Ipoh and The Perak Society for the Promotion of Mental Health

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Yo People! I am in Penang at the moment. We have just come from Ipoh where i visited the center were i did my gap year placement.

I was completely disorientated when we arrived at Ipoh because they have built a new bus station miles out from the center of town and taxis over charge to get you into town. Someone is pumping a lot of money into development in Ipoh. Here are lots of new buildings and a massive theme park is opening soon. However i found that i actually still remember my way around the town fine and lots of things are the same.

We got the bus to the center ans i managed to get off at the right place. The bus driver was confused as he couldn't see why a tourist would want to get off the buss in the middle of no where. When we got to the center lots of people recognised me and some remebered my name. They all comented on the fact that i used to be 'the fat one' (Sam (my gap partner not boyfriend) being the thin one) but how i wasn't so fat now (slightly embarassing but chinese people tend to be very to the point in my experience).

The center is very much as we left it. they have done it up a bit and now have a lovley visitors room where the old staff room was. Unfortunatly there was only one more lot of GAP girls after us and the volunteers apartment has stood empty for three years now. It's a pitty because they really want volunteers there and really need them. It was clear just from the time we were there how much the residence (women with mental health problems and disabilities) need people other than the staff to talk to and to bring a bit of variety and compasion into their lives. I am taking up the case and will try to arrgane for more volunteersto go.

We talked to lots of the residence and some of them even remeber the dances and play we did with them. We didn't spend that long there as i think the longer we stayed the harder it would have been to leave. It was pretty hard anyway beacuse the residence (particularly one who i still write to) clearly would have liked us to stay forever. It was good to go back though and i feel i have fulfilled a promise. although they all made me promise to go back in another four years.

In the evening Angeline (the center supervisor) and Janet (one of the staff) took us out for a meal which was great as they insisted we ordered loads of food plus ice cream.

All in all we had a really good day. Ipoh is a beautiful place due to the dramatic landscape which you don't find elsewhere in Malaysia. Ipoh is basically a plateau with lots of massive rocks (some big enough to live on) sticking straight up with jagged cliffs. The town is a little minging in places and we acidentaily manged to stay in what was obvously a 'knocking shop' in the middle of the red light district.

I will post agian soon before we leave Penang as we are off to the Perhentian islands next and there is no internet there.

Take care, miss you all lots.

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Photos

Me, Die Siew Chai, Winnie and others
These women are live in chalet A which means they have more freedom and independence than the others.

Comments

[Grandpa]

Murals
Were the great murals you and Sam painted, before you left Ipoh 4 years ago, still to be seen. How is Sam, the one with you, standing up to the trip so far. Keep up the flow of news on the progress of your adventure its so interesting. Love Grandpa.