Natalie's Theme Song

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...

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

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!

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

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:

Tropical Gingerbread Houses

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

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

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

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

Here we go a-caroling....

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

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

Can't you tell?

Thanksgiving in Penang

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

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!

Halloween Malaysia-Style

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

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

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!

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

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

Meet our little cuties...Max and Ruby.