Peace Corps Malaysia 1971

Peace Corps Training, Malaysia 1971

Language Training Group 37 in Penang, Malaysia 1971

This is a short little story about my four-month long Peace Corps language training in Penang.  

It was August, 1971.  We were young and bright-eyed.  Twenty five fresh college graduates on our way to teach in math and science in Malaysian high schools.  After two days of last minute medical/dental care and briefings at the San Jose State University dorms we got on a chartered bus to San Francisco airport and boarded the plane to Malaysia.  We flew over Vietnam where the war was still raging and landed at the rural Penang Airport.  I was lucky to have a window seat so as we landed I saw the steep hills on the island’s southern tip completely covered in dense green jungle.   I wondered if I had made the right decision.  When the door opened the humid tropical air hit me like a ton of bricks.  This was going to be interesting!

Landing at Penang Airport, Bayan Lepas, Malaysia.
(Recent photo)

Most of us were young, recent college graduates except for two retired science teachers that had also joined our group.  These two elderly ladies, Winnie and Lucie, impressed me with their determination.  We were herded onto a yellow school bus with open windows that took us on a bumpy country road through rice paddies and cow pastures to Gelugor on Green Lane, just south of Georgetown.  We were assigned roommates and unpacked our suitcases in the newly built single-story cement bungalows in residential Gelugor.  

These were the houses where we had language training in a neighborhood in Gelugor, Penang.  Today they all have air conditioning, hot water and TV satellite dishes.
Google maps, 2023

We each received a black bicycle with lock and key, and a briefing about our upcoming language training.  We were not supposed to speak any English.  We were not allowed to take any notes or use pencils or paper because we were learning conversational Malay by immersion.  No language theory or grammar.  We spent 6 days a week with our teachers, in class as well as meals and breaks.  Each class had 4 to 5 students.  You couldn’t hide.  Most of it was memorizing brief “real-life” conversations, and we took turns acting them out.  “Excuse me sir, which way is the post office?”  “Go straight, then turn right.”  “Have you eaten yet?” “No, I haven’t eaten yet.”

Early morning and late evening were our only free times.  Before dawn, when it was still cool outside, my roommate and I often jogged up to nearby Bukit Dumbar Reservoir.  Dawn in Penang is spectacular with dramatic pink clouds, tropical birds, and every kind of smell imaginable.  We came home drenched in sweat.  There was no air conditioning, no phone, and no hot water.  We showered with plastic buckets.

Before dawn I went jogging at the Bukit Dumbar Reservoir, Gelugor, Penang.
[Google Maps, 2023]

The U.S. Peace Corps conducted over one hundred Malay language training programs in Malaysia.  Spanning 21 years from 1962 through 1983, more than 3500 volunteers served in Malaysia.  The majority was in support of public health, agriculture or secondary math/science education.  The New Straits Times newspaper has a very entertaining summary here. The Story of The Peace Corps in Malaysia.

After 5 weeks in Penang, we all moved to the Merlin Hotel (Now Cameron Highlands Resort) in Brinchang, Tanah Rata, Pahang.  Language continued there for another 3 weeks until we all moved again, this time to the Princess Hotel, Pantai Teluk Belanga, on Pangkor Island.   We took the ferry to the island and put all our suitcases on a lorry at the boat dock.  We walked 10 minutes on a dirt road to the beach paradise on the other side of the island where the hotel chalets were located.   How did I get so lucky?  Classes ran from early morning to late afternoon so we did not get much beach time.  

The former Princess Hotel at Teluk Belanga is now in ruins and I believe it is no longer accessible to the public.
The beach was named "Pantai Puteri Dewi" (Princess Goddess Beach) back then.
[Google Maps, 2023]

After our magical stay on Pangkor Island, the group was divided into English Medium and Malay Medium teachers.  The 12 Malay Medium teachers received one additional month of Malay language training at Fraser's Hill, Pahang.  This was intense because we knew that in the next few weeks we would be teaching high school physics, chemistry, biology and math in the Malay language.  None of our students would speak English.   Each of us was sent to a Malaysian high school for 2 weeks of supervised practice teaching.  My practice teaching was at Penang Free School, in English.  Teaching in English was easy.

