The Road Not Taken

An Autmun Trip to Ipoh

2011-12-16T00:37:00.000-05:00

We get a long weekend about once a month due to all the different Malaysian, Hindu, Chinese, and Muslim holidays. I am getting better at keeping track of which holiday is which but really, I am just glad for the time off! We decided to take the kids back to the water park in Ipoh. The boys went before a few years ago but Natalie has never been so off we went.

Pool water tastes YUCKY

Natalie's first ride down a water slide with her big brother.

Kyle gives Alex a lift so he can feed the friendly Raccoon.

The Bird Sanctuary is one of our favorite places.

The birds land on you and eat right out of your hand.

Alex trying to coax an albino peacock to take some food.

The bird isn't scared. It's just full. :)

We finally got Alex to let a bird sit on his arm and take food. This is an African Gray Parrot. It can talk in more than one language.

Little Miss Independent who refuses to hold anyone's hand when she walks. She folds her arms up like this and walks. It is so funny!

Watching the tigers fight and be fed was another highlight!

The Perhentian Islands

2011-12-16T00:21:00.000-05:00

This summer we decided to take a trip to the Perhentian Islands for a few days to do some snorkeling, sunbathing, and general laziness. The travel agent sent a chartered van to drive us across the country which takes about 5 hours. Well, it should take 5 hours. But with the way these hired drivers do it, it's more like 3 hours. I prayed the whole way that we would just make it there alive and Alex (my poor car sick child) puked all the way there.

When arrived, we then loaded our luggage onto a banana boat for the 30 minute boat ride out to the island.

The dock as we arrived...

The water was crazy blue.

We did lots of snorkeling and it was so amazing!

John helping Alex build a sand castle.

The view from the deck.

Hanging out and reading

This is one place we will definitely visit again. Beautiful clean water and snorkeling!!!

A Bangladeshi Baby Shower

2011-12-16T00:06:00.000-05:00

There is a Bangladeshi man who does a lot of painting at our school so John has gotten to know him a bit (well, as much as he can since the man speaks very little English). This man and his wife just had their first child, a boy. It is a Muslim tradition in their culture to have a party 45 days after the baby is born and he invited our family. We were the ONLY Americans there. It was quite an honor.

When we walked in about 40 men were gathered in a circle chanting and praying. This went on for a long time while we basically watched. Then came the FOOD! They treated us like honored guests. It was a great experience.

The proud papa and his baby boy

Some of the women served us (and Alex served himself!)

According to their tradition, the men ate first...

And then the women ate

Fourth of July in Malaysia

2011-12-15T03:37:00.000-05:00

So obviously they do not celebrate the fourth of July here (although I admit the first year I wondered why there were no fireworks... duh). But our little group of Americans at Dalat did not let that stop us. We gathered together on the beach and had a barbecue on the oceanfront. There was food and friends and sand and waves. We even had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. What else do you need?

The kids had fun playing in the ocean

We all gathered and said a prayer for the United States and its leaders.

Beautiful sunset

A Trip to Singapore

2011-11-01T04:09:00.001-04:00

This summer we decided to take a trip to Singapore for a few days. It is amazing there. So clean. So organized. It's like it was built yesterday! We went to the sceince center there which was so fun! We also went to Universal Studios, shopped, and most importantly, found an APPLEBEES. :) Yes, my kids were so happy to see an Applebees that we ate there twice. If you ever get the chance, definitely go to Singapore!

There is always a McDonalds!

My handsome boys

In case you forget where you are....

Ah, the joy of babyback ribs!

Riding their first subway.

Archimedes is a personal favorite for Kyle.

And Isaac Newton of course!

Alex knew these were canopic jars from his 1st grade history lessons

And he told us this was called hieroglyphics

We had a blast at Universal Studios!

My silly boys

Waiting for the show to start

Flora and Fauna

2011-10-10T02:44:00.000-04:00

You see all kinds of unique animals and plants here....

There are monkeys everywhere. They hang out on telephone wires and trees and if you are not careful they will get in your house. They are the Malaysian version of a squirrel!

I have no idea what this thing is except that they seem fond of mud puddles.

The "fish spa" is another fun Penang treat. You stick your feet in an aquarium full of fish and they bite at your feet until they are silky smooth. Weird but fun!

Giant mushrooms as big as my hand on our campus.

Around Town

2011-10-10T02:40:00.000-04:00

Since we are here we feel like we should try just about everything once. So when we heard about "ear wicking" we were like HUH? But what the heck... it is cheap and will make for good photo opps.

So they stick this paper tube in your ear and light it on fire and it draws all the wax out of your ear which is kind of gross but still really fun. Kyle said it felt really weird but it didn't hurt. He was slightly alarmed by the smoke though!

Alex decided to get in on the act.

Natalie thought they were both nuts.

Random pic of the view from our living room.

A few pics of my gorgeous Indian princess!

This is the harbor where all the rich people keep their boats.

Coach comes to Penang

2011-10-10T02:38:00.000-04:00

And by "coach" I mean Coach handbags of course!!! Yes it is true, they have finally opened a Coach store in Penang. Of course, the import prices are so high that I can't afford one but that is not the point!

The even more fun part is that they had this big release party and fashion show and everyone who is anyone in Penang was there. Now I am no one important but I KNOW important people...or at least I know people who know important people.

My friend Ailee went to high school with a girl who is now a bigwig with Coach in Asia and she threw this whole shindig and invited Ailee plus one. Ailee's husband would rather jab his eyeballs out with hot pokers than go to a fashion show so I got to be her plus one!

It was so fun. There were models and glamorous people and reporters everywhere! They kept taking pics of me and Ailee mostly because I was literally the only white person there. :) Our picture ended up in a fashion magazine here in Malaysia!

Little India

2011-10-10T02:36:00.000-04:00

There is an area in downtown Georgetown on the island called "Little India". It is pretty obvious why as soon as you see it. Everywhere you look there is Indian food, Indian clothing stores, Indian spices, Indian music ...and Indian drivers!

This is a store where you can buy all those bangles that they wear. It was so much fun looking at all the pretty things.

A typical roadside stand selling Indian spices for cooking.

All the streets in this area look exactly like this.

This is Prema picking out the best fabric for my sari and the little old Indian woman who owned the store.

Sari shopping is serious business here!

The end result. Prema did a great job picking everything out.

Yummy Yummy

2011-09-11T23:35:00.004-04:00

We like to eat out here a lot. :) It's hard not to with all the good restaurants around!

Checking out the menu at our favorite Lebanese restaurant...

My handsome boy

My other handsome boy out in front of the restaurant (and check out that double rainbow in the background!).

This is us at the "steamboat" restaurant where the grill and steamer for your food is built right into your table. You just pick what you want and cook it at your table. Not sure how this is different from cooking at home???

This is Prema and her two beautiful daughters. Prema is Natalie's nanny and she is like family to us.

John and Natalie ordering food from a place called Mustafas. They have the BEST tandoori chicken on the whole island!

This is called "Nasi Kandar" which is basically a buffet set up at Indian restaurants every day. The food is de-lish!

Chinese New Year

2011-09-11T23:35:00.003-04:00

This was our second Chinese New Year since moving here and it was just as loud and just as fun as previous years! Of course, after two weeks of nightly fireworks, it started to get old. :)

I think this is supposed to be Confucious? He gave my kids chocolate "gold" coins at the mall.

This was fun to watch. These guys were doing this act where they balance this huge flag on their forehead and then toss it back to the next guy who catches it on his forehead. Why? Who knows. But it was cool.

The yearly Lion Dance

This is called the Luminous Dragon Dance. This picture definitely does not do it justice.

The Butterfly Garden

2011-09-11T23:34:00.005-04:00

One of my most favorite things I have accomplished since coming to work at Dalat is the butterfly garden. In partnership with the Penang Butterfly Garden, we built an enclosure and surrounding garden for the purpose of breeding yellow birdwing butterflies. They are native to this area and, due to all the construction, their main plant source is being eradicated so they are now endangered. We are growing these specific plants and breeding this endangered species.

It is really cool because now that section of land on our campus is protected as a conservation sight by the Malaysian government. In addition, the students help care for the garden and the butterflies, getting hands-on science!

Staff Retreat

2011-09-11T23:34:00.004-04:00

Every year Dalat holds a two-day staff retreat right before 2nd semester. I loathe group retreats of any kind. I am an introvert (but I play an extrovert on TV). I don't like skits, or role-playing, or silly games where you have to carry an egg on a spoon. I am the perennial party-pooper. But the retreat is mandatory and seeing as how I am one of the principals, I need to be there.

Once there I decided that if I was going to be forced to play goofy games in teams with other adults, then by golly my team was going to WIN. I may not be social but I AM competitive. :)

One trivia game, one impromptu skit, and one cake-decorating contest later... and my team emerges victorious!!

The Snake Temple

2011-09-11T23:34:00.003-04:00

You can't live in Penang and not visit the Snake Temple. It is what it says it is... a temple for snakes. They roam freely throughout the temple as you walk around. The story is that the incense keeps them docile so they don't bite which I think is a bunch of malarkey (unless that incense is of the cannibis family!). But they don't bite... I think.

There is also this little show they put on for you where this guy who obviously needs an MRI purposely provokes the cobras so they will spread their hoods and bare their fangs all for the entertainment of tourists. Seriously? I found myself wondering if he actually applied for this job or if it is some sort of work-release program?

Either way, it was both fascinating and terrifying to be inches away from poisonous snakes.

The entrance to the Temple

The incense they burn

Yep, that's a poisonous snake...

And this us standing ridiculously close to it

Uh, ya think?

Crazy Malaysian snake dude

Yes that is Alex touching a poisonous snake. I am expecting a call from Child Protective Services any minute now.

Thanks for the warning.

Tropical Spice Garden

2011-09-11T23:34:00.002-04:00

Over christmas break we headed down to the Tropical Spice Garden. It is so beautiful and you can buy all kinds of fresh spices there. I bought real vanilla beans and used them to make my own vanilla extract. You can also take cooking classes there and learn how to use these locally grown spices to make traditional Malaysian dishes. That is still on my to-do list!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-09-11T23:34:00.001-04:00

Last year when Thanksgiving rolled around we had our first bout of homesickness. But good friends invited us over for thanksgiving dinner and we didn't feel so lonely any more. Well, this year we decided to pay it forward. We hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for any Dalat family that didn't have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with. One family responded. Then two. No big deal... we can fit 15 people in our house. But by the time Thanksgiving day arrived we had 45 people!

So we rented out the community center. Four huge turkeys, mounds of mashed potatos, countless desserts and YES, my famous cornbread stuffing (we had to special order corn meal) later...

What a great day. My favorite moment was with this one family who had recently arrived from Texas and they were feeling pretty lost. When the saw the cornbread stuffing their faces lit up. Food from home! It was such a blessing to be able to do this. We said a prayer over the meal and then gave a charge to all the new people that next year they would pay it forward too.

Yes, Thanksgiving in Malaysia includes swimming!

Deepavali

2011-09-11T23:34:00.000-04:00

Edited from Wikipedia: Deepavali, popularly known as the "festival of lights", is an important five-day festival in Hinduism occurring between mid-October and mid-November. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. Deepavali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji.

The name translates into "row of lamps". It involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. All the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.

It commemorates the return of Lord Rama, along with Sita and Lakshmana, from his 14-year-long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas and burst firecrackers. The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival, Naraka Chaturdasi, marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the third day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the Bali, and banished him to Patala. It is on the fourth day of Deepawali, Kartika Shudda Padyami, that Bali went to patala and took the reins of his new kingdom in there. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj), and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes.

What's most interesting to me about this holiday is the number Christian Indians that celebrate it. Although it is most definitely a Hindu religious holiday in origin, Indians of all stripes celebrate it. Kind of reminds me of Christmas in America. We were invited to a Deepavali celebration at the house of a man named Balu. He works at Dalat and we were the only westerners there.

This is the worship temple inside their own home.

He collects antique Sitars.

We were also invited to a large community celebration with clowns, singers, dancers and TONS of food.

This is me with Natalie and her amah whose name is Prema.

Handsome boy.

Japanese School Exchange

2011-09-11T23:33:00.003-04:00

Here on the island there is a small population of Japanese and they all send their kids to the Penang Japanese School. This school teaches in Japanese but also teaches the English language. For many, many years our school and their school have been participating in an exchange day. This year we went to their school and participated in traditional Japanese games, crafts, and ate Japanese food. At the end all the kids held hands and sang We are the World which was SUPER CHEESY... lol... but they were cute!

Penang's Botanical Gardens

2011-09-11T23:33:00.002-04:00

Alex's first grade class went on a field trip to the botanical gardens for their plant unit in science and I went along as a chaperone. The botanical gardens here are so beautiful and full of interesting creatures like monkeys and monitor lizards and snakes. :)

It sure was hot that day!

