Appreciation

Over the last few years I have learned more about appreciation and things I have taken for granted.

Hot water & showers- I grew up taking showers with hot water and for me it was just a given. When I moved to Malaysia I rented a room with bathroom in a boarding house and it did not come with hot water. I took cold showers for the first few months and it was so hard. Even though later in the day supposedly the sun would warm the water, since most people’s water tanks were on top of the house, the water was never warm. Plus, for many years now I have taken a shower in the morning, to help wake myself up and so that I am clean for the day. Taking a freezing cold shower each morning was hard. I was eventually able to convince my landlord to let me buy and install a hot water heater at least for the shower. Even though I am currently back in the US, I am still super grateful every morning for a hot shower. Besides hot water, I am grateful that I can take a shower. There were a couple times in Malaysia and once in Indonesia where I did not have water at all. In Malaysia I kept a plastic garbage can full of water (I bought it just for that purpose) so that I could at least take a scoop bath for the day. The one time in Indonesia I was able to go to the club where I worked out and used their locker room there.  When I went on the school’s week camping trip I was able to take a shower every day. It was cold water, but for a week it was doable because I was at least able to clean myself from all of our daily activities.  I thought that once I returned to the US that I would never be in a situation where I could not take a shower, but not longer after I moved into my current apartment I was. There were some issues with my shower and in the attempt to fix the shower the maintenance man did not read the directions. So, I was left without the ability to take a shower. The good news is that I was able to wash myself in the sink, but it just doesn’t quite do the job of a shower and since I was starting a new job, it wasn’t exactly how I imagined showing up to work. No one seemed to be the wiser though. Obviously I have never had to go weeks or months without a shower, but I know from just these few times how grateful I am that I can shower and be clean every day. I know that many people can’t and I am sure there are people out there that would gladly take a shower, even a cold one, so that they can be clean.

My own vehicle- Not long before I was supposed to get my learner’s permit I saw a horrific accident and thought I would never drive, but my parents made me learn anyway. After I turned 16 and had a license I was responsible for getting myself to my activities. I was very much used to that freedom when I moved to Malaysia and no longer had a vehicle at my disposal. My first year there I rode the school bus to school with the students because I lived in what was considered a small town in Asia (but a large city by US standards) and cabs were rare and difficult to get ahold of. Where once I had ridden a bus and thought it was normal, it was hard to go back to riding a bus and being on the bus driver’s schedule. Many times the bus driver was late and I had to wait and wait. Sometimes the bus driver didn’t show up at all and then I had to walk to school and I would be left arriving at school dripping sweat., not exactly how I wanted to start my day. If I wanted to do anything socially I had to rely on someone else to pick me up and then take me back. There was a small group of expats and only one other woman worked. So, if there was any social event the other ladies would not feel obligated to go home at a decent time since they didn’t have to get up the next morning for work. The second year I was able to find a lady and hired her to take me to and from work. That worked a little better. Still didn’t help much with things socially. Sometimes I would call for a cab and there would be all sorts of excuses like that isn’t too far, just walk (but it was too far to walk) or it is raining, so just walk. In Indonesia I had a vehicle again and I was very grateful not to have to rely on others to get me to or from work. Also, my social life was much more active and I could run errands whenever was convenient for me. There were also tons of cabs everywhere, so if there was a place that I couldn’t drive to myself it was very easy to get a cab. I was always willing to give rides to others who didn’t have a vehicle because I knew how it was to not have a vehicle. Towards the end of my time there my vehicle was in the shop for a week and I had to rely on a cab company. It wasn’t one I had used before and there were good most morning, but in the afternoons they would never come to pick me up. The last morning of that week they told me they had no cabs and that they weren’t going to have any available anytime soon. The good news is that I was able to get another cab, so that I could get to work. Back in the US, I have a vehicle again and I am so glad to have one. I am grateful for the freedom it brings me to run errands when I need to and get to work on time and leave work when I am done and not when someone else is ready to leave.

A home- Back when I was 28, my dad built me a custom built house. It was something that I had hoped that he would do for me someday, but I had no idea that it would work out so soon in my life. I enjoyed my home very much and thought I would live there for a very long time, but my life path changed and I went off to pursue my dream of teaching overseas. When I lived in Malaysia I rent a room with a bathroom in a boarding house. It was about the size of a dorm room and the landlord was pretty strict. I had to be quiet at all times and couldn’t have any company over. I went between sitting on my bed, to the computer chair to the little rattan chair beside the bed. I wasn’t allowed to cook, but I was able to have fridge and microwave, so I could make a few simple things like bowls of vegetables and sandwiches. (All of the other residents had vehicles and were single men, so they were used to eating all of their meals out.)  I also wasn’t allowed to come down to the kitchen if they had company or eat in my room, so sometimes that made the weekends very long when I was so hungry waiting for the company to leave. Many times I wished that I was back in the US in my nice, comfortable home. Although, I was grateful that I at least had a roof over my head because I know that some people don’t. In Indonesia I was in a townhouse that was brand new. It was much better than my room. It did have some problems with leaking when rainy season started and that made it kind of hard to constantly be cleaning up all the puddles. There were also some issues that it had like toilets that leaked and showers that leaked. It was hard to be patient because I was there an entire year and except for the first three months there, I had those problems the whole time and they got worse as time went on since they weren’t dealt with by the people who were supposed to take care of them. Now I am in an apartment complex. Part of me feels like I am back in college because of noisy neighbors, a tiny kitchen and having to use a laundry room to do laundry. I am grateful in both the house in Indonesia and now here that I have the ability to cook and bake again. Neither of them may have the kitchen I had in my home, but having a kitchen I can use is pretty nice. One of things I love to do and use as a stress reliever is to cook and bake. Not being able to do that for the two years in Malaysia was tough. It was hard to eat pretty much the same thing every meal for two years. All of these have taught me that even though I am grateful for a roof over my head that I should have appreciated my home even more. I am not doing my goals in the order I thought I would and I may never have a home again, but at least I got to live in it for a year.

