Pantun

Hi! Today we'd like to share a pantun made by Syuhaidah  (ᵔ.ᵔ) 

Terangnya bulan menghiasi angkasa,
Bintang berkerlipan bukannya maya,
Wujudnya adat berbilang bangsa,
Saling hormati jadikan budaya.

The pantun above is basically emphasizing the significance of mutual respect in a culturally-diverse community.

__________________________________________________

What is a pantun?  (￣︿￣)

Pronounced as 'pan-ton', it is the Malay poetic form in which each line contains words that rhyme at the end of each sentence. The words at the end of Line 1 and Line 3 should have the same rhyme. This also applies to the words at the end of Line 2 and Line 4. Henceforth, the rhyming pattern should be (a-b-a-b).

In a pantun, only Line 3 and Line 4 carry the meanings that we want to convey, while Line 1 and Line 2 are only complementary parts (think of them as accessories ♡). 


Yours truly,
Atirah & Syuhaidah

FWF! #4

Hey there dear readers!

In today's entry, we will conclude for you the similarities and the differences between our culture (Malay) and the Lao culture. Honestly speaking, it was fun blogging about cultures and what's more talking about other people's cultures as well as learning about them through our fellow blogger friends!

As you all know, Maryam is a Lao and we bet not many people knows about Laos or anything related to it right? We were told by Maryam that she is not shocked with the fact that we know almost nothing about Laos because she said, Laos is indeed a very, very small country. Its size is more or less the same as the Peninsular Malaysia! If we are not familiar with Laos, we might have a hard time to distinguish between the Laotian and the Thai. They may look alike, but they're actually not (´ω｀)

We'll first start with the differences ＼(⌒▽⌒)

LAOS	MALAYSIA
Uses less sugar in their cooking	Uses  a lot of sugar in our cooking
The official religion is Buddhism	Official religion is Islam
They wear their traditional clothing most of the time, especially the older ladies	Can wear the traditional clothing anytime we like
Greet people by joining one's hand together in a praying gesture at chin level.  *credits to Google Images*	Greet people by shaking hands *credits to Google Images*
Official language: Laotian language	Official Language: Bahasa Malaysia
Most of the festivals that are celebrated are religious festivals (Buddhism)	Festivals are of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and other ethnic religions
Have their own calendar (traditional Lao calendar)	Use the Gregorian and the Islamic calendar (Hijri)

Now...let us see what our similarities are (✧ω✧)

#1 We LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat spicy food!

#2 Our taboos are mostly the same (Asian taboos probably!)

     e.g: It is not good to marry our cousins.

#3 It is NOT GOOD to point directly at people. 

#4 It is IMPOLITE to play with/ to touch one's head!

#5 It is IMPOLITE to give an object to someone using the LEFT HAND.

#6 Shoes need to be removed before entering the house.

#7 It is RUDE to chew your food loudly.

Actually, we are sure that there are a lot more similarities between our culture and the Lao culture. However, these are the only similarities that we and Maryam can think of for now hehe (⌒_⌒;)

Anyhow, if you guys have anything to add or share, just hit the comment button below! 

That is all for today. Adios!



Yours truly,

Atirah & Syuhaidah

SHOW Us What You Mean

Hello, everyone! How are you doing on this wonderful Sunday?  (*´▽`*)  

Today, we're going to talk about the non-verbal signals used when we communicate with people (this includes facial expressions, gestures, postures... basically anything that you express with your body).

Have you ever nodded your head in agreement with what someone just said? You have..?

Did you just nod your head to answer us?  (◕‿◕)

*credits to Google Images*

Well, do you know, in the UK, when you nod your head in a meeting, it means that you would like to say something to contribute to the discussion?
(*credits to Dr. Fiza for this newfound knowledge*)

It's really amazing to see the different interpretations of the same non-verbal signs according to different cultures!

So, we asked Maryam if there are any nonverbal signals in Laos that carry different meanings in our culture...

