TRADITION AND MODERNITY

Malaysia 

As we stayed in Kuala Lumpur I believe we missed a lot of the culture and tradition but were more presented with a fabricated version, obviously because Kuala Lumpur is visited by a lot of tourists, it appeared very modern. But as you ventured further into the outskirts it was as if you were in an entirely different civilisation. In Kuala Lumpur it was hard to see how the traditional Malay lived their life.

We were fortunate enough to meet with Dr Tun Mahatir, Malaysia’s fourth and former Prime Minister, who in fact is said to be responsible for the westernisation of Malaysia. Drawing majority of his inspiration from China, Japan and Korea, Tun Mahatir said that “The future is a multicultural world” welcoming influence from any country.

Although Islam is the dominant religion in Malaysia, the country also draws a big influence from India and China, with 19.8 percent Buddhist; and 6.3 percent Hinduism.

 The cross between Malaysia and Western civilisation was evident through the availability of food, as there was MacDonald’s, KFC in the main shopping centre, Islam was evident at the traditional Malaysian foods courts as majority of the places to eat were Halal certified.

The cultural sensitivities were very much gender orientated; such as women drinking in public, and women having to wear the traditional attire to view the mosques. As Kuala Lumpur is a touristic destination the cultural sensitivities i believe would be more prominent to the outer suburbs.  

Turkey 

Cultural sensitivities didn't seem to be an issue in Turkey. Istanbul was certainly less conservative than Malaysia. In my experience, as a female, i felt less concerned about my appearance and my behavior.  
As we arrived in Istanbul at 6am on the 3rd of the January we were lucky enough to be graced with the beautiful sunrise as we drove to our hotel, Hotel Seraglio, by the old city walls of Roman Byzantium. I, myself was somewhat a victim of media manipulation as I had an entirely different perception of Istanbul. To my surprise Istanbul with the beautiful cobblestone streets and welcoming people became my favourite place on the tour. 

After we arrived Halim (our teacher) took us on a walking tour of the city. Walking around Istanbul, you can feel the historical significance. The city is rustic and the buildings are the perfect combination of traditional but still modern. Istanbul's people really make you feel welcome and at home, going through the markets they offer you tea and genuinely are intrigued as to why you are there. 

As group we decided to go the Galata Tower which gave us an amazing few and insight into the structure of the city. From the beautiful mosques that stood above the buildings to the amazing bridges joining the two sides. Istanbul is the only city in the world that is apart of two different continents. The Asia side of Istanbul from what we saw was more populated and contained a lot of food markets etc. Both sides however offered a shopping bundle, markets, along with high end retail stores. 
Some of us also took the opportunity to visit The Basilica Cistern, built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 527-565, giving us a deeper insight into the history of Istanbul.  Turkish people seem to have a very high respect for their culture and tradition which was apparent with the call to prayer 5 times a day, where people would close their shops and participate. This was the only apparent (apart from the mosques) implication of Islam. Religion seemed peaceful in Turkey whereas in Malaysia it felt forced.

Turkey was an incredible place to visit and an amazing experience. 




Espana

 I distinctively remember pulling up to the train station of Cordoba baffled as to why our lecturer would take us to this place on the trip. Thank god that was just the train station! 
As we arrived at the hotel, i grabbed my camera and went exploring with Halim and a few others. Arriving on sunset i was lucky to snap some beautiful photos of the area we were staying in. 

Before heading to the hussle and bussle of Granada we spent the 10th of January relishing in the archaeological wonders. Visiting the Medina Al-Zahra which is an archaeological site turned museum, The Cordoba Cathedral and the Roman Tower museum at the end of the bridge. This was a prime example of how Cordoba values its culture, tradition and history.  Modernisation wasn't apparent in Cordoba, it was as if it had been untouched and had a serene atmosphere. 

Granada on the other hand, had loads of high end, big brand shops with newer buildings and was more westernised. Although it did hold way for the historical land mark The Alhambra which is an Islamic palace, the palace was well maintained and restored which shows the significance it has to Spanish history. 

Morocco

Morocco in my opinion was the most traditional and least modern place we went to, with exception of Casablanca which was the most western and modern out of the four places we went too. Moroccan people, although great hagglers seemed to be extremely happy and very cultural. Having not yet succumb to westernisation or modernisation, whether that's by choice or not, i loved Morocco just the way it was.

The main square in Marrakech was always vibrant and alive. It was the perfect amount of chaos as traditional Moroccan music was played as three men sat on handmade rugs with their instruments. Food stalls covered the streets of the square whiles the people of the souks tried to entice you into their stores. The streets of Morocco, filled with riad's, small alley's and mazes took you through history. It amazed me to see the old doors with the giant locks, tiny one bedroom schools, donkeys carrying massive loads through the markets. 

The hospitality in Morocco was impeccable. One apparent tradition was the cultural food available, traditional Tajines, an abundance of mint tea. And lets not forget the traditional Harira soup which received the addition of lemon thanks to Halim. 

Morocco definitely gave me a better appreciation of life, and an inspiration to explore. As Morocco was the least fortunate of the places we visited the people were unfazed and appreciative of what they had.