welcome home

Hello friends!

I can't remember exactly what I've already explained concerning my living situation but I have some photos of my room and kitchen. You've already seen some of Seri Mengasih and the sunsets too! I'll just describe what it's like for me here so you don't have to worry about my comfort and such.

This is my room!! As you can see, I brought mydog, I bring him everywhere. I am like a 5 year old. On my desk I have Melay notes, my computer, and some snacks. I keep all of my food in my room because I don't really have a place for it in the kitchen. I also have a terrific A/C system above my desk that can make this room like a refrigerator! Lately it seems like I have been collecting food. People just give me their leftovers and stuff they don't want. I must look hungry or too thin to them. Or they're just wonderful and hospitable people. But I have gone to the supermarket a couple times and got the necessities. By the way, the supermarket nearest to here is called Sunny. Ha. That's my favorite part about it.

The second view of my room. This is an old colonial house. Apparently it's extremely old. But they've added on and on, extra buildings and such creating Seri Mengasih. In fact, there's a small road that separates this side with the house and Junior classes from the other side with the vocational, group home, and Senior classes. I have a window here but if I open it I will simply see the hallway and the closet with tools in it. Therefore, it has become a shelf-type thing where I can hang and hook nearly anything! The floor... hmmm. When I first arrived here and my friend Dayang knocked on the door of my room to make sure I was okay she said, "How is your room? You like it? It's nice, yeah? I like. Except the floor. It make me confusing. I don't know why they put the floor this way. I am not liking it." HAHA! It doesn't bother me. It's similar to a tablecloth material, plasticy and thick. It's nicer than cement, and I can't imagine Malaysia having carpet. I don't mind it at all. The design is what Dayang was confused about though. I think it's supposed to look like rocks. Silly.

The third and last view of my room. Nothing too fancy. My big window!! It opens to the back wall of the next building. A little bit of light shines through though, enough to let me know if it's dark or light out. More bars and hooks for me to hang things from I guess. I took out the bottom drawer of my wardrobe because it was malfunctioning. It's nice that everything I have to wear and then some fits in this wardrobe. Above the wardrobe is a huge shelving unit that you can see a little bit of in this photo. It's difficult for me to use because the shelves are too high! I've put a few things but I don't have much for "storage" meaning I don't have anything that I'm not going to need in the immediate future. The shelves would be perfect for long-term storage. It's too bad. Maybe if I had some pottery or pictures I could set them up there.

That's my room! It's named after an island called Sipadan. The toilet is down the hall past the kitchen. My closest neighbor is just across the hall. My room is the closest room to the shower, which is its own room. Showering is a bit like locking yourself into a tiled closet. Everything works and cold showers are definitely growing on me because I'm never cold enough to want a warm shower!

Now, the kitchen...

Essentially anyone can cook and eat here. There is a second building where staff live with its own kitchen but they seem to prefer eating here. I haven't really asked anyone about that situation. The kitchen has rice cookers, toaster, water boiler, microwave, stoves, and fridge. All the essentials. I'm not sure about cooking here so my ingredients are limited to milk, eggs, noodles, bread, butter, coconut jelly, and salt n pepa. I have other things too and whenever someone is going to the grocery store I tag along just in case because there most likely is something I need or could use. I have found myself needing coffee, like really needing coffee, at least once a day so I'm glad our Melay teacher gave us all housewarming gifts of instant coffee packets!! The point was to determine our favorite so that we can buy our flavor in bulk. I haven't finished the tasting process yet though! One extra fancy thing about this kitchen is the water purifying machine doo-dad that's attached to one of the sinks! I don't have to buy bottled water! I'm not really opposed to drinking the water of the country you live in because eventually your body should be able to handle it but because even the locals refuse to drink water from the tap, I should avoid it too. I haven't had any stomach problems! Only minor, normal, everyday aches and pains. Life is still good.

And, finally, what blog would be complete without the latest sunset picture? Enjoy.

Love you all like crazy. Talk to you later!

that'll be the day

I have a schedule!!