*credits to chinesefontdesign.com*

Turns out that there wasn't any! Instead of differences, there are a LOT of similarities between the Malaysian and the Laotian culture  (*＾ω＾)人(＾ω＾*)

Maryam said that it is rude to directly point to others (just like our culture), and they would do this:

*credits to Pinterest*

when they greet each other. The same applies when they greet an elderly, but they have to slightly bow to show respect (just like our culture).

The similarities might be due to the fact that both of our cultures emphasize the significance of a non-verbal message when communicating with others. Looking at it from Edward Hall's perspective (a famous anthropologist), we belong to the high-context cultures since we encode our message both verbally and non-verbally and little is expressed verbally, especially to avoid conflicts.

Visit this website for more information: http://www.culture-at-work.com/highlow.html

Do you have anything you'd like to share? If you do, feel free to drop your comments below!



Yours truly,
Atirah & Syuhaidah

FWF! feat. Maryam #3

Hello! Did you miss us? (^_<)〜☆

We had introduced our friend, Maryam in the last two posts, right? We had also introduced you to the popular dishes in Laos. Now, we would like to tell you what she thinks about the Malaysian cuisine...

 

*credits to chinesefontdesign.com*

I (Syuhaidah) love to cook, believe it or not. I learned from my mom that we need to add a spoonful of sugar into our dish to make it tastes better. And no, I am not talking about desserts (those need WAY more than a spoonful!).

I once went to Atirah's house, and saw her doing the same with her cooking. So, I guess we can conclude that Malaysians like their food with a tinge of sweetness, huh?

*credits to Google Images*

Our friend, Maryam loves dessert, but she finds it weird to eat savoury dishes that are sweet. So she usually has limited food choices here in our university and has to go to restaurants outside campus to enjoy a meal.

Atirah: Well then! Let's eat (outside) together, shall we, Maryam?  ( ◡‿◡ *)

Maryam said that the foods in Laos are quite healthy and are filled with a lot of vegetables, whereas in Malaysia, most of our foods are either filled with santan (coconut milk) or are deep-fried!  o(≧▽≦)o! 

Oh! We forgot to tell you that Maryam has an aunt in Malaysia who a married a local Malay man and they live together happily in Nilai! Maryam would usually go back to Nilai on the weekends. She loves to eat the rendang (we do too!) and sambal that her Aunt cook!  (☆▽☆)

Last but not least, Maryam REALLY loves her veggies and CANNOT enjoy her meals without them! (kids, be like Maryam!)

*credits to Google Images*

That's all for FWF #3! Till we meet again!

Yours truly,
Atirah & Syuhaidah

SENSITIVE ISSUES part 2

Assalamualaikum and a very good day, everyone!

As you all know, yesterday (1st March) was our first date with Maryam. Since we discussed about 'stereotype' last week, today we are going to share Maryam's story about stereotype. Now, let us ask you a question; if we did not mention that Maryam was from Laos, which country do you think she belongs to..?

*credits to chinesefontdesign.com*

Honestly, when Syuhaidah first showed me Maryam's picture (before we met), I thought she was a Thai (－‸ლ), but then Syuhaidah said Maryam was from Laos. Well, I personally never had a Lao friend, so I do not know how they actually look like. That's why I was quite confident that Maryam is a Thai haha! She looks a bit like a Thai actress, Ice Preechaya though... (￣▽￣*)ゞ

*Ehem ehem..sorry for that. That's enough for now.*

What we actually wanted to share is about stereotype, again... but this time it's Maryam's version! Since we thought that she has a little bit of a Chinese look, we asked her whether she has ever experienced being mistaken as a Chinese...

