Pictures

Ok, so I can kind of access facebook. I have just added another Photo link for the last photos from our KT Orientation. Enjoy!

First Day at SMK Matang

My School- SMK Matang (Matang High School)

Ezra and I have arrived at our new home in Kampung Matang (Matang Village). We are living at my school, SMK Matang, in a really nice (and big!) apartment. SMK Matang is mostly a day school of about 600 students, but 100 or so live on campus because their homes are farther away and transportation every day would be too costly. The students who board here live in what is called a "hostel," though we would call it a dormitory. It is way nicer than Berkeley dorms were, that's for sure. Ezra and I live in what they call "warden's quarters," meaning a nice apartment with a master bedroom, a living room, a dining room, a fairly big kitchen, a sitting-type room, another bedroom with its own bathroom, and an empty room that we are trying to figure out what to do with. There is no AC, just ceiling fans, but the apartment stayed very cool last night so I'm happy. We have hot water too, so that is nice. We even have an oven, which is unheard of in this country. All and all, we are quite comfortable here so far.

Our Apartment (We have the top floor)

This morning we woke up at 6am to the sound of the azan, the early morning prayer. Muslims pray 5 times a day, so this will no doubt become a familiar occurence. At about 7:30, my mentor, Puan Rashidah, picked us up at our porch and walked us over to the assembly ampitheatre, where all 600 students were lined up for early morning announcements and then extra-curricular activities. The boys and girls are kept separate here, so at the assembly, the boys were all lined up in the front, and the girls behind them. The principal then introduced me to the school, and I got to make a small speech introducing myself and thanking everyone for having me here. It was very nice, and I felt very welcomed. Ezra said a few words as well, and then he went off to his school (Imtiaz Kuala Berang) for his first day there.

The principal then took me on a tour of the school, which is relatively small by Malaysian standards. It is perfect I think, manageable and not too overwhelming. I met a whole bunch of people who I will probably embarrass myself with later when I can't remember their names, but so it goes. At least I have a whole week here before I start teaching so that I can settle in a bit.

Some discoveries:
1. Although not mandated by the school or the government, women and men students AND faculty barely interact. Or, I should say, only interact when they absolutely have to. The male faculty has separate offices than the female faculty, and although the classes are co-ed, the boys and girls sit on opposite ends of the room. Like I said, this is all by choice-- very interesting. No wonder men and women here seem like completely different species from each other sometimes.

2. I am going to have trouble posting photos from now on I think, because Facebook is blocked by the government here. I am trying not to freak out about that, but I am dying a little bit inside. Ez doesn't know this yet, I wonder what his reaction will be. We also don't have internet in our apartment yet (maybe we will eventually, maybe not) so these posts might not be as frequent as I'd like. I will try as hard as I can, and hopefully I will find another photo site that is acceptable to the government.

3. My first friend here is Wan, the IT guy. He likes to practice his English with me, so I will have many conversations with him I imagine. He has been trying to help me get internet in our apartment, but I'm not sure how much he knows about computers, so we'll see. He is very nice though, and it made me feel good to have a friend. I haven't had much contact with the students yet, but I have been greeting them when they walk by and they have been very sweet to me in passing. I'm not sure what the rest of the week will look like, because I don't start teaching until Sunday. I don't know what Ez's schedule is either, so this might be a mellow week for me.

Well, off to a good start I suppose...keep your fingers crossed for me that the government suddenly approves of Facebook...

The Meltdown

I have kind of avoided discussing my personal feelings about Malay culture until now because I have been quietly observing it and letting it wash over me before making any judgments. I still don't feel like I can "judge" it per se, but at least I have some things to say about it now. Up until now, I have focused on all of the things I love about this country: the easygoing nature of the people, the part of the religion that focuses on peace and spirituality, the hospitality, etc. Naturally though, I have gotten quite the reality check, and while I am still overjoyed to be here and very much looking forward to teaching, I now understand some of the difficulties I will be up against.