All my little cutie-pies doing their leaf rubbings.

Just the night before, a tree that was rotted inside from termites crashed onto a few trucks.

It was the highlight of the day for the kids!!

Crazy kids.

Natalie's First Halloween

2011-09-11T23:33:00.001-04:00

Our little lovebug was a ladybug for her first halloween. She was so adorable! Alex stuck with his usual Star Wars theme (he loves it!) and Kyle decided he was too old to dress up any more and instead pushed his little sister around in her stroller to gather goodies. Since Halloween is not an actual holiday in Malaysia, we did a trunk or treat on campus. I think the costume Alex's teacher wore was the best!

Spiritual Emphasis Week

2011-09-11T23:33:00.000-04:00

A Dalat tradition is Spiritual Emphasis Week held every fall. We bring in a special speaker and have two services per day. The whole week is about helping the students to focus on God and His purpose for their lives. It also includes lots of music played by our own students! The kids look forward to this week every year.

We have such talented students!

Some Dalat kids playing their own original song.

Look at my handsome boy...

The kids are jumping up and down to the music... sort of like a christian mosh pit!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2011-09-11T23:32:00.000-04:00

The first christmas we were here it seemed odd to not have any snow. It was even more odd to go swimming on christmas day! This year, it seemed, well, perfect. Penang with all its different cultures has really gotten into the christmas spirit. The whole island was decked out, christmas music played, and everyone was festive. Our tree looked beautiful (I am so glad we brought it with us) and the lack of snow didn't even cross our minds. It's funny how quickly you can adjust to something.

Do you like our tree? LOL Obviously, this is in front of the mall.

They had lovely music playing at the mall.

Look at my awesome students singing at the christmas concert!

And caroling around the campus...

And Alex in the church's christmas play but NOT happy about it!

Our second annual christmas gingerbread house making day...

With the Brewsters...

And the Chinn family.

This is our tree.

Two very happy boys on christmas morning

Natalie's first christmas!

The Things They Carried...

2011-09-11T23:31:00.000-04:00

Malaysians amaze me with the amount of things they are able to load onto one motorbike and still be able to drive it. Families of five, ladders, livestock, flammable items, small businesses... you name it- they can load it onto a motorbike and off they go!

The Odyssey

2010-10-24T22:35:00.000-04:00

So even though Natalie's adoption is final in the eyes of the Malaysian government, the U.S. government is still not convinced. So we had to travel to the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur (capitol of Malaysia) to file a bazillion documents and get fingerprinted and what-not so we can get U.S. citizenship for Natalie. We had a 4 day weekend so we decided it was a good time to go and we would just make it a mini-vacation since there is so much to do in KL.

Since Natalie has no passport we could not fly there and no one in their right mind drives there (the traffic makes New York look deserted and it costs more in gas and tolls then it would to fly!), and the train takes way too long so people here suggested we take their "double-decker luxury liner bus" system. I was skeptical to say the least. But I am here to recant. It was fabulous. Air-conditoned, reclining seats, movies, lunch served, the works. Very impressive and very inexpensive in comparison.

The boys brought a bag of treats to eat on the 4 hour trip and proceeded to consume them all in the first 15 minutes. John read, and me and the baby slept.

We stayed at the KL Flamingo hotel, which is NOT as nice as it looks in pictures...sigh. It was nice enough I suppose but I also learned a new lesson about hotels in Malaysia... they come with one king bed OR two twin beds. That's it. I assumed (silly me) that they would have the option of two queens but "no can la". So we got a roll away bed put in the room. John slept on that and I slept in the king with all 3 kids...and I use the term "slept" lightly as you can only get so much sleep with 3 kids rolling all over you.

That night we had a wonderful time as we got to go to OUTBACK Steakhouse. Doesn't seem like a big deal, I know. But when you live in a country where a third of the population considers cows too holy to eat, getting a good steak dinner is next to impossible. And seeing as how we are carnivores, we were excited (although it took 40 minutes in a taxi to go 3 miles with a taxi driver who sounded like he was choking on a fur ball the whole time and apparently lives in his taxi as Kyle had to move the guy's laundry out of the way in order to sit down).

The next morning we decided to go see the KL Tower since our embassy appointment wasn't until 2pm. The KL Tower is the 6th tallest building in the world at nearly 1300 ft. We went to the observation deck on the 85th floor and we got a breathtaking view of all of KL including the famous Petronas Towers and all of the SMOG.

We went to their "Animal Zone" and saw some really wild looking animals and Kyle and I both got to hold a boa constrictor and Alex got a pony ride.

Natalie looked so beautiful that morning...all dressed up for her big day at the embassy...but by the time they finally saw us she was fed up.... pulled her hair bow out, yanked off her frilly socks and tried to eat them and filled her diaper in such a way that it CLEARED the waiting room in protest for having been stuck in a stroller for hours. Yikes.

The embassy trip was a disaster. They were so unorganized. At first they said they couldn't see us and we would have to come back. I threw a fit of course so they ended up seeing us. But the lady doing our fingerprints had no idea what she was doing and I had ink all over me that needed a belt sander to get it off. But in the end we got all the paperwork filed so now we wait.....

On day three we took the kids to the science center in KLCC. It was nice to go do something fun and put the embassy fiasco behind us. Even Natalie was in a good mood!

The place had a great dinosaur exhibit although as young earth creationists it gave us lots of things to discuss with our kids ...

And a great space station simulation....

Houston we have a problem...

This is how the astronauts sleep!

And they had fun playing with the virtual art exhibits...

We had a fabulous lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen inside this beautiful, enormous mall called the Suria KLCC Then we did some shopping. It was a great day. The next morning we headed back to Penang. We were all exhausted...

I have learned that I could NEVER live in KL. It is overwhelming. The traffic, the towers, the people...way too much. It was a fun place to visit but give me the mountains of North Carolina any day of the week!

David and ummm….Goliath?

2010-09-24T07:22:00.002-04:00

Soccer season is under way! Dalat has never had a team at the elementary level so we are all pretty excited. Last week we just did a scrimmage and Alex scored the only goal. That’s my boy.

This week was our first game against another school, St Christopher. I’m not sure exactly where the communication gap occurred but when they showed up I was surprised to say the least. Our lower elementary team full of 1st and 2nd graders was paired against their girl team from 5th and 6th grade! So we had all these little 6yo boys playing against these amazon-ish girls. We were not sure what to do at first but they were already there and so were we so we went ahead with it. Well, as expected, they kicked our butts but we gave them a run for their money!

They were expecting it to be not only an easy win but they were going to crush us. Well imagine their surprise when a bunch of little kids scored on them (Alex got the assist..woo hoo!).

What I also realized is that I am one of those obnoxious soccer moms who stomps around and yells and shakes her head in disgust. I am officially a poor loser. LOL Next week we play Uplands and those snotty British kids are going DOWN…oops, there I go again!

Let the Music Play

2010-09-03T01:08:00.000-04:00

So I am driving in the car the other day and I turn on the radio. I tune it to the ONLY station here that plays songs in English. What followed was a hilarious display of cultural mish-mash. :)

The DJ, in his best Wolf-Man-Jack-with-a-Malaysian-accent voice, introduces the next song as a "hot one" and puts on "Play that Funky Music" (the one by Wild Cherry from 1976 NOT the stupid version by Vanilla Ice). I am digging it...it's a cool song...and I am thinking they must be doing a "flashback" kind of show, you know?

But the next song that follows is the latest song by Taylor Swift (who knows what it is called...is it me or do all of her songs sound exactly the same?). But Wild Cherry then Taylor Swift? My brain was having a difficult time trying to reconcile the two when the third song came on...

Suspicious Minds by Elvis. Ummm...huh??? Wild Cherry, Taylor Swift, then Elvis? What kind of radio station is this? Then the DJ pops back on to call a commercial break and says something about "Playing all the latest hits..."

How can you not love this place? It keeps me laughing all the time!

Mi Vida Loca- A Day in the Life

2010-09-01T03:44:00.001-04:00

So yesterday was Merdeka Day here in Malaysia. It is the equivalent of 4th of July for the USA so that means we got the day off of work! We were excited to get to sleep in and hang out and maybe get some errands done. I was looking forward to getting a pedicure and new highlights!

What I found out is that "merdeka" in English means" everyone get in your car and drive to where Heather is". It seemed that everyone on the island decided to go to the mall at the exact moment I did. It took 30 minutes to find a parking spot! So I finally get parked 5 minutes before my pedicure appointment (parking on the 7th floor of the parking garage...the Siberia of parking), then had to travel down 7 escalators to get to the bottom floor where the ATM machine was only to find out that it was out of order!

I travel back up a floor to get a coffee with some gift certificates I received for my birthday. The man in front of me is asking the cashier the ingredients of each and every coffee drink on the menu. I am already late and tapping my foot impatiently as he says "Ooooh, A caramel latte! What's in that?" Finally he decides, tries to pay with a credit card and the machine stops working. The cashier gives the machine several puzzled looks as if trying to will it back to life, shakes it, smacks it like she is Fonzi or something then finally calls the manager over. He gives it more stern looks (because he is the manager so of course it will work for him!), shakes it harder, smacks it twice, then says to the customer "no can la" (they say la at the end of everything here).

Finally my turn, one small frozen coffee and one muffin = 17.25! Welcome to Malaysia... so I hand the cashier two gift certificates worth 10 each. She stares at me for a moment. Smiles. Stares more. Giggles uncomfortably. Then says "We cannot give change. You must use entire amount. You can pick another item if you wish." Which is a hilarious suggestion...as if ANYTHING in that store costs 2.75? So I rolled my eyes and told her to keep it (which is, I am sure, the plan behind their "policy" anyways).

I finally get to my pedicure and begin to relax and read a book. DIGRESSION.... I was reading "Wrapped in Rain" by Charles Martin. It is a fabulous book. Read it. Especially if you are a man. And even more especially if you are a man with a son. Unfortunately for me, I was at the end of the book and it is a tear-jerker. So I am sitting there, tears running down my face as I finish the last page and the nail tech says "You no like color?" I was completely befuddled then I realized she thought I was crying about the pedicure! Mental note: do not read sad books in public.

Time to check out. I had been given another gift certificate for a manicure and a pedicure so I handed the GC to the cashier girl. Here we go again. Stares, smiles, stares. To save her the trouble I said "I only used the pedicure today. I'll come back for a manicure some other time". She says "Oh no. No can la. You must use together." I was not having it this time. So I said "No, no I don't. There is nothing on this that says that is true so you just go ahead and cross off pedicure since I used that, initial it, stamp it, or whatever, and give it back to me." More staring. But I think she was a little afraid of the crazy American woman so she went along with it.

Now off for adventures in highlights. The salon that I go to looks like it is from the future. Everything is glass and chrome and fancy machines. There is one woman who owns it and she employs an army of Asian guys who look like clones of one another...young, gaunt little creatures in skinny jeans and tight black t-shirts, black-rimmed glasses and metro-sexual haircuts. As soon as you arrive the flurry of activity begins. You are treated like a celebrity...one is bringing me a steaming cup of green tea...the other removes my shoes and puts comfy slippers on me. There were no less than three of these waif-ish slaves working on my hair at any one time. They worked quickly, without words and I wasn't entirely sure what they were doing to my hair.

Then came the dryer. Instead of the half-bubble thing pushed down over your head like I am used to, they bring in this metallic circle contraption...like a halo with a red glow and it is rotating in circles above my head...no hot air blowing...just the red glow. I sat there wondering if they were sucking out what was left of my brain cells (after college partying and motherhood) with this machine. All very high-tech!

Rinsing involves a 15 minute head massage that was so heavenly I was embarrassed to find myself thinking things like "If I were not married, and you were not so obviously gay (and perhaps a robot)...." When it was all over, the activity had ceased and the dust settled... I had gorgeous, shining blonde highlights. Wow.

Now I could tell you all about how I had to drive 20 minutes out of my way to get home because traffic was so congested but I think I will end on a high note instead. The moral of the story is: nothing in Malaysia is easy but those Asian guys sure do know how to wash your hair!