Climate- I knew from my times visiting my grandparents in Minnesota and a trip to Wisconsin once that I wasn’t really a fan of humidity. I was told that the climate in Malaysia was much better and that I really wouldn’t mind the humidity. I didn’t like the heat and humidity the three years I was overseas. I disliked sweating and smelling every day. I didn’t like wearing wet clothes. Also, it took a long time for them to dry. I have sensitive skin and I had even more problems over there with the constant sweating.  Now that I am back in the US I appreciate the dry climate even better. Even though it was hot this summer it is now going to fall and things are getting colder. The other morning I was able to go for a very invigorating walk and breathe all that fresh air. I like being able to be active and really having to be active before I sweat, not just standing still. I also like the fact that I smell better because I don’t sweat all the time. I know that some people don’t like the cold, but I love it. I love wearing sweaters, slippers, hats, scarves and gloves. Being able to cuddle under tons of blankets to sleep. I didn’t sleep as well on top of the one bottom sheet over there as I do here under a couple of blankets. It is also nice to not have to run the a/c at night when I am sleeping. I could look out the window in Malaysia or Indonesia and think that it looked beautiful out, but when I went outside it never was. Here I can look out the window and think it is beautiful outside and when I actually go outside it really is beautiful. I like that I can also open the windows and get fresh air that isn’t hot and stuffy.

I am not saying that the US is better than Malaysia or Indonesia. There were lots of things that were great over there too. Over there I was able to do much more traveling around the countries that I lived in and to other countries that I wanted to see because things were so inexpensive and it was easy. Since I am back in the US I have realized that there were some things that I didn’t appreciate as much at the time when I was over there. I accepted a job and now I know some things I didn’t at the time I accepted the job. One of them is that I was able to live pretty comfortably money wise on my salary in both countries and have money to do some traveling.  Now I am in a position where I am barely able to make ends meet. So far I have been able to pay each bill and not have any debt, but I can see how if I get my haircut or do social things that it would be easy to do. I love to travel and there are several awesome places in the state that I live in that I would love to see, but right now all traveling is out. I always thought that with a college degree that I would never be in a position that I was living paycheck to paycheck just trying to take care of the essential bills. I can see how easy it can be for people to go into debt. Another thing I took for granted was planning time. I have always had at least 60 minutes of planning time, but in overseas sometimes I would have two hours total during the day so that I didn’t have much work that I had to take home or many days that I had to stay super late. At my current job I have about 30 minutes while my students go to specials, if I don’t have meetings. So, almost every day I stay late. I can see if I didn’t have to stay late or take work home I could get a part-time job to help make some extra money. Definitely thinking about getting a summer job to help make extra money for next year, so I can breathe a little more.

I have more I have been thinking about, but this is quite a long post, so I will quit there for now.

Rhymes of Mel

There once was a girl named Mel
She liked exploring quite well
One day she decided to stay longer overseas
so she moved to Malaysia with ease

The culture was very different from her own
and it was hard to be all alone
She met lots of great people
who she found to be her equal

She learned lots of new things
and to her old way of thinking she no longer clings
She took the opportunity to travel to new places
and all the new is what she embraces

Even though she left Malaysia
she wanted to continue to live in Asia
The next stop on her journey was Indonesia
she hopes to always remember this time and never develop amnesia

When she returns home she hopes people will see
that she is a new Melanie
She has lots of wonderful things to share
and hopes her friends and family will care

She is glad that she was given this chance
to experience more of the world than just a quick glance
She plans to never go back to her old ways
no matter what happens during the rest of her days

6 months in Indonesia

Pool at  Ciputra club

I have now lived in Indonesia for 6 months. I decided since this is my second country overseas instead of blogging about all the little differences I have noticed I would just summarize and put into one post.  I have also made some comparisons between Malaysia and Indonesia.

School-  In Malaysia I taught at a school, using American curriculum, of 70 students (the 2nd year I was there-55 the first) from grades 7-12 with students from 20 different countries. The whole school was only 5 rooms and the second year I was there they brought in a portable building. Although, they are working on building a bigger school with the rapid increase of students. We increased to 9 teachers by the middle of my second year. Plus, the Director of Studies who also taught part time, two secretaries, the owner, a housekeeper and a bus driver. In Indonesia the school is an IB World School using the International Baccalaureate curriculum with PYP, MYP, and DP. They also have the Indonesian program. The school has three buildings and goes from toddler all the way up to year 12 and has 1,100 students total. Most of the students are from Indonesia with a handful of International students. There are about 70 staff members in just the high school alone.

Angkor Wat

Housing accommodations- In Malaysia I was just in a boarding house that was pretty restrictive. No cooking, or people over. I got permission my second year there to do laundry on Saturday.  The first year I had to take my laundry to friend's houses or a dobi (where they do the laundry). There were more rules, but that will give the reader a base for my comparison. In Indonesia I have a house. It is 3 bedrooms and three bathrooms. It is close to the size of my home that I had been living in before I moved overseas. I have a small front and back yard. There is also a washing machine that I can use any time I need to use it. I have a nice, little kitchen that I can with both stove and oven. I also bout a microwave, so I can pretty much cook or bake anything that I can find ingredients for (more on that later). I have a kitchen table and living room so I can have people over, I haven't yet as I have been busy getting settled.

