Academy Awards

I have been receiving mail from home indicating that everyone will be glued to the TV sets in Canada watching the Academy Awards.  I won't be joining all of you in that event, as I still have not turned on this TV here and I am very sure the event will not be carried here either. So forgive me when you all talk about the winners of the big night. I will not have a clue as to who won what or even the titles for that matter.
Tonight I will be calling my rental agent to negotiate some screens, or as they say here, netting, for my house. One of my colleagues managed to get screens on his place by showing her the bites he has suffered as a result of no screens. I have a nice crop myself, so should be in a good position to get them installed.
Now to set off on the road to navigate the elephants and cows on the roads.I guess I can add wild boars to this list. We saw a huge one by the road on the way to Batu Pahat, which I argued was only as big as it was from decaying in the sun and bloating to such a size Sadly, I have to drive through the city another time because I was too lazy to get gas in the car last night.  I love the diversion I discovered, as it means I do not have to drive with the loonies on the narrow city streets that make you pull in your shoulders constantly, in an attempt to fit in the space allotted for your car.

Batu Pahat

Ok, Now I know what this translate into English.
'stone chisel'
I spent the weekend in Batu Pahat and felt like a kid in a candy shop. There were real stores, and real malls there. We began the journey with the big Pacific Mall where we purchased liquor. I switched to vodka, not because I like it, but because the bottle had a real top.  The gin brought to me last weekend was placed in the freezer of my lovely new fridge and it had some paper lid, which allowed all the gin to become part of the fridge. I admitted that I stuck my head into the freezer to lick out some of the thick cold gin before I conceded and allowed the fridge to be lubricated with the precious liquid. Anyway, once the vodka is gone I will save the bottle and decant the next bottle of gin into it.
We had a barbeque on the deck of one of our colleague's condo.  Very nice place - he has hot water. But oddly enough, I didn't use the hot water option. I seem to be used to the coolish water that flows naturally out of the tap.  He has an incredible view from his living room of a fenced off jungle area, on an extremely intense slope. He manages to see all sorts of wild life come to the fence. It looks like a painting before your eyes, I did not take a camera, simply because I needed to not work for a 24 hour period and taking pictures actually feels like work.  Next time I will.  I am sure there will be a next time, as he even had CHEESE. little tiny baby belles which were consumed by hungry happy teacher mentors.  I was polite and did not eat any of the little morsels, but only because I thought I would buy my own. Now disappointed because I forgot to buy them, grrr
But I still have my lovely cheese slices that can double as silly putty if in a pinch.  Besides. can you just imagine how lovely and slim I am becoming with his new diet of NOTHING MUCH!
They also have heavy monsoon rains daily there so they cool off considerably more than we do in Kota Tinggi. I snagged a bedroom to myself and have learned the value of a body pillow  in this experience I had a thin mat on the floor, and if you wrap yourself around a body pillow, there are no boney structures of the body that are seriously pressed into the floor.
BUT I did buy some bedding there. Real cotton sheets. YAY.  And will have to bring them home to Levi, as they complement the ones I gave him on my departure.  These have pictures of zebra, tiger, and leopard prints on them,. But this crazy country does not include a top sheet, which is what I thought I was buying, So now have to desperately shop the stalls in Kota Tinggi for some brown, black, yellow, or orange top sheet to cover myself with.
Think I also might pick up some sort of bed frame. Seems when you put a mattress directly on the floor, you need to pick it up each morning and lean it on the wall to avoid condensation of the body heat that accumulates overnight. I think I deserve a bed frame to avoid that step in my morning routine.
I almost was convinced to use this crazy gas ring I have in the lizard's kitchen, but by the time I got home I had decided that it was a bad idea. Still did not get an induction stove thing, so I guess I will continue to forage for food in the morning and eat at the schools at lunch.

The barbeque with friends last night was yummy.  I am glad I didn't see the meat purchase, but I think it was safe, because there are real stores in Batu Pahat.  The barbeque was still the funny little galvenized tin thing that I can get here. Poor John had a barbie doll sized ironing board in his living room which became the base for the barbeque. Amazingly it did not get greasy, as I found some plastic bags to cover it before the barbeque was placed on it.  The cook forgot to get briquette lighter, so everyone was trying to light the coals with air freshener, and then hair spray  They finally conceded to go out and get some starter which worked just fine. 
So, tomorrow I sit in on some classes after the Monday assembly at my base school in Gembut. Then return to the base school to provide a Lesson Plan for the teachers in their workshop.  Wish me luck

Remember when I talked about the incognito cows?

Well here is a news story I found in the 'hood that I am not so sure I want to experience myself. The school that I drive to that makes me deal with cows on the road is called Sedeli Ketcil.  I do recall seeing signs indicating orchards around there. The article that follows speaks of Sedili Besar, which is the town I drive through to get to the school.Cows I can handle, but these big guys are another thing altogether. Yikes
EVERY year, from October to December, the villagers of five kampungs in Sedili Besar, Kota Tinggi lose thousands of ringgit to marauding elephants. This is when the pachyderms usually make their annual jaunt to the orchards of Kampung Perpat, Kampung Teluk, Kampung Simpang, Kampung Kampung Kambau and Kampung Semayong to feed on the fruits. But this is expected to end soon once the government approves a special allocation to the Wildlife Department to fund the capture of wild elephants that stray...

Malay Vocabulary

I probably need to get a 'life', or at least quit this nerdiness. But here a few words I have learned to speak in Malay

selamat pagi - good morning

selamat sore - good afternoon

selamat malam - good evening

sekolah - school  ( I did learn what the SK stands for in the school names, but I forget)

Now that I am here on the blog, I can't recall any other words.  I guess I could have deleted this post but it feels like I am talking to you, so I will just leave it here.  AND, the GPS lady and I are beginning to get along. I have discovered that I can just turn her on without letting her give any directions. When I do that, she is not allowed to talk. And what she does do is show me where the heck I am driving. Living at the equator does not give a stubble jumper a fair chance of knowing where the heck she is. There is NO SUN to follow to give me a direction. I have no idea whether I am driving north, south, east, or west.The crazy sun is just UP HIGH in the sky.   But Ms. GPS has to admit this to me when I turn her voice off and just make her tell me where I am.  Brilliant!

One more funny one

My colleague, Jeff stops at McD every morning to pick up coffee.  He discovered some kind of coffee looking drink in a small store cooler and tried it.  Anyway, he liked it, it is called something or other 'cafe and the tin indicated that it contains caffeine. He believed it was just cold black coffee. Every day in the schools he would pop one open and drink it in front of the teachers. The female teachers would always giggle.  One day he had one in front of one of the male teachers, and that teachers slapped his arm and said ' Is good for men, yes?' and laughed. Jeff asked what he meant, and the teacher told him it was good for being a MAN.  Now Jeff realized what he was drinking and why the women were always giggling. He had usually consumed about 4 or 5 a day! I wonder what they thought he did at night.
When I told this story to another friend up north here, she was jealous that we have a McD, KFC, and Pizza Hut. She is already planning a visit to see me soon.