40 Reasons Why 40 is Fabulous

2010-08-27T21:09:00.000-04:00

I know all the jokes about turning 40…you are over the hill, your life is half over, etc. And when I was 20, heck, when I was 30, I thought 40 was OLD. But I gotta tell ya…I think 40 is great so far. So I asked around to my friends and colleagues and some members of my favorite chat board who have all hit the 40 mark and had them tell me why they think 40 is great too. Some of the answers below are mine and some are from them:

1. It is a great time to take on a new interest…I just started photography classes! (ME)

2. It is a great time to get more educated…I will finish my second master’s degree this year! (ME)

3. It’s a great time to travel…Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia are a few of the places I will be this year. (ME)

4. It’s a great time to start over… a new baby has kept me feeling 25! (ME)

5. It’s a great time to improve your health, lose weight, run a marathon, whatever…just do something! (ME)

6. At 40 I feel more confident, stronger and happier than I have ever been. (ME)

7. At 40 I have learned that what hasn’t killed me actually HAS made me stronger. (ME)

8. You have finally reached the age where you really don't care what others think about the way you parent, school your children, run your life, etc. You KNOW that what you are doing is right for you and your family and you have the confidence to not let others sway you. (mama 2005)

9. You're right in the middle of life- young enough to remember what is was like to be 20 with boundless energy and excitement, and old enough to know that life is short and that you'd better take advantage of every day! (Lynne)

10. I'm much wiser. (Peela)

11. I'm much more accepting of the things I can't change and less likely to waste energy trying to change it. (Peela)

12. I know myself better- my likes, my dislikes, what will upset my digestion, what will make me happy, what will pi** me off. (Peela)

13. I know how to take care of myself and care enough to. (Peela)

14. I am more able to implement good habits and stick with them. (Peela)

15. I am less self obsessed, and much happier because of it. (Peela)

16. My priorities are healthier. (Peela)

17. I've now lived through a complete cycle of fashion trends and know that everything in my closet will be "in" again (Anissa)

18. DON'T WAIT TILL YOU'RE FORTY! THIS IS NOT DRESS REHEARSAL! THIS IS YOUR LIFE! Which is one of the reasons why I admire Heather and her family......their heart for travel and new experiences. (Mariann)

19. Because you are experienced enough and are confident enough that little things don't rattle you. I've now seen really bad days. I know when a day is not the greatest but still far, far away from the worst that we've survived. And I can look at someone and say that I'm not satisfied with their answer and I need to talk to someone else. Calmly, without antagonism. But also with no intention of backing down. (Sebastian)

20. I know myself well; I no longer try to do or be what others want me to be (Danielle)

21. I have been through a couple of tragedies; a stain on the carpet isn't one of them. (Danielle)

22. I'm happy to be at a point where we have a nice home and property, more stability than we had when we were in our 20's and are no longer struggling to cover the basics. (Kathy)

23. I feel that people take me more seriously than they did in my 20s. I have enough life experience now to "know something." I also have the wisdom now to know that what I *don't* know, and I'm okay with it. (Lisa)

24. I now understand that true love is not an eternal honeymoon, but rather, finding someone for whom you are willing to sacrifice self and who is willing to sacrifice his self for you. (Cindy)

25. At the age of 42 I've learned that time passes very quickly (especially as you watch your children grow). I savor every minute I have with my son. He'll be out of the house before I know it! (Isabelle)

26. I sometimes now get the feeling that I'm kind of at the top of the roller coaster of life. I'm near the half-way point. It's downhill all the way now which, I guess could be depressing, but I love that exhilarating free fall feeling of water slides & so I'm looking forward to another 43 or so years of screaming down the slides with my hands in the air until I land in the big pool at the bottom. (hornblower)

27. After 20+ years in the same career field, I'm considered an 'expert,' with something of a good reputation among co-workers, customers, and even competitors...not worried much about staying employed, or finding employment if my current employer annoys me too much.(Barry)

28. I like the feeling of being old enough to be considered wise yet young enough to be considered "with it". (Justgin)

29. I'm still young enough and healthy enough to enjoy life with gusto, but old enough to know, it's also okay to sit down and put m' feet up and watch life go by now and then. (Justgin)

30. I like the feeling of having enough life behind me to give me sense and enough life ahead to give me dreams. (Justgin)

31. I like it that I'm automatically respected as an adult, but I'm still not that far away from understanding what it was like to a kid. (Justgin)

32. Being over 40 puts you at the stage of life in which you have enough knowledge and experience to be helpful to others but have not lost touch of how humbling it was to reach that place. (Texas mama)

33. I wake up grateful for the blessings I've been given instead of feeling unhappy about the things that I don't have.(Cat)

34. I know what I will tolerate and the things that I will walk the streets naked before I tolerate.(MommyofThree)

35. I am more aware of mortality, and how quickly it can come. (Dobela)

36. I am glad to see that some friends from my teens have chosen similar paths and that we still have common interests despite not seeing each other for 20 years. But I am not upset that other friendships have gone away because I have learned that sometimes a friend is a gift from God for that season alone. I believe that he will provide the friends I need or the next seasons of my life. (Dobela)

37. I learned money isn't everything. (Dobela)

38. I’ve learned to take chances…lots of them. (ME)

39. I am not too old to make mistakes …or to learn from them. (ME)

40. I have learned to always do what scares me most… there is something to be said for facing down your fears. (ME)

So how about you? Are you 40 yet? If so, what do YOU think is great about being 40? Have you stopped and thought about it?

Grace under fire or Jail?

2010-08-26T20:49:00.001-04:00

So yesterday we decided to go car shopping. Yes, ladies and gentleman, the rumors are true... the motorcycle is no longer welcome in this family.

Now car shopping in Penang is sort of a depressing little task because all the cars here look exactly the same. So it's like "Would you like THIS small, square-shaped, boring car with a lawn-mower engine? or THAT small, square-shaped, boring car with a lawn-mower engine? And I'm like, really? What's the difference? It certainly makes me miss the variety we have in America.

At any rate, yesterday's car shopping was even more frustrating than usual because I also got to experience my first real dose of racism here. It went like this:

We walk into a small dealership. A young Chinese salesman comes over to assist us. He has great English which is helpful. I am looking at a car that seems to be exactly what I want... only two years old, very low mileage, good price, excellent condition and then he says...

him- And you will be happy to know the previous owner is Chinese.

me- why would that make me happy?

him- well here on the island we have Chinese, Indian and Malay people (he obviously thought I just moved here)

me- yes, I am aware of that

him- well, (and he gives me this little smirk like he is about to share some secret knowledge with me) you only want to buy cars owned by Chinese...don't buy a car owned by an Indian (and he punctuates this sentence with a look of disgust...like he just drank spoiled milk)

So I am standing there picturing my beautiful daughter's face sitting in the back of that car...my beautiful INDIAN daughter...and I had the sudden urge to take a Louisville slugger to this guy's head. But because I have class that he obviously lacks (and because I don't want to end up locked in a Malaysian jail cell)...I simply say...

"Thank you for your time. I think we will look elsewhere."

You could call it grace under fire.
You could call it wanting to avoid jail time.
I call it "stupid racist idiot...I wouldn't buy a car from you if you were the last dealer on the island"

racist people suck

the end.

Civilization

2010-08-23T22:58:00.000-04:00

It seems that no matter what I tell people back home, we still get those who think we are living in the middle of the desert with islamic radicals or on the beach in a hut. People...please...Penang is just as civilized as the U.S. They may do things a little differently here (and somtimes it is really annoying) but we have all the modern conveniences and then some.

Our big mall is called Gurney Plaza (hence the "g") and as of Sept 1, they are banning smoking inside the mall which is HUGE since people smoke EVERYWHERE here. It will be a huge change for Malaysians but a welcome one for us.

One thing I thought I would never get used to is driving in the other side of the road. But I did!

Malaysians LOVE to shop. There are stores, malls, plazas, etc. everywhere. This is Island Plaza. It has a huge gym similar to Powerhouse in it, tons of stores, a big department store called "MetroJaya" which is a lot like Macy's. It also has Cold Storage which is our grocery store chain on the Island and my favorite nail salon.

Of course we have a Starbucks!!

And a Chili's!

And what would civilization be without McDonalds?

So I promise, we have electricity, indoor plumbing, internet access and everything else you have in America...except Target. Man, do I miss Target.

The Big 4-0

2010-08-23T22:27:00.001-04:00

Well, despite my best efforts...I turned 40. Seriously, though, I had such a wonderful birthday. The morning started out with a surprise serenade. All 100 of my elementary students gathered in the courtyard and sang happy birthday to me. I was so suprised that I cried. They gave me flowers and birthday cards they had made for me.

All day long my colleagues and friends stopped by my office to wish me a happy birthday, drop off presents and cards, etc.

Then about 20 of my girlfriends took me to my favorite restaurant ...Ferringhi Gardens...for dinner and drinks. It is such a beautiful restaurant. We had a great time and they showered me with gift certificates to all my favorite places. I have made so many new friends from all over the world!

The restaurant is filled with plants and flowers

Inside the restaurant

Sonia (from Grenada) and Valerie (from Montana)

Tracey and Jodi (both from Canada)

Ailee (Malaysia) and Bronwyn (South Africa)

Annami (South Africa), Lisa (USA), Karen (USA)

Robin (Canada), Lydia (Australia), Debbie (England)

Akiko (Japan), Brandi (USA)

Lori H., Sharla and Lori D. (all USA)

The best story of the evening had to do with my friend, Ailee. As she was getting ready to come to the dinner she got her round brush horribly tangled into her thick, long, black hair. She tried for 20 minutes to untangle it with no success. But she was determined not to miss my birthday celebration so what did she do? She left it in and came to the restaurant anyways! That is true friendship!! The next day it took a hairdresser two hours to untangle it.

Finally, on Sunday, my husband and kids took me out to dinner. My presents from him are an iPhone and a trip to BALI!!! It was a really magnificent weekend and I think 40 will be the best year ever.

You Just Never Really Know

2010-08-23T22:00:00.001-04:00

Yes, of course we all know that one day we will die. But really, how often do we ACTUALLY contemplate that? We don't really think it's going to happen any time soon do we? Even if we know someone who has suddenly and unexpectedly died we still think it only happens to other people.

Well this summer we had an opportunity to really contemplate the topic of death. On July 14, John was in a serious motorcycle accident. He was driving down the road, obeying all the laws, and a guy in a white car blew through a stop sign and plowed right into him. John flew over the car and landed on his head/neck.

When he hit the ground he was instantly paralyzed. He could talk but that was it. Witnesses came running to his aid. Coincidentally, he was on his way to where our boys were hanging out and was only a block from there so one of the witnesses went and grabbed the boys and brought them to the scene. Kyle got John's cell phone out of his pocket and started calling our friends. Within minutes, about 10 people we work with were at the scene helping him while he waited for the "ambulance" to arrive. Keep in mind that this is Malaysia and we do not have paramedics or EMTs. What we have are essentially vans with a gurney in the back and two guys who are hired to drive you to the hospital.

Meanwhile, I am in Michigan visiting family. Because of the 12 hour time difference, it was about 6 hours later before I found out. Needless to say, hearing that your husband has just been in a serious accident while you are on the other side of the world is a tough phone call to get.

At first we were not sure of the extent of his injuries due to the severe swelling. Eventually we found out that his neck was broken in two places and he had over 40 stitches in his head. But God is GOOD because he was not permanently paralyzed and would recover.

It has been a tough time for him since then. He has been in this huge neck brace for 6 weeks and has still not regained all the strength in his right arm due to nerve damage. In addition, we recently found out that he will need surgery soon to fuse together 4 vertebrae in his neck. But we still feel very grateful and fortunate that God chose not to take him from this world just yet. The motorcycle, however, is for sale. :)

If you have a weak stomach...don't go any further....

This is before (just after he got the stitches)

This is after (his new scar...his hair has since grown over it)

Week 6 wearing the neck brace...he is really, really over it.

First Day of School

2010-08-12T22:24:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a difference a year makes. Last year at this time I had just arrived in Malaysia and I wandered around the campus looking like a deer caught in headlights...no clue what I was doing.

This year, though, I actually know a little more about what to do and I can even answer questions people have! The start to this school year has been so much fun, especially now that I know what I am doing.

This year, because I feel more confident in my position, I am able to notice how excited all the teachers were to get started and how happy all the kids were to be back and see their friends. There was this kind of electricity in the air. The campus looked great, the rooms were all decorated, the bell rang...and it was game time!

Alex was so excited to be in first grade...

Even the big kids were excited to get back at it....

The Elementary School Wing: My own personal fifedom

Two new teachers give each other a pep talk before the bell rings...

You could tell the parents were REALLY excited to send the kids back to school!

My friend Bethany LOVES when I take her picture.

Alex's first grade classroom.

Cannibals, Woodstoves, and Airplanes...Oh My!

2010-08-05T23:15:00.000-04:00

Meet Scott and Heidi Wisely....

One of the great things about living and working here in Malaysia is the opportunity to meet all kinds of interesting people. We met Scott and Heidi this summer when they came to Penang to renew their visas and showed up at our church. They are missionaries in Indonesia on the island of Papua New Guinea in a tiny village called Bokondini.

This village is located up in the mountains and can only be reached by plane (and I am not talking a 747) as there are no highways or waterways to get you there from any of the main cities.

This couple is amazing. They are hysterically funny and they have two beautiful children. They have been living and working in these mountains for several years. Their electricity, what there is of it, is powered by the river behind their home. Heidi cooks on a wood-burning stove (a la Caroline Ingall's AFTER the episode when they bought her the wood-burning stove for Christmas).