Floating village in Cambodia

Transportation- In Malaysia I used an occasional taxi as they didn't have as many and were harder to get them to pick me up. I had people give me rides most of the time. I also had a lady I hired the second year to drive me to work and back and the occasional errand if I scheduled ahead of time. In Indonesia I have my own vehicle. I can drive myself to and from work, to the Super Mall (which is the end of my comfort zone) and other places around where I live. It is also super easy to get a taxi so when I need to go somewhere on the other side of town it is easy to get a taxi there and back.

In Seoul

Social- This is a larger school that I am working in so there are more employees. In Malaysia my school had two expats. The other expat had lived in Malaysia for 20 some years and was married to a local lady with a family. I did hang out quite a bit with the local teachers. They are all wonderful people and created some amazing experiences and memories for me by all that they invite me to do to learn about Malaysia. There were some other expat families in the town I lived in but most of the women did not work, so many of the activities were done during the day. In Indonesia there are about 15 other expats that work at my school. Plus, just across the field is another International school and not too far down the road is a third International school. I am also still trying to get to know the locals and do things with them. This is a much bigger city so there are more places to eat, movie theaters, malls, shops, etc.

In Seoul

Technology- In Malaysia I had a USB modem that I just plugged into my computer and could use anywhere around town. I was able to pay my monthly bill online with my bank account. In Indonesia I tried a portable wifi but the connection never seemed very good. Plus, it just used a cell phone sim card and I constantly had to run to the nearest mall to top it up. I recently got Internet through the telephone line and wifi. It does seem to work much better.

In Malaysia I didn't have cable television. In Indonesia I have satellite tv.
In Malaysia I had one sim card. I could put three different RM amounts on my phone using the Internet and my bank account and I could use talk for several hours to my parents back home before I had to top up on the Internet. In Indonesia I have a sim card and I have to go to the closest super market or mall and have them top it up or get them to give me a scratch card to put money on my sim card. I have learned to always carry a spare one. I have tried calling back home and will go through a whole Rp100.00 card in 10 minutes. So now I try to use Skype.

Seoul Tower

Help- In Malaysia since I just had a room and bathroom I did all the cleaning myself and once a month the servants would come in for an inspection and clean to make sure everything was up to snuff. In Indonesia, I recently got a pembantu or helper. It was a big adjustment for me. I resisted it for the first six months as it was not something I wanted to do. But as time has gone on I can see how having one can be helpful especially with the language barrier. The lady that I got speaks pretty good English. She is more knowledgeable than I am about where to get things done or how to do things. I think it will make things easier for me and take less time to do certain things. I also learned today how grateful she is to have a job and be making money. So, I am glad I revised my thinking. I still try to make things easy and not create a huge mess for her to clean up or anything like that.

Karanggongso beach

Weather- In Malaysia it was hot and humid all the time. During monsoon season it would rain for days at a time, all day long. In Indonesia it is hotter than Malaysia all the time. Probably because this city is not on the coast. It is not as humid all the time, but during rainy season it is just as humid. It does not rain as much. I might rain for 20 minutes to a couple hours and be done until the next day or the day after. This breeds more mosquitoes instead of getting rid of them.  I definitely get way more bites here. I am trying everything anyone is recommending to keep from getting bit but so far nothing has stopped them. I am worried that at some point I will get dengue, but in the meantime I am still trying to get them to quit biting me.

campsite at Karanggongso beach

Other- For the second time in my life I went camping. The last time I was two years old and it was in the mountains. This time I was on the beach at Karanggongso with students and other teachers for a total of around 70 people. It was an adventure.

I traveled to both Cambodia and South Korea on my two breaks earlier in August and October, respectively.

I went on a tour of East Java that included a botanical garden, tea plantation, Kaliandra and a temple. It was a great way to see some of the other amazing sites outside of the city. I am looking forward to another one this spring. 

I went to my first Sweet 17 birthday party and was amazed. It felt almost like I was on the MTV's show " My Super Sweet 16" only it was in Indonesian.

On East Java Tour

Every break from August 2011- October 2012 I traveled. I loved to travel and I want to make the most of living close to all these countries that I have always wanted to visit. For my Christmas break December 20, 2012- January 14, 2013 but nothing worked out. So for the first time in my life I spent Christmas and New Year's alone without my family. It was tough and I chose not to celebrate them, so I hope that I am not in that position again, but I survived. I didn't do much but relax, sleep, watch movies, read, and run errands. Sometimes it was boring but I had lots of things to think about and it gave me the time to do that.

At Kaliandra

Less people speak English here and more things things are written in Indonesian. It is more challenging in Indonesia to buy things, order at restaurants, etc. Most people in Malaysia spoke English and most things were in English, so it was much easier to buy things, get around and get things done.

At Kaliandra

Both Indonesians and Malaysian are a really wonderful group of people. I am truly glad that I have had the opportunity to live overseas for however long it lasts. I think it has made me a better person. I feel like I was open minded before I moved overseas, but I feel that I am even more open minded now. Media does not always portray the positive aspects of people and places, so I am glad I have seen and experienced many wonderful things and met many wonderful people in both countries.