ALL celebrities step aside please!

Today at Mahkota as I was attempting to leave, I was swarmed by all the children with pieces of paper. They wanted my autograph!  I assured them I am not famous, and they replied in very careful English that I am very famous to them.  What an ego trip that was.  I could not get away until the bell rang. Thank God or Allah for the BELL.

Pengerang on Thursday

Yesterday I spent the day in Pengarang, which is the south coast of Malaysia.  I had a very productive day but ended it badly. Seems I just might have left the car lights on and when it was time to leave for home, and Jeff already gone, my stupid car would not start. Called Jeff, who returned and found some jumper cables and off I went. grrrr
Pictures uploaded to show the schools etc down there.
Today was less than productive. I had three class visits scheduled and a meeting at my base school. Friday, it turns out is a special assembly for prayers that lasts until 8 am. Not so. I waited until 8:10 and it was still going on. So went to Mawai for my class visit at 8:30, only to find they too had a special assembly. There was no one to talk to in the school to find out when I could expect the meeting to end, except the gate keeper. He advised they would be in the meeting until 10 am. Left that school and went to Mahkota early and had some yummy treats with one of the teachers. Pow. That is what I ate. Some kind of bun thing that is steamed and then fried, and in the middle it has chopped coconut and brown sugar.  Nice.  Then actually did the class visit, with a very nervous teacher, so spent my time assuring her everything was just fine. Then, the head master corralled me and took me to lunch. First real meal I have had in days, and it was not too spicy either. Chicken and corn rice and and a banana. So, maybe I am getting into a routine. Then dashed off to Seri Aman school to do another class visit. Not so. They were preparing for a handball tournament next week, so all classes cancelled. I don't really understand why the primary classes are affected, but that is the way it is. So, I will be rescheduling class visits like craze this weekend to repair the damage of this past week.
Oh, yes, the Mahkota teachers asked me if I saw the elephant this morning on the road. Good Grief. I thought I was in a zone that would never see an elephant. When you consider the curves, hills, and skinny roads I travel you will realize that it would be one HUGE shocker to come upon an elephant on the road. I guess I know who would have the right of way in that one! 
Now I will post the pictures from Pengerang. Pronouced: 'pun ger ong'
Gembut is pronounced:  (hard 'g') 'Gem boat"

so what have I said in the pictures?

SK is some Malay words I cannot recall any longer. Too late tonight to think, I am not being paid!Each of the words that follows is the name of the schools, and each are in my cluster of schools. I have more to visit next week. Crazy, I have only been visiting these schools for less than 2 weeks and the names are already familiar to me, and how to get there even moreso.  And I love all the head masters and mistresses too.  What disturbs me is one of the schools has very poor people attending and the head master advised me that the families don't have enough money for food.  I am glad they get fed at the schools at least once a day.

Tomorrow I travel down to the south coast to do some more class visits, and leave at 6 am to get there by 7:30. arghhh

Then do a workshop for the teachers there and get back on the highway to return at 5 pm, which means I will probably be home about 7 pm due to the traffic. arghh again
So I will try to take more pictures of the schools down there because you will not understand what I am dealing with if I don't.  Oddly enough, it already seems normal to have no internet, or very spotty internet, very bare minimal classrooms, the preschool has a whiteboard about the size that kids in Canada have at home to play with, and it has a huge chunk out of it from some major mishap.

As for life on the homestead, we have discovered that we cannot get home internet, as it is not available in our community.  Should have figured that out when I never see any wireless connections available. arghh again

Jeff and I did our banking today,. What a nightmare.  It took hours to set up online banking, and while I was in the bank, I saw the guards that stand there with rifles drawn waiting for someone to make a wrong move. They smiled broadly at me when I went from staring at the drawn weapon up to their faces. Somehow I guess we are very safe in a bank here. I hope so anyway.  Also got our cars serviced and some little hot shots set our clocks for us. I didn't even know I had a clock!

So what have I learned this week?  Water is precious. And internet is too.

One of the teachers wanted to know what to call me. Most of them call me Madam Frances.  I asked her if she had a preference, and when she asked me my age, (which all I of them do), she asked if she could call me Bonda which means mother. I guess that who I am at that school now. They also ask me how much money I make, and how much I pay for rent. I was told to say 'cukup untuk makan', which means 'enough to eat', and leave it at that. Most of them make far less than I do, including the head masters!

Yes, water is precious.  When was the last time you had to buy water that you wanted to drink?

getting organized with the job

well, I began the observations this week, and we did another workshop yesterday. Lots of driving for this because we have to travel to each other's clusters to work together. My biggest difficulty is trying to get all the teacher's schedules. Each time I go to a school to get them, it takes far longer than it should. The head master or head mistress always wants to have something to drink or eat and a visit  before we get down to business.  Then there are schools that have no staff that speak English in the office so our miming and smiling take more time still.  I had to go to one school three times in order to get the requested schedules yesterday.  But now that they are in my tight little fists I will sit down and do that nasty paperwork to create my own timetable to visit everyone. This is a pretty boring post, but maybe today I will manage to take some photos of the schools so that all you Canadian readers can see how good things are in our education system. Oddly, I am feeling like everything is normal; I guess I have been brainwashed already!  It amazes me how everyone works with what they have, but then I guess if you don't know what you could have, it looks good enough.  The photocopier ususally does not work, there are some projectors installed, but they dont usally work either, and some schools have internet and some do not.  I like the base school the best, because I do not have to climb a set of concrete stairs to the office. Funny what becomes a priority.
I will gather what I can from my base school if time permits and post the photos here later today.

observations and workshops

Well I had a few observations scheduled, but like everything out here, things seem to happen manana .  I really tried to get in and out of a school quickly just to get the schedules but ended up having lunch with them before we could do business.  Something I have to accept in this culture. Not a bad thing either.  I goofed on locking my gates this morning,. I had the big lock snapped in, but only though one side of the gate. But nothing happened, and all is well in the homestead.  Not a lot to take anyway, unless they want some oversized clothing that a Malay would be able to share with three of her sisters.
The observations, or shall I say sit ins, were interesting. I can see the value of our Canadian system of student centred learning.  The children here were very engaged but had no idea what they were reciting. All rote and no understanding makes English a memorization game and not a tool for the global world.They are hilarious when they do the repetitive sentences. They look at me and with broad grins, they scream out the words.  I am not sure if I had a headache due to the cold I am getting or the loud noises in the classroom. And the very best thing is that each of the teachers I met with today asked me to correct them when I saw errors and want to learn how we teach. I did no corrections today, they were excellent at what they do and what they have been trained to do, and will learn other skills in the workshops.What impressed me this morning was a class of year one students who began the class with a prayer. The teacher lead it all in English and it was beautiful. Simple phrases of asking Allah to help them to see, hear, speak and know the word, actions, and thoughts that make them peaceful in the world.  Nice to see that some countries do not ban prayers in schools.   The darling little children take my hand when I leave, and then press it to their foreheads. I asked what this meant, and learned that they show their respect and reverence to me by doing this.  Wow, what an ego boost these little gaffers can give one!
I think I will go and soak my safari style vest that I wear every day (so that I have pockets). It has been used since I arrived in Malaysia, so perhaps a bit of a soak will reveal its true colours.

more later....................