The villagers they work with are only one generation removed from cannibalism... seriously. The mission dearest to the Wiselys is their dream of creating schools for the local villages that offer "american" curriculum. There are a few International Schools on the island but they are primarily for missionary kids, expats, etc. and the local villagers have no hope of ever being able to afford a good education for their kids, one that would allow them to go to college and make a better life for themselves.

They are on their way as they recently started the first local school with a few dozen students but their vision is for much greater than that. That's where we come in. At this moment we are planning a trip over Christmas break to Bokondini. I will be helping with training local teachers and working on their curriculum and John will be helping with all the construction needs. Our kids will just be running around barefoot and playing with the village kids.

It should prove to be very interesting as I am not well-known for my ability to "rough it". People back home think I am crazy for moving to Malaysia but let's face it, I am not exactly living in poverty. I live in a gated community full of luxury condos. So staying in a home where you cook on a wood stove? Yeah, that should offer up many photo ops!

But I am so excited. It seems like every time I turn around another opportunity to use my skills to help people in this area opens up and I am really grateful to have this chance to make a difference.

Counting My Blessings...

2010-08-03T02:01:00.001-04:00

It has been quite a summer.

It started off kind of lazy and quiet...swimming...hanging out. And then BAM, things got a little crazy. Some of it was good. A lot of it was bad. And now here I sit at the end of the summer, the new school year about to begin and I feel a little overwhelmed, like I haven't slept in weeks, stressed, worried...you name it.

You see, this summer also included the finalizing of Natalie's adoption in Malaysia which required visits from Social Workers who went over our house and our lives with a fine tooth comb.

Then we decided quite suddenly to move to a new, bigger home but only had 3 days to pack, move, and unpack.

Then I took a very fast, whirlwind trip to the U.S.. And while I was there, John was in a terrible motorcycle accident which left him with over 40 stitches in his head and a broken neck.

By the time I got back from the U.S. (having to say good-bye to people who mean a lot to me), it was time to go back to work.

So I sat in our opening staff meeting this morning, feeling a little sorry for myself. Poor me, no rest. Poor me, too much stress. And then one of my colleagues started playing guitar and singing this one song and the words really hit me.

I have so many blessings in my life. Yes, the adoption was stressful but I have a beautiful daughter now!! Yes, the move was stressful but I have a beautiful home now. Yes, the trip was stressful but I learned a lot about myself from it. Yes, John's accident was awful but he is alive and NOT paralyzed and will make a full recovery. Yes, it is already time to go back to work but I have a fabulous job with people I love.

So the pity party is over and I am ready to take on a new year and I know God is watching over my family through all of it...the good and the bad.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord

Finding My Calling...

2010-07-09T08:56:00.000-04:00

So after teaching high school for 11 years, then working in administration for more than 4 years (specializing in curriculum and assessment) I finally figured it out.

I'll be honest...a curriculum specialist? Seriously? Doesn't that sound BORING? I mean, what 10 yo wants to be a curriculum and assessment specialist when they grow up? I am not even sure how I ended up as a curriculum and assessment specialist. But here I am and I am really good at what I do but I just hadn't figured out a reason to actually CARE about it.

But I have had a couple of amazing opportunities fall into my lap recently that have turned on a light bulb for me.

Warning: terrible segue (or really, a complete lack of a segue)

Do you know a lot about Myanmar? Yeah, me neither. But apparently it is one huge mess of a country. Check this out:

"Forced labour by the military, the forced relocation of villages, enforced disappearances, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, arbitrary detentions, and discrimination against ethnic minorities are all cited as concerns in Myanmar by the UN and international rights groups."

One of the countries the refugees flee to is Malaysia. From my research, there are about 90,000 refugees here. But it's no picnic living as a refugee here:

"Refugee populations are mainly found in Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India, though some Rohingya travel as far afield as Saudi Arabia. The refugees are vulnerable to human traffickers and people smugglers. Where there are no refugee camps, they receive little support and are routinely subject to detention, discrimination, harassment and exploitative working conditions, rights groups say."

Because Malaysia denies most of them official refugee status, they are hiding in this country illegally which also means they cannot get jobs and their children cannot go to school. Many of them are applying for asylum in America, Australia and New Zealand but it can take years to get approval...if they get it.

Back to my point. A friend if mine here met some refugees who are trying desperately to set up a school for the refugee children. Despite the fact that the people have a lack of food and adequate shelter, they still see the importance of providing an education for their children. they want their children to have a better future, hopefully in the U.S., the land of opportunity.

These men and women want to help these chldren be ready to enter the education system in America and to do that they must be taught NOW while they wait for asylum. Even though they are refugees themselves and have no real school building and no textbooks they are determined to make a difference.

My friend has been working with this group, bringing groups from our church to help fix up a building they are trying to use for classes, getting textbooks donated, etc. And this weekend the church brought the teachers to Dalat for some training. My friend asked me to help as they know virtually nothing about curriculum.

After listening to their story, and hearing what they are trying to do I was hooked! THIS IS SOMETHING I CAN DO! I can use my "boring" background in curriculum to help these teachers accomplish their goals, help them turn their dream into a real school (albeit underground)!!! I can help them give their refugee children an education that will give them a chance at a better life in a new country.

Here is a pic of the wonderful men and women I worked with. I can't wait to meet with them again to do some teacher training:

And there's more...but I will save that for another post.

I Don't Want My Children to be Happy

2010-07-01T03:29:00.001-04:00

I read this incredible blog article today. It really touched me. Here is an excerpt:

"I know you're going to think I am going off topic (I do that a lot) but several years ago I saw a story on a TV show about how the latest trend was for parents to give their daughters boob jobs for high school graduation (I don't know what they gave their sons.) When interviewing one of the moms, she said, "I just want my daughter to be happy." And as I tossed a throw pillow at the television, this really huge thought occurred to me: I don't want my children to be happy."

But that is just a taste. To read the whole article

Enjoy!

The Race is On...

2010-06-28T10:38:00.002-04:00

Having grown up in the USA, we have a very firm grip on the term "racism". It is part of our checkered past and our present. The situation here in Penang with regards to race can only be described as enigmatic.

The island of Penang is quite different from the rest of Malaysia. On this island the ethnic make-up is equal parts Malay, Indian and Chinese with a growing number of expats from all over the world thrown in for good measure. On the surface these different cultures with their different religions live together peacefully. But once you've been here a while and gotten to know some of them, the reality of the situation becomes clear.

1. There is a set of laws here called "bumiputra" which basically give native Malays a whole slew of special privileges. Think affirmative action run amok. Native Malays get all the government jobs, discounts on real estate, first pick at colleges and more. It is actually illegal to even discuss repealing these laws!

2. In spite of the bumiputra laws it seems the ethnic group here with the most money are the Chinese. They are the doctors, business owners, etc., and if you drive by a beautiful mansion chances are it is owned by a Chinese family.

3. At least on the island, the ethnic group that seems to have it the hardest are the Indians. They comprise the majority of the poorest people here.

Now the situation with expats is even stranger. In some ways we are highly favored...so much so it is kind of embarassing. They use a lot of terms with us that show respect and subservience. And we get special treatment that is so obvious it makes me cringe. For instance, if you were to come to our home you would have to go through the guest entrance gate. If you are white the guards will just wave you in without even checking. But if you are not, you will get grilled with questions and not be allowed to enter without ID and special permission (and a blood sample and your first born...ok, just kidding...sort of).

Another example, the police set up blockades and do checks for your "road tax" sticker which is the same as a license tab in the U.S. Without fail they will wave the white people through without even checking. It has happened to us several times. In real estate ads for houses and apartments for rent it will actually say "expats only" because we are considered(as I have been told) more dependable about paying rent on time.

But on the flip side of that, the locals will try to rip you off if you are white all the time! It is called the skin tax. You will get overcharged for everything from parking, to taxis, to buying food at the market, to paying for services...you name it. You have to fight to get a decent price! Sometimes telling them you live here and are not a tourist helps but not always.

It is an interesting situation to say the least and keeping track of it all can be confusing. But it has been a learning experience and just goes to show that America is not the only country that deals with racism.

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-27T03:34:00.006-04:00

The housing situation in Penang is quite different from the area I grew up in. First, let me clear up one misconception right off the bat... we do NOT live in a grass hut! In fact, the housing here is quite nice. Because it is a small island, land is at a premium. While in America, we like our huge McMansions with their big foot print and huge lots, in Penang everything goes up, not out. Housing comes in a few different forms:

apartment buildings (called condos) that are generally many, many stories high with underground parking garages. A nice, modern 3 bedroom apartment, usually around 1500 sq ft, will cost around $200-300,000 in USD. They are all owned by private owners and then lived in, used as a vacation home or rented out.

terrace homes which are basically like condos as they are full size homes but no yards. This is what we live in. It has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, about 2200 sq ft and if you wanted to buy one it would cost you $350-400,000 in USD. Thank goodness housing is part of our compensation.

semi-detached homes which we call duplexes. These sometimes come with a teeny tiny yard (and here, yards are called gardens whether there is actually a garden growing there or not). Some of these are terribly run down as they have been here a while, before Penang became a hot spot to live. But the newer ones are really nice.

landed homes (also called detached homes) which we would just call a house. These usually come with a small yard but they are rare and usually only the very rich can afford them. Most of these would fall under the "mansion" category. They sell for a few million dollars.

Also, it is quite normal to live in a gated community. Although major crime like rape, murder, etc. is practically nonexistant here, lesser crimes like home invasion are more frequent. There is a huge gap between the haves and the have-nots and there isn't much of a middle ground. So unfortunately, stealing is pretty common. Therefore, the nicer, newer areas will have gates, guards, cameras, etc. The community we live in is VERY strict and you cannot come to visit us unless we leave your name with the guards and you show ID. It is kind of a pain to be honest but I get why they do it.

Most of the homes you rent come fully furnished which is also quite different from the U.S. And the homes are all very contemporary with lots of glass, marble, chrome, etc. You won't find any "country kitchens" or victorian decor here. Here are some pics from our home and neighborhood to give you an idea of what it is like here.

We live high on a hill so the roads are all pretty steep. Fun for the kids to ride their scooters down. Not so fun pushing them back up!

Because yards are so rare, all homes come with balconies. We have three floors and each floor has a balcony.

As I mentioned, everything is contemporary...marble floors and the cupboards actually have bluish-tinted glass fronts.

The comtemporary "sectional" couch seems to be a staple in many homes here. Hip light fixtures too. The books are mine, though. :)

And many of these gated communities come with a pool, clubhouse, work-out room, playground, etc. So the kids have a blast!

So we are definitely not "roughing it". Add the year-round summer and it is a pretty good gig. :) Feel free to come visit!

Bursting Our Bubble

2010-06-20T06:46:00.001-04:00

You’ve heard it said, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Well we are living proof that it is true.

We came here to Malaysia excited about the adventure, about the new culture, about all the different things we would encounter. Then we walked off the plane and we got EXACTLY that. Everything was different…very, very different. It looked strange. It smelled strange. And I remember thinking, “Oh no. What have we done.”

We found out quickly, however, that there are ways to live a very “American” lifestyle here if you want. There are restaurants that serve American food. There are grocery stores that sell American food. Heck, even the school we work at has an American curriculum. And there is even a church here that is filled with expats from the U.S. and other western countries. Pretty soon, we were safe and snug in our American bubble, away from as much of this strangeness as possible.

One day, about half way through the year, we all looked at each other and said, “What are we doing? We are in Malaysia trying to live like we are in the U.S. If that’s what we want then let’s go back to the U.S.” So we all decided to step out of the boat a little further…

We decided to try attending a new church. It is a small church, maybe 70 people or so? Our first Sunday there the first thing we noticed is that we were the only white faces there! The pastor is Sri Lankan. The congregation is Indian, Chinese, Korean and others. It was so awesome to watch all these people from vastly different cultures, singing and worshipping together. It made me think “this must be what heaven will be like…people from every tongue, tribe, and nation together in peace.” And it was really amazing to watch how sincere their worship style was. They were all warm, friendly and completely without affectation. I have NEVER seen that in a church before.

The more steps we take outside our bubble, the more amazing our experience has become. From simple things like trying new food to incredible things like meeting people from all over the world. For instance, today the church had a luncheon for Father’s Day. I sat at a table with people who are Sri Lankan but born in Malaysia… Canadian but living in Malaysia… American but raised in Malaysia and now living in Papua, New Guinea and visiting Malaysia. Kyle attended an event with this church’s small youth group and he was the only American there. He is making new friends from all over the world!

And with each new thing we try we get more courage to venture a little further out, and a little further, and a little further. Because of the people we are meeting we now have opportunities to travel to places we never would have thought of to visit these new friends. Because of these new friends we have realized that America is NOT the only country on the globe and that these other countries have a richness of culture that we are so blessed to experience.