It all started on Tuesday, when we entered the orientation classroom for our 4-hour morning Malay lesson. Our teachers that day were two government men who had absolutely NOTHING prepared for us, except to teach us the greetings and pronouns for 4 hours by saying what they were over and over again, even though we already knew them very well and told them this repeatedly. For a more detailed account, see Ezra's blog post "No Exit." But anyways, the real issue for me was just how incredibly sexist these men were. At one point during the "lesson," the teacher catches my eye, stops what he is saying, and nonchalantly says, "Oh, Sarah, your school has been switched, you will no longer be at SMK Matang," and then continues to recite the pronouns for the 412th time. I just sat there with a look of horror on my face, as I had already met my school officials, liked them, and was incredibly happy with my placement. What's more, Ezra and I were supposed to live at my school, and me being switched would mean that we'd have less than a week to find new housing, definitely an impossible feat in this country. So anyways, I sat there with this horrid look on my face, and when he realized it, he said, "Don't worry, it's for your own good."

Besides the fact that this was an incredibly condescending thing to say, it was also a DEFINITE cause for worry and he brushed it off like he had just told me my pencil had fallen on the floor. Seeing that his words had not calmed me down, he then went on to say that we worried too much and should stop worrying. Jackie then tried to explain that in our culture, getting news like this would be very disconcerting, and that is why I was so upset. She spent a few minutes detailing this difference in cultures, after which the teacher thought about it for half a second and responded, "Yes I understand, you American girls love to wear miniskirts, but here in Malaysia that is indecent." WHAT?!?!? We all just kind of stared at him, and then he went back to explaining the pronouns.

(Side Note: I later found out that the reason I was supposed to be moved to a different school was because that very teacher wanted me to, and had some sway in the hierarchy of things. I also found out that the school he wanted to move me to was a terrible school with a principal that didn't even want me there, making his comment that it was "for my own good" even more disgusting. Luckily my school was not switched, as the very courageous Len was able to negotiate with the government to let me stay at my school.)

Throughout the whole class both teachers made comments similar to the miniskirt outburst, and all of us girls felt the anger welling up inside of us. Later that day, we got on a bus to go to see the State Museum, figuring it would be a great way to turn our terrible morning into a good day. We got there, and were sent to a lecture hall for a powerpoint slideshow before seeing the exhibit. After a few slides about the textiles and crafts we were about to see (pointless?), the next slide looked something like this:

Malaysian Customs:

-Do not dress sexy

-Do not wear a miniskirt

-Wear decent clothing, not a miniskirt.

I am NOT joking. We all started looking at each other not knowing whether to laugh or scream. I think under normal circumstances we would have just taken it in stride, understanding that it was just their culture and we were here to learn and be respectful. But after that awful morning, we just lost it. One of us then asked the presenter, very respectfully, what men were not allowed to wear, to which he responded, "You should not wear a miniskirt." She then clarified- "No, for MEN," to which he replied, "You should wear a long sleeve shirt and skirt to your ankles." At this point, we were all about ready to explode, and sure enough a chorus of us rang out "NO, FOR MEN!"

Finally understanding, he responded that the men must cover the region from their waist to their knees. Of course we already knew this, we just wanted to make a point. The problem was that we were doing it in such an American way that it definitely did not get across to them. The lecture just got uglier from there, when the following slides explained about how women must sit on the floor when there aren't enough chairs, etc... We said a lot of things that looking back on it were inappropriate- it felt like a gender studies class at Berkeley, with passionate people voicing their opinions. The problem was that we were not in Berkeley, we were in Malaysia in a room full of government officials and very religious men.

Needless to say, it was awkward. We went on our tour of the museum and cooled down a bit, and every day since has been a lot better. I think that tensions were just building, and peaked that afternoon after so many comments about miniskirts in a row. I don't regret what happened, because I think it was a good learning experience for all of us. For me, what I realize is that I am bound to be treated differently for being an American woman, and my only job here is to let any anger I have about that be channeled into showing my students and the staff at my school that I am a good person, and hopefully destroying any stereotypes they might have about miniskirts.