Monday

1. Morning Exercises 7:30-8:30am
2. CP Unit 9-11:30am
3. Kantin 11:30am-1pm
4. OETU 1pm-3pm

Tuesday

1. Morning Exercises 7:30-8:30am
2. CP Unit 9-11:30am
3. Kantin 11:30am-1pm
4. Concert Training 1-3pm

Wednesday

1. Morning Exercises 7:30-8:30
2. English 9-11:30am
3. Kantin 11:30am-1pm
4. Concert Training 1-3pm

Thursday

1. Morning Exercises 7:30-8:30am
2. English 9-11:30am
3. Kantin 11:30am-1pm
4. Concert Training 1-3pm

Friday

1. Morning Exercises 7:30-8:30am
2. Art and Craft 9-11:30am
3. Office Hours 11:30am-3pm

Weekends

1. Relax
2. Attend school functions if I'm needed
3. Explore KK and Sabah
4. Go to church

Okay, so weekends weren't really in the schedule that my supervisor gave me but I figured you might like to know. No two days are exactly the same. That's because I rotate through three different groups for morning exercises and the afternoon activities that happen during concert training are all different. This concert that the kids are practicing for is in late November. SM is celebrating their anniversary and having a big banquet so everyone's rehearsing. I'm not sure in what capacity I will help out with that but I'm willing to do anything. The school has Juniors, Seniors, and Vocational trainees. The Juniors are considered elementary school and is made up of three fairly small classes. The Seniors are around high school age and also three small classes. On the Vocational side of SM students (trainees) can choose from working in the Kantin, Bakery, or Souvenirs/Arts and Crafts. Trainees stay in their chosen vocation for a year or so and are trained to eventually have a job that hopefully incorporates some of the skills they have already attained here. On top of that, the school also provides the open employment unit to help individuals find jobs or practice what it's like to be employed. I will know more about these units as I am working with them from time to time.

A couple other notes to clear things up: CP stands for Cerebral Palsy. Monday and Tuesday mornings will be spent in the CPU learning the basics of physical therapy with the few individuals that are currently enrolled in those therapeutic sessions here. This is an awesome opportunity to learn and try something very new to me. Working in the Kantin and Arts and Crafts will most likely entail serving as an extra pair of hands and eyes to watch the students and fill in where I'm needed.

Right now I'm feeling very fortunate. This job will most likely be hard at times but getting to know people, practicing what language I've gained, living somewhat independently, smiling at others and receiving a smile back, taking coffee breaks, and the amazing support I've had from new friends and supervisors here has been wonderful. I enjoy everyone. All the people I have met are friendly and helpful. They invite me in, call me by name, and treat me like a family member. They're the definition of hospitable. Plus, I have internet access for most of the day.

My supervisor and the school principal have told me that my schedule is subject to change. They have also talked about changing the bulk of my job in the new year so that I am not stuck doing the exact same thing for all 11 months. I'm not too concerned about that though, especially if no two days in one week looks exactly the same. I'm not just serving in Malaysia, I am a servant. There's hardly a job I won't do. I figure the more open I am, then the more rewarding and transformational my year will be.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Maybe I could make a blog about it or tell a story. I'm rarely out of ideas for blogs but I want to make sure that the information I give you is information you are actually interested in reading about. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

standing at the beach but looking towards Seri Mengasih. There it is!

The playground. Fairly unused but quite photogenic, I think.

life in technicolor

How's it going?!

Malaysia is amazing. Duh. The last few days of in-country orientation were definitely fun! We did an amazing race challenge where we paired up and attempted to follow clues that were given in Malay! Lou was my partner and we thought we were making good time, because we were. But we decided to wait 45 minutes at a bus stop for the "right" bus to take us to the next neighborhood/town. It was really fun but most of the challenges required us "trying" something so we were full by the time we got to our destination!! Haha. It was fun to test our knowledge in the real world. I'm not really afraid of public transit at all now :)

Meeting our supervisors was fun too. I was so excited when I first met and talked with Joan that I was almost crying. Everything is just going and it is all good stuff. She described the staff, site, children, my house. Plus, I had a banana split that I didn't have to split with anyone. Lovely.

We also participated in the Chinese Moon Cake festival! The real 'holiday' was actually on Monday but our friend pushed her party up so that we could go since we would fully disperse on Sunday. Moon Cakes are these little soft and chewy cakes. Some that we had were homemade so that was amazing. It's a very traditional snack. They fed us other food that night too. We were grateful. I thoroughly enjoyed all the tea they served us! But before we ate moon cakes we were invited to join in on the paper lantern making and then lantern walk around the neighborhood. My photos don't seem to portray how cute but beautiful it was to do that with these new friends. The kids there (plenty of those) were so so excited to walk with their paper lanterns! Maybe that's because it's fire and who doesn't love fire? We all had different colors and shapes and sizes. It was awesome.

The next day (Sunday) we had a beautiful commissioning worship service at one of the English speaking congregations in KK. We were introduced and then everyone prayed for us. Church members engaged in conversation with us afterwards. They were intrigued by our presence, and, like most people, wanted to know what brought us to Malaysia of all places? The pastor's kid, Calvin, invited all of us to lunch. All of us, plus all of his people. Youth group!! Lunch with 30 young adults is hilarious. In fact, I think some people left because there simply wasn't enough space. Young people in Malaysia (KK) speak and understand English for the most part. These teenagers were great! Sometimes I get tired of small talk conversation but when you're explaining LA to someone who's never been or what it means to be "from the midwest" to a young Malaysian person, it's a lot more interesting.