Madam Frances - that is what the children here call me!

I had threeclasses scheduled to sit in on today but schedules changed and only managed to be in two classes. It is amusing how everyone dances around the term 'observe' so one of the head mistresses and myself came up with the term ';sit in'.  The children are adorable. The classroom is nothing like I have known in Canada. Everyone yells and if you had a headache I think it could actually be an issue. The yelling is just enthusiasm because the children are beaming while they are shouting out their words. I was fed at another school this morning and had some very interesting things kind of like papadoms but they weren't.  I was told they were something made out of flour and fish. Whatever they were, they were good, and then someone else brought me some strips of something which is quickly discovered were rock hard. I think they were some version of fish jerky, and also very good. So I had my fish for today, and was told again that my Sedili Ketchi school also has great fresh fish only about a km away. 
Now have to prepare for the workshop that I will be giving to my 'cluster' this afternoon. Cluster is a term used for schools that I am responsible for. I have 5 schools, as does everyone else, and then 3 of us work together somewhat supporting each other in the 3 clusters by sharing the workshops with each other. Bit of a drag because that also means driving all over the place to get to each other's cluster.

Bravely tried a new food place

I found another eatery in the area of town we have been eating. This one was a Chinese food place that had only signs in Chinese.  There were a few pictures and I knew the word nasi (rice) but did not recognize any of the meats.  I ordered one because I actually knew the nasi ayrm, and then branched out and took home some nasi and char sui.(pork).  That can be breakfast tomorrow morning now that I have a fridge.  Some nice family from Singapore helped me when I was asking if the chili he was putting on my food was really hot. They assured me it was not, and I discovered that it was much like the sweet chili sauce from Thailand. All this with cucumbers on the side for 4 ringitts.  The server/chef is definitely skilled with a cleaver. He flew through a piece of meat that he plucked from a hook overhead with the precision of a drummer.  I would advise one to not look at what he is cutting because there is no waste in a carcass of a chicken in this establishment.I suppose that the locals are given the treat of a chicken face when they are important enough. I convinced myself that what I was served was just meat, and I am sticking with that. Besides it tasted delicious. So,another new word added to my vocabulary. 'char sui'
The Singapore family invited me to visit them in Singapore.  I advised them that I cannot drive to Singapore because my car lease only allows me to drive in Malaysia.  I asked them how I would fly there and they had a good laugh. I guess it is a very short distance and somewhat like Victoria to Vancouver, no one is going to bother to offer flights from here to there.  Looks like I have some new friends in yet another country already.
I am feeling kinda smug. I have put away my clothing, eaten a real meal, put gas in the car, and washed some more clothing. DRAT. I forgot to get a lemon,  Oh well my colleague will be back soon and far behind me in the organized department.

Tomorrow begins the real work

Last week we set the groundwork for the job we are here to do. During that time we spent time building relationships with the schools, and I must say, they were wonderful, accommodating, and helpful in every way.  Tomorrow is the first day of actually doing this work.  I will be sitting in on a class with the teachers and either watching to see how they teach a class here or possibly co teaching with them. I have routed out my map for this but do not have all the schools in my schedule for this week. In the afternoon tomorrow we will be giving a workshop to the cluster in my district and will be doing the same at another cluster on Tuesday, and the third on Thursday.  I am glad that we are finally beginning the work that I came to do.  But how I dislike actually creating the schedule to do it.  Once I get into a pattern I hope that I will just be able to find a way to be at each school for a day and not have to travel so darn much. Having said that, I still have to go to my base school every morning before I begin the schedules and at the end of the day.  I have already allotted Sedili Kecil as my Friday school, and then give myself the opportunity to stop at the beach on the way home because school ends at noon on Friday.
I am so glad I stayed home this weekend to get somewhat organized. I actually cleaned up the little clump of stuff at the front door of my house. I had a collection of various things stacked there awaiting my attention.  The items were placed there to avoid prying eyes of burglars who might think I have something valuable here. But keep in mind that they would have to scale the high gates into my property and then look through bars on the patio door. The double front doors are also secured with bar doors outside with huge locks on them too. I have opted to use the patio door for entry because it means I only have to unlock the bars. Now that I have cleaned this up, the room is even emptier.  
Now I have my couple of photos on my desk (my kids as kids), my printer set up, my briefcase ready to be used, and some of my clothing hung on the window bars.  There are no closets in Malaysia, so I have discovered that the window bars are a good place to hang clothing. That way I can be in denial of the need for these devices. I should be able to conceal their real purpose with my dresses and blouses.
It was very nice to not be driving all day.  Guess I better fill up the gas tank today in preparation of the work tomorrow.

coffee with cream and bacon and egg mcmuffins

When I return to Canada those are the items I will have first. For now, roti, dahl, and fruit are the menu items for me.  They are good but I have to figure out something else too. Today I was bad and ate at McD's twice. Had a mcmuffin this morning and back with Jeff for some, ratz I forgot the name (but it is chicken and tastes suspiciously like KFC - which is across the street) Anyway, now fed for the day so will finish up later with some more dragon fruit and watermelon.
My buddy just left for Batu Pahat to visit our other friends. I am very content to stay home and maybe even try to figure out the TV.  I did figure out the lack of power upstairs.  There is some kind of breaker on each floor so I studied the main floor one and then went up to see what was different upstairs. I found some little toggle that was not in the same position as the lower floor one, but it was not the main breaker. Then next door to get someone tall enough to reach the stupid thing and tada!It is crazy how the houses are so tall, the ceilings are about 12 feet high and the breaker panels are planted at about 7 or more feet up the wall. Consider the fact that I am considered tall in Malaysia, then wonder how any of the locals can reach anything. Also all the light fixtures are on the 12 foot ceilings, pasted to them as they are the lovely florescent lights. Each time they turn on it sounds like someone being fried in an electric chair
Life is good now that I have power upstairs. I might even move my bed back up there. Thus far, I have been making a nest in the middle of the floor on the main floor living room/dining room.  The air conditioner was roaring at start up, which I promptly turned off.  I love the warmth of this place, in fact I dont even need a blanket when I sleep. 

