far corner of a dining area in Berjaya Times Square. The portion of food here is enormous (this only applies to the set menu). However, I find this cafe uses the concept of presenting their food in a large spoon. I'm confused by the cuisine they are serving, but I guess they're a fusion of different Asian cuisine. Each spoon costs around RM2 which is a bargain if you're only interested in trying out various options at once. I am not entirely sure about the taste of their food, but if you're a food hunter, this place might be for you.

Blues & Bees

So punny. This restaurant serves Western cuisine, more specifically American-inspired cuisine. Most of their menus serve cheese. The portion is gigantically huge for a single serving, and I end up not hungry for dinner anymore, score. 

Ding Tai Fung

Chinese cuisine. The icon is too cute not to take a picture (btw, after we walked out of the restaurant, the figure wasn't there anymore. Glad I snapped it before it was gone). I ordered sweet and sour soup noodles (I forgot the name, oops). It was served in a huge bowl. I can't emphasize enough how delicious the noodles are. The soup is a mix of egg whites, mushrooms, and mini pork slices. This was a comfort food as I missed Chinese home cook food too much. 

Telecom Museum

We visited two museums in the second week of our trip. This was a part of our assignment, so we took tons of pictures for reference later and learned the history of telecommunication in Malaysia. Wish I could take back the old classy black ringing phone.

Textile Museum

I wish I can live in this Museum all day as they display the best historic textile and accessories of the past in Malaysia.

Jogoya

Eat all-you-can Japanese seafood buffet. This is located in Starhill Gallery, a fancy high-end mall that displays most of the items in glass boxes. This was my first experience eating different sorts of salmons, fish, and seafood that I'd never tried before. I especially love the salmon satay, crabs, eels and oysters. They serve almost anything you can imagine such as soft serves, cocktails, fountain chocolate marshmallows, mochi, cakes, fried tempuras, and sushi. I'll grab something to stuff my stomach as soon as I complete writing this.

Dubuyo

Peach tea. My peach obsession has been fulfilled once again with this glass jar of peach tea. This tea comes in a set of main courses (third pic). The topokki served here is beyond amazing. I ordered the beef soup rice set (and again I forgot the actual term), which comes in a considerable portion and tastes divine. Best Korean set meal I've ever tried. There's an egg hidden in the soup, delicious. 

Departure

The plan progressed flawlessly despite a few slight hiccups particularly rusty sink water and one-chair-per-room policy. My roommate and I had our first experience of rushing out of a mall due to a shop caught on fire and ordered the most expensive Uber car back to our place of stay. I am grateful that despite the flaws, I have a safe place to stay and have fun without worrying. As time ticked, our journey had come to an end, we packed up, ready to head back to the airport. Our flight was delayed an hour, but we safely arrived at our hometown at 7 pm.

Review of the entire trip: I met new friends and coursemates. I explored the city with much excitement. I met two lovely professors that shared their time and interacted well with us. I built a new friendship with my roommate. I ate food that I'd never tried before. I visited places I'd never been to before. I learned new knowledge. The Uber and Grab drivers were friendly, some of them even recommended places to visit while there. The weather was never a disturbance to any of our activities. The sky was lined with two stripes of puffy clouds on the day we left. All these moments are wonderful.

Group photos

Courtesy of my professor

This wraps up my experience of a 2-week study trip. Every people I meet, every place I go, and every food I taste, comes from God. This trip is even more memorable and worthwhile with my amazing roommate who'd been a blessing to me. I appreciate all the prayers, love and support from friends and family that made this trip impossible possible. Hope you view the short clip below and have a great weekend! 

All photos and video by yours truly

Prisc

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