This YAGM Malaysia crew had to finish up our packing and get on with the show though! Joan picked me up a couple hours after lunch. She took me to get some starting out groceries but I had no idea what the kitchen looked like/had so that was a bit rough. But the supermarket that I go to because it's closest to my placement is called Sunny. I like that. Obviously. As soon as I could, I settled in at my placement site. Finally! No more living out of a suitcase. For 11 months or so, I get to use the wardrobe and desk and floor space without packing it back up. When was the last time that was my reality?

Joan asked two other staff who live at Seri Mengasih (SM) to invite me for dinner, so they did. And it was delicious!! Homemade Malaysian foooood. These two staff are about twice my age but they are the kindest women ever. They have already adopted me. They know English, but I'm trying my best to practice Malay with them. It's sweet because they constantly invite me, "please, sit. eat with us. talk with me. come with us. eat this. drink this. do you want this?" I haven't found a polite way to say "No, I'm okay thank you" because I do value these new relationships so much. I don't know the words in Malay and the words "I don't need any, thank you" don't really work. Haha! It's okay though. We walked up the beach yesterday (I say 'up' because I'm pretty sure we went north up the coast) and it was so wonderful. I could do that nearly every day. The sky and sea look great next to each other. It's a bit like a dream. I like the sunsets. You can never have too many pictures of the same sun setting on the same sea right?

At one point, my friend asked me, "Allisun, what brought you here, to Seri Mengasih, to Malaysia?" "Tuhan," I told her. She immediately said, "God bless you." Tuhan means God. I think she was looking for a different answer but she took it, understood, acknowledged that it is good.

One of the clues from our "Amazing Race" challenge for language class. Instructions in bahasa melayu! And yes, we can read and understand that :) if read slowly and with a Malay phrasebook. Ha!

Later on we got to participate in a Moon Cake party. Kek Bulan! We made lanterns with the little kids and walked all around the neighborhood with our pretty colors. It was wonderful.

The moon cakes. Some homemade! Probably an acquired taste and definitely not for those who have problems with textures or one who has a big sweet tooth. I would do it again. The tea was delicious too!

Part of the playground and classrooms at Seri Mengasih (SM). This is only a portion of the entire 'campus.' More to come.

A walk up the beach from SM at sunset will provide views like this. I can't get over it. Three evenings here and three gorgeous sunsets. They might start to look the same eventually but I will try to continue to enjoy it.

It rained a tad on our walk back to SM but by the time we got to the 'backyard' it had stopped and I took one last photo with my nearly dead camera. This is real life.

field below

Hello everyone!

Our in-country orientation plus language training is almost over! On Friday I will meet my site supervisor for this year and on Sunday I will move out of the dorms here at STS and into the house at Seri Mengasih. This is good news indeed! We have been blessed with our Malay teacher, Rose, and it will be hard to adjust without her wealth of knowledge and language. I'll be on my own with just my notebook! Many anxieties come with this ending and the real thing beginning. But I am excited!

The past two weeks we have... done and learned so much. Too much to explain, so I will have to sum up ;) I have a loose grasp on the language. I have wandered around the town (city) enough and have a feel for that. We went on a boat ride to an island, so now I know how to get to the beach. We've met pastors and BCCM friends who will continue to keep contact with us and support us. I have become more adjusted to the heat and humidity. We played badminton with local reverends! I have also become accustomed to the food here and all of its deliciousness. I have listened and discovered more and more about Sabah and Kota Kinabalu from the stories we hear and the places we go. I have developed relationships with the YAGM in Malaysia that will become more important with every day here. They are marvelous individuals. We have different stories, motivations, personalities, and intentions but we are all here to love. So that is exciting! I look forward to leaning on them and them leaning on me when necessary this year.

My next post will have valuable information about contacting me, and what my next year will look like in terms of the living situation. This is getting real.

Sunset. The first of many.

I drank coconut milk straight from the coconut. This picture is real life.

Waiting for the boats back to the city. This was taken from Sapi Island. Where we spent the day... getting sunburned. It was spectacular.

Tuaran Mee. A local dish. Noodles (mee) cooked with egg for flavor. Veggies, chicken, pork, and shrimp!! The most amazing. To drink, Milo ping (iced). Milo is basically hot chocolate or chocolate milk. Not as milky though. Very delicious and refreshing.