Mayhem in Malaysia

Penang, Malaysia is a mixing bowl of cultures. Throughout Georgetown, the big city on the island, you will find influences of India, China, and Britain in addition to the native Malaysian culture. This means you will see the evidence of a variety of religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Catholicism/Christianity. My favourite aspect of Penang’s cultural mix was the cuisine!

Some of my favourite experiences in Penang these past 5 days were the food experiences. We ate some very yummy food. The most surprising food that I enjoyed was a Penang-style burger that we got at a food shack on the side of the road. It was delicious. The meat had egg and hot sauce cooked around it. I also loved the Indian roti’s (breads), curries, and meat dishes.

In addition to the food, we spent our time exploring historical sites, perusing the market, relaxing on the beach, motor biking around the island, and doing a little nature walk. Although it was splendid to explore a new place and become more confident in my motor biking skills, it was also very nice to come home to my own apartment this afternoon. I had a cold the entire trip, got some road rash, and stayed up way to late every night. Thankfully, I have the rest of today to unwind and accomplish a few things before the craziness of work restarts tomorrow. Gotta love vacation!

Toothpaste Ponderings

The other day I looked at my nearly-empty tube of toothpaste and started to have toothpaste ponderings. I thought to myself, “There is nothing like using a new tube of toothpaste.” Slowly, you pull the tube out of the box. It is heavy, firm and full, so full no more can be forced in. As you take off the cap, you see how the opening of the tube is perfectly clean; the lid will go back on effortlessly, no need to wipe off the ‘extra’ that always manages to clump up on an old tube. Preparing your toothbrush is pure bliss because no matter where you squeeze the tube, the toothpaste will come out and no one can get upset if you don’t squeeze from the end of the tube. It is that feeling of a fresh start, and maybe even an opportunity to test out a new brand and flavour. With a new tube of toothpaste you don’t have to worry about when your almost-empty tube will finally run out, you just happily brush your teeth day and night.

But, as the months go by, the inevitable happens. Your tube begins to slim down. You may even put your handy little slidey thing on that forces the toothpaste towards the opening. You curl up the end, and squeeze the tube in all ways, shapes, and forms. Each day you wonder, “Is this the day my toothpaste will run out?” Part of you wants to prolong the challenge of using as much of the toothpaste as possible, while the other part just wants it to end so that the satisfaction of finishing a tube can arrive, followed by the excitement of experiencing ‘new tube bliss.’ However, like all things, you will have to bid farewell to that old tube and toss it in the trash. You may take notes on how you liked the flavour, the freshness, and how well it lathered in your mouth so that next time you can bring your tooth brushing experiences to the max. Or, like me, you may just go to the store and buy the tube that is on sale. After all, brushing your teeth, although intriguing at times, is just another one of those things we do every day and rarely take the time to think about. How many people actually think about brushing their teeth when they are brushing their teeth? I, for one, usually think about my tasks for the day or say a prayer, until the other day I looked at my nearly-empty tube of toothpaste and started to have toothpaste ponderings…

Snap Shots

Hanging out with criters at the 'pet stores' in block M




S'mores over gas flame




My orchid in full bloom




Canadian Thanksgiving




The trans-Jakarta busway

October Days

Reports have come, and they have gone. Retreat has come, and it has gone. And soon October will be gone too, which is why I am adding a blog post! Life in Indonesia is great, as always. The other day I got really excited because I could see a volcano/mountian from my apartment for the first time. The smog usually blocks out any interesting scenery. Hopefully the coming rainy season will clear the skies and provid more opportunities for me to remember that I am not just in some city somewhere. I honestly sometimes forget that I am in Indonesia. Going back and forth to school and to church on the weekends has become such a normal thing, and all the culture is normal too. A few weekends ago, when I was on a spiritual retreat in the mountains with my students, I was reminded of the different aspects of Indonesia and that there are places here that are not always hot and stinky. It was a refreshing break.

Recently, I have been studying poetry with my students. I gave them an assingment to write a poem about themselves: things they are good at or things that they enjoy. They asked me to write a poem to give them inspiration and a better idea of what to do. So I did. It took me an hour, but this past week, when I should have been sleeping, I wrote the poem below. I actually enjoyed writing for myself again and I must say, I could even write another one sometime soon. And here I thought that only music and painting could give me an artistic outlet.


Poem about Me

Twenty sit before me, yearning to discover;
Within each are unique talents—perhaps concealed gifts—
Growing, waiting, and anticipating their chance
To be revealed to the world and revolutionize it.

Here I stand, faced with the same challenge.
Some days are tedious and taxing,
Others are humorous and joyful.
But who I am on this stage is only half the story.

On another stage, I escape reality.
I am old, poor, menacing, or goofy.
Memorizing, practicing, speaking,
And creating the existence of someone else.

Not only this, but the lyrics and tunes of songs,
Both unknown and universal, dance across my soul
and out of my mouth—the instrument of choice—for
the choir, wedding, or bubbles on my shower wall.

For just a moment, I am the greatest musician.
Static and heat course through my fingers;
Though, justice is not served in my attempts
At the scales, notes, and melodies of Mozart or Bach.

With inspiration comes craving to create.
My competitor: Da Vinci, my subject: nature.
The water, flowers, and leaves held captive in oil
Are my greatest joy and simultaneously my greatest discontent

Achievement is instantaneous with the feeling of victory:
a 3-point swish, an un-diggable spike, a skilful goal.
When sweat, cheers, and teammates take their leave,
All that is left are memories and fatigued muscles.


But, the wild scent of raw earth and the sensation of open air
On a mountain summit or ocean shoreline, will never disappoint.
It stirs a feeling of awe deep within,
For none of this was unintended.