Oh. now I remember Ayam Gorang - means fried chicken. 

Funny story. Jeff went to get coffee and was asked if he wanted it to stay or to go.  Dont ever ask for 'to go' in Malaysia.  They pour your coffee into a ziplock bag and hand you a straw.  I wonder how to make a cup holder in your car to accommodate that one?

I am going to go shopping for more locks. I just realized when I went upstairs that all the windows up there need locks too. Burglers can get in by crawling on the tile roof tops to the bedrooms up there. I think I will just get some cheap locks, just so they see there is a lock in place. Because once they get inside they would have to exit the same way anyway, not making it an easy exit.

Another funny story. Jeff followed my lead and went to the bank to get his debit/credit card activated. Unfortunately he was late and the bank was closed. When he turned around, two guys jumped out of a white panel van (unmarked) brandishing sawed off rifles, pointed in his direction. He said the F word and just stared at them. Turns out they were the security guys who deliver money to the bank. They just stared laughing when they saw how shocked he was. I think Jeff probably had to change his underwear after that one.

Now, signing off...............

Very productive day today

I managed to go to all my schools today and even found the last one.  Yay.  I loved the parking spot they gave me for that school, and will post a picture of it today.  The teachers there for the English program are very nice, I have 4, two men and two women.  The women asked to have our pictures taken after the men left so she can post it on her facebook.  So I guess I will be on her  facebook now too.  Also learned that my rural of all rural schools is just before a fishing harbour so if I drive beyond the school just a bit (however that is the term for any distance here) I should be able to purchase fish directly from the fishermen. Once I figure out how to find a cooler to buy, I will definitely do that. But then I also need something to cook it on too. I bravely steered off my route and found another little village that has local fishermen, so will check that out as well, and it is kind of within the school area.  I did manage to take a couple of shots of the beach on the way, lovely white sand beach and waves crashing into the shore.  No crocs that I could see.  I have definitely upped the number of teachers involved in this project so I will still in the good books of the Ministry of Education.  I just keep telling them that there is no test or exam, and they will have fun working with me, I hope this is all true.  Oh, and  a head master at one of the schools took me to the cafeteria and gave me fried bananas. How scrumptious they were.  I could eat those again very easily. He also lives very near where I live so had said that I must come to their place for food.  I think he really wants some English lessons, which I will be happy to provide.  Some of the other teachers keep telling me to live in the village, as it is much safer. Said that my home is in a 'black' area, which means lots of break ins. But with all the crazy locks I have on the doors and bars on every window, I should be quite safe here.  Just told to not go out at night and come home alone. So I will heed that warning, besides everyone knows what an early to bed one I am.
Cant think of much else to say, I think I will have a shower and figure out what to eat other than watermelon and papayas. I have to now make maps for each of the places I go to school so others can find their way there too. Not really fair, I had to find them on my own, so everyone should too.
PS. crazy cows are very sneaky. Today they were wearing beige and had big horns too.

Beach on the China Sea

I will take a photo today, if I have time, It is a lovely beach on the way to my most distant school which is total Malay.  Very very rural and I am definitely a sight for all to see there. I had thought I would perhaps grab a few minutes on the beach on my way back from that school.  However, the southern schools informed us that some of the beaches may have salt water crocs roving around. That is a good deterrent for me to not stop.  I will ask around there to see if this beach is one of those croc beaches.  Not sure I want to find out for myself.

I slept like a log

My first night in my place we great. We had a meeting to discuss our plans of action for today. Each of us will go to our own clusters and gather more information from the teachers. Also have to find one of the schools, which was evading my eye the other day.  Only a half day today, so life is good.  BUT last night as Jeff left my place and I was turning off the lights there was huge cracks of noise and flashes of light.  I thought we were in a war zone.  Red flashes and huge booms across the road!  Turns out that some happy citizens are still celebrating Chinese New Year.  We were told at the school yesterday that it was the last day of Chinese New Year (I foolishly thought that such a celebration was only ONE DAY, however over here they celebrate for ONE WEEK)  Anyway, I hope this is the end.  At the hotel, the evenings would come to life until at least 2 am and I found it difficult to sleep before the celebrants went home. Last night was only the big bam, and then over.  I dragged my mattress down to the main floor and slept there as I could not figure out how to turn any kind of lights on upstairs.  I will figure that out today in the daylight.
Now I have this lovely watermelon, papaya and dragon fruit in my fridge but I can't find my knife.  It is like having a tin of tuna when out on a camping trip without a can opener.  I guess I will have to forfeit the fruit until I go shopping or take the time to find either the knife or my leatherman. Oddly, the food stores seem to only sell eggs at room temperature. I go into my gagging mode when I see this because my lovely imagination leads me to all sorts of visions of rotten eggs. It also makes me gag when I think of the eggs I have consumed while here and gag some more.  I definitely drew attention to myself when I was trying hard to deep breath to stop the gag reflex while envisioning these sights while passing the egg section. I will  know enough to not walk past that area in the future. Jan knows what I am like, she has seen this dramatic gagging on many camping trips.
I also handwashed some clothing from this past week. I was going to wash my white linen blouse that has been recycled several times to see if it would ever come clean. Amazingly it is clean as a new shirt and hanging on my patio.  Not really sure if I need to buy a washing machine now that I see how easy it is to do hand washing.I have managed to score points to use Jeff's new washing machine. I was smart enough to take my lease with us so we knew where to tell the delivery people to bring our new appliances. Then I also had the cashola to buy gas to fill up our cars,  and it was also agreed that since I bargained down the cost of the fridges, I got a couple of more free washloads banked. I think considering the way I have been wearing clothing lately I should not have to be concerned about a washer for a few months. AND, we both have discovered that we may not need to buy one of those water heater thingys.  The locals don't heat the water for showers and I was skanky enough to try this out myself. Surprisingly, the water is good enough as is.  Maybe I will invest in one for any company that arrives but for me, I must have become a local in that respect because the shower was just fine. 
We managed to see two of those huge lizards when we were down south again yesterday. All the locals keep telling us that most people never see them because they are too timid around people. They must not recognize us as people, because we have seen more than our share. A teacher down there also said that in that area, they have found the odd cobra in the school property.  Then went on to say that when they leave their home in the evening they must close up all little holes so that cobras and lizards cannot enter while they are out.  Hmm, I am glad I am not living in that area.  However, I noticed the outside door in Jeff's wet kitchen has about a 2-3 inch gap which means many critters can enter there. I am too much in denial to check the gap on my own wet kitchen, as that is the headquarters of Mr. Lizard, and I have given him a wide berth.  Oh, yes the teacher also told me that the locals sprinkle salt around their homes and snakes and critters will not cross that line. So if you want to visit, you would be wise to bring a pouch of salt to fend off the critters.  I am definitely going to buy a sack of salt on my way home today.
Now to actually put on some clean clothing and head out to the countryside.  Yay for Friday!

