singapore and kuala lumpur

I had a stupendous time in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur! Singapore is a fast-paced city/country with flawless public transportation, gorgeous skyscrapers, and a whole lot of diversity! It has four national languages and some Lutheran churches! We went there and met with the Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Singapore so that he could give us a history lesson of the church in this area, and then show us how to eat fresh (very fresh) seafood with chopsticks. It was great to learn about what the Lutheran church is doing in Singapore and what that means for us as YAGM living in Sabah. I went to the Zoo in Singapore, which is something I see commercials for all the time, at nighttime for “Night Safari.” I saw nocturnal animals and hung out in a large caged area where all the bats live. It was really neat! I also got to watch both shows they have: dancers with torches and trained animals. The Night Safari was really cool but it was so dark that there aren’t any good photos of the adventure! In Singapore we also went to the Asian Civilisations Museum and went on a boat ride around the city. This was the first time many of us have seen one another and we definitely had a lot to say, but it was all good stuff. We had our own worship in the courtyard of the Trinity Theological College, the place where we were staying. It was important to hear how everyone is doing now that three months have gone by and life in Sabah is really sinking in. Later that day we flew to Kuala Lumpur!

In Kuala Lumpur the girls stayed in the Lutheran Center. There we met with the Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Singapore and Malaysia to get an understanding of the culture in Malaysia in relation to religion and Christianity. We also had lunch with him and he told us there was Krispy Kreme in KL so I saved room for that! Kuala Lumpur was nice but a very different “Malaysia” than what we’ve become accustomed to. The Malaysia Crew was talking and we said that it’s like comparing some town in Idaho to New York City: same country but very different in many ways. In order to get to the popular areas, much like Singapore, we had to take the subway. After buying ticket after ticket just to get on the subway for a few stops or have dinner, we decided that the cheap and beat-up looking buses in Kota Kinabalu were more preferred. Kota Kinabalu is just smaller so you take one bus to town and then you’re there. No tickets or ticket-machines. You just hop on, hope it’s going where you want it to, and endure the heat. We went to the National Museum in KL and I liked learning about the history of this area. It was neat to think, “I live there!” while reading facts and learning new things. I’m just glad to know more because I do live here and shouldn’t be so darn ignorant about this stuff. The other touristy but awesome thing we did was visit the Batu Caves. This is something I did not read up on but it was basically a climb up steps into this gigantic cave with statues of Hindu gods and beautiful altars. It was especially tiring to go up those steps but it was definitely worth it. “A real eye opener and no mistake.”

Aside from the fact that we had to leave the country to avoid being deported for having an expired tourist visa, we also went on this retreat to learn about the Lutheran Church in Malaysia. It was to gain an understanding of where we are and where we fit in. It’s beautiful to be apart of the ELCA and work here. I like to think that Lutheran theology fits in here but I am biased towards Lutheranism in the first place. I don’t directly influence Christianity in Sabah but I am in Sabah and it is with the help of the ELCA that I am here. I truly represent the ELCA because many of the people I work with have never even heard of “Lutheran” although they live it out through loving and forgiving others and all the grace they show. I suppose it is part of my job to teach them what it is that I believe, or why the ELCA sent me here. I also suppose I should be able to answer those two questions first (hehe!).

Thank you for reading my blog! If any of you would like to hear more stories you can try emailing me or let me know your address and what you want to hear more about and I will write and send a letter to you! I just got a package from Momma and Papa with some necessities but also these beautiful cards my mom put together made from pictures I took in Malaysia! She’s awesome like that. I love you all! Keep smiling and praying. Peace.

we love to boogie

Seri Mengasih’s 30^th Anniversary Dinner and Concert was last night and it was fantastic! The whole event was to celebrate our birthday and maybe raise some money too. There was a 9-course meal, professional dancers, “lucky draws,” and bidding on student artwork. My country coordinator was able to attend but, sadly, I was so busy that I only saw him when he first arrived because I gave him his ticket.

What was I doing?! Oh it was so great! I was backstage with all the kids who were getting ready for their performances. There were a few students who were in more than one performance so they needed to change costumes quickly and get ready to dance again so I helped out a little with that. The students have been practicing for this night for a long time and it definitely showed. I’m happy that they were still excited when it came show time and they shook it like Polaroid pictures.

