Balik Kampung: Memories of Fulbright ETAs in Malaysia

Accidentally teaching Muslim students how to sing Three Little Pigs during school assembly; thinking your neighbor is a stalker; teaching your student, Michael Jordan how to play basketball in Borneo; going to school in a student uniform…as a teacher - All these faux pas colored the lives of American Fulbright English Teaching Assistants in Malaysia. Since the inception of the program in 2006, over 800 young Americans have travelled to Malaysia under the auspices of the Fulbright Program to serve as English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in public secondary schools. Fulbright is a U.S. State Department funded educational exchange program between the U.S. and over 150 countries around the world that seeks to increase mutual understanding between Americans and the citizens of other countries. The ETA program in Malaysia, administered by a bi-national commission known as the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), is one of the largest Fulbright programs in the world and has impacted thousands of students, teachers, and ETAs in communities across the country. This compilation of essays, stories, and reflections has been written by present and former ETAs to celebrate the breadth of experiences and depth of connections made possible by this cultural and educational exchange.