A very long day

Now we are told that we need to up the number of teachers in our clusters. I am not sure how we can do this due to the fact that we are in an extremely rural location. There are only so many teachers available and short of knitting a teacher or two or pulling someone off the side of the road, I can't see how we can create more teachers if there are not more teachers in the schools.  That is the beauty of bureaucracy or fitting a square peg into a round hole.  Some clusters have several schools within walking distance of each, while ours have a school that is 20 minutes from the next with a lower population. You cannot write the same rules for different demographics. That is my whine for today.  Tomorrow comes early here so have to hit the hay.BUT I did get my things to my new home today. And found some Mickey Mouse sheets for my bed too. They were left in the house and laundered too, so freebies for me.  I even managed to meet my household lizard, not that I wanted to, but hopefully he will stay in the kitchen and leave me alone in my bedroom.  Guess I wont be doing a great deal of cooking until we figure out a way to not see each other on a regular basis.

I did it!

The cows were incognito.  Some  had brown suits amid the black. But I dodged them skillfully.  I found 3 of my 5 schools, actually found a 4th but passed it too quickly and needed to get to Kota Tinggi to get my home keys and residence arranged.  That is more important I think, and will have to finish up either Friday or Monday, Everyone is so darn nice, and welcoming. The head mistress at my base school has already offered to take me shopping and out to dinner.  And love the children everywhere. Some little guys rattled off Malay to me and then had a good laugh at my expense. I took no pictures today, I was far too intent on getting to the schools and figuring out where they were. Ah, but my most distant school is just past a wonderful beach on the China Sea. I will definitely stop there very soon and take a picture for everyone to see what a difficult time I am having.
Now dashing off to my new digs to get the keys. We bought our set of locks for the security, I managed to find 4 locks with a master key so that should keep me keyed for the duration.
As for the diet, everyone insists on feeding me at each school. This could become a problem with any weight loss me thinks.Oh yes, and all the new names, I don't know how I am going to remember them all. Each school has a gatekeeper security man One of them was quite a funny incident. The gate was only open wide enough for a person, not a car and the gate keeper could only speak Malay. We finally sorted it out and he opened it wider. Guess I need to learn a few more words than 'thank you' and 'your welcome'. For those who want to know the words - Terima Kasih and sama sama
So look out Desaru, we are heading there tomorrow to do the same thing again with those schools.

tiger attack in Malaysia

One of my colleagues called to ask me if I was alright. Seems there was a tiger attack in Johor, so I am wondering if I call in a sick day tomorrow.  After checking the news, it appears the attack was in the north and I am in the south, and it was not in Johor state anyway.  Guess I have to go to work and fend off the black cows after all.
I had a lovely feast of gai lan and white rice. I think this was my most expensive meal to date. A whopping 8 ringitts. Actually quite high, but what can you do?

my cluster

I can't sleep so here I am at the blog.  Excited about my cluster because I have been given 5 schools and two of them are very unique.  One is 100% Malay, which means the students will be very low on English and very little knowledge of anything but their immediate surroundings.  Probably why they students were staring at me like I was something in a zoo.  They were so curious, and completely adorable.  The would giggle when I waved and smiled at them,  I can see this is going to be very enjoyable.  The other unique one that I have is a full aboriginal school. This group is known here as the Orang Asli,of which there are 18 or 19 different sub groups. Much like our Canadian aboriginals there tends to be times of the year when the students do not attend school. These times are when they need to go with the parents to go hunting for food.I really hope I am not invited to dinner. I think I will be a vegetarian at that time. Not sure how we handle this, or if we handle it at all.  But I can see these are the areas where we need to focus our attention so that the children can experience the value of the education without spoiling their heritage.  Today in our travels we saw numerous monkeys on the side of the road, a very long lizard, probably about 4 feet long, crossing the road, and some crazy cows warming their bellies on the road.  I have been advised to not go to my northern schools first thing in the morning. Why? Because I will be driving in the dark and the crazy cows that are all black cannot be seen on the road at that time of night/day, and I would definitely hit one or more.  So, I have to save that area for when there is daylight giving both of us a chance to avoid a collision. Because Jeff and I have to cover the third cluster until someone shows up (I hope), we have decided that we will head down there on Thursday and spend the night in a hotel because we need to be there Friday morning as well. He has calculated that the cost of a hotel is less than the cost of the gas to get there and back. Glad I have someone with me who thinks of these things. So that looks like the pattern we will have until we have the 3rd mentor join us.  Maybe we can get in a round of golf there, as Friday afternoons are free time anyway.Oh yes, lunch, Our district liaisons who took us on the tour are very much the culture here. Everyone here eats with their right hand. I cannnot  believe how skilled they can all eat with fingers and not have their clothes and arms dripping with food. Lucky for us, they used this little teapot on the table before we reached for it to fill our hot water cups.  It looks like a teapot with a raised trivet that has a reservoir beneath it. What it is is a finger washing station for eating, Wouldn't we have been cool drinking from the pot? We also dropped into the store that Jeff checked out to buy beds. The deliver them but we realized we didn't know our addresses. oops

went to the school clusters today

Jeff and I actually found the Ministry of Education district office with the directions we were given. Ibrahim was late but arrived and took us to the main office where we met Fayid.  Jeff was fussing around telling me I had to wear socks because we take our shoes off every time we enter a building. I only wore shoes without socks. I thought I had some Christmas socks in the car but turns out I took them into the hotel. He kept making me hide behind my briefcase so that my feet were not showing. WELL, it turns out that barefeet are completely acceptable.  So no further hiding after the first school visit.  Fayid and Ibrahim drove us all around the three clusters, and we were met with open arms at each of them, In fact, the south coast cluster that Jeff and I will have to work between us PLUS our own were openly disappointed when they discovered I would not be their regular mentor.  So I hope the new mentor shows up soon.  While preparing for that journey, Ibrahim looked directly at me and said "how old are you?"  I decided I had to be honest (sort of) and said 60.  He flew backwards and said, he thought I was 40 or 45 -- his age!  What a lovely compliment. I think Jeff also fell backwards because he told me he had no idea I was that old, and didn't think I was either. Now, neither of them know that I am actually older than that.  A couple of the teachers also asked me how old I was, so I stayed with the 60 answer.I took a photo of the hotel from the outside when I returned. Just to show you what the landscape looks like around here. But keep in mind that everyone here is so warm, welcoming, and hospitable, that what you think  see is not what you get in the sense of the building. The safety here is great too, I left Ms. GPS in the car which a big no no because there are bandits that come around cars and have some device that detects any technological equipment in the vehicle, then break in and steal it. Nothing happened to Ms. GPS, she was still in the glove box this morning.  I had a huge lunch, courtesy of the Min of Ed, so I think that will be my final meal for today,  I can hardly wait to have my own place to stuff myself with watermelon, dragon fruit, and papayas once again.  Guess I better get that fridge ordered pronto.