Life here is different- that's why I came here. There is no use yelling about it in a room full of Malaysians (just so you know, I did not personally yell, but I felt like it), because there is no way we can change their culture, or anything about it that doesn't necessarily suit us. I didn't come here to do that, and I don't want to. The Meltdown reminded me that part of living in another society, and being respectful of that society, is sacrificing your comfort. I am not giving up my own morals and beliefs of course, but I am not trying to force them on others. This will be the challenge I think-- to live here, in a place where so many things clash with who I am and what I believe in, and still express my true self in such a way that I leave my mark on my students' lives. We'll see!

Thanks for letting me vent...not that you had a choice :)

As a reward for listening here are some pictures of the more positive experiences of the last few days:

Some of the girls in our baju kurung. We wore them to meet our school mentors at this fancy dinner barbecue at an important government person's house. They are all matching (except for the colors) because they were the only bajus without loud floral patterns and we all liked them the best.

The same barbecue with my new foster mom (on the left) and the principal of my school (on the right). They are both very sweet and I'm looking forward to spending time/working with them!

The steps leading up to the main gallery at the Terengganu State Museum. This was SUCH a beautiful building. Ez took this photo. I will post more when I add my last batch of photos from KT.



Much love,
Sarah

Making the A-list

Well, to be honest, the past week in Terengganu has been pretty uneventful, which is why it has taken me so long to have anything to say! We have class in the mornings and afternoons, and our free evenings are spent on frustrated quests for appropriate clothing. We have pretty much exhausted all of the things to do here in KT, and we can't travel anywhere else because at any moment we could be called by the government to be somewhere for a meeting or an event. So, this translates into a lot of free time spent chatting with the group on the hotel porch. Luckily we aren't sick of each other yet, but some of us are definitely going a bit stir crazy with being trapped in a hotel with so much beautiful country to see. A "so close, but yet so far" type of situation. I'm doing fine with it though. I am pretty content to sit out on the porch in the humid breeze and read, write, chat, and study Malay. It is kind of frustrating that there are beautiful islands and jungles only kilometers away that I can't get to yet and that I have pretty much done the same thing in the same place for the past 2 weeks, but I am doing my best to be patient.

Before you feel too bad for me though, the last 2 days have been a bit more colorful. It started when we were invited to the State Museum of Terengganu for a mysterious event. No one told us exactly what it was for, what we'd be doing there, etc, but we got on the bus anyways and headed out to see for ourselves. It ended up being an event for the tourist campaign "Visit Terengganu Year 2008" where they unveiled the events calendar for the museum for the year. Of course all of the speeches were in Malay, but every so often a speaker would say a sentence or a word or two in English for our sake, which ended up being hilarious because it was so out of context. Imagine a long, fast stream of gibberish punctuated by things like "spectrum," "blindfolded," and, "so it was a very big tree." It was quite amusing, and of course very sweet of the speakers to try and make sure we didn't feel left out. The best part of the event was the dancing though. The dancers performed really beautiful traditional Malay dancing to really fun music, which made the event very memorable. I posted a video I took of the performance in the Videos section to the right. In case you're wondering, the women dancing are not wearing headscarves (tudung) because women in Malaysia are excused from wearing headscarves while they are dancing. I'm pretty sure that's not in the Koran, but luckily different cultures can adapt to different situations!

Yesterday was also a good day. We were brought to this statewide science fair where we were supposed to meet the State Minister of Terengganu (the governor) at 9:30am. We got there at 8:45, walked around for a bit, and then went to meet up with him. We then got word that he wasn't coming until 10:30. That, of course, changed to 12:30, back to 10:30, and then suddenly at 10:15 it was "Right now! Right now!" We were rushed to an auditorium to wait our turn to shake his hand while he was being interviewed by the media. In the meantime, we were surrounded by paparazzi ourselves. For the first time (and probably the last), we were treated like Hollywood A-listers. Cameras were flashing everywhere, and people kept coming up to us to have their pictures taken with us. We were even interviewed on national TV, and of few local channels as well. By 11:15, we still had not met the governor, but we were having a really good time being famous so it didn't matter. At 11:30 we were informed that we needed to rush out to the courtyard to meet him. After a few minutes waiting there, he finally came, we all shook his hand, and we went back to the hotel. Well worth it though, it was quite an experience. I even got my name written for me in Arabic at one of the booths!

We got back to the hotel exhausted from being on our feet all morning, and rested up. We ended up feeling pretty sorry for ourselves by the late afternoon since we had nothing to do, so we went out, yet again, to look for clothes. After being depressed that we found nothing AGAIN, we got a call from Len saying that the governor liked us so much that he invited us to join him at a fancy Gala dinner at 7:45! Of course, 7:45 was about an hour away from when Len called, so we quickly ran back to the hotel, showered, and put on our nicest outfits (which weren't all that nice since we hadn't found any clothes yet!). We were super excited to get dressed up though and, just to make ourselves happy, we (meaning the girls) decided to pretend it was prom so that we had something to be excited about. The boys could have made a lot of fun of us for this, but instead, they totally played along. As we were all gathering in the lobby to be picked up by the bus, the boys suddenly left the room. We kind of noticed but kind of didn't, as we were all chattering about what the Gala was going to be like. Then, all of a sudden, in came the boys singing "Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can't help, falling in love with you..." and proceeded to give each one of us a yellow chrysanthemum. I can't even SAY how wonderful it was! Hah, that makes the situation sound pretty desperate, but its really not that bad. We are just trapped in a hotel.

The Gala ended up being kind of fun, but it was mostly the rush of finding out we had been invited that made it a great night.

I have new pictures posted in the Photos section, and I am adding videos as I go. Love to you all...

Orientation Time

So we've been in Kuala Terengganu (KT), the capital of the Malaysian state of Terengganu, for a couple of days now. I can't say I feel the culture shock the way the MACEE staff in KL warned us about, but there are major differences here, namely that almost everyone is muslim, and the pace of life is slower. There is a Chinatown in KT, right near the hotel in fact, where the culture seems a little more familiar. They placed us in the hotel here for that reason, and because they think that in order to be happy, Americans need beer (the only place to get beer in KT is at Chinese restaurants). While that stereotype bothers me (and is not true for me obviously), it is kind of true for a lot of the group, so its just as well. Regardless, our hotel in KT is very nice, and right on a beautiful river that leads right to the sea. Right now I am sitting on the porch overlooking the river, surrounded by palm trees, fishing boats, and the silhouette of a Mosque in the distance. At night the sunsets here have been incredible. Unfortunately, we can't swim in the river because it is a class 2. I was confused at first when I heard that because the water is almost perfectly still, and too wide to have proper rapids. Then I realized that it meant class 2 pollution, which makes things a little less romantic. Oh well, can't have it all.

Speaking of problems, the only real issue I can foresee with my stay here is the food. While I love the rice and meat curry dishes (kind of a mixture between Indian and Thai food), I am having trouble not becoming seriously ill when I see the majority of Malay food: fish, fish balls, fish crackers, fish cakes, fish sauces, even fish flavored vegetables (sometimes). Ez has been incredibly brave with everything. I think he has yet to eat the whole fish, head and all, right off the bones, but I'm sure he will. I don't think I'll get there. If I do, it won't be happily. I am surviving on rice, tofu, tempe, veggies, lamb and chicken, so no complaints really. Yet.

But on to other things. The last few days have been really laid back. We have started our orientation, which will last until January 27th when we will be posted in our separate towns all over the state. Ez and I have been told *unofficially* that our post will be in a VERY remote village called Matang, about an hour from KT. I think they consider it remote because it is about a 20 min drive from the nearest town, Kuala Berang. We will most likely live in Matang on the school grounds of where I will be teaching, and Ez will have to travel the 20 minutes away to his school. He wants to borrow/buy a moped for the commute, which scares me half to death considering the way people drive around here, but Len (the former ETA who is staying on to help us out this year) taught him how to ride it so he is feeling confident about it I guess. Either way, we are not sure this is where we will be placed, since we were told kind of randomly and then made to think it wasn't set in stone, so who knows. That's kind of the way things are done here.

Orientation so far has consisted of a 2 hour class in the mornings and afternoons, with late afternoons and evenings free to roam. Our classes have been on topics such as Malaysian politics, Islam, the Terengganu State Education System, past ETA experience, etc. It is very informative, but can get a little repetitive. For example, I still don't know what I will be teaching exactly, but I am an expert on the translation of "Hadhari" (it means "civilizational," as in Islam Hadhari, "civilizational Islam") and I know that I am American and that Americans like beer and KFC. Mostly I have learned through observation that I am in a very mellow, nonlinear, group-oriented and indirect culture that in some ways complements my nature, and in other ways challenges me to the core. I like that I am not expected to have all the answers here (because who does?), but then again it is difficult for me not to have a set schedule or clear idea of the future. I wouldn't say that these lessons about the culture and myself are difficult lessons, but they are an interesting study of myself and my own culture nonetheless.

Free time in KT so far has been walking around the city, exploring the sites, and shopping for long-sleeve, high-neck shirts that are conservative enough to teach in, but light enough not suffocate in with the 100% humidity. KT is a very small city. In fact, it just received city status this year (before, it was a town). It is 95% Malay, and 5% Chinese. Chinatown consists of a few Chinese shops and restaurants, and a confucian temple. Beyond Chinatown is a large indoor market with food, electronics, clothes, and batik clothes and headscarves. I have found a couple of shirts that I like, and I will undoubtedly pick up a few more. I eventually want to buy a traditional Malay outfit: a batik style "baju kurung" (long shirt and skirt) and matching "tudung" (headscarf). We are not required to wear that obviously, we only need to make sure that we have sleeves past the elbows and skirts/pants past the knees, and chest fully covered. I think it would be fun to dress in the local style sometimes though, and everyone says that when the ETAs where baju kurung and headscarves, the kids love it. So, that might be fun.

The group dynamic is pretty amazing. Everyone is really fun, interesting, and well-traveled. We all bonded immediately. The other day a few of us were walking towards the beach when we saw a commuter boat taking off from the river bank. We asked the man at the ticket booth where the boat went, and he didn't understand us, so we just hopped on, having no idea where we were going or how long it was going to take. We ended up on the other side of the river about 10 minutes later (who would have thought?) in a purely residential section of KT where we visited a boat graveyard, got scolded for entering a construction site, and were followed by a band of 8 year old boys doing wheelies on bikes and yelling "hello! hello! i love you!" The best part of that day though was when Ellie tried out her Malay on a Malay woman at a café. She went to ask where the women's bathroom was, but confused the word "women" with "men" and left out the word bathroom completely, resulting in a very confident "Excuse me, where are the men?" This was especially funny considering that American women have a reputation for being "loose" here. Luckily the woman understood the confusion and they had a good laugh about it.

Well, I think I'm spent for the day, but there will be more to come!!!

First Impressions

Today is our last day in KL...we leave in a couple of hours for Kuala Terengganu, the capital of the state of Terengganu, where we will be teaching. We will have a 2.5 week orientation there led by the Terengganu state government, including Malay (Bahasa Melayu) lessons, ESL training, and culture training. Everyone in KL is a bit prejudiced against Terengganu because it is a conservative state, and a rural state. I would liken the feelings to those an East Coaster or West Coaster might have for the South. There probably is some truth to the stereotypes, but I'm sure it is also very different than urban KLers imagine. I'll find out for myself soon enough.

