Unique experience: Frevel dressed in her baju kurung having a laugh with her school friends Nurfatnin Hidayah Norzaidi (left), Adelaine Tee (middle), Miela Ameelya Jaimi (second from right), and Shamisha Rajkumar (right) at school. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: After spending nine months in the country, Polish teenager Patricia Frevel is calling Malaysia her second home.
“It has been a wonderful and eye-opening experience for me. I got to celebrate Deepavali, Chinese New Year, Thaipusam and Hari Raya Aidilfitri,” said Fravel, who came to Malaysia on Aug 15 last year under the American Field Service programme.
“Not only that, I was able to pick up a few words in Mandarin, Tamil, and more in Bahasa Malaysia, which is much easier than the French language,” she said, rattling off “apa khabar”, “saya suka nasi lemak”, “sedikit sahaja” as examples of phrases she knows.
According to her, she knew how to convey greetings in Mandarin as well. And she understood a few Tamil words, though she could not pronounce them.
Frevel, who is from Wroclaw, which is about five hours’ drive from Warsaw, also found Malaysia unique for its delicious food. “The food shows the rich cultures of the country.”
Frevel, 17, said she loved all Malaysian food such as nasi lemak, nasi kerabu, roti canai and traditional kuih.
The taste, she said, was poles apart from the food in her home country, which she described as bland.
As for the American Field Service programme, she said: “Under the programme, there were a lot of countries that I could go to, but I wanted a place that has many cultures and is different from Poland.”
“I wanted to go really far away. And when I looked under the Asian section, I put Malaysia as my main choice. I am happy I made the right decision,” she said in an interview at SM Infant Convent Jesus Johor Baru here yesterday.
As part of the programme, Frevel said that she had stayed in different homes with foster families. This allowed her to experience the various festivities in Malaysia.
“One thing that I will miss about Malaysia is the relationship that I have forged with my foster families, friends at the convent, and the teachers, especially the school principal Ande Noor Munawara Bachok, whom I call bonda (mother).”
“Hopefully, I can return to Malaysia and visit other states such as Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak to know more about this beautiful country.”
Frevel, who will be returning to Poland, hoped to visit Malaysia in two years.
“This is because the school will be celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025,” she said.
Ande Noor said she was very proud to have Frevel as a student at the school.
“She adapted quickly to the environment, even though it was so new to her when she arrived some nine months ago.
“She is able to communicate well with her fellow students and teachers, especially in Bahasa Malaysia. And she loves wearing traditional clothes such as baju kurung and baju kebaya,” she said, adding that the school would miss Frevel.