Levi is now officially 3 years old ! Happy Birthday little man

crept down to the 24 hour front desk this morning at 5 am to find the desk clerk swaddled in mitts and sweaters lying asleep on a futon sofa.  There are no kettles in the rooms and one needs to ask the desk person to boil some water. After several paper shuffling noises and tapping my Mink mug on the counter he awoke and began the water boiling process.  I have been searching the town for a Starbucks (sorry Marc) but cant find one. There is Pizza Hut, KFC, and McDonalds but no coffee place. I have not drunk coffee since Victoria BC, and don't really miss it, but it would be a treat to have a cuppa.  These people do not use cream and it does not appear available even in the grocery stores.  Milk comes in a tetra pack only.  Jeff and I were discussing the foods and I told him that one day I decided to have toast. There was this bright yellow mass of stuff so I spread some on the toast, thinking it might be butter. Don't ever eat the yellow stuff. It does not break down, I have no idea what it is, but it just sits on top of whatever you put it on and feels like silly putty in your mouth -- no more like that slimy stuff that kids toss and it sticks on the ceilings and walls of your house,.Maybe this is the local version of "don't eat yellow snow"
Jeff has lived in Asian climates before so his advise for work days is to take a small piece of luggage. Thank God Jenn convinced me to take a small carry on.  He said to take at least one change of clothing, and any overnight things I would need, plus my computer, dongle, and water.  So, now I have emptied that piece of luggage in this messy room and will fill it with the items he has suggested,  I also have imodium, which he needs so maybe I can negotiation using his washing machine in our new homes until I can afford to buy my own.  He needs imodium now, so I think I have the ACE for that one.  He is also intent on getting his internet installed immediately, which I think might be an expense I would rather hold off on for a month.  They want a huge deposit for this, so perhaps making dinner for him will give me the internet access code for me to use for a while too.  I think I am becoming more of a local than I realized. Yesterday at breakfast some woman approached us asking if wanted to buy a lottery ticket from her.  When we declined, she then proceeded to offer all sorts of things and said she would meet us again. And she did. She found us at dinner last night.We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and what a good idea. Much easier on the digestive system. A huge mound of baby bok choy and some kind of hot ginger soup.Now off to meet the Ministry person.  All those years of political involvement are finally paying off. I can schmooze with the best of them, and that is exactly what is required for this meeting.  Wish me luck.  I took a big step today -- I changed my watch to local time. It was a hard decision to make but I could never figure out whether the time I saw on my watch was morning or night in Canada and made a couple of faux pas calling people in the middle of the night, So I decided I might as well know the time where I am.  My blog posts are probably dated a day or too off because I have kept the computer at Canada time also. But that is not even correct either. arghhhh

meeting the district officer of the Ministry of Education tomorrow morning

We have wonderful directions for the district officer's office. All we have to do is drive over the bridge, look for a bunch of schools, then beyond that we should see some quaint little structures.  I am sure we can find this!  We've tried a google search for the address but nothing is available on the internet.  But why would that surprise me, we cannot get any maps for our school locations either, and some of the villages where the schools are located are not even named on any maps that there are for Malaysia.  We attempted to find our hotel when we arrived in Kota Tinggi as well because it did not come up on a google search or a GPS location on our units.  However, we did find the hotel when we asked at a gas station.  They said, just drive over the bridge and look to your right.  They were right that time, so thank God for the bridge.

stayed in Kota Tingii (area)

The realtor called me again today and met us.  She said leave Kota Tinggi and drive toward Johor Barhu and come to a detour sign. She will meet us there. Somewhere around the God place.  Turns out she meant some kind of church.  Anyway, we found her and drove a short distance further to some complex of townhouses.  We will be the only non Malaysians there so told to expect a lot of stares from the locals. Jeff was eying the place and told me that he would take it if I did not.  There were no other options so I took it.  Then we asked if there was another, and turns out that the landlord whom we met there also owns the one next door that they keep as a unit in case of flooding where they live. He called his wife and she agreed to rent it to Jeff so we are very close neighbours.  It is just on the outskirts of Kota Tinggi, so should be nice and quiet, and makes it easier to get to our schools too I think.  We will see.  I better figure out how to get a fridge and something to cook on, I am thinking a bbq instead of a stove.  And a kettle would complete the furnishings for  now.  Ahh Marie, you should take a page from my book, and your life would be far less stressful. So now all we have to do is find a way to have the Embury clan here for a Christmas reunion.  What a wonderful Christmas present that would be. I promise I will get more things before then. PS Anyone else who wants to join us is very welcome.

now what?

well I guess I have to continue to remind myself why I am here.  I am in one of the most rural outposts there is here in Malaysia. There are no places to rent. Arghh   But I will go out in the car today and see if I can find somewhere to live, because if it is this bad, imagine how much this project is needed here.  So, I will drink some water and get in the car and take that lovely GPS lady with me to see what we can find.  Not that she is much help out here. She doesn't seem to know where to go either. But at least she is a voice nattering at me to turn left, turn right, and find somewhere to make a U turn.  Wish me luck
I am considering asking the golf and coastal resorts if I can rent something long term.  They might appreciate a long term tennant, and I could be close to my schools too. Even get in a round of golf between school visits too maybe.  We will see

WOW

I will  take some photos but not just yet.