I was more or less officially assigned to two dances (because I was assigned to a certain teacher and these were the dances that she was in charge of); the Modern dance and the Charleston/Charlie Chaplin dance. Our rehearsals increased in frequency over the last three weeks and intensity over the last two. These kids were ready to rock! Both of our dances were near the end of the line-up for the evening with the Charleston as the “Grand Finale.” I was so impressed with their patience. If anyone needed patience it was definitely myself. It was sometimes hard to keep things organized with two teachers looking after 8 students and their things with 30 other students and 10+ other teachers in between it all. And their costumes. On at least one occasion, I would place a prop in a place where it would be easy (for me) to locate when it was time and then later be asked for it and it’s not there because someone else found a ‘better’ place for to be easy to find. But hey, everything went smoothly and it was… so… CUTE!

I’ve become very attached to the students in these two dances. I love making them laugh. Back stage I was like their personal clown dancing up and down the hallway to whatever music was playing on the other side of the wall. Their smiles and happiness were more important to me than how quiet and organized everyone needed to be while another performance was going on. I guess I didn’t care. I like dancing and I wanted them to like dancing too. And relax because it would be terrible if these students were nervous and backed out or froze last minute. I gave them a reason to laugh off any stress they might have. I like to think it paid off.

I am proud of the students for all their dancing and giggling but I am also proud of the staff. They did a great job with this event and I’m really glad they could feel comfortable enough to ask me for help with any errands or jobs they could use a hand with. I feel like I’ve been able to use some of my God-given gifts and am looking forward to using them more in the future.

It’s time for our first visa renewal and this means 90 days in this country is almost expired. The YAGM-Malaysia Crew and Peter The Country Coordinator are headed to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The four of us who have work (and not a long vacation because of the school year) will return in one week. Those seven days are going to be noisy. Non-stop talking and stories and processing. I neeeeeeeeed to process. NOW! I am very much looking forward to this trip so that we can word vomit all over each other, and feel so much better afterwards. You always feel better after you vomit anyways.

Thank you for your prayers for our safe travels and beneficial processing. And thanks so much for reading! Love you all! Peace.

all at once

A few weeks ago I received a revised schedule. Perhaps you'd like to hear about it? My new schedule has me with the Exam class Monday-Thursday mornings. Wednesday and Thursday late mornings and Friday morning I am in MSR (multi-sensory room). I have arranged it so that on Friday morning before the first MSR session at 9:30, I can help out my friends in Arts and Crafts who are always swamped with orders and projects. The two hours I spend there is hardly enough to make a dent, especially considering my perfectionistic tendencies lately. I still help with the concert training in the afternoons but this is the last week of rehearsals!

The Exam class is the class of six students who have regular English lessons and are extremely independent. I am there to assist the teacher if she needs anything and answer questions from the students as I am able. A few weeks ago the teacher asked me to help her make a teaching aid. That was awesome! I love drawing so my task was to make 4 different environments and then the animals that live in those environments (ie: in the house, under the sea, in the jungle, and in a field). The drawings are all cut out and laminated but I still haven't had the chance to apply velcro to all the animals and their locations in their environments. I thought it was really cool that I could use my creative talents to make something to help these students to learn.

MSR is a different environment. MSR is sweeeeeeeeet. It's brand new (practically) and fully furnished. We have different teaching and sensory tools like lights with a corresponding remote, a floor piano, tumbling mats, giant legos, distortion mirrors, a talking panel, and more. Some students have regular appointments for about an hour and the occupational therapist does stretches and activities with them. I'm only allowed to help if I am directly instructed by the therapist in charge because I haven't had the proper training to know what's best for the student. Usually when I'm in MSR we have a group of kids, like an entire class, and we do a session with them. We usually start with a small obstacle where the students practice various gross motor skills and then perhaps matching colors or saying 'terima kasih' [thank you] when they are handed an item. Next there is a fine motor project like placing beads on a thread or another activity along those lines. After that, the kids lay down on these giant mats and we have relaxation time. The disco ball is lit up with different colors and we listen to soothing music. The therapist uses oils to massage the hands of the students and help them to relax. I have no problem relaxing to the point of almost falling asleep, but sometimes it's not so easy for these kids. I can see why too. I mean, they're in a room filled with toys!!! In MSR I help to wrangle kids who don't want to listen or sit still. Sometimes I help model or demonstrate the activity/obstacle before the kids do it. I really like it in MSR. I think with more experience and training I could maybe bring something awesome to that place in terms of psychology and what types of activities are good for which kids, etc.

