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.