 Hotel is a walk up and we are on the first floor. Thank God. Thank God for Jeff too, I could not even get my bigger bag out of the trunk so you could forget the stairs.  I owe him dinner or something grand for this.
We just laughed when we saw the hotel. The picture I will take will explain what I mean.  The people are lovely, the town  or city or whatever it is is nice too. Problem was the rooms were booked but not paid for.  Jeff took my phone to call Adrian, our line mgr, but the phone indicated service failure.  I asked the nice lady at the desk if they had wireless and she did not understand. When I said internet she said NO.  That is when the laughter began again.
Lucky that for some reason I entered Sue's phone number in my phone, who is above Adrian.  We tried her number on a lark and tada, got through to her. Not sure if the room stuff is repaired,  but the people did let us check in, and Jeff hauled everything up the stairs.  He is probably in his room now pushing back the hernia it created.  I would love to buy him dinner but then the fact that a credit card is required is likely to get the same reaction to internet, cell phones and anything technological in this neighbourhood.When I explained to Adrian that I was having trouble with my bank card from Canada, I said I would try the Standard Bank in my home town beause it is an international bank. Now I understand his burst of laughter when I said that.  I will be lucky to find a local bank here.
We both had another laugh as tons of our work is online and we are to be accessible by phone communication with our schools and anyone involved in our cluster.  Should be fun.  And we are not even out in the rural area yet.
But, having said all this, the drive was beautiful, the plantations awesome, and the feeling of peacefulness compared to the frantic pace in the cities was warmly embraces. But that could be because we were sweating like a couple of sumo wrestlers in the heat.
Stay tuned for pics.

better admit this now

The car people arrived at our resort just before we were leaving. They were to bring GPS systems for our cars if we had ordered them. I ended up with a bigger and better one than I had ordered.  We all were fumbling around trying to get them working and many ended up listening to some mechanical lady speaking in Malay.  I got the right language, but one of the guys insisted on helping me program my destination.  Problem was he gave me the wrong destination.  I figured that out once on the highway so had to keep telling that mechanical witch that I was not going to go the way she wanted me to go.  Also made the mistake of following a brit who I was sure knew what he was doing. Not true, he ended up God knows where and lucky for me I got lost from that adventure because of the many crazy drivers cutting me off. I muddled along and eventually found the highway and entrance to the toll booth. I began to swish through there as we had been told that we do not pay until leaving the highway. Bad choice, sirens were sounding and lights were flashing when I did that. I attempted to pull over but had all sorts of cars rushing by me that had done the correct thing.  The toll booth man eventually came to me and handed me the ticket I needed to exit the highway. After that life got better except for that GPS lady getting frustrated with me going the wrong way. I guess I could have unplugged her but she was nice company in the car.

first working day in Kluang

As usual I am up early so I guess I better get onto my intranet to figure out where the heck my new schools are located so I can make a good choice for where the heck I should live.  For now I will drink my tea and use my old familiar laptop that has brought me to this point. THANKS RY. I reflected on the signature I always signed my e-mails.  "be the change you want to see in the world".  I guess I better always remember to be careful for what I ask for.  That statement is exactly why I came here.  If I truly want everyone in the world to have equal access to knowledge as I have been given, then it is my responsibility to help make that happen.  Now I have to figure out how I am going to do that.Two of the guys on the teams down in Johor hve long hair. Not acceptable with the locals, and they are being very resistant. They are both great teachers, so I hope they don't resist to the point of not being here. They would be a big loss.  There are very definite rules for us.  If we are to drink alcohol it must be very clandestine with all bottles wrapped in a couple of bags before putting in the trash.  Not sure I will partake if I have to sit in my home and consume it like that.  Although, the gin and tonic is a health reason to avoid the Malaria that is possible.  I am sure I can justify that one! I was also told that local gin is about 5 bucks for a jug, so that must be a reason it is so reasonably priced, right?
Levi makes me pictures and sends them from his own e-mail account. He now knows how to find e-mails from Nana on his IPad.  Crazy huh? One of his art pieces is on the right.

Kluang

well, the teams working in Johor are now in Kluang.  We arrived in the afternoon after our journey south.  We had a short meeting and will be meeting most of tomorrow.  A big step down from resort living. We actually had to feed ourselves tonight. Mostly lazy and not very hungry so we all piled into a Thai restaurant next to the hotel. I managed to dine for a grand total of 3 ringets.  So if this is the cost of living, I should be able to bank a few bucks every month. The scenery on the trip down was beautiful. All sorts of orchards and farming of some sort.  None of us had trouble navigating the highway.  A bit trickier on the roads into Kluang, but uneventful for most.We are only here for 2 days and then off to our destinations -- mine is Kota Tinggi so we will see what I find for a home there very soon.

thank God for Jennifer

I could not get any cashola from the bank machine yesterday.  Prego Jenn went to the bank and hopefully sorted this out for me.  We will see when I try again.  I don't know what I would have done without her.  But what a great bunch of people I am here with. Everyone was lining up to lend me some money, and I have only known these people for about 4 days.

Now for the packing and hitting the road to who knows where on the next leg of the journey.  I think it will  be as much fun as the past few days have been.  But pretty hard to beat the endless stream of Malaysian foods and hospitality I have had here. Good thing I have a car because I have now acquired even more stuff to jam in to the little vehicle.  Added another laptop and printer and cell phone to the bags I already have.Lets see if I can actually keep track of all this.

stay tuned

new cars

well, I had no time to take photos today. I hope I can snap a couple before I leave in the morning.  The new car arrival was very funny. Everyone was supposed to dash out the lot to choose their vehicle. I didn't care about the colour, I just wandered around trying to find the easiest license number. Very funny when everyone was told to open the car and try all the functions to make sure that everything worked. EVERYONE set off the alarms so the parking lot sounded like goose hunting season in Saskatchewan. And none of us knew how to turn the blasted things off either.

Kota Tinggi Johor

Well that is my new address.  I was fist dispatched to Dungun Terrengannu, but pointed out to the chap that the location was about as far from my choice as was possible. Getting to KL was an 8 hour drive over nasty roads.  There are incredible beaches in that location, but also quite a distance from my actual living area. I would have been quite inland in order to service my cluster of schools. I guess the exciting part of that would have been taking pictures of the elephant crossing signs on the roads. And apparently, there are elephants crossing the roads there.  Probably should give them the right of way, right?
  Anyway, I negotiated a southern location, and will be living in a village in Johor.  It is by the southeast coast of Malaysia, very close to the boarder that takes me to Singapore.  The families living there are plantation farmers for rubber trees and palm oil  Not the owners, but the labourers, so I think I will be amid the real culture and lifestyle of Malaysia.  A fellow teacher that I will be working with intends to go fishing with the locals on his time off. I am hoping he does so I can score some good fish for dinner.  Now better look into finding a Cobb to cook the little lovlies.
Jenn has told me that the area is noted for fireflies. I guess I better get more accomplished with the great camera Ryan gave me and see how I can post them on this blog.  Got my new car, new laptop, printer, and the lovely dongle, so looks like I am ready to roll.  Only one more day in the luxury, and then a step closer to why I am here.  I really think they should have taken us camping instead of a luxury resort. That way, everything would be uphill.  Gonna be a test to adjust to reality after this week.