The End of my time in Malaysia

My last week of my time was very packed and was a mix of emotions. Monday the 18th of June was last day of practice at the school for graduation the next evening. On Tuesday we had graduation practice at the hotel. The MC forgot her script at school and when we first arrived the hotel hadn't turned on the a/c or had any people there to set up the microphones or anything. So we just had to hang out for awhile. We ran through the songs and graduation a few times and then the owner came to watch. One he was satisfied we were able to leave and go back to the school. Afternoon was filled with more practicing of the music. That evening after I had gotten ready my friends came to pick me up as we had to go early since the husband had to finish setting things up for graduation. We went to this sidewalk cafe next to MS Garden hotel where the graduation was going to be held. I got a hambuger as our dinner was going to be very late. The inside was still raw so I didn't eat it. We went up early and finished getting things ready. Graduation was suppsed to start at 8:00p.m. as that is after one of the prayer times. Just like last year we had people that came after 8 so we didn't start until closer to 8:30p.m. We did it a little different this year. We did the International parade where all the students introduce themselves first. This year the student went up on the stage to the center, so that everyone in the audience could see them since that was a complaint last year. Then we watched this years video recapping the year. After that there was the music of ESL class, Middle School Music, and then Malay. They have always done the music performances on a small side stage while the owner, board of directors, and teachers sst on the stage. This year they did the performances on the center stage while we stayed down in the audience, because we have grown so much the groups were too big to be crowded on to the side stage in the corner. It was much nicer since the focus was on them and not us. Also, it was nice to be able to watch the performances from the front instead of from the back. After the three songs were over then the owner, board of directors, and teachers went up on the stage. We were up there for the speeches, award certificates and diplomas being given. The students were more bored and disrespectful this year. They didn't even pay attention or sit in their seats until we got to giving out the awards and they had to pay attention to their names being called. During the rest of the time they were taking pictures, talking and playing games on their devices. Many of the parents weren't paying attention either. Then after that there was the picture taking session. The photographer that they have always used said that the group was too big now to do us all in one photo. So it was split up middle school and high school with the staff, etc. Then it was time for dinner which was again at 10:00p.m. like last year. The salad and soup was good. I got beef again. Instead of being overcooked and hard to eat like last year it was raw, so I still didn't eat it. Then there was dessert which was good. I went around and took pictures during the dinner. After that it was time to go home and go to bed since the next day was school. I got home and into bed about midnight. Wednesday and Thursday were just half days for the students. We just hung out in the morning. We didn't do house games this year as everyone was tired and ready for the school year to be over. Not many of the students showed up anyway. In the afternoon we did lunch and then visited and I cleaned out my classroom area. On Wednesday we went for Nasi Cocous which some of the locals haven't had, but I have had before. I also went out with a co-worker to Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt one last time after school was over for teachers on Wednesday. On Thursday we went to Sara Thai for lunch. It is the great Thai restaurant that I love and they always have great fish. Most of the teachers were able to come with. Thursday evening the lady who has been driving me to and from school this whole year invited me out for pizza and salads at La Casa a new restuarant. It was a nice time. It was her, her son, and her foreign exchange student from Germany. Friday was the last day of school. We got the yearbook at the beginning of the day and spent at least an hour signing yearbooks. After that the middle school had their award session and then high school had theirs. Next, was the party which was really just cake and more signing of yearbooks. At the very end report cards were given out before students had to rush off for Friday prayers. I had to wait for my ride so I was the last one there. Three of my middle school students gave me a hug before they had to catch the bus. Others said good-bye but we have talked about this for months, so they know I was not going to be changing my mind and I already know that they will miss me and wished I wasn't leaving, so there was no big to do. After school I worked on final preparations. That evening I got invited to another friend's house for dinner and a movie. I got to see "Mirror Mirror". We talked until late. Saturday I got up early and cleaned my room and finished packing the last of my things. Right after I got done then the landlord had a guy come service my a/c so I had to to a little bit of cleaning up again after the guy left. My friends came in the afternoon to get me and my stuff, plus the rest of the stuff I was giving them. We went out for lunch since I didn't have any food left. I went in the evening with my friend one last time to the Swiss Garden Resort while she played piano so that I could enjoy it one last time. Sunday I got up and went to the Buddhist Temple with another friend one last time and hung out while she was teaching classes. It was nice there. I saw ten otters come out of their den while I was outside relaxing. I don't think anyone else noticed because they were all being noisy and feeding the fish and turtles. Then we met up with another friend for lunch at Witchery Ider. I was able to have my favorite dish and pearl or bubble tea one last time. After that they dropped me at the house of the friends I am staying at and visited for awhile. Then it was a short time before we went off to the home of the Director of Studies for dinner with him and his wife. Their kids were there and they played with my friends' daughter. It was a nice time. We were there for a long time and were ready for bed after that. In the middle of the night I woke up and the power was out because of a storm. It was so hot in the room I stay in that I couldn't sleep and my ears were ringing really loudly. After it came back on I slept well until it was time to get up and get ready for another set of friends coming over for a lunch I made and to say good bye to me. It was a nice time. Of course, time went by too fast. After that I watched a movie and just hung out with my friends. On Tuesday I got up and went to sign for my June paycheck for and turn in my keys for my room and ran other errands.  We went for a walk on the beach about sunset. We saw two large jellyfish that must have come in with high tide and got stuck up on the beach. Tuesday night we went out for roti tissue and teh tarik tea one last time. Wednesday I got up and finished packing the last of my things that I needed to use that morning to shower and then I made a quick call on Skype so my Mom and Dad could say hi to my friends and then it was off to the airport. While waiting another teacher showed up and the Director of Studies and his wife also showed up, so I had several people at the airport to see me off and wish me the best. It was nice, but at the same time very sad. I know I left part of my heart in Kuantan with some of the people who are my friends and I am so glad they came into my life.