And while everything here is FAR from perfect, it is not the terrible traffic or the awful restaurant service that will stick with us when the time comes to leave. When we leave here we will take in our hearts experiences and memories that would not have been possible anywhere else. We will take our new friendships and our broader horizons with us. It has been a really amazing year and we are so glad we burst that American bubble we were living in and opened our eyes to a whole new world!

Kyle's First Birthday in Malaysia

2010-05-31T04:09:00.008-04:00

I can't believe he is 12 years old already. Where has the time gone?

We went to Chili's for dinner to celebrate his birthday (one of his wishes was to have regular American food for dinner!).

They brought him a free dessert. And he made wish as he blew out the candle. I wonder what he wished for....

I know at least one of his wishes came true...he got an XBOX 360 Elite and a bunch of games for his birthday. As you can tell, he was thrilled!

In some cultures, 12 years old means you are a man...able to take a wife...expected to work to provide for yourself and your family. And while I am definitely not ready for him to be a man, I do realize that it will be here before I know it.

I was sitting at a baccalaureate service on Sunday for our school and the guest speaker was talking to the graduates and he said something that really stuck with me. He told the students to GO OUT AND REBEL. Rebel, by all means...just don't be a cliche. Anybody can rebel by drinking, doing drugs, having casual sex, failing classes, etc. Those kids are a dime a dozen and that kind of rebellion is so tired and played out it would be funny if it weren't so sad.

How about rebelling by doing something really amazing with your life? Go on a mission trip and dig a well for an impoverished village. Tutor inner city kids. Spend your Saturday mornings working at a soup kitchen. Volunteer at a nursing home. Run a Vacation Bible School for children in a poor neighborhood.

I want my son to rebel. I want him to rebel against the caricature existence that most adolescents live through. I want him to look at the typical adolescent life and say "Is that really all there is?" I want him to skip the front door that everone else is going in and out of ...and jump out the window.

So my gift to my son is a copy of this book: Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. If you have a teenager, go out today and get this book and teach them to be a REBEL.

Princess Natalie

2010-05-31T04:06:00.001-04:00

Really...can you ever get enough of this face????

An Evening of Firsts

2010-05-18T06:23:00.003-04:00

What a big night! Alex lost his first tooth...well, at least the first one that come out naturally. He knocked one out at two years old when he fell on the kitchen floor. But this one came out the old-fashioned way...

a little loose at first

about a week of him messing with it until it was barely hanging on

then him freaking out about it hanging there

and finally, me saying "let me just look at it for a second" and "pop" out it came!

How many thousands of parents over the years have uttered that same little white lie? :) So tonight it goes under his pillow and while he sleeps the tooth fairy will fly all the way to Malaysia to light up his morning!

And not to be outdone, Natalie decided that 5 minutes after Alex's tooth fell out was the perfect time to roll over all by herself for the first time! She is not going to let her big brother be the only one getting attention.

Why are these moments so bittersweet?

Kyle's Spring Recital

2010-05-06T10:34:00.001-04:00

Another beautiful performance by our talented young man. We are so proud of you!

Alex's First Stitches

2010-04-22T10:12:00.003-04:00

Today Alex fell on the playground at school and cracked his chin on a stone bench. He split it wide open and there was no choice but to take him to the hospital for stitches. He was SO BRAVE! They got us in right away and he was stitched up by a surgeon in the hospital and not just a regular ER doc. Alex was determined not to cry and when the doctor stuck the needle in his chin Alex remained motionless... didn't flinch... didn't cry. I was amazed and relieved. The surgeon stitched him up nice and neat and there will only be a faint line for a scar when the stitches are removed. As you can tell by his big grins, this was a lot more traumatizing for me than it was for him! I am proud of my brave little boy.

Easter Morning

2010-04-22T09:58:00.003-04:00

We had a really amazing Easter morning this year. It started with a sunrise baptism service on the beach. We all gathered at the school and our spiritual life director, Rich, gave an excellent sermon. Afterwards, he brought up about 8 students who had expressed the desire to be baptized. Each one took their turn at the microphone explaining why they wanted to be baptized that morning. They gathered for prayer. Then Rich walked into the Indian Ocean and one by one the students and one of their parents walked into the ocean and were baptized. It was really amazing to watch these teenage boys and girls march resolutely into the water to express their choice to be Christians in front of everyone. I was very proud of them. And what a perfect day to be baptized! And to make the day complete, our beautiful princess Natalie looked adorable!

The Beach in Batu Ferringhi

2010-04-22T09:25:00.003-04:00

We got another week off for spring break and we decided to go check out the beaches in Batu Ferringhi. Batu us located further down the coastline in a more secluded and touristy area than where we live. The beaches are beautiful and the water is cleaner. The boys spent their time splashing in the water, having squirt gun fights, playing in the sand and exploring all the rocks. It was blistering hot as usual so we went in the morning and by 1pm we had to leave. So we ended up at one of our favorite stalls eating curry mee and spring rolls for lunch. I walked away with a massive sunburn as a souvenir (darn that Irish skin!).

Our "American" Day Out

2010-03-23T09:19:00.003-04:00

So today we decided to take our kids out for a day of fun "American-style". We took them to the movies (we saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D), then to the arcade to play plenty of videogames, and what day of fun would be complete without McDonalds? Interestingly enough, we did all of this at the mall just a few minutes from our house in Malaysia. Apparently, Malaysians like the same stuff we do! Who knew? :)

Kids Kids Kids

2010-03-23T09:09:00.007-04:00

Time for a picture update of the kids!

Kyle has decided it is time to introduce Natalie to the world of computers.

This is Alex and his friend Sarah playing their own version of chess.

Not sure why Alex insists on eating with his entire face instead of just his mouth!

And of course our little princess, Natalie Sarah is getting bigger and prettier every day!

Batu Ferringhi Night Market

2010-03-23T08:54:00.002-04:00

One of the great things about living in Malaysia are the night markets. They are these huge bazaars that are set up on the streets at night and you can buy pretty much anything... clothing, food, home decor, pirated DVDs, fake designer purses, trishaw rides... it is all very festive, crowded and dirt cheap. And there are tons of restaurants including our favorite lebanese restaurant. So we stopped in and Alex proceeded to eat all of his food plus half of mine, some of John's, and some of Kyle's. That kid can EAT! We have a great time hanging out there.

Alex's First Birthday in Malaysia!

2010-03-04T08:21:00.011-05:00

Our son Alex turned 6yo last weekend. Since it is his first birthday here we wanted to make it special. On Friday, I brought in cupcakes for his class...

They made him a birthday crown and cards...

And they all sang Happy Birthday to him...

The next day we took him to the Taiping Zoo...

Walking into the zoo...

Since our three children are of three different ethnicities, we get a lot of stares. I think more people were looking at us than the zoo exhibits!

Later we invited some friends over for a pool party...

And ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins (why did they put yellow frosting on it? Who knows? You have to learn not to ask too many questions when living here)...

Then of course there was shopping at ToysRUs (Alex's favorite part of his birthday!). He had a great birthday weekend. The only thing that could have made it better would be if our families would have been there to celebrate with us!

No Trespassing???

2010-03-04T08:18:00.003-05:00

We were driving somewhere the other day and passed by a building with this sign on it:

Seeing as it is in bahasa and we don't speak bahasa, we took turns guessing at what it means and we decided on "No Trespassing...Seriously...We Will Shoot You in the Back". Do you think we are close?

Baby Face

2010-03-04T06:05:00.002-05:00

Natalie just turned two months old and has started smiling a lot. She has the most infectious smile!

I Do For You....

2010-03-02T07:34:00.001-05:00

I ran across this video and it cracked me up because this is EXACTLY how it went for me at the nail salon the other day...

Chinese New Year

2010-02-14T22:11:00.002-05:00

We are right in the middle of the Chinese New Year and the island has been very festive. There have been fireworks, parades, theatrical shows, etc. It has been very cool. Today was the traditional Lion dance. In Chinese lore, the lion dance is used to ward off evil spirits and usher in good fortune for the new year. The lion dance came to our condo complex this morning complete with banging drums and LOTS of firecrackers. It was so much fun!

Time for the Olympics!!

2010-02-13T00:42:00.009-05:00

We are cheering for our home country all the way from Malaysia! Our friends, Larry and Debbie, invited us over for breakfast and to watch the opening ceremony. Breakfast? Yes, the opening ceremony was at 10am on Saturday morning here! we had a wonderful breakfast (we made a cinnamon roll casserole that was to die for!) and settled in to watch the show.

Here are the kids yelling USA! USA!

Natalie thought the whole event was very exciting...

Alex and their daughter Sarah are good friends...

This is John trying to figure out what in the heck these people are saying in French?

We were all full and happy and we had a great time! GO TEAM USA!!!!! Matching Ralph Lauren team outfits??? Yeah, that's how we roll....

My Little Dolphin

2010-02-12T06:42:00.003-05:00

Right down the road from us is the Chinese Swim Club. They run competitive swimming programs and their teams are phenomenal. We approached a few of their coaches and asked if they would be interested in coming to our school and giving swim lessons to beginners. The idea is that maybe some of our students can progress to a level where they can join the swim team at the swim club. The lessons have been great and we put Alex in them as well. It is so awesome to see how quickly he took to it. He is learning so fast and having a ball!

The Thunder Rolls....

2010-02-04T02:26:00.004-05:00

Living in a tropical climate also means random, sudden storms. It never just "rains". It is either sunny or it is a torrential downpour complete with thunder, lightening and scary clouds. And since we live right on the Indian Ocean, we have court-side seats to every storm that comes in. Here are some pics taken from our balcony of a recent storm as it moves towards us over the ocean from the mainland.

Sunday Best

2010-02-01T21:45:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how much fun it is to have a daughter FINALLY. I love my boys but little girls are so much fun to buy for...the clothes are so pretty. I have been waiting so long for a girl so you can bet she will be dressed in pink, frilly, lacey, floral type clothing daily! This is Natalie all dressed up for church last Sunday.

Natalie's Theme Song

2010-01-25T21:40:00.006-05:00

I feel pretty, oh so pretty,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity any girl who isn't me tonight.

I feel charming, oh so charming.
It's alarming how charming I feel!
And so pretty that I hardly can believe I'm real.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty
that the city should give me its key.
A committee should be organized to honor me.

I feel dizzy, I feel sunny,
I feel fizzy and funny and fine,
And so pretty, Miss America can just resign!

See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!

I feel stunning and entrancing,
feel like running and dancing for joy,
for I'm loved by some pretty wonderful boys!

Man Makes Plans and God Laughs...

2010-01-14T02:51:00.002-05:00

Please allow me to introduce Natalie Sarah Fischer...

Sometimes we wish we could figure out everything God has planned for us but sometimes I am so glad that we can't because His plans are so much better than we could ever imagine!

AS you know, we have two beautiful, healthy boys and we love them dearly. But my heart has yearned for a girl. I wanted a daughter. But I thought, really, I am a little too old to start over with a newborn so I tried to put it out of my head and then we moved here.

But on Monday night everything changed. A local orphanage called. There is a 15yo girl who just gave birth and wants to put the baby up for adoption. Are we interested? It took about 5 minutes for us to decide. So the next morning we drove 5 hours to Kuala Lumpur to pick her up!!!!

She is tiny (6lbs) but beautiful and healthy. We decided on Natalie Sarah for her name (Natalie because she was born at Christmas, Sarah for my mother).

It all happened quite quickly. We received a phone call from the orphanage late Monday night and they asked us to pick her up by noon on Tuesday. We called our friends, Peter and Ailee, since we knew Peter was from KL and may be able to help us navigate that crazy city. They brought us a baby car seat and then instead of giving us directions, Peter actually volunteered to drive with us to KL and guide us through the trip! We are so grateful. We never would have found that hospital if it were not for him.

Then we called other dear friends, Larry and Debbie, to see if they could watch our boys for the day. Not only did they agree to it, Larry cooked up this idea to contact the Dalat staff and ask for help for us and our complete lack of baby stuff! When we got in last night we were surprised with a truckload of baby items! Then today a woman from our church gave us a huge amount of baby clothes and a brand new stroller thanks to a phone call from Ailee! And this Sunday the staff is having an impromptu baby shower for us.

We are absolutely humbled and amazed by the blessings God has poured out on our family. He grants us the blessing of a beautiful baby girl and He sends us to Dalat where a group of people live, work and love together in ways we have never experienced before. We are so grateful at the generosity of our colleagues and friends that it is difficult to find words to express it.

And I thank you for your prayers as well. We are overwhelmed by it all.

Java in the Jungle

2010-01-11T05:14:00.005-05:00

As many of you know, we are avid coffee drinkers. Yes, even my boys have been known to sip on a cuppajoe. So when friends of ours said they had a new coffee place they wanted to introduce us to we were happy to go along. This is no yuppie Starbucks. The coffee they serve will put hair on your chest.