Very Good Advice

Malaysians are so generous. Their hospitality is generated in sharing food. I have had more than my share and wonder what kind of a blimp I am going to become as a result. Our morning coffee break was complete with roti and dahl, samosas, and cakes. This being served only a couple of hours after a huge breakfast feast which also included the incredible roti and dahl.  The afternoon tea break offered sandwiches and platters loaded with cakes and cookies.  When I saw that spread I had to run and hide because they insist you eat something.  I was told that the schools are very much like this too.  Also told that the best way to deal with it is to announce I am a vegetarian.  That can avoid a lot of scary things offered depending on where I am. I should be able to recognize a fruit or vegetable. I wont say no to dragon fruit, that is for sure! Best way to not offend anyone.

hash house harriers

sometime today we are doing some kind of walk/jog/run that is called hash house harrier. There is a trail marked out in the jungle with sawdust, chalk, or flour which we must follow and eventually end up at some place unknown to us. Sounds kind of like Hansel and Gretel to me.
 One of the members asked if they would send out a search party for anyone that goes missing.  There was never an answer, so I think I will stay in a group since we also learned that YES THERE ARE TIGERS IN THE JUNGLE. And a few cobras too. Also hope it does not rain today, as the trail to follow could be seriously compromised.  If this is my last entry of the blog, you can determine that it either rained or I got separated from the group.

Why am I here?

Today was enlightening. Seems that Malaysia is working toward being a knowledge based economy from a manufacturing based economy.  How do they do this? By educating their young children in the global language of English.  Where is this education needed the most?  In the rural areas.  I feel very honoured to be part of this change and am excited about finding out where I will be posted to do this. Today we have all been nattering about wanting to know where we will be. Tomorrow we will find out. We get our new cars tomorrow too. No photos today --- just as we were breaking for dinner the rains hit very hard. Maybe tomorrow. 

a working day

Up early to attend a full day of seminars and such.  I love my job title. I am an ELP

I hope it is not a description of what I will constantly need --- elp, elp

I will attempt to find some time to take a couple of photos

I feel like a watermelon

I have been tossing back watermelon and dragon fruit like a fiend.  Not sure I will quit, it is so refreshing and plentiful everywhere I look.  Before I write any more about Malaysia, I need to thank ALL MY FRIENDS who helped me get here.  I cannot name everyone, not fair to name people on this blog without warning, but everyone knows who they are, and I hope can accept my gratitude. I was lucky enough to spend my last afternoon in Victoria with a teeny tiny baby, reminding me that I will not be able to spend time with my latest grandchild. Dee was kind enough to share hers and her credit card for a lunch to get me started on the cuisine I will be eating for the next long while.

had to write this

what could be better? 

While chatting with Jennifer on gmail call phone FOR FREE, my doorbell rang.  Caller wanted to know if I had any laundry for her.  Not prepared for that, so I declined.  I am sure I can gather something up for tomorrow morning though.

apparently it is February 5th

quite a journey from one side of the world to another. What totally amazes me is the fact my bags were checked in with Air Canada in Victoria and actually met me in Malaysia today.  WOW


Yes, it is hot, but only 30 degrees -- not the promised 35.  I have a killer view from my suite, but already lost my new cell phone, and don't have the strength to find my fancy shmacy camera to take a picture. And where is Jennifer to help me figure out this thing to make my computer plug in. I cannot figure it out.   I put the phone down to get the elevator and went up to my room without it. oops

I think one of the group picked it up for me, so they will surely track me down. YES  I did report it.  Maybe I will write something more once I have had a shower.  Although the humidity makes me feel like am in a shower right now

Chinese New Year

I think this is a good day to begin the journey.  Glad for my request for a layover between Vic and Van. Jenn and I had a great visit on the curb at YVR. I wonder if she realized we managed to talk just like two adults talk --  something that does not occur very often these days with Levi in the midst.  I am not sure why I didn't  cry this time -- maybe because I could see that Jenn was OK with me going, and I know the incredible support she has with her Luther ladies.

How untimely.  Just got a message from Ryan who has been flying into and out of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore with great frequency is heading for diving in India today.  He will be in Hong Kong tonight and I will be in Hong Kong in the morning. Not sure we could get worse timing if we tried.  But after his assignment,he can come to visit me in my new home, wherever the heck that is.

Thanks Pam for the great purse. Every woman on the flight asked me where I got it. Clearly way beyond my own taste.  It is not worn on my back and does not have a MEC logo on it either.  Jenn thought it was pretty snazzie too. And Ken, you can breathe easiser now, knowing that parting martini is the last of the gin bottle abuse at your house for a long, long time.

Just got an e-mail from my 'boss'. The orientation weeks look way too good. I am beginning to wonder about that phrase if it looks to good to be true.... The first week looks more play than work, and the second is not far behind.  I wonder when the work begins?

Departure Day

Not sure I am ready, but I guess that doesn't matter any longer. Marie drove her chariot to my storage locker yesterday.  Carol came to my house and buzzed around sorting things for me to help me stay focused. Lynda is helping in the morning with the last of storage items. And Pam is picking up the bike and me.  The best part of the day is when Ken has to part with big bucks at a fine Sidney restaurant to assure that I really do leave.  I am looking forward to time with good friends before I head off to the unknown. I hope Steph joins us.

Hope I can twist my hairdresser’s arm to give me one more great haircut.  Who knows what I will find for haircuts in Malaysia.  Opps there goes the vanity again.  Better lose that with the Blackberry. I gotta say I seem to be having trouble keeping track of this paper daytimer though.  I feel like it is another piece of luggage.

Leaving on Chinese New Year must be a good omen.  Maybe no Malayan tigers will stalk me. Apparently, the Malaysians call this guy Pak Belang, which translates into “uncle stripes”.  That kind of feels better – sort of cute like a teddy bear in Banff.

Now the drivel should get more interesting I hope.

The day before departure

A few more errands to get done today.  

I cant believe I have bought into the Blackberry so strongly. That is the hardest thing for me to let go, and I thought I was not materialistic.  I actually had to buy a PAPER daytimer yesterday again.  That means I will have to be sure to have a pen as well. I am going to have to figure out how to replace those instant messages with Jenn everyday -- all day! Thank God for Skype and being on a more conducive timezone with Ryan What about Levi? One of us is going to have to stay up past 8 pm in order to chat I think. I vote for Levi on that one.

I have not yet mastered the isty bitsy technology that lets me access that anywhere and everywhere. The old gnarled fingers need to figure out how to tap the right keys on that stuff.

I never would have managed to get to this stage of preparedness without my many friends and family. Now I hope the posts become more interesting for others.  We will see........

almost ready to leave

Just two days before I leave, and I think I am almost ready.  I have no idea what is in store for me, but have decided to trust that it is going to be wonderful.  Finally have managed to give up the need to control the whole thing and just allow everything to unfold as it will. Good decision, because my control of this is not an option anyway.




The people who are putting this all together have years of experience, so why would I think I know better than they.


AND, I can always come home if it is not working. But better not let Ken know, he has probably dreamed of this since moving to Victoria. He would be very disappointed if he knew I was back drinking his gin.