And her answer was YES! (hahaha, we thought so!) She said that it happened when she went to eat at a Chinese restaurant in Malaysia. The Chinese workers speak Chinese with her because they thought she's a Chinese! She also told us Malay people often think that foreigners don't like them, but actually, the foreigners are totally okay with us and the locals! When we asked her whether she has a stereotype like a friend of our classmate (she's an Indian living in Saudi) - Malays not mingling around with people besides 'their' people; fortunately, she said that she never had that kind of stereotype, because to her, they are doing the same thing! Maryam said it is normal if people 'prefer' to be among their people (sharing the same nationality, culture and language). They don't mind being friends with people from outside their circle, but still, they will have their 'own circle'  ( ˘⌣˘) (˘⌣˘ )

*credits to Google Images*

Wherever we go and no matter how many friends we have, we will always feel more comfortable with our own people. This is evident especially when we travel or when we study abroad. An Indonesian friend of Atirah once told  her that whenever she is in Malaysia (or anywhere other than Indonesia) and happens to meet a fellow Indonesian, she will automatically feel happy because meeting with her own people outside of her country makes her feel like home ╰(▔∀▔)╯

Can you guys relate? Do share your experiences and thoughts below!

That's all from us this week. Thank you!  (◕‿◕)



Yours truly, 
Atirah & Syuhaidah

First Date! ♡

HELLO! Sabaidee!  ＼(≧▽≦)／

Earlier today, we met with our friend from Laos! Atirah was very excited because it was her first time meeting Maryam. Here's a selfie of us three  \(★ω★)/

Her birth name is Souphaphone Chueangmanivong and she was born on 29th September 1993. Figuratively, her name means "pretty". It really suits her, don't you think?  ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ 

Maryam said that Laos is a very small country - with a population of about 6 million people, as opposed to Malaysia's 29 million people! She speaks fluent Lao and Thai as well (English too, of course). This is because Lao and Thai are quite similar. Maryam likened the similarities of Lao and Thai with Malay language and Indonesian language. 

She knows very well that people don't really know the Laotian culture - so we are happy to explore its culture, with Maryam's help!  (o´▽`o)ﾉ 

Pha That Luang - Laos landmark
*credits to Wikipedia*

The primary religion in Laos is Buddhism. But, ultimately, it is a country where people with different religious beliefs live together harmoniously. 

The most popular festival in Laos is the Songkran, or Pi Mai Lao, which is the Laos New Year Celebration. Maryam said that people will definitely get wet on that day! Why? Well, on this day, Lao people will wash the many statues in the country using water, perfumed with flowers. Then, they will also throw this water at everyone, and we mean, EVERYONE! Even the tourists! You'll be safe if and only if you stay put at your house (which we won't - throw this sweet-smelling, fancy water at us, too!).

*credits to Pongfotografie*

A closer look at the fragrance water

*credits to Pongfotografie*

*credits to Google Images*

When it comes to the most unique tradition in Laos, Maryam chose their dress code! She said that they have the Laos Skirt, called Sinh, which is extremely multi-purpose! Here are some pictures:

Many designs to choose from!

*credits to Google Images*

Maryam said that whenever they have to go to any government institutions or for any formal occasions, they HAVE to wear Sinh (for the females only, of course). Otherwise, they won't be allowed to enter. As for the tops, you can wear whatever you want, provided that it is polite and not too exposed. The skirt itself is of rectangular cutting and it is generally long (at the very least, it covers the knees).

This skirt can be worn to weddings, during Songkran and even when you go out shopping. So, it can be used for casual clothing as well! However, Maryam said that the younger generation will opt for pants whenever they can. But, Maryam's mom still wears Sinh for shopping! In fact, her mom rarely wear pants.

Now, the most important thing of all...

FOOD!  \(^ヮ^)/

Lao Pho

Laab

Sticky rice
*credits to Google Images*

* This part made me feel really uneasy. Uneasy AND hungry*

According to Maryam, Laab and sticky rice are the main traditional cuisine, while Lao Pho is a famous meal in Laos. Lao Pho is beef noodle and Laab is minced meat salad usually eaten with the sticky rice. Seeing the images of Lao Pho on Google made me (Syuhaidah) thought of an Indonesian dish that I REALLY love - Bakso!

These dishes really look delicious! 

One fine day, we hope that we can go to this beautiful country called Laos and eat the best Lao Pho ever while wearing our custom-made Sinhs!  (≧▽≦)

Till then, tata!  ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Yours truly,

Atirah & Syuhaidah