In December I was posted to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan SMK Datuk Seri Amar Di-Raja, Muar, Johore.  Here is a photo of one of my physics classes.

My Malay language Physics Class at SMK DSAD High School,
Muar, Johore, Malaysia 1971

Unfortunately I no longer have my training program book, just a few photos, and an incomplete list of the trainees.

Here is what I have collected about Training Group 37.

TRAINEES

   Winifred Billard

   Mary “Peggy” Chevalier

   Gelsomino “Jim” Delguercio

   Henry “Tim” Dombrowski

   John French

   Georgia Guldan

   Dave Jackson

   Al Kordesch

   Gary Loveless

   Montross “Ross" Pelton

   Lucie Priscilla Prescott

   Judith “Judy” Roehr

   David Rumbellow

STAFF

Hood Simon, Project Director

Dr John Shybut, staff

Rick Johannessen, staff

Penny Johannessen, staff

Eric Foel, staff

Cikgu Tuan Haji Mohammed, Chief Language Instructor

VENUES

Staging at Estes Park, Colorado, US. August, 1971

Arrival at Penang Airport, stay at rental houses at Green Lane, Taman Gelugor, Georgetown.

Training Office at USM, Gelugor

Pulau Pangkor - Pantai Teluk Belanga, Princess Hotel. "Pantai Puteri Dewi"

Cameron Highlands, Merlin Hotel, Brinchang, Tanah Rata.

Bukit Fraser, Pahang (Malay Medium group only)

ASSISTANTS AT GREEN LANE

Khaw Lay Kim 

Yap Siew Kim

Sunday Hike to the lighthouse at Teluk Bahang

Sunday hike to the lighthouse at Muka Head, Teluk Bahang.
John French, Al Kordesh, Victor, Ross, Sharon and Siew Kim.
1971

The jungle trail to Muka Head, Teluk Bahang, Penang.
It's about 4 hours of hiking round trip.
[Google Maps]

Al Kordesch at the top of Muka Head Lighthouse, 2015.
This is now part of the Penang National Park

Learning a cultural dance at USM, Gelugor, Penang

Georgia Guldan, Peggy Chevalier, John French, Al Kordesch, Gary Loveless,
Cikgu Tuan Haji Muhammad (center), Ross Pelton (bottom right)
Penang Training Group 37, 1971

Lunch with the trainees.

Lunch with the trainees.
Training Group 37, Penang.
Georgia Guldan, Jim Delguercio, George, Judy Roehr, Victor, Gary Loveless, David Rumbellow.
Sharon Chee at far right.
1971

Our helpers Khaw Lay Kim and Yap Siew Kim. 1971

Here I am at my posting in Muar, Johore, Malaysia

Here I am at my high school posting in Muar, Johore, Malaysia, 1972.
I lived at the boy's hostel with another teacher and 80 boys.

This is the boy's hostel at DSAD

This is the boy's hostel at DSAD.
It was across the road from the high school.
Muar, 1971

Here is the boy's hostel inside.

Here is the boy's hostel inside.  We had 80 beds.
The boys were between 13 and 19 years old.

Lunch at the boy's hostel canteen.

Lunch at the boy's hostel canteen, DSAD 
The school uniforms are white.
(We didn't use forks or spoons).

Where are they now? (2023)

Georgia Guldan teaches at School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea

Rick and Penny live in Penang and travel a lot.

Khaw Lay Kim and Yap Siew Kim live in Penang.

Tim Dombrowski is Chief Medical officer at Jefferson Health in New Jersey

Hood Simon and John Shybut are deceased.

MORE INFORMATION

You can find lots of info about Peace Corps Malaysia at the "Friends of Malaysia" website.

https://www.friendsofmalaysia.net/home