Our Website Crew(WC) has interviewed the new exchange student who came to Our Lady's Convent Sitiawan in early July in 2004. These are some of the questions we asked her.
WC : Hi, Nicole!
Nicole : Hi, to you too!
WC : We are very glad to see you here, Nicole. May we have an interview with you?
Nicole : Sure... Why not...?
WC : Firstly, we want to thank you for letting us interview you. Welcome to Our Lady's Convent Sitiawan.
Nicole : That's very kind of you. Thanks!
WC : Okay...Our first question is, can you tell us about your background?
Nicole : Certainly. My full name is Nicole Noring. I'm an only child. I'm a mix blooded. My mother is a Philippine, while my father is from Germany. I was born on 3rd of August 1986 in Germany.
WC : What are your parents occupation?
Nicole : My father's occupation is engineer while my mother used to be a housewife. But recently, she had started a small business in Philippine.
WC : In Philippine?
Nicole : Yeah. Since both my parents were separated since 1996, my mum now lives in Legazpi, Philippine. That's 10 hours from Manila by bus. On the other side, my father and I lives in Munich, Germany. But in German language, we pronounce it as Munchen.
WC : What do you do in your leisure time?
Nicole : Actually, I attend dancing class and swimming sessions there. In winter, I really enjoy ice-skating in the hall. I really love extreme games. I used to go for paragliding. In the future time, I hope I can try bungee jumping.
WC : Bungee jumping... that's cool. Give me five, Nicole!
Nicole : Yeah! (Nicole gave each of us a "high five")(laughter errupted here)
WC : So, have you ever felt any trouble with our Asian way?
Nicole : Hmm...For me, it's not a big problem. Since I was young, my mum has taught me the Asian life. For example, eating with my hands, eat all sorts of Asian dishes like fishes, rice and vegetables at least thrice a week. Since my mum had transferred to the Philippine, my father and I will prepare the pasta, spagetti and other dishes together.
WC : Ohhh...like that. Since you came to Malaysia, what places have you visited?
Nicole : I've visited Langkawi Island, Pangkor Island, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur for once. I visited those places mainly to attend camps and exchange student activities.
WC : How do you find the Malay language? Is it easy or difficult to learn?
Nicole : If I would have to compare the Malay language and the German language, I would say that the Malay language is more easier to cope. I can also understand and speak few words such as "makan","minum","selamat pagi","selamat malam","faham","tak mahu","tak boleh" and other words.
WC : Woo...pretty cool, huh?
Nicole : Hahaha...maybe. But, I am still learning.
WC : So what do you think about Convent?
Nicole : Of course most of the citizen here are very warm, kind and friendly. But there is one thing. I think most of the students here are still shy to speak English. For me, eventhough their grammar are totally mixed up and not so good, but as long as I can understand them, we can still be well-communicated with each other.
WC : We always heard that the Western people and Asian people are different. Is it true?
Nicole : Well, I think it's true. I can see that most of the Asian people still live with their own culture. But in the western country, their people are not occupied with it. Some of them are very aware of strangers and that's why they choose to ignore them, if any strangers needs help. But here, I can see that the Malaysian are truly friendly and helpful. They will try to help you as much as they could.
WC : What about schools in German?
Nicole : Unlike here, the student there do not wear school uniforms. They can wear what they want...T-shirts, jeans, skirts, sneakers, high heels and many more. They are also many streams that you can choose based on your academic results. They are technical, art and so on. But the important subject that you must carry out are the German language, English and Mathematics. Whereas the other like Geography, Biology, Physical Education(PE) and many more are optional.
WC : Did you apply for any job?
Nicole : Yes, I did. I applied for an office job since I stopped my studying in 10th Grade. But since I had a chance to be an exchange student, I wanted to try it out to learn new things and the similarities of culture of my mum's country.
WC : How long are you going to stay here?
Nicole : I'm going to stay here for a year. I live here with Puan Jackie's family. She is one of the teachers here in Convent.
WC : A year? Won't you feel homesick?
Nicole : Actually, no. I'm very used to it. Plus, I have a best friend in Bosnia, my mum is in the Philippine and sometimes I used to stay alone at home. So, I am very used to it.
WC : Have you visited any other country?
Nicole : I've visited London, Bosnia, Switzerland and Spain. Once a year, I will visit my mum during summer vacation.
WC : We have a special question here. What food do you like here, in Malaysia?
Nicole : Hahaha...to say about this, I really love spicy food.
WC : Spicy food?
Nicole : Yeah...such as sambal, curry, etc...and oh, yeah! I also love to eat local fruits.
WC : For example?
Nicole : I have tried durian, guava, papaya, langsat, mango...
WC : Rambutan?
Nicole : Rambutan? Er...I never heard it before but I will try it. Hihi...
(laughter errupted here)WC : Any traditional food in Germany, Nicole?
Nicole : Yeah. Schnitzel.(the traditional food of Germany)
WC : Schnitzel...hmmm...sounds great! :)
(Nicole and us smiling)WC : Do you have any hopes?
Nicole : I hope when I went back to Germany next year, I may speak Malay language fluently and will have lots of friends here. Besides, I hope that I will know a lot about the culture and the country.
WC : Okay Nicole. That's all. Thank you for being so kind and giving us a chance to know you better.
Nicole : Thanks to all of you too.
WC : Bye, Nicole.
Nicole : Bye...