February 04, 2009

 The Pangaea Project Debuts in Malaysia: The Pangaea Facilitator Training Session at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

MalaysiaFtrainng_20090204.jpg I’ve been in Malaysia and very busy preparing for the Pangaea Activity taking place at UNIMAS on Feb. 7. Today, we had the Pangaea Facilitator Training Session, which set a new record for the number of participants: Surprisingly, we had 39 attendees! Actually we had not expected to have such a good turnout; our underestimation caused a nightmare – our training materials and handouts ran out. Plus, our training session is extremely practical and interactive so that having a large group can be challenging. That’s why I was a nervous wreck before the training session started. However, thank God, everything went well and I could enjoy the training session. During the training session, we did the hands-on activity, “Tako Introduction” – each pair introduces one another to the group. Because we had a multi-cultural group, including Chinese, Muslims, and people from remote villages in Borneo, the activity was spiced up with the cultural diversity. From the activity, I found a universal trait among college students: they are more likely to prefer music, dance, and/or reading to manage their stress in schools, regardless of cultural differences.


Anyway, we now have 39 facilitators, possibly divided into two groups, to work with us at the UNIMAS activity site. Talking about participants, we got 25 children (the maximum) very quickly. I am very glad that we’ve got a “Full House” at the UNIMAS activity site. I am already excited about the Webcam Activity which will be held at the UNINAS activity site within 6 months or so.

Mr. Inoue and Iwata from the Telecommunication Technology Committee, who gave me the opportunity to launch the Pangaea Project in Malaysia, will be here on Feb. 7 to be eyewitnesses of our historic event. Yup, I am off to a good start in Malaysia!

Posted by: yumi | 8. General