Good morning, afternoon, or goodnight, whenever you are reading this! Menlo Abroad spent a wonderful morning eating breakfast with our homestays before taking a scenic and peaceful 45-minute boat ride to visit the Orang Asli (indigenous community), Bateq tribe. When we arrived, we were greeted by a group of little boys who were eager to show us around their village. We saw and learned about their traditional wooden housing, cooking style, and daily lives. We brought a soccer ball, badminton supplies, a net, and a ball to play the national game of sepak takraw. Sepak takraw is a traditional Malay game often known as “kick volleyball.” This team sport consists of a woven rattan ball used by feet, knees, chest and head, but not hands—similar to soccer. The court resembles that of a volleyball court with a net and two teams of three playing on both sides. The name “sepak” comes from Malay, meaning kick, and “takraw” from Thai, meaning rattan ball. 



We saw the kids at the Bateq tribe having lessons, which were set up by Andrew, one of our guides, and his NGO—in addition to starting the school, they are also helping them navigate newer changes such as climate change and adapting to modern society. As the kids were having their lessons outside, we also observed various animals roaming around such as chickens and cats. There is a large culture involving cats in the communities here—rather than having individual pets for each family, there will be several cats found almost anywhere. There isn’t a large culture involving keeping dogs as pets, though, so we have mainly seen cats. 






For the homestay, we (Lya and Leotei) are staying with a family of six—there’s Bella, her parents Zaidi and Murni, and her three children named Madiha (aged 2), Mikayla (aged 4), and Qaim (aged 7). Meeting and spending time together with our homestay has been the highlight of our trip so far! Not only have we been able to form meaningful connections, we were also able to experience the comfort of a family while away from our own. Our days consist of the kids infiltrating our rooms to “steal” our stuff, such as Leotei’s hairbrush, Lya’s headlamp, and so on. We love how they can always make games out of everything and bring a smile to our faces—even with rocks in a plastic cup. 

We cannot wait to return to our homestay, even while writing this (from the group gathering tonight) we are getting homesick. 


See you soon!


-Leotei and Lya
















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