First Day in KL

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur (KL) yesterday about 4 pm. After 22 hours of traveling, I was mighty glad to see a pillow! :) My host promptly took me to an open market in his central village to admire the fruit, veggies, and a wonderful drink called "Cat-eye soup" (apparently its not cat eyes at all - its a fruit! :) ) I will be living 5 blocks from a mosque, which promptly woke me up at 5:35 this morning to a call to prayer. Don't get me wrong - it was beautiful, but 5:30 am? Really?

My first impression of the city is in awe at the diversity it boasts. In discussion with a supervisor from Tenaganita today, it is much like cities in the US - a flavor from any part of the world. They, too, call Malaysia a melting pot. At first step off the train from the airport you can see why. The diversity of religion, ethnicities, and surrounding cultures is awe inspiring, and a bit confusing. Each people group have their "inside" way of greeting. Indian, Malaysian, and then Muslim Indian and Thai - etc. I should be well-versed in SE Asian countries after my stay!

I got a briefing this morning on my work. Although not many details were given, I will be working on the following projects:

1. ATIP (Anti-Trafficking in Persons)
Tenaganita, as a globally recognized organization for ATIP has many resources that need to be pulled together in a format that is accessible from presentations and fund development. The Malaysian government established the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act in 2007. It is a 40 page document. I will be working in producing a simplified, condensed document that sums of the ATIP Act. Tenaganita will be able to use this in many of its outside documents, as well as provide it as a resource for the migrant and trafficked population it works with.

2. HIV/AIDS
Working with the populations that Tenaganita does, the organization runs into education difficulties. I will be writing simplified resources to hand out and a manual to train business leaders in this area. This will be a project a few weeks down the road - so more will come! :)

3. Business Social Responsibilities
As Malaysia develops, "Special Economic Zones", where international businesses are allowed to come into Malaysia with minimal regulations, including worker rights, taxes, environmental regulations, etc... Because these Multi-National corporations deal directly with migrants, Tenaganita has recently included trainings for business leaders in the area of Social Responsibility. When Texas Instrument came to Malaysia, for instance, they hired many women because it involved small, electronic assembly. The by-product though, was many women because of the culture were highly underpaid and were not advocated for. They were refused from the Unions because only men held union membership, leaving them vulnerable to unfair labor and business practices. This program seeks to educated business leaders in the laws of Malaysia, and prove retention of a qualified labor force when equal pay is given and rights distributed.

I know this is just the tip of it, and more will come - but I can see justice and Tenaganita go hand in hand. I will be sending a brief of the organization soon, but wanted to jot out my first day's information.

Seattle - Tawain - Kuala Lumpur

Hi All!

I am currently writing from Seattle's international airport - the little gateway to the west, as they call it. For a city that is exponentially larger than Missoula, NOTHING is open. It is 12:33 am - my flight leaves at 2, and my only connection to humans is the Starbucks right outside of security that seems to open 24 hours. Now, that is a slice of heaven - a Starbucks open 24 hours! :)

I asked for directions today, and apparently can pick people that KNOW the city. I asked a girl from Sweden where a particular street was, and she promptly pulled her map from her very white coat and said, "I don't know..... I am a tourist too. Lets look together cause I'm lost."

Really?

We then stopped a group of four youngsters (I think maybe 16?) and asked for directions. They said, "uh - dude, you're going the wrong way. Turn around and go for about 10 blocks."

10 blocks!?!?!?! My sister had told me yesterday it was four.

I had steered way off course from a simple post office run, but it made me take in a beautiful city and a city culutre that really isn't matched ANYWHERE else.


Tenaganita News:
I received the scope of my work from Tenaganita today. I will post more on it later as it becomes more clear. Certainly check in once in a while as I am so excited! This is wonderful and you all are a huge part of it! Way to make a dent in the world for justice! Thank you!

Until I'm at the equator,
Jen

21 Questions...

I'm sitting in a Barnes and Noble in an attempt to get free parking AND free internet in a city that charges for EVERYTHING. Oh Seattle, how I miss my little Missoula. I leave in 8 days, and am anxiously awaiting these little details to be answered. I have compiled a list of my beloved travel game, 21 Questions. Though more of an answer is needed than the typical "yes/no" of the game, this range of questions adequately depicts my emotion - both light and serious.

Here goes:

1. Where will I live?
2. Will my financial aid come in on time?
3. How do I exchange money? How much will I need for traveling?
4. What clothes should I pack? How modest for the culture of K.L. should I be?
5. Will the office be so cold with air conditioning that I should bring a cardigan?
6. How do I prepare for the LSAT overseas?
7. How can I access all the sites I need for my research?
8. How on earth am I going to help this wonderful organization?
9. Where will I get coffee?
10. How will I leave an impact on the people I meet? Will I be merely observed as another obnoxious American :) or will I come across as culturally sensitive and unobtrusive?
11. Are my objectives going to be clear?
12. Will I actually get Malaria?
13. How do I contact my family with an 18 hour time difference?
14. Is this really the start of a life of purpose?
15. Will my hair-straightener really get voltage converted or will it singe my hair?
16. Will I get a chance to use my VERY broken Chinese?
17. How will my co-workers receive me?
18. Am I really prepared academically and personally for such a big task?
19. Will my passport be stolen?
20. What is the best way to navigate and budget for the next 3 months?