It is located on a quaint street filled with buildings reminiscent of the colonial era...

We sat drinking our insomnia-inducing coffee and enjoying conversation with friends in the cozy atmosphere and I did not hear the word "Venti" one single time. It was a good day.

Techno Kids!

2010-01-07T06:02:00.003-05:00

As most of you know, John splits his day between working with the high school eLearning classes and teaching computer skills to elementary students. The man has the patience of Job. Imagine 20 seven-year-old kids all yelling "Mr. Fischer" at the same time.

The moment he walks up to the SmartBoard at the front of the room to demonstrate some computer skill a hand shoots up and he hears the plaintive whine of "Mr. Fischer, my computer won't work." Well, that's because you were banging on a bunch of keys instead of listening.

As he goes to fix that problem, another student who is wearing his headphones for no particular reason, decides to stand up and walk across the room dragging the laptop off the desk with him...still attached to the headphones that he shouldn't be wearing anyways!

John helps that kid pick up the laptop and get back on track and another kid is pulling on his shirt-tail. As he goes to help this child, the child sneezes...ah, ah, ah-CHOO...all over the keyboard and mouse. Disgusting.

But between the sneezing and germs and bathroom requests and computer mishaps, he still manages to teach them a thing or two. But I am pretty sure he wishes he was married to a high school principal instead of an elementary principal who REALLY needed him to teach these classes. :)

Eating in Penang

2010-01-07T05:43:00.002-05:00

Another great reason to live in Penang is that it is cheaper to eat out than it is to cook at home! All over the island there are these food court places the locals call "stalls". You show up, grab a tanle (they are all numbered), and immediately someone comes up to your table to take your drink order. Then you walk around and choose from the tons of different foods offered at the different food stands. Pick what you'd like, give your order and table number to the worker, and go sit down. In minutes your food will be delivered right to your table. It is delicious, fast and cheap. Our family of four can eat for the equivalent of about $8. Here are some of our favorite dishes:

The Art of War

2010-01-07T05:27:00.005-05:00

Bob Pagee is one really cool guy. He is a retired police officer from Canada with a really neat accent. He moved to Penang a little over two years ago with his wife Annemarie and they are in charge of the children's ministry at our church. But they also work with us at DIS. Bob is in charge of all of our substitute teachers as well as our learning lab and AnneMarie runs Care and Share which is the outreach department in our school that runs fundraisers and does a lot of work for the poor in the area.

Bob also runs "game night" on Friday nights for any kid who wants to come. Kyle asked to go one night and I thought "why not?"...games, right? Like Monopoly and Scrabble? Wrong. These games are these huge, complicated, strategic games most often involving battles of some kind. They are games that require a lot of logic, intelligence and patience. Kyle is not well-known for his attention span so I thought he would bow out after the first time. But he was hooked!

He has been going every Friday night and has become so hooked on some game called Warhammer 40,000 that it was all he had on his list for Christmas. Well Santa Claus came through for him and he got his own starter set of the game. But before he can play the game, he has to build and paint each of the tiny pieces. I thought there was no way he was going to have the patience to do this.

So Bob, who has been doing this for years, invited Kyle over and has been teaching him how to properly construct and paint the pieces. Kyle sits with Bob for hours at a time doing this. I am floored. Now all we hear about is warhammer this and warhammer that...battle strategies, weapon choices, etc. I suppose it is time to get my little Machiavellian son a copy of The Prince and The Art of War.

Tropical Gingerbread Houses

2010-01-07T05:15:00.002-05:00

I lived in the snowy, wintery north my entire life until 6 months ago and I had never made a gingerbread house. So I move to the other side of the world where it is summer all year round and I finally give in. Friends of ours invited us over so the kids could make gingerbread houses for Christmas. It was quite a sight!

Debbie and Larry made the dough and the rest of us brought loads of candy to decorate. We determined to let the boys decide on the design of the house (I would just be happy if it was actually 3D) and decorate it (which really tested my OCD tendencies). They had so much fun! The results were funny and creative (and 3D). The kitchen was a disaster area when we were done but the adults took care of clean-up so it all worked out.

My boys decided they wanted to make a church and to be honest, the only way you can tell it is a church is because they put a cross on the back. The Chinn family made a pirate ship which was really awesome then proceeded to decorate it with candy until it was unrecognizable (albeit yummy). And of course, the Brewster family's castle was engineered as perfectly as their father could get it. :)

We rushed to get the castle home before it melted in the heat. Then we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. When we returned, our cute little gingerbread house had become the hotspot for all the local ants. Oh well, we threw it away and saved money on more dental appointments!

Temple Tour

2010-01-07T05:08:00.002-05:00

As I've mentioned before, Penang is a really unusual place when it comes to religion. It is a very small island and there are churches, temples, mosques, etc. all over the place. Hindus, Muslims, Christians and more all seem to coexist peacefully. All religious holidays are given equal time and you can see worship buildings of all the different religions even on the same street! So I snapped a few pics of some of the really interesting ones as we drove around. Enjoy...

A Trip to the Bukit Hijau Waterfalls

2010-01-06T23:26:00.002-05:00

First of all, let me just say how much I lOVE having 4 weeks off for Christmas vacation. The Malaysians really know how to take a vacation!

We have alternated between being completely and utterly lazy and watching 24 on DVD for hours on end....and doing unfun things like dentist appointments...and taking some really cool day trips. One trip we took was to a place on the mainland called "Bukit Hijau". It is an enormous recreation area located n the middle of nowhere. You drive for about an hour with nothing but palm trees and rubber trees on either side of you and then suddenly you enter the Garden of Eden (minus the angel with the flaming sword).

We went with two other families and there were 18 of us in all. We took the ferry to the mainland instead of the bridge (not sure which one I dislike the most) and the kids LOVED it. They thought it was so cool to drive your car onto a boat and then have the boat take you across. They got out of the car and went to the front of the boat to look out at the water. I did too for about 3 minutes at which point the world started to spin and I retreated back to the car.

The park itself is amazing...absolutely beautiful with breathtaking views and huge waterfalls. We all spent the day walking up to the highest waterfall then swimming and playing in it, having a picnic and chatting. It was a really great day!

Kyle's Recital

2009-12-21T08:37:00.001-05:00

Here is some video footage from Kyle's most recent piano recital.

Here we go a-caroling....

2009-12-21T08:30:00.002-05:00

The third grade students in my school surprised me on the last day before vacation with some caroling outside my office. They are so cute!!!

Naivete Exposed

2009-12-21T08:07:00.002-05:00

I had no idea. I mean, I should know for goodness sake, but I didn't. Not really. Not until I saw it close up. Not until I touched it, smelled it, laughed, cried and prayed with it.

In the daylight, Penang is a tropical island paradise. It's sun and beaches and food. But at night a different Penang emerges. A Penang that is hungry and lonely and lost. When the shopowners pull down their metal gates for the night a new tenant unrolls a tattered blanket and curls up in the doorway. After the food stall owners serve their last customer, a new customer looks to be served.

The island paradise suffers from a nocturnal blight in the form of the homeless and the sex workers. I got to see this with my own eyes when I volunteered at a local shelter called Kawan House. My school and church work to help out and donate money and goods to Kawan House. Here is some info about the place from their website:

Kawan (which means ‘friend' in the Malay Language), is a drop-in Centre situated at 37 Love Lane, in Georgetown, Penang. We serve the street based community whether that be those who are homeless, drug users, sex workers and people from poor backgrounds. The Kawan ministry provides free services such as breakfast, lunch, bathing & laundry, a rest area, hair cutting facilities and referrals to other service centres. We can serve around 100 people each day we are open.

A team from Kawan goes out onto the streets of George Town every Wednesday evening to build further relationship with people on the streets and we run a street church service on Saturday mornings where around 25 people attend.

We also run a charity shop to serve the local community. We have seen that the streets of George Town is a harvest field that is ripe for harvest, yet the workers are few.

One Wednesday night I got up enough nerve to join these wonderful people in their work on the streets of Penang. It was a humbling experience to say the least. I met so many people, and they were kind and sick and empty. One man sleeping on a park bench, saw our small group walking and recognized the group from previous weeks. He called out to us and asked if we would pray for him. The experience was real and raw. One woman in our group was in the middle of a heartfelt conversation with a prostitute when the conversation was cut short because the prostitute had a customer. This same prostitute has a 5yo daughter who is often in the room during "business hours".

The work that the people at Kawan house do is remarkable. They feed and clothe and minister to the forgotten ones. It is hard to think of the Christmas season in the same way as before after seeing this. As we celebrate the birth if Christ this year, take a moment to pray for those who will not be opening any gifts.

Kyle LOVES doing Homework

2009-12-21T08:05:00.002-05:00

Can't you tell?

Thanksgiving in Penang

2009-12-21T07:55:00.002-05:00

I have to admit...I was looking at our first Thanksgiving in Malaysia with some trepidation. We have always celebrated Thanksgiving with the same family members, the same food, and usually around the same table. But this year it would be completely different and I was sad about that. I couldn't find the right kind of cornmeal to make my famous cornbread stuffing and turkeys here are hard to come by and expensive!

Shortly before the holiday arrived, another family that has been working at Dalat for several years invited us over for thanksgiving dinner. We were very happy to join them rather than spend the holiday alone even if the menu included ham instead of turkey (that's how most westerners end up celebrating here). The big day finally arrived and when we arrived (sweet potato casserole in hand...at least I oculd find my ingredients for that!)...we were surprised with a REAL turkey dinner!

Larry and Debbie and located and bought a turkey and gave us a little taste of home. It was such a great day. This is a pic of our kids and their kids gathered around the table to eat. I have so much to be thankful for.

Facing My Fears

2009-11-15T08:28:00.002-05:00

I did it!!! I drove across the Penang bridge without any sedatives whatsoever. :) It was scary but pretty cool at the same time. I still wouldn't want to do it often but at least I know I can do it without having a panic attack!

We're Expecting...

2009-11-15T08:23:00.002-05:00

...a baby BIRD!!!!! A mommy bird has chosen our A/C unit as the perfect cover for her little bundle of joy. The countdown is on!

Halloween Malaysia-Style

2009-11-15T08:13:00.002-05:00

Halloween is not a recognized holiday in Malaysia so imagine how bummed out my poor boys were when they realized there would be no trick or treating this year. But Dalat did not let us down! Because we have so many North American families working at the school (and many attending the school) Dalat organizes its own trick or treat parade! My boys were so happy! However, costumes are an issue since you can't really find them here very easily. Luckily for us, we have tons of superhero dress-up clothes and we were able to provide costumes for our boys and a few other kids as well. It also lent itself to some very creative homemade costumes.

All the kids wore their costumes to school, paraded around the campus and then went trick or treating later that night. It was a little piece of home for those of us feeling a little homesick.

The Leader of the Pack

2009-11-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

I got John a motorcycle for his birthday. He has wanted one as long as I have known him but I have always thought they were too dangerous. Well in Penang EVERYONE has a motorcycle. But the good news is it is a very small island and the roads are pretty curvy and pretty crowded so there aren't any places to "open it up". Also, the government regulates the motor size on the motorcycles and so they aren't as fast as some you see in the U.S. All that to say, I finally caved! Here is his baby.

FZ150i upgrades

Shortly after getting it he hooked up with a group of motorcycle enthusiasts here. They are all Malaysian except for him and they have been very warm and friendly and they are very excited to have an American in their group. They even invited him to a day trip to the Sedim River in Kedah on the mainland. It was a 3 hour motorcycle ride there and then they went swimming in the river, hung out for a while, then rode back. He had a great time and has made some new friends. They are planning more trips in the upcoming weeks. It's a good thing gas is cheap here!

The No Petting Zoo

2009-11-10T06:17:00.002-05:00

We had another 4-day weekend (we get at least one long weekend per month due to various religious holidays) so we decided to take the kids to the Lost World of Tambun in Ipoh...an amusement park with water slides, rides, and a petting zoo. This meant we had to venture off the island and onto the mainland and then find our way to this place which was about two hours away. We got slightly lost but we finally found it. It was absolutely beautiful and the kids had a blast.

The best part by far was the petting zoo. It was interesting and bizarre at the same time. We've been to petting zoos before...you know...some bunnies, some sheep, a cow or two. But this place was NOT like that. As we walked in, the first exhibit was RACCOONS!!! I was like, ummm...what? You don't PET raccoons! You AVOID raccoons. In fact, you sometimes pay a company good money to GET RID OF raccoons! The funniest part was when the tour guide told us they "imported" the raccoons from the U.S. I almost fell over laughing! I told him, "Wow, I would have brought you one for free!"

Other "unusual" animals at this "petting zoo"? Porcupines, skunks, boa constrictors, hedgehogs, and monitor lizards. Obviously their idea of a petting zoo and my idea of a petting zoo are VERY different.