In Arts and Crafts I either help my friend with computer stuff, like transitions in a power point or creating a flyer, or I actually make crafts. Lately we have been cranking out bookmarks like crazy. These bookmarks are made out of recycled paper and made right there in the sunshine and then we creatively place dried twigs, leaves, and flowers on the strips of paper so that they are cute and pretty. Some of us are so enthralled with our work and it becomes a very tedious thing. It probably takes me a total of 2 hours to make 10 perfect and mostly the same bookmarks (they come in bundles of 10 so 10 are supposed to look the same[ish] if possible). I could make it a lot easier and paste the flowers on hastily, but that wouldn't be pretty!!!

Most of what is being done in Arts and Crafts is for our Anniversary Dinner and Concert coming up in one week!! Some crafts will be auctioned off and we even made the invitations and tickets for the event! This is a very big deal for Seri Mengasih. It's their 30th year anniversary. I am having a custom fancy outfit made so that I can wear the same thing as the rest of the staff. I am also co-leading a group of 6 students in the Charlie Chaplin style dance to be performed at the Dinner and Concert. I wish I could be more helpful but teaching a dance is hard when you don't speak the same language. We are the last ones that night of about 8 different groups and I am so looking forward to this! I was thrown into this assignment somewhat late in the game but it's okay. All of the dances practice Tuesday-Thursday afternoons. It is the cutest two hours of my day. No matter what happens, these kids will be adorable, but it seems like the rest of the school wants the event to be absolutely perfect. We have had rehearsals ever since the week I got here (they probably started before I got here) and we wont stop rehearsing until show time. I hope to get you a video and plenty of pictures. They really are so cute!

This is what my weeks here look like. After the concert we'll start looking at the long vacation and my schedule will probably change because of the new year. I'm excited for this dinner though. I wish you could come!

these are some photos of what awaited me when I went outside to see the sunset a few days ago

an incoming storm cloud like none I have ever seen in my life

But still beautiful enough to stand there and watch until the rain touched down

As always, thanks for reading and praying. You are the best!!

peace

well with soul

Malaysia is such a diverse country and recognizes the holidays of many different religions/nationalities so it seems like every week we have a day off for one reason or another. I actually had a compensation day for the 'field trip' I went on and wrote my last blog about. I chose to take Halloween off and that was silly because everyone at work thought that Halloween must be very important in the US, important enough that everyone has the day off. Ha! That's not true. Halloween was enjoyable even with the heat and costume combination. The week before that we had an Indian holiday that I didn't get to experience from a cultural perspective aside from bowling and karaoke with the staff (who are all malaysian). Fun, but unrelated to Deepavali. Today is Hari Raya Haji and I am resting and writing. The usual for me. Turns out I like reflective and creative time. I do enjoy social interactions and new cultural experiences, but sometimes I am lazy. No two ways about it.

This weekend I have felt particularly 'American.' Saturday night I went with Molly to the local christian church (BCCM KK) and their youth worship service called Eklektos. This particular church has english services and this youth service was entirely in English. It was fascinating and powerful. I was inspired by the love and spirit in the room with these young adults singing, jumping, and praying. My friend and the pastor's son even gave the 'talk' that evening. It is great to see him following his heart and allowing God to use his words to speak to all of the young people who were there. The next morning, Molly and I went to worship at the same church. This was also in English. I knew it would be but I haven't been to an English-speaking worship for many weeks now, so this was just different! But also, comfortable. I went to a Catholic church a month or so ago and we had communion. It was the first time in Malaysia I had had communion and it was only the wafer. And Catholic. So it was different but at both Eklektos and Sunday morning worship at BCCM KK we had communion. With grapejuice!! I feel like I doubled up this weekend haha.

Saturday was another YAGM's birthday, Elizabeth. So we took her out on Sunday; I bought her a yam milkshake, and we surprised her with all the youth at a restaurant waiting for her. It's fantastic to be with other friends as if they are family. I just hope I saved Elizabeth from feeling homesick.

This is outside of the mall that we typically go to for movies and where the restaurant of Liz's birthday lunch is. In my hand is a Yam bubble tea. I love the sweet (and potentially artificial) Yam flavored beverages I've tried in KK. It's my go-to for dessert and has a slightly nutty flavor. This was taken after I walked around KK alone for the first time and I was feeling really confident. I was feeling like a local Sabahan with not a care in the world.