Building

So, there has been a house being built across the street from where I stay since last February so 16 months. They are going very slow. There is another house being built across another street and they started later and are already done. They now have the frame up and are bricking; I am assuming the bricks are going between the walls. Anyway when I have seen others houses in the process of being built I notice guys living at those houses even though they aren't done. I thought that they were just trying to save money by staying at their own house while being built. Then I noticed that at least one guy has started staying at the house across the street and I can tell he is not the owner. Early on when they first started and brought bricks and rocks in I noticed my landlord sent servants over and even went over a couple times to help them carry back bricks and rocks to use in his own yard. Once things got a little further the guy put up the wall and a locked gate. Recently there has been a dog and two puppies there that I think they are working on training to use as guard dogs. Last week, however, I noticed this guy there. He was there one morning as he came out of the gate in the male version of a sarong. It was raining and the water and risen in the sewer. He took a look to see how high it was and then went back in the yard. I saw him walk into the still open house and was loosening his sarong. I was a little worried that he was going to take it off. I don't know if he knew I could still see him or not, but I looked away. The next morning when I was getting ready I looked out the window to see if my ride had come. I saw the same guy come out of the gate and hop down in the sewer and go under the cement driveway part. I was really hoping that he was using it as a toilet and not a shower. He came up between 5-10 minutes later. I guess it is a common practice when houses are being built that some of the workers will build this tiny hut things and stay at the house. Very different from the US, at least where I am from. I noticed that they have a line hanging up and the clothes are hung over the line. I don't know if they bring in water or how they wash their clothes and bathe. I don't even know what they do for food as I don't think there would be refrigeration there at this stage of the building. I don't know if the workers who have homes or stay elsewhere bring them food as it does not appear that the guy leaves. I would think that would be a hard way to live and not very comfortable at all. It makes me wonder if people like that have houses or they just travel around from house to house working and have no homes or families.

Buddhist Temple

I was invited today to go with a coworker to the Buddhist temple. It is the largest Buddhist temple in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. Normally she teaches lessons on Buddhism but today she had off as they were on holiday and so she invited me to come see what a temple was like. I enjoyed my time very much. She came and picked up me about 9:30 and so it was not too hot out. We got there and went up to the main building. There is a curving walkway up to the main entrance. At the top of the walkway on the left was a huge container of incense. On the right in the middle of the entrance was a huge Buddha statue. We removed our shoes and then entered. It is mostly just a wide open space. In the front of the room was an altar area with another Buddha statue. In front of that was a monk teaching and surrounding him on pillows on the floor was a group of people. Behind the altar area was a few (I believe fake) flowering trees, so it was simplistic but beautiful. My coworker excused herself to pay her respects and told me I could look around. I was intrigued by the wall. There were medium size Buddhas on the wall and forming the borders around and in between were about four different posed Buddhas with numbers under them. They were purchased by people and donated to make up the wall.

After that we walked out the side door and she pointed out the classrooms and upstairs where monks can live. Towards the back and on the right was a walkway that went out to a statue raised on a platform with an area around for people to gather for ceremonies.

It was under a roofed area. My coworker explained the name, Kuan Yin, a Bodhisatva and how this person, even though it looks like a woman, it is a man, is trying to reach enlightenment and is incarnate over time each time trying to reach enlightenment. Sometimes people will meet out there in large groups in front of her statue as she is an inspiration to enlightenment. She shared that there are several different branches of Buddhism but they are all joined together at this temple. She practices Theravada Buddhism.  She explained quite a bit to me about it and what they believe and what she believes. While I understand I am not going to write it down here as so not to misquote anything that I was told. Over the last 18 months I have learned much about Islam and Muslims and would be more comfortable sharing what they have told me, but Buddhism is still very new to me. I know that I still have lots more to learn about what they believe.

Looking to left from entrance

Next, we walked back through and put on our shoes to go out to the grounds behind. There is a huge meditation area for those who practice Zen Buddha or anyone wanting to meditate. It was beautiful. Right in front of the entrance is this lake and behind that the rock face of a small mountain or a hill.
 On the left was a walkway that led out to a gazebo like structure that had places to sit and simple decorations.

Looking to right from entrance

 On the right was a long pathway past three or four of those gazebo like structures that were all decorated slightly differently. There are also several trees along the path and so it was shaded and the area was much cooler and a refreshing from the heat. Walking down this path there were several different statues. To get to the last one on the path we crossed over a small bridge.

On the left side was the lake and the right side was a waterfall. I love waterfalls and the sound of water running like a river or crashing like waves.  When we got the the last structure to the right there was a half circle of various statues. I mentioned that one of the statues had a mean/scary look to him. I was told he was the protector of Buddhism. We stopped at the last structure and looked out at the lake. There are several large fish and lots of turtles. One was a turtle I had never seen before. The chanting started while we were there but it was nice. I have found with the prayers that the Muslims do that after awhile it becomes in a way music sometimes expressing joy and sometimes expressing grief. With these chants it was a different type of music, but very pleasing to the ear. On the way back from that last structure if a person were to walk straight instead of turning right towards the entrance there is a small mound with a gazebo like structure set on the left side of it. There were different statues and a path on the mound, maybe for meditation. I really enjoyed my time there today. It was a very peaceful place and I can see why people come out there. I could see going out there again, just for the peace and to get away from the heat and busyness of the city.

First Full Malay/Muslim Wedding

So, the second weekend of my Chinese New Year break I traveled to Seremban for the sister of a co-workers wedding, Kenduri and Bersanding (Reception). I have been to the Bersanding and Kenduri before but never the ceremony. I thought the akad nikah (contract signing) was only for the immediate family. I did not realize that many friends and relatives can attend. They used to do that part of the wedding in the Mosques, but now most people do it at the bride's parents' house. Normally the ceremony & Kenduri with Bersanding are spread out. They have the ceremony one weekend, then the Kenduri & Bersanding at the Bride's parents' house another weekend and the Groom's parents' house another weekend. She had all three the same weekend.