There was also this incredible aviary with some of the most unusual birds I have ever seen. We got to feed them and they swarmed us and ate right out of our hands! It was so fun. John also got to hold a 18 foot burmese python and Kyle had a huge scarlet macaw on his shoulder. And the entire park was carved right out of the center of the jungle. As we were looking at all the venomous snakes and vicious lizards, I asked the tour guide where they imported the animals from. He looked at me quizzically, pointed to the jungle right behind us, and said "we just go out there and catch them!"

OK, time to go kids.....

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

2009-10-04T00:20:00.000-04:00

So I had a major "culture shock" moment this week...

There is this Indian restaurant across the street from our school that is very popular with the staff. The food is awesome and inexpensive. The waitstaff all know who the Dalat staff are and my family and I eat there probably three times a week.

This is an outdoor restaurant of sorts. It is a long rectangle covered by a roof but no walls. At the far end there is a small "play area" for kids that has a swing and a teeter-totter. It is over dirt, though, and it is the rainy season so it can get pretty muddy.

My kids were down at that end playing while John and I waited for our food to come. Alex apparently fell off the swing and splat! right into the mud. We didn't see it but Kyle ran up to us and told us that Alex fell off the swing so we naturally ran to see if he was OK. What we saw next is something I would NEVER have seen in the U.S......

Two waiters had picked Alex up out of the mud (he was covered in it, literally) and had taken off his shorts and shirt and were rinsing them off with a hose. The other waiter was rinsing Alex off. They then laid out his shorts and shirt in the sun to dry and sent him to us to eat...in his underwear.

Now I ask you, if this happened at say, Applebee's in the U.S., if your child got covered in something like, I don't know, ketchup I guess, and you weren't right there to clean him up and your waiter who "knows" you (as in you are a regular) took your child's clothes off to rinse them out, what would happen?

He would be arrested of course.

But not in Malaysia! :) They definitely have the "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality. No one in the restaurant even blinked at the whole scene including the fact that my son ate dinner in his underwear!

John and I thought the whole thing was hilarious, Kyle was mortified but puberty seems to make him mortified at everything these days! And of course, Alex was not hurt and thought eating in his underwear was awesome.

I am definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Malaysian Sunsets

2009-09-23T07:19:00.005-04:00

Here are some pics of a Malaysian sunset taken from our balcony panning from right to left. Try not to be TOO jealous. :)

Our Newest Additions

2009-09-23T07:17:00.001-04:00

Meet our little cuties...Max and Ruby.

Another Malaysian Adventure

2009-09-22T01:02:00.000-04:00

We had a long weekend because of Hari Raya (a Muslim holiday) so we decided to make use of our vacation day by going for a “walk” with some friends. The Chans are avid hikers and invited us and another family to go along with them. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. If you know me then you know I am a girly girl…a manicured, pedicured, designer-purse-carrying, afraid-of-spiders girly girl. I don’t camp. I don’t like to “rough it”. Sleeping on the ground in a tent is NOT a vacation, it is a punishment in my eyes.

So imagine my surprise when this “walk” to the waterfall in Batu Ferringhi involved multiple climbs up and down 45 degree slopes and thigh-deep treks through two rivers with nasty undercurrents. And let’s not forget the snakes. Yes, Malaysia is home to vipers and cobras and all manner of other venomous snakes. Our hike leader, Peter, told us that they won’t bother us if we make a lot of noise so imagine the ruckus I was causing!

Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed it. I was nervous and not really prepared but I got through it. My husband was not quite so lucky. On one particularly slippery slope, his foot started to slip and he reached out for the nearest tree limb to keep from sliding. Unfortunately, that tree was covered in sharp thorns. So he had about 30 thorns embedded in his hand and was bleeding quite a bit. We still have not been able to get all the thorns out.

But once we got to our destination, it was worth it. It was beautiful. It would be impossible to look at the beauty that surrounded us and say there is no God. We sat on huge rocks soaking in the sun while the kids swam and slid down natural water slides and caught fish with nets and had a blast! It was a perfect day. I would even do it again. 

My Talented Son

2009-09-06T18:00:00.001-04:00

Kyle loves playing piano. This is a piece he was working on last week and he wanted his family and friends to hear it. Enjoy!

The Rain in Spain Falls Mostly in Penang

2009-08-27T20:50:00.004-04:00

Well the rainy season in Penang is officially underway. It usually rains for a short spell each day anyways but now it is RAINING….a lot. Luckily, it is still really warm out so it isn’t rainy AND cold. Umbrellas are the new fashion accessory. And so are crocs or any kind of waterproof shoe. I bought three pairs of these in three different colors so I could be fashionable AND waterproof:

I hope all this rain doesn’t get depressing. When the “sweltering hot and dry” season starts (around November, I think) I will probably look back at the rainy season wistfully.

Finally Some Pictures...

2009-08-26T08:37:00.000-04:00

Part Tres....

2009-08-25T23:45:00.002-04:00

Roti Bom: a delicious dessert that is similar to a crepe but thicker and covered in sweetened condensed milk. It is a little piece of heaven.

Ice Kacang: a Malaysian “dessert” that should be illegal. Picture a snow cone covered in red beans and creamed corn. YUCK.

Amazon: as in I feel like one. The Malaysian people are not very tall so even though I am only 5’6” I tower over most of them.

The maintenance and grounds staff at Dalat: these people are wonderful. Because of the daily rain, every morning there are wet leaves all over the place and every morning the grounds crew is outside with these weird looking brooms sweeping them up. And if something is broken in your office or in your home, they fix it RIGHT AWAY.

The kitchen staff at Dalat: These people can COOK. No frozen pizza and chicken patties at this school. Everyday there are various entrees for the kids to select (usually one Asian choice and one American choice) as well as stuff to make sandwiches, a salad bar and fruit. And NO SODA POP.

The after-school activities at Dalat: there are all kinds of after school activities here for kids AND adults…sports (like floorball, badminton, volleyball, soccer, weight-training) and crafts (knitting, origami, painting) and others (chess, computers, scouts, book clubs). There is always something going on and the campus is busy until it closes at 5:30pm. The campus remains open until 10pm on Friday nights for kids to come in and play drop-in basketball, floorball, play on the playground , and the ever popular four-square. And it is open on Saturdays and Sundays too! It truly is a community campus.

A side benefit of community: So my 11yo son is REALLY smart but REALLY scatter-brained. He could easily read a high school level text…if he could remember where he put it! Well, the other day he did a really good job on his math homework except he did the wrong page.  At first, his teacher told him he could re-do it and turn it in the next day (Kyle was glad he wasn’t going to get a zero). But that meant Kyle had to do two days worth of math in one evening (which had him freaking out). Well, that evening Kyle’s teacher called John’s cell phone and said he had been thinking about it and changed his mind and he wasn’t going to make Kyle re-do the assignment. He said just skip it and move on. That’s what they do here. We know each other personally, we have each other’s phone numbers, we see each other at church. Kyle is more than just a student to Mr. Davis. He is part of his community and it shows.

Little kids learning bahasa: My 5yo gets lessons twice a week in Bahasa which is the Malaysian language, He learned how to say “Selamat Pagi” (say-la-mot pa-gee) which means “Good morning”. Except that with the way Alex talks it sounded like he said “Sit on the potty”.

Practical Jokes: apparently we administrators do not have enough work to do because we spend our days playing jokes on each other. Like we went into Larry’s office and turned everything upside down. And Brian went around flipping everyone’s desktop on their computer screen upside down.

The neighborhood chicken: just the fact that chickens wander around aimlessly cracks me up daily.

Part Deux

2009-08-22T12:01:00.002-04:00

Monkey gates: Our condo is on the fifth floor and we have this great balcony overlooking the ocean. In addition to the sliding glass doors to the balcony, there are also these metal gates. I thought they were sort of odd at first. Like what are they there for? In case someone tries to break in? We are on the 5th floor! Who is going to scale the side of the building to rob a home on the 5th floor? What I recently found out is that they are called "monkey gates" and they are there in case you want to leave your glass doors open for the breeze but want to make sure THE MONKEYS DON'T GET INSIDE YOUR HOME. WHAT??????

Curry Mee Soup: seriously delicious. I want to learn to cook this.

Ferringhi Gardens restaurant: John took me there for my birthday. It was like eating dinner in the garden of Eden.

Stray animals: they break my heart. There are skinny, starving dogs and cats everywhere. It is so sad. We took in two 6 week old kittens that did not have a home. It's a boy and a girl and we named them Max and Ruby after the cartoon show.

My dryer: the first purchase I made when we arrived. Everyone here hang-dries all their clothes and I do NOT get it.

The Malaysian Postal Service: I hate them. They have my Kindle in post office jail and they won't release it.

220 voltage: we've blown my curling iron, one computer, and the charger for John's cordless drill...so far.

The architecture: there are so many varieties here. There are buddhist temples, hindu temples, muslim mosques, colonial buildings, newer construction, shacks, and mansions.

Prices: they are ALL negotiable...even at a huge department store. The price on the tag is merely a jumping off point. I bought a beautiful lamp today for RM100 that was originally RM170.

I am sure I will think of more later! :)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2009-08-21T02:11:00.003-04:00

Now that we have been here over a month it is time to look back at what we've learned so far...

The Good

The food: There is such an amazing variety of food here and it is all wonderful and CHEAP. Penang is known for its cuisine and food is everywhere and there is something for everyone. I don’t think anyone even cooks dinner at home judging by the amount of people who are dining out every night of the week and often three meals a day.

Customer service at food stalls: because there is such a plethora of places to eat, the owners of the food stalls compete heavily for your business. They will bend over backwards and even custom-make meals for you.

The weather: it is the land of eternal summer…85 degrees, sunny and humid every day. It also rains almost every day for about an hour. Very tropical.

The view from our home: staring at the ocean while I drink my morning coffee never gets old.

Air conditioning: thank God for A/C! Most places you go are air conditioned like the school, our home, the church, etc. I could not survive this heat without an A/C reprieve.

Our jobs: every day is different, new challenges, new surprises. It is interesting and exhausting. The students are wonderful. After teaching high school for a long, long time, I did not realize how fun it would be to work with the younger kids. You don’t even have to earn their love and respect; they freely give it along with lots of dirty fingerprints on your clothes from all the hugs.

Our colleagues: they aren’t perfect but neither are we. What makes them special is that there is an intentional and constant striving for authentic community. We love and help and encourage each other daily. We get upset with each other but we don’t let it fester or let it become divisive. We work it out. We work together, live near each other, eat together, attend church together, shop in the same places. With all that togetherness you can’t help but learn to communicate.

Our church: is an oasis from a crazy week. It is a congregation of about 300 expats . It is so nice to have this congregation because we all face the same struggles all week long and we can really support each other.

Our pool: beautiful, clean and the perfect temperature. Hardly anyone uses it but us because many of the condos in our complex are owned by people who use them as vacation homes only. This lends itself to a wonderful, quiet atmosphere.

Our ahma: she comes twice a week and cleans our home from top to bottom and irons all our clothes. It is heavenly.

The Bad

Customer service at restaurants: No one tips in Malaysia. It just isn’t the custom. The service at restaurants shows this. Our favorite Indian restaurant has incredible food and deplorable service. But we go there anyways because we are addicted to the butter naan.

The weather: what’s good about the weather is also what is bad. It is HOT…like sweat rolling down your back hot. And it is always hot. And rumor has it this is the cooler season. I can only imagine what the hotter season will be like. Again I would like to thank God for rain and A/C.

The cars: are tiny and ugly. Keep in mind I was raised in the Motor City and we take our cars pretty seriously. There are virtually no American cars here as they are too expensive to import to the island. So we have Korean and Malaysian brands. They all look exactly the same (like a go-kart with a roof). I am pretty sure our lawn mower in the states has a bigger engine. The good side is that they get incredible gas mileage. So their cars are functional only and not a stylistic statement (except for the very rich who all drive a Mercedes).

The Ugly

The traffic: The horrible, lawless traffic. I thought driving on the other side of the road and the other side of the car would be tough. That is NOTHING compared to driving when there are NO rules. Even still, I am getting used to the thousands of motorbikes who drive wherever they want. And I am getting used to people weaving in and out of traffic, straddling the lanes, randomly stopping and parking their car in a traffic lane thereby making everyone else have to go around them. What I am having trouble with is the people who cut you off within a fraction of an inch, people who think "merging lanes" means to speed to the end and then cut in front of you almost taking your front end off, etc. When asking around about the terrible driving behavior the answer I get is "It's a cultural thing. It's not wrong, It's just different." BALONEY. POPPYCOCK. BULL-PUCKEY. HOGWASH. HOOEY. MALARKEY. Rude is Rude in any language and any culture. When you drive in a way that endangers my life, it is not a "cultural thing" especially if you are trying to say it is "acceptable". Sure, it might be a cultural thing in terms of common in that culture but it doesn't make it acceptable to treat your fellow humans in that way. I am sure this happens elsewhere but I am not in those other places...I am here. I am from Detroit and I thought WE had aggressive drivers. HAH! Detroit is a bunch of old ladies compared to Penang drivers.