The past few days here have been a wonderful whirlwind of sightseeing, briefings, and bonding with the group. The ETA group is wonderful, I literally like every single person-- and I'm not just saying that because this is the internet. Everyone is different, well-traveled, interesting, fun, etc. Ez and I are having a ball getting to know our new friends. The first day here, only half the group had arrived, so the 6 of us went tripping around the city to Chinatown, the Colonial District, and of course, the incredible shopping malls. My first observation of the city was the unique multicultural community that Malaysians have formed. Although they are all considered Malaysians and have, for the most part, equal rights under the constitution, Malaysians are categorized by the government into three "races," (I know, I hate that word, but thats what they use): Chinese Malaysians, Indian Malaysians, and Malays. The Malays are considered the native Malaysians, and therefore have a few economic privileges the others do not. Also, interestingly enough, under the constitution, there is religious freedom for everyone BUT the Malays; since Malaysia is a Muslim country, by law, a Malay MUST be Muslim and cannot convert. So, as you can see, I am living in a very different place! Also, for perspective, KL is only about 50% Malay, and where we're going today is 90% Malay. That is why our experience is about to change so much.

In KL though, the multicultural aspect is truly incredible. There are three different types of food of course, but they all work together beautifully sharing spices, textures, etc. Everyone is integrated and friendly and, as far as I can see right now, respectful of each other. Also, not everyone speaks Malay. The Malays do of course, but the Chinese speak Mandarin or Cantonese, and Indians speak primarily Tamil. Everyone in KL speaks a little Malay, and a lot of English. As in many 'developing' countries these, people are connected strongly through technology here as well. My favorite scene was walking onto the monorail where the speakers were blasting Backstreet Boys, and seeing a young Malay woman, headscarf and all, rocking out and singing along.

The past 2 days have been slightly less eventful, but very informative. We had a briefing at the U.S. embassy where they told us about the political, economic, media, and security situations in Malaysia. Then we sat and chatted with the ambassador for half an hour about all of the above. Everyone at the embassy was fabulous. They are all laid back, interesting, and and just cool people in general. We learned that Malaysia is a very safe place, but of course a repressed place in many respects. Oh, and for the parents and relatives: during our security briefing by the Director of Security at the U.S. Embassy, we learned that violence and unrest in Malaysia consists of one violent protest in 1969, and purse-snatching. Also, he remarked that you are 2 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime in the U.S. than you are in Malaysia, and 7 times more likely in New York than Malaysia. 

I can understand why this is already pretty well. The culture here is very mellow, spiritual and harmonious. People are more than happy to help tourists, and do so with enthusiasm and patience. No one I have been in contact with seems rushed or into his/her own life more than the lives of others. People have a sense of harmony, balance and generosity that is unlike anywhere else I've been...and I've only been here 3 full days! For example, one thing that I think is absolutely beautiful and symbolizes the attitude people have towards others here is the "Salaam." When Malays shake hands upon meeting someone, they don't just shake hands and move on. After shaking, they bring their hands to their hearts to show that they have taken that person into their heart. I love this....can we introduce it to the U.S. please? I think just the act of doing it makes you a better person.

Yesterday we had a cultural lesson. I won't say much about this because I'm not sure how accurate it was, but they did teach us how to wear traditional Malay sarongs.

I have posted pictures from KL in the photos section, please enjoy!!

Terengganu time.

Ps- Here is a video I took of a man in KL making delicious roti chennai. It was our favorite breakfast bread for the last 3 days!

In Kuala Lumpur

We're here! We arrived at the airport in KL yesterday afternoon after a long but surprisingly easy 22 hours of travel. It was kind of fun-- on our flight from Taipei to Malaysia, we met up with a Malaysian guy around our age who was flying back to Malaysia from San Francisco where he'd lived for six years. He gave us his number and invited us to hang out with him anytime we were in KL. Our first Malaysian friend! We also met Ellie, our first fellow ETA (Fulbright English Teaching Assistant). Ellie is wonderful, and the three of us bonded instantly. A very encouraging sign.