I arrived late Friday afternoon. The bride was in the bridal room. She was the youngest in the family so she and her husband will live at her parents' house as is the custom for the youngest in the family. The bridal room is decorated special for them. The husband of my co-worker is also another co-worker. He is also an artist, so he decorated the room. It was really well done. Most of the ladies, I guess, have very frilly and feminine rooms, but her's was not. It was artistic. Anyway she was in the room with several friends and relatives. She was having henna applied to her hands and feet. The tips of her fingers, a circle on the palms, the tips of her toes and a line around the outside and inside of her feet where all done in henna. She wanted it really dark so it would last for 6 months.

Me, trying the traditional type of Henna.

The kind she used was the traditional, which to me looked kind of like mud. It is a mix of different things. All of the ladies wanted me to try it, so they did just my left hand since I am right handed. So, they did the tips of my fingers and a circle on my palm. I had to sit there for a few hours while it dyed my hand. While I was sitting there all sort of friends and relatives stopped in the room to wish her the best, say congratulations, and just catch up. Not many of them spoke English, but occasionally someone would do some translating or throw in a word in English. I was able to pick up on some of what they were talking about even with no translation. As always older ladies always inquire if I am married and offer to set me up with some guy that is going to be coming. One of the women knew very little English, but she did offer that I could follow her husband home as she cackled. It sounds like she is a cool, but crazy lady. After a few hours I went to the bathroom and rinsed of the henna mud. When I came back they were all disappointed because with my pale skin the henna was so light and yellowish. It looked more like I had just gotten my hand dirty. So, they reapplied henna but they used the new kind which comes in a tube. I only had to have that on my hand for an hour. It was a dark red when I washed of the gel. I was told it would last three months. It washed off my fingers and palm easily over the next week after that, but the henna on my nails is still there, so that is growing out.

Official talking with relatives

The next morning I got up early to go back over to the house. I went to the buffet at the hotel and got lots of looks like I normally do, but more so at my left hand. I wasn't in a baju kurung, but was dressed in a nice dress. The bride was getting ready for the ceremony. They always clear the furniture out of the houses and set it outside so people can sit outside when visiting or sit on the floors in the house. Several canopies were set up down the street for eating later in the day. The bride and groom throne area and their table for eating was all set up. About 10a.m. the groom's procession came into the living room area. The gifts from the bride to the groom were set up in the middle of the room on different pedestals. The groom's procession brought his gifts for her and her dowry. All of the women from the bride's side sat on the floor in the dining area which is up two steps from the living area. The beginning of the ceremony akad nikah the bride stayed in the bridal room. The religious official talks to relatives of the groom and checks to make sure all is agreeable.  At this point the circle that was around the room adjusts as the groom moves right next to the official and there are men that are supporting the groom that make a circle  joining up with him. So, it was actually like a circle within a circle.

The Statement

Then the groom and the bride's father clasp hands and they have a required statement that they must make all in one breath to show honesty. The father of the bride for this ceremony was crying and so they had to do it three times as he couldn't make it all the way through the saying without taking a breath, but he finally got it.

Signing the contract

Signing the contract

At that point the bride comes out from the bridal room and sits at the other side of the room from her husband. He is given the contract first which he signs and then it is passed to her and she signs it. After that gifts are presented to each other.

Presenting the dowry.

 Then people move out of the way and pictures are taken with the gifts and he presents her with the dowry. The grooms have a set amount that they must provide RM200, but this groom presented her with more. He also had the money shaped into roses. This is also when they exchange their rings. After that they went outside to take more pictures around the house. The rest of us had a snack until lunch time. We hung out and chatted with people. Once the pictures were done, then the groom went back and changed clothes for the bersanding.

Changing outfits

The Royal Thrones

After that the bride went in and changed her clothes while the groom was visiting with the guest. Several of us joined the bride to help her pick out the accessories for her outfit. They rent the baju kurung for the two bersandings and it is tailored to fit them. The one for the wedding ceremony was her older sister's that she had tailored to fit her. She did have a different veil and accessories. They also rent packets that have faux jewels in brooches, hair accessories, necklaces, etc. Once she had changed she went out and they got on their royal thrones. People came and threw flowers at them giving them blessings. Then they went and ate their food. I joined other people under the canopies in the road for food and fellowship. The next day they were going to do the bersanding at the groom's parents' house and they were going to have different outfits to wear.

Forensics Trip AKA Speech & Debate

The week before last February 8-12 I traveled with a group of 6 students to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to participate in the S.E.A. (South East Asia) Forensics tournament. Now in the US we call Forensics Speech & Debate. Forensics is what the police use to figure out the who committed a crime.
I was stepping in for the Coach as she had a baby 2 months ago and since only one teacher could go with such a small group it didn't really work for her to go. It was an interesting trip.

International School of Kuala Lumpur

We left on Wednesday about 9:30. Two of the girls with with their Mom's on a different bus. One of the girls went with her Mom on the same bus as me and 3 students I was chaperoning. We stopped for our break about halfway and then after we got started back up the air con wasn't working well. When we got a little ways down the road we stopped at another rest stop and some of the people got off the bus to change buses. We weren't sure what was going on since none of us speak Malay. We got off the bus and went to grab our luggage and the driver was yelling at us in Malay and motioning us to leave our bags there, but we didn't know how we would get them back. Finally we got on a different bus and made it to the correct bus stop. We arrived in KL and checked in at the Flamingo. One of the female students shared a room with me as she didn't want to stay with a host family and the other girls were staying with their Moms. First, they couldn't find the reservation of the coach and I didn't have her passport. When we finally got a room it was a double bed. So, I had to go back down and request two single beds. We got put in another room that wasn't that great. The toilet looked gross and had issues flushing. The sheets weren't that great either & the air con didn't work well. The shower leaked all over the toilet and floor. Anyway after we got checked in then we walked to ISKL to get the boys dropped off to meet their host family. I was told it would be easy to cross at the lights but it was not. I think I lost a year off my life every time I had to cross that street as it was so stressful. We got the boys dropped off and then the one student I was watching out for and I went to dinner at KLCC. We had subway. I had a meeting that I was supposed to attend at 7p.m. and I figured leaving at 6:45 would give us enough time. It took us over an hour to get back to the hotel. I couldn't go straight to the school because I realized I had left the scripts in the room, so as not to lose them. The taxi driver didn't get over 20kmh even when there was plenty of space to do so. He had a horrible hacking cold and his eyes where all bloodshot. It cost us about RM50.00 to get to the hotel. I ran inside and left the student in our room, grabbed the scripts and went to the meeting. It was over by the time I got there. I went to submit the scripts and the cover sheet hadn't been completely filled out so then I was trying to call the coach and the students but didn't have their numbers yet and she wasn't answering. I got them in with 30 seconds to spare. After that I went to the judges' meeting and learned about how to do the judging as I had to do that since I was the only teacher from our school. After that I walked back to the hotel in the dark.

The next day, Thursday, I got up and we went to the opening ceremony. We were going to get a cab and the guy was late. When he did show up then he would not let the 5 of us females all take one cab, so I got out and walked again, almost getting run over. I made it to school just before the opening ceremony started. After the opening ceremony the students went to the gym and I went to the part of the cafeteria I was told the coaches would hang out at. No one was around. Finally, I went into the Multipurpose Room 1 where there was supposed to be food, but it was almost gone. I hung out in there all day and read. Every once in awhile another coach or judge would come in for more coffee. I was a standby judge for 1:45 but was not needed. After we got done for the day the one student and I went to KLCC again, as I had bought two DVDs from this shop and they were the wrong zone.  I had bought some DVDs from that shop in July when I was there and they were zone 1 which works on my laptop. I didn't check the zones as I thought they would be zone 1 again in the section I got them from. Well, the manager wasn't nice to me (I talked to her on the phone) and called me a liar saying I didn't get the zone 1 DVDs from that store. I still have the DVDs and receipts but they weren't with me because I didn't know it was going to be a problem. I told her I didn't know why I would them come back and give her more business if I had not been happy in the first place. That would make no sense. I told her it wouldn't make sense to spend my money with the store and then not have DVDs that I could play. Anyway I got tired of her being nasty to me and thanked her and hung up. Her solution was I could exchange them for other DVDs from the store (that obviously wouldn't work). After that fiasco we walked to Pavilion Mall. I stopped at Ms. Read and bought some new tops that fit me. Then we went to TGIFriday's for dinner.

On Friday, I woke up and I had a nasty cold from the stress. Luckily one of the Dad's had come and so he drove us to school. We only had to walk back to the hotel. Since I was with the students I couldn't leave and go get myself throat lozenges or anything.  I had two sessions I had to judge in the morning and then I hoped that I would be done, but I ended up judging two semifinal sessions in the afternoon. It was ok though. My nose ran like crazy, but not much I could do about that. Two of our students made it to the semifinals. After we got done for the day we went back to KLCC and went to Chili's for a Forensic's dinner. One of the students had already gone back with her Mom since she didn't make it to semifinals but the rest were there. I thought it would be nice if I treated them to a team dinner. After that I wanted to call it an early night since I had to be up and to the school early to judge finals.

Speaker at Awards ceremony

On Saturday I judged the finals. They were all in the theater and the theater and tons of students there. Some of the lines were hard to hear if the students were clapping or laughing but we did our best. After the finals then there was a small break and then the closing ceremony with awards.  The student who was staying with me left with her parents after that. They decided to come get her early instead of her coming back with us on the bus on Sunday. So, they drove all the way there and picked her up and then turned around and drove all the way back. It didn't matter much to me as long as she fulfilled all her obligations, which she did.  The other two female students left with their parents too, but they didn't stay for the awards ceremony. Their parents didn't see any point since they hadn't won. I feel differently about that. So then one of our former students had come to judge that day but they didn't need him. He wanted to hang out with the guys. I had to tag along as chaperone. So we went to KLCC again and we went to a movie. They wanted to go to a gaming place but none were close and they didn't know what I would do while they were doing that. We all like going to the movies though. After that we went back to our respective places.

The next morning, Sunday, the host Dad picked me up at the hotel and then dropped us off at ISKL, but there was no one there. So, he ended up taking us to the bus station. The plan was to leave ISKL an hour early  in case of trafffic (I didn't want to miss the bus) and he had picked me up half an hour before that. So, we ended up being to the bus station about an hour and forty minutes early. We just hung out there until it was time to go. We made it back with no problems. It took longer than normal as we were at the stop much longer than the 20 minutes and then we stopped for gas. They resold the seat of the student who went back early with her parents, and the bus was completely full. Her brother or relative sat in the spare seat on the stairs. After one of student's Mom gave me a ride back to where I stay I took a nap and just rested so that I would be ready for school the next day.

90th Birthday Party

The weekend before Chinese New Year January 15th the little old lady where I live kept trying to get across to me that she wanted me to come to this party. At first I didn't understand because I don't speak any Malay or Chinese. One of the house mates came back and she had him tell me about this party. What I got out of it was that it was at 7:00p.m. and so I said sure I would come. Well about 5:00p.m. I got showered and dressed nice for the party. It had been quiet that day and had not seen anyone setting up although they had dropped off tables and chairs that morning. 7:00p.m. rolled around and I went downstairs. Not a single person was around. So, I thought maybe it was the next night but didn't have anyone to ask at that time. The next morning, the 16th, when I got up there were a huge amount of cars in the driveway. When I came downstairs to leave for work that day one of the ladies came over. She told me she was the daughter of the old lady and that I was invited to a buffet for a few family and friends that evening. I told her that yes, I would come. The little old lady kept talking and making motions. I repeatedly nodded my head showing I would be there. That night I came downstairs at 7:00p.m. there were a few people there. I don't think the party had really started yet. The little old lady was dressed up very nicely. I sat outside with the daughter and a few other relatives. That is when I found out it was the little old lady's 90th birthday. I was really impressed. I was told that they were doing it a little before Chinese New Year so that people could come and then still go to their own places for Chinese New Year. There were tons of people that came. There were a few people that spoke English that I was able to talk to. Two of my housemates asked me what it was like trying Chinese food for the first time. I told them both that I eat Chinese food almost every day for lunch, which is true, and that I like Chinese food. I know that they think I don't eat it as I make sandwiches and bowls of vegetables or salads for my meals. But that is because we aren't allowed to cook here and I don't have a car to go and get food for every meal. I had a nice time and am glad that I was invited. I had one of the ladies that comes to the house several times a week tell the little old lady Happy Birthday, thanks for inviting me and that I hoped she lived for several more years.

Career Day 2011

We had career day again today. I like career day, so that students can listen and talk to people from various careers that they might be interested in. This year when had someone from Nursing, Chemical Engineering, Monash Universtiy, Taylor's University, Social Media, Architecture, and Design Media. I was super excited this year because my brother spoke to my students. Not only did he speak, he did his presentation via Skype. This was a huge step for our school. There is resistance to technology being used. I think that it can be a good thing and ever since I went to the Learning 2.011 Teacher's Conference I have been trying to incoporate it more. Last week my 8th grade students skyped with a couple students from a school in Melbourne, Australia. Anyway, getting back to career day, this year has been very crazy, busy, stressful. We didn't get as early of a start on getting people for today. Many of the people we asked were busy today. I kept thinking that I would like to ask my Mom, who is a Graduate Gemologist, or my brother who is a Design Media person to speak. Of course, they are in America and that is not an easy thing to do. Finally I brought it up to the Director of Studies that I thought my brother would be great, and I thought maybe we could do it via Skype. At first, he was worried about technology not working. I assured him that I would have a back up plan if it didn't work. He finally decided that yes, we should give it a try. After that I had to call my brother to ask him if he was available, and to work out a few of the details with the time difference. We then, e-mailed this week about what he wanted on his biodata sheet for his introduction, some websites he wanted to share, and a couple brochures. We did a practice Skype session earlier in the week to make sure that we could project him up on the wall and that we could hear him. It worked pretty well. Today came and I was super excited but also nervous about the technology working. I wanted it to work, so that it was successful and we could do this again, and do other things in the future with technology and skype. I was also picture taker for the yearbook, as the school camera doesn't really work and no one else remembers to bring theirs. The speaker before my brother ran late, since the bus driver had been late so we didn't get things set up as early as I had hoped. We set up two laptops with two projectors. We had one for projecting my brother onto the wall. The other we set up to show the brochures and websites. Luckily we were able to rent another projector as we had only two and that wasn't enough. Also, two of the other speakers at the same time as my brother brought their own laptop and projectors, so that helped. It would not have worked as well with one laptop and projector.  I also brought my laptop and Ipad as the screen for projecting things is kind of in the corner and I wasn't sure how well students could see it and my brother. I placed the laptop and Ipad in front of two different groups so they also had it close in front of them.

The first group was the high school. It worked pretty well. There were a few times he cut out on the audio, so I had to ask him to repeat himself. They had a couple questions for him. We also ran over since we started late, so he had to cut his presentation short. The second group was the middle school. That presentation was great. There were no glitches or cut outs at all. We could hear him really well. They were really excited. My brother also did better on his presentation since he had run through it once already. It was smoother in transitions, but both were excellent. One student couldn't believe that my brother was actually live and talking to them. They wanted to know what time it was there. One of my students want to ask him about some of the things I had told them about from when we were younger to see if they were true. My brother told them that yes, those things were true. At the end one of the students presented my brother with his Thank you gift/token of appreciation. That is my favorite picture that I took of my student holding the gift up to the computer screen and my brother reaching his hands out like he is grabbing it. The students were like how is he going to get it. I told them that when I saw our Dad over Christmas since our Mom and my brother can't come that I will send it back with our Dad. Some of the younger boys were jealous at some of the perks that my brother told them about for his job. Most of the students were excited that he likes their football (soccer) teams. I can tell this is something they are going to talk about for a long time. They were talking about how exciting it was and that the students who didn't go had missed out. This is probably something that will end up in the yearbook too. I am going to have the students blog about it next week, hopefully.

At the end of the day the Director of Studies thought that it went really well and he is glad that we tried it. He would like to know why it cut out a few times the first session but maybe it was because of the rush of setting up and trying to open the websites on the other computer. The second time they were already open so there was no need for them to load. We don't have a super great connection if more than one person is on the internet at the same time. He thinks that this is something that can be done next year and perhaps we can do skype for other things. I told him that I would like to see if I could set up skype sessions with authors to help get our students more excited about reading. He thought that would be a good idea. I am very glad that most of our people were in person, but I think that if there is a career where there isn't really a representation in our town that doing Skype can be a good thing. I hope that we do continue to incorporate things like this into what we do, as it is a great world out there with lots of resources and people. In today's society we have the ability to connect with people from all over that can help expand our knowledge, so we should take advantage of it.