Customer service at stores: it drives me crazy. They stalk you. No matter what store you go into the salesperson literally shadows you everywhere you go. At one store I intentionally walked all over the store in a zig-zag fashion deliberately trying to lose the sales guy. But he was diligent. If I would have stopped too fast it would have been ugly.

Directions: as in no one knows how to give them. Their directions consist of “turn left at the big tree”. No one knows street names and streets randomly change names and direction.

The cost of “western” items: like a box of cereal ($10). They know what items us westerners can’t do without and they jack the prices like you wouldn’t believe. For instance, if we want to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving it will cost over $100 in American money. That is just ridiculous.

Public restrooms: seriously the most disgusting thing about Malaysia is the public restrooms. They smell awful. Some have “squat pots”. If you don’t know what that is, it is essentially a hole in the floor that you are supposed to use to ‘do your business”. I have not been able to bring myself to use it. They also do not have toilet paper. Instead most of them have hand bidets. A hand bidet is like a small shower head that you use to spray yourself clean when you are done with your business. And then I suppose you just drip dry? And, of course, spraying yourself means there is water EVERYWHERE full of disgusting particles and germs that I refuse to think about from other people who have ALSO sprayed themselves.

Durian fruit: I use the term “fruit” lightly. It is the most vile, revolting, putrid thing I have ever had the misfortune to smell. I didn’t even eat it. You can smell it from a block away and as soon as I do the bile rises. People here love it and I think they need to have their head examined. My boss says that Durian will be the only food available in hell.

The Just Plain Weird

Fish head soup: no I am not kidding

Construction: they build homes and buildings in the strangest places
Signs: we know “awas” means caution but if the rest of the sign is in Bahasa how do we know what to be cautious about? My other favorite was at a parking garage. It said “park at your own risk”. Since when did parking your car become risky behavior? Do they have a car-eating monster in there?

The staring: the people have no problem openly gawking at you or asking you private questions like how much you weigh or how much money you make.

The geckos: they are everywhere. But they are terrified of you and run away as soon as they can. Often you will walk into a room and turn on the lights and geckos will scurry away as fast as they can. I kind of wonder if they are in there having a party and I show up like the cops to bust them. There is NOTHING you can do to get rid of them so you just accept them as family members.

The good far outweighs the bad and the ugly we just try to avoid and the weird stuff makes us laugh. So overall things are going VERY well. But we miss our family and friends and are forever grateful for their support and SKYPE!

An Ode to High-Speed Internet

2009-07-31T23:22:00.002-04:00

Although I am grateful for internet access, the internet here is so slow and unpredictable it makes us a little crazy at times...OK, a lot crazy. So here is a short clip that expresses how our slow internet is affecting our family:

"You Got Skinned!"

2009-07-28T20:39:00.002-04:00

So a really nice guy on staff let John borrow his motorbike while we sort out the vehicle-buying mess. John wanted to take Kyle for a ride on the motorbike down to the "wet market" which is basically a farmer's market. Unfortunately, we only had one helmet. The guard at the gate to our condo complex let John borrow his to take Kyle. Everyone here is SO NICE...it's really different. :)

While they were out, John stopped by a motorbike shop and bought a helmet for Kyle for RM40 (40 ringgitt which is about $11). When they got back to the condo and returned the guard's helmet, he asked how much John paid for Kyle's helmet. John told him RM40 and the guard shook his head and said "You got skinned."

Apparently, we were victims of the "skin tax" which means they charged us more because we are white. As it has been explained to us, this isn't a racist thing, it's just that Penang has a lot of expats and they tend to make quite a bit more money than the locals so it is assumed that we can afford to pay more. It's almost like a courtesy on our part...like our way of contributing to the economy.

I know it sounds kind of strange but it's true. However, we were also told that once we are here for a while and become "regulars" at different places, we will get the "local" price for things. You learn something new everyday!

Tastebuds on Overload!

2009-07-27T09:52:00.006-04:00

This is the place where we spend a lot of our money:

No one really knows how to pronounce it so we all call it "SAB's". It is across from the school and it is hotspot for Dalat staff. It is primarily Indian Cuisine. This is the guy that greets you when you arrive:

They have this bread there called "roti" which I think means...ummm...bread. :) It is sort of like pita bread but a little thicker and a little softer and they make it a bunch different ways with different flavors. So we get the bread basket which has a variety of roti in it. Kyle and Alex love the garlic prawns (which are actually just really big shrimp). John and I love the Tandoori Chicken, the Chicken Curry, and especially Chicken Masala (which is not to be confused with chicken marsala). This pic shows a typical dinner at the restaurant. Everything, and I mean everything, is served with rice.

So for fresh fruit juice for the boys, ice tea for us, two orders of chicken masala and two orders of garlic prawns, we pay about $20. Not bad for some of the best food I have ever tasted! And this pic is just because my kids are cute!

Really Powerful

2009-07-25T00:23:00.001-04:00

What Do Teachers Make?

2009-07-25T00:14:00.000-04:00

In honor of all my fellow educators....

My New Favorite Food

2009-07-24T23:30:00.005-04:00

Curry Puffs!! They are these little stuffed pastry pocket type things with chunks of potato and curry spices and several other unknown ingredients (it's best not to ask). They are DELICIOUS.

Us versus the Tin Can

2009-07-24T23:15:00.005-04:00

So the stuff we shipped has still not arrived...sigh...

Thankfully, the school provided us with some basic necessities until it arrives. So we have been getting by pretty well. One of the items in their box of provisions is this unknown contraption:

Using my exceptional powers of deduction and scientific logic, I determined that it is a bottle/can opener from the Middle Ages. Being the good sport that I am, and having food inside a tin can that I wanted to eat, I decided to give it a whirl. Unfortunately, it did not come with instructions for use. Bummer. So I jabbed, and poked, and prodded at the can with my ancient can opener to no avail. Since intellect was not getting the job done, I decided to go with brute force and called John into the kitchen.

He got the can open but the poor can suffered terribly....

I really can't wait for our stuff to get here so I can have a can opener from the last century or so.

We Made it!!!

2009-07-21T06:38:00.010-04:00

We are alive…safe and sound on the island of Penang. It has been quite a week…

Last Sunday- My brother and his wife dropped us at Detroit Metro Airport. We had 9 pieces of luggage plus 6 carry-on items which is, by the way, more than you are supposed to bring. What can I say, I have a lot of stuff.

We arrived at the ticket counter to find that our flight had been delayed by 3 hours which meant we were going to miss our connection in Dallas. And, of course, it seemed every flight was full. The ticket agent named Marsha worked with us for over an hour until she finally found a flight to Dallas. And our wonderful baggage guy Mike helped us make sure that all our luggage including the extra stuff got on the plane.

We arrived in Dallas knowing we missed our connection, knowing the next flight was completely booked, and praying for a miracle so we could make our next connection in Los Angeles. It came down to the ticket agent offering all sorts of free items to anyone who would volunteer to take a later flight and God graciously chose 4 people, exactly the amount of seats we needed. We sat waiting for the flight in the Dallas airport and having a huge picnic on the floor. My mom had packed us an enormous bag of food…and this wasn’t junk food, mind you….this was good food! We had pita bread and cheese and summer sausage and fruit and all sorts of goodies. And the boys found ways to occupy themselves while we waited.

Our flight arrived in L.A. and we knew we had missed our connection to Hong Kong as well and we prayed for yet another miracle. God pulled through for us again and got us on a flight at 2am to Hong Kong. The flight to Hong Kong was wonderful! I had all these nightmares about a 14 hour flight only to find that it passed by rather quickly. The service on Cathay Pacific was outstanding, the food was delicious, and we each had our own TV with all sorts of movies to choose from (the kids even had video games to play). We were kind of bummed that we didn’t get to sit all together but we were grateful for the flight.

The Hong Kong airport is huge and beautiful with all kinds of ritzy high-end shops and restaurants. Everyone was wearing face masks and all I could think was that either Americans are far too cavalier about this whole swine flu thing or the people in Hong Kong are way too hyper about it. We found some comfy benches and rested for a while and the boys found some friends to play with who were also waiting. Eventually we cleaned up, changed clothes and had some sushi then got ready for our final flight to Malaysia. That flight was uneventful and we arrived without a problem.

The school sent a welcome committee to pick us up and we were greeted with welcome signs and happy faces (theirs, not ours). I am quite sure that we looked like we’d been on a three-day bender as we had little to no sleep for 48 hours! Our host family, The Brewsters, took us to our new home and we fell face first into our beds. It was Tuesday night.

The next few days were a whirlwind. The Brewsters are so great and they drove us all over…to the grocery store, to the bank, to the appliance store to buy a dryer (there is no way I am hang drying clothes), to the mall to get handphones (cell phones), etc. They also took us to all these awesome outdoor eateries the locals call “stalls”. We have had the most amazing food! And they make all these fresh fruit juices, pineapple, watermelon, you name it. The food is super cheap too!

On Friday night, they have dinner and a movie at the school. Everyone brings a pot luck dish and then we watched a movie on a big screen outside. We had a chance to meet many other staff members and I got to have some girl chat time while the boys watched the movie. They didn’t make it through the whole thing though.

On Saturday another staff member named Barend (he’s from South Africa) took us to a place called Jusco, which is a lot like Wal-Mart, so we could get some other things we needed. It is attached to a great mall with some awesome stores and we had the most amazing sushi for lunch. Little plates of it spun around the whole restaurant on conveyor belts and you just grabbed whatever you wanted to eat. Way cool!

On Sunday we went to Penang International Church. It is a church filled mostly with expats from all over the place. The pastor is from Canada. He gave a great sermon and the people were really warm and friendly and the boys made several new friends. After church we went out to eat with the Brewsters at…Chilis!! Yes, they have Chilis here and a TGIFridays. I know, I know…it’s a cop-out, right? Honestly, after several days of eating wonderful food filled with spices my body has never had before, I needed to give my stomach a rest with some good old American food that I knew how to pronounce.

Today we had our first day of orientation and got to meet all the other new staff members. They all seem really great and the director, Karl, did a great job. It is all well-organized and everyone is really helpful.

So far our experience has been really great. It is definitely hot here and I have a feeling our electricity bill will be sky high as we make much use of the A/C. We love our new home and its spectacular views.

And now that our internet is finally working (that took all week to get settled) we can keep in touch with family and friends. School starts on Aug. 11!

Prayer requests: that we are able to find a car in our budget without getting ripped off, that our stuff we shipped to Malaysia gets here soon (we really need a lot of things in that shipment), that our transition continues to go smoothly, that our family and friends back home have some peace about our move, that we are able to represent America and Christians in a good light to a part of the world that may not appreciate either very much.

We miss you and love you all!!

Did You Know?

2009-07-11T00:23:00.002-04:00

Since 2000 there have been 100 plane crashes that involved fatalities

Of those 100 crashes, 54 were due to human error

51% of planes crash during landing, while only 22% crash during take-off.

So it would seem that my life will be in danger for 73% of each leg of our flight (there are four). And if we do crash, there is a 54% chance that it was NOT mechanical failure...somebody just screwed up.

Why am I torturing myself with these statistics?

I am leaving in less than two days so please just pray that we don't get stuck with any pilots who had a bad day or just got into a fight with their wife or found out their teen was just expelled from school, etc. PLEASE. If we can mitigate the human factor then my chances go up so repeat after me: I DO BELIEVE IN FAIRIES! I DO BELIEVE IN FAIRIES! It always seems to work on the Disney shows, right?

Mmmmm......SUSHI

2009-06-21T18:43:00.003-04:00

We are so lucky to have boys who are not picky eaters. In fact, they are adventurous eaters which is a good thing since the food in Malaysia is bound to be different than anything we are use to! One of their favorite foods is SUSHI. As a family we can put away a lot of sushi...we may need to get second jobs to support our sushi habit. :)

How's Everything Going?

2009-06-18T20:54:00.005-04:00

Friends, family, co-workers are all asking the same thing...how's it going? How are the plans for the big move coming along? Are you guys stressed out? Well, after a few months of tracking down paperwork, running from one place to the next to get all the stuff we need, and packing everything we own into plastic bins to ship over to Malaysia...all the while continuing to work full time, homeschool our two boys and work on my latest degree...yeah, we are a little stressed. Our son Alex described it the best:

Happy Trails to You...

2009-06-18T20:43:00.005-04:00

Kyle and Alex had their last day of karate class today and got lots of hugs from their friends and teachers.

"Don’t be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before we can meet again and meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends."