Culture holds so much in its definition. Customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of each nation, people, and social groups vary tremendously. With a common desire to understand each other's culture and values, there is certainly no clashing involved in cross-cultural immersion.
There are boundless opportunities waiting for you here at Telunas. During your stay, you will be able to experience cross-cultural interactions through our immersion program. When you choose to visit a local island, you are able to learn and encounter the ways another part of the world experiences life, as well as share your own stories and culture.
More Than an Ordinary Field Trip
Immersion trips are so much more than your ordinary field trip. We take you straight from our resort to a local village in a nearby community. You're able to have a hands-on, belly-full experience of Malayu culture - something you can't get through a textbook or even a museum. Instead of asking the internet, why not ask a local? Instead of going to a culturally-themed restaurant, why not go to a villager's kitchen? Instead of playing a game that replicates their culture, why not spend a day in their shoes and see their true, raw way of life?
The Melayu People
The Melayu people are beautiful and hospitable. When you arrive at a nearby island, friendly and curious faces will peep through the windows of their overwater-bungalow homes. You will be led through your day by Telunas guides who have experienced both your culture and theirs in depth, and are prepared to translate, answer questions, and aid in the immersion process.
On my most recent island immersion stay, I was walking around the village one morning and made eye contact with a school teacher during her 6th-grade class. She invited me in and I sat for 45 minutes observing the Melayu traditional school system, their focus, their behavior, their uniforms, their desire to learn and understand. One day - even less than an hour - goes a long way in both the worlds of the host and guest as both are appreciative of a new experience and connection to an unfamiliar world.
Lectures teach a lesson; cultural immersion leaves an impact. Textbooks help you prepare for a quiz; cultural immersion helps you prepare for life.