And Finally....

21. What time does my flight leave, again?

Home on the Range - Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

I'm in Polson, and my heart misses it dearly. Its as though 60 miles south has turned into a vortex that has sucked my soul! I miss my 'family' here. It was a warm and unexpected meeting yesterday at church, as I showed up to view a home long ago left - but as they say, "Some things never change."

I feel as if a whole team, a community, is sending me off to a destiny that I am just tapping into. A hug from a mom of four, a handshake from an attorney, and a pat on the shoulder from a spiritual leader. I feel championed, encouraged.....sent. Though I have been gone from my community for 3 years, studying at The University of Montana, I feel like a child returning home. If home is where your heart is, then Polson is a great chunk of 'home'.

Missoula Area Central Labor Council

Last night I joined a meeting for the Missoula Area Central Labor Council. After hearing a great conversation about federal lands and a new bill up for vote, I was able to share the vision for workers' rights - across the globe. While it was a short blip, it was well received. Thank you MACLC for the generous donation of $100!

This project has begun to take a face I hardly recognize. Mostly because I have had inadequate time to prepare for such a daunting task, and partly because I have not thought about the full ramifications of entering work that is actually WORTH spending one's life upon.

Finals ended with flaming glory - literally. While I was editing my final paper (out of 3) my power cord produced a flame. A FLAME. The girl behind me smelled the smoke - inquired rather abruptly as to what the smell was - and proceeded to do what she needed to do for her finals. I think because my life is much compartmentalized as of late, I casually got up from the table, proceeded to the bookstore, and asked if they had an extra cord.

They didn't.

That's when I freaked - a Jen Gursky freak that is. Professor Grey must have had a doozy listening to a frantic Jen talking about a late paper, a receipt from Best Buy, or smelling my small electical fire. A doozy.

But, when the smoke had cleared, I came out of Wendesday with a B, an A, and completely moved out of my house of three years to embark upon a journey of justice for the next three months.

Cheers,

Jen

Donation Update

Hi all!

I spoke with someone from Tenaganita yesterday who is equaly excited about my arrival. WOO HOO! :) I leave May 26 (hopefully) and am in the throws of fundraising for expenses. I have a few donations from the website, jengursky.com - So cool that Jack suggested I set up a PayPal account - what a GREAT idea - Thanks Jack!

I have initiated research on refugee issues and migration issues. Not pertaining to Malaysia, but the UNHCR, to see what the standards and mandates are pertaining to the specific research. Refugee rights are something the world is trying to touch with a 10 foot pole. My heart aches for displaced people as I read the regions they come from. Learned most of the mandate comes from WWII politics - and has since spread to other regions, but has lacked legitimacy and effectiveness since the days of WWII.

An exciting opportunity to study the refugee population in Kuala Lumpur arose out of the converstaion with my site supervisor - all I need is a translator, and to get permission from the IRB (Inst. Review Board).

Well - just an update all. This journey is going to get started in a few weeks - but I think secretly its playing a joke on me - its already begun!

~J

From Tenaganita

RAH MAN: Unaware of the arrests
POLICE have arrested nine people for alleged involvement in an international human trafficking ring. Five senior Johor Immigration Department officers were among those arrested. The suspects were believed to have received payment for the ‘'sale'' of Rohingya refugees, as forced labour in the fisheries industry.
Contacted by Malay Mail yesterday, Immigration Department director-general, Abdul Rahman Othman said he was unaware of the arrests. He maintained that the Immigration Department had set up internal investigations into the alleged involvement of its officers "We have always been cooperating with police to curb this problem. We have had our sights on officers at the Malaysian-Thailand border as we don't want this kind of act tarnishing our image," he said.
Bukit Aman CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin told the media yesterday that the arrests came about after police received a report in March about the possible involvement of immigration officers in human trafficking. Bakri said the suspects - aged between 25 and 40 - were arrested last Friday at various locations in Johor Bahru.
"Besides the five senior immigration enforcement officers, police also detained four others who were working
as drivers for the department." These suspects have allegedly been aiding a syndicate transporting immigrants
- mostly Rohingyas from Myanmar - to the northern States of Peninsular Malaysia.
"The syndicate has been active for about a year," Bakri said.
He said that an immigrant would usually pay between RM300 and RM2,000 to the local syndicate to manage his entry via Perlis or Kelantan. "If the immigrants cannot pay the fees, they are forced into labour at some fishery operations."
The suspects are under police remand until July 24 and police are also pursuing other syndicate members.
"We have not ruled out the possibility that the suspects could also be involved in document forgery," Bakri said.
The crackdown against human trafficking was triggered by a stinging report by the US earlier this year that Malaysia was not doing enough to address human trafficking in the country.
The US State Department had, in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, placed Malaysia with Zimbabwe, Cuba and North Korea, among others, on the list of worst offenders for human trafficking.
The TIP report also referred to another report by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee three months ago, which accused Malaysian Immigration officers of selling Myanmar refugees for about US$200 (RM700) a person to traffickers operating along Thailand's southern border.
The Prosecution Unit head at the Attorney-General's Chambers, Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, had then said
errant immigration officers, in various locations in Peninsular Malaysia, face prosecution for their role in the
activity .
He had said investigations into their activities were ongoing and "it was just a matter of time" before they were
hauled up.