On the introduction day of the SWP module we each created our own worlds and shared them with our neighbour. To my amazement I found some very clear visual parallels between my world and my partner Seok Binn's.

Seok Binn's world was split into two clear halves. One was the ocean and the other the rain forest. In the rain forest area was her family, 2 dinasaurs and a gorilla to represent her children along with a smaller zebra type animal which she said represented her. They were all standing squarely on the ground, safe in the forest where she had kept them near lots of food and shelter. On the other side of her world was the ocean, which was full of colours and interesting things. Though the trees in this world are very tall and almost bar the way to the ocean Seok Binn said that this was somwhere she would like to be able to explore more independently.

My world was also split into two parts though these worlds were more merged and it is less clear where one ends and the other begins. Mine also represented the ocean and land! Mine also had all of the colour and interesting things to look at placed in the sea with me represented as a log appearing to be pulled between the two worlds. This was deliberate on my part. I'm a keen diver and as a diving instructor in my spare time chose to come to Malaysia originally mostly due to the great diving opportunities here. My life has changed a lot since then and I don't actually go diving much at the moment but I still feel the pull of the sea and if free to choose that's where I'd be. While making this world I tried numerous times to add water to the ocean side but it kept drying out as it soaked into the sand on the land area. [ like my diving opportunities drying up!!]

I'm also aware of the parallel this creates with my living as a foreigner in Malaysia. I'm half and half here - resident but not permanent. I see and hear and experience the culture but don't always understand it or integrate it into my own life.

Having noticed the parallels I couldn't help but also notice the differences and their cultural relevance. In Seok Binn's world [ as in most of my peers' worlds on this workshop day] the family is very strongly represented. In mine there is no reference to family at all. In Asia the family unit is much stronger and plays an important part of everyone's world. This is much less the case in Europe. Even in Ireland where our families would be considered closer than in England, Scotland and Wales, it's not unusual for indiviual family members to be travelling the world independently.