KL

Prior to leaving the U.S., it wasn't looking like I was going to complete my immigration paperwork in time to attend the Southeast Asian Regional Fulbright conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fortunately, with the help of AMINEF, my paperwork came through in time for me to leave the country on the proper permit.

The conference pulled together the research grantees and the senior scholars who are teaching in the region. Projects range from research on myopia (near sightedness) in Singapore to the correlation between the health of people and the environment in West Papua; from the role of art in nation building in Laos, to the over the counter stock market in Vietnam; from the significance of the dhole (wild dog) in Thailand to involuntary resettlement in Metro Manila, Philippines. I met the other grantees in Indonesia and we shared some stories. I am the most recent arrival, so I gleaned a lot from people who've been conducting research for some time.

KL struck me as a quieter, more pristine city. But, I was very glad to return to Jakarta.
Kuala Lumpur City Centre

The Petronas Towers that are featured in the film "Entrapment"

Batu Caves, Hindu Shrine and tourist attraction [where I had the unexpected and unfortunate experience of performing a Bollywood dance]