When we got to KL, we were very grateful it was the three of us together, instead of just Ez and I or just Ellie alone; we were all supposed to be picked up by a mysterious MACEE (Malaysian American Commission on Educational Exchange) representative upon arrival, but after an hour or so of looking around the airport lobby and being accosted by "teksi" drivers, the representative was nowhere to be found. So, after calling every emergency number we had AND our hotel without success, we took matters into our own hands. We found a "teksi" driver for 180RM ($54) to drive us in the monsoon to our hotel. I'm pretty sure we were ripped off, but it was okay, especially since he was an incredibly wonderful guy and a great driver. By the way, everyone in KL speaks perfect English--British English--so it is very entertaining and easy to communicate. I am very grateful, since we're still at the point in our Malay where we say thank you, "terima kasih," and the locals smile at us, as if to say, "awww, how adorable of you." Maybe that will change?

So, the torrential rains died down as we arrived at our hotel in the Bukit Bintang district which, from what I can tell, is the night club/fancy shopping district. After getting settled at the hotel, Ellie, Ezra and I ventured into the city. We saw lots of recognizable brand names: Starbucks, Subway, Chanel, etc. The funny thing was that when we decided to get some dinner, all we could find were Mexican, Spanish, Italian and French restaurants, and none of us felt good about eating that type of food for our first meal in the country. We finally found a cute cafe with typical Malaysian food, and sat down to eat. Ezra got curry noodle soup and Ellie had regular noodle soup...delicious! I had fried noodles, which I'm sure would have been delicious, except that as soon as they served our food, jet lag hit. 

Now, having never really had jet lag before, I thought it just meant you were really tired, and maybe fell asleep at 5pm and woke up completely rested at 3am. Apparently, it also means feeling dizzy, nauseous, weak, disoriented, and all around TERRIBLE for five hours. This is what happened to me at about 6pm. Ezra took care of me and made sure I drank a lot of water. I finally fell asleep at about 11, and I feel totally fine now. SUCH a relief. I suppose I'm still jet-lagged, as it is 6am right now and I'm wide awake. But at least I feel good!

A few funny notes:

1. Meena, our program coordinator from MACEE, called us around 9pm and apologized about the airport issue. She said that the same thing happened to ETAs who arrived before us. Strangely enough, the driver had been there both times, but was unable to find us/we were unable to find him. ? Who knows. Also, we haven't met any other ETAs besides Ellie, so I wonder where they are?

2. In the evening when I wasn't feeling well, I put on comfy shorts and a shirt and got into bed, not expecting to see anyone else until the next day. Then, a knock came at the door. Ez was in the shower so I had to get it. I stumbled to the door in my PJs and answered it. It was a hotel worker with a giant Tiramisu. 

"Ms. jebrock?"

"Yes?" I grumbled.

'This is for you, from the hotel. May I come in?"

"Um, Okay..."

He walked in and put it on the table, said "congratulations," and walked out. I closed the door behind him, and went back to the Tiramisu. Written on the plate, in chocolate, was "Happy Honeymoon."

Oh dear. We're not sure why they assumed we were on our honeymoon, but hey, we got a Tiramisu out of it!

Until next time......Selamat Tinggal!!!!

Off to Malaysia!

Welcome to my blog! I will be in Malaysia from tomorrow, January 4th, until sometime this August. Please feel free to visit this website as often as you want-- I will try to post blogs and photos a couple times a month.

On the right-hand side of this page, I have a Links section and a Photo section, which I will add to once I am there. For those of you who are new to blogs, you can comment on my entries where it says "comments" below the entry. You can also email me at sarah.jebrock@gmail.com to stay in touch.

And the adventure begins...