Life is more than a game, drama or a song,
And I am more than an artist, explorer, and teacher.
I am the child of an incredible designer,
Whose gifts and talents, none can contend with.

Flawlessness will never be achieved,
But perfection is not what he desires;
Rather, worship and thankfulness.
For he has made me:

Michaela

Tech-NO-logy

How can technology be such a wonderful thing, and at the same time such an annoying thing? I have tried multiple times to upload photos and videos onto my blog lately, and it never works. So, I get frustrated and just quit because I get angry with technology and how it sometimes fails me. And so, here is another post with no pictures. I sometimes feel like pictures do such a better job of telling a story and I don't feel like writing. After all, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Today all I have is words.

It is funny that I should hesitate, considering I teach English (though not exactly my choice). In fact, I need to start writing comments for the up-coming report cards. Two hundred words for 20 students. Ugh. I just need to think like Bob. "Baby steps to the door...baby steps to the elevator..." (What About Bob?)
Baby steps to the comments. I am hoping to get 2 students finished tonight! Here goes it!

Back in the swing of things

It is always exciting to come back after a break and see familiar faces and settle into normal life. Even though I moved back to a new apartment (photos to come, I promise!) and a new position, I had feelings of relief when I returned to Lippo Village and SPH. I love my new apartment and the view I have of the school and the sunset. I also love the feeling of acomplishment when I return home from a good day at school.

Although I have had many good feelings since returning, I have also had some frustrations and confusing days trying to get re-settled in my new position. Today was one of those days. I was stressed out because I had given my students a task that was really difficult for them and some of them could not do it. This made me feel so bad and I was frustrated trying to figure out how I would fix the problem and get everyone back on track. Thankfully, my partner teacher was encouraging and helpful and things worked out just fine. I was also reminded later, that when we are weak and vulnerable, HE is strong. I could definitely tell that God provided me with peace when I needed it. Thank goodness and yay, for a fresh start tomorrow!

Backpacking Adventures

Right after the last day of school I took a 2 week trip to Northern Thailand and Laos with my friend Helena. We started out in Chang Mai, Thailand and we spent abour 4 days there. We got to experience some of the tribal villages and the HUGE Sunday night market. We also did a 3-day, 2-night, trek into the mountains where we saw beautiful scenery including villages, rice paddies, and water falls. We slept in straw huts both nights and ate the food that our guide prepared for us. On our last day of the trek we got to ride an Elephant and then we took a bamboo raft down the river. We were expecting the trek to be more intense, but it was actually pretty relaxing. Even though were hoping for something more hard-core, we were thankful that it was not because we were so exhausted from the end of the school year.

After our stay in Chang Mai we headed north to the Laotian boarder. On the way we stopped by the White Temple, which was beautiful on the outside, but the interior had some odd paintings. We stayed in a guest house at the boarder and the next morning we crossed the Me Kong River into Laos. The next two days we took a slow-river boat down the Me Kong River to the city of Luang Prabang. The boat trip was beautiful; the river curved through the green mountains and was boarded by sand bars and eclectic rocks. As we drifted down we would see straw-hut villages nestled on the hillsides, and children, water-buffalo, and fishermen enjoying the river water. At one time we even saw an elephant along the shore, taking a break from a day’s work of hauling trees. Life on the boat was just as entertaining, with tons of people packed on the boat along with a motor bike, a live monitor lizard, and chickens in baskets.

Here is a poem that Helena and I wrote while floating down the river on our first day. We took some creative liberty with the rhyming. 

Me Kong Limerick

There once was a river called Me Kong
Upon which we thought we would find Hong Kong (not really, but it rhymes…)
It was murky and brown
Which we floated on down
To our surprise we arrived in Luang Prabang

As you can see, it was sometimes hard to keep ourselves entertained on the long boat ride.

Luang Prabang is a beautiful town with many buildings that reflect a French colonial style because of Historical French influences. Thanks to the French, we also enjoyed baguettes, croissants, and crepes during our stay! We spent our first day exploring the town and neighbouring village by bike, and just taking it easy in the town. Some other activities in Luang Prabang included visiting tons of temples, the museum, and a Hmong village. We also visited some breath-taking waterfalls and watched the sun set from a view point in the middle of the city.

The next day we took the road-of-a-thousand-turns to the city of Phonsavan, where the amazing Plain of Jars is located. The Plain of Jars contains huge jars that were carved out of stone. Historians believe that the jars were carved out of the rock cliffs in one area of the region, and then transported to different sites via elephants. There are approximately 65 different sites where these Jars are located. On our tour, we visited 3 different sites. One of these sites alone had 150 stone jars! Imagine how many there are together! And these jars are not small; I could fit inside most of them! They are believed to be at least 1000 years old and there are various stories about what their purpose was. Archaeologists believe that they were used for burial of cremated bodies. Other suggestions in addition to burial have been food, money, or water storage. This was a fascinating aspect of Laotian history that we thoroughly enjoyed.

During our time in Phonsavan, we also learned about what was known as the Secret War between the USA and Laos. The first sign of war that we noticed was the shrapnel that was used to decorate every place we went. We saw big bomb casings lined up all over town in restaurants, shops, and homes. Despite the easy-going feelings the décor suggested, many Laotian people today are still suffering from the effects of this war. Loas is the most bombed country, per capita, in the world today because of the Secret War. Millions of cluster bombs were dropped in Laos, most of which were just drop-off bombs that could not be used on the Vietnamese. Approximately 30% of these bombs did not explode before they hit the ground, and therefore there are thousands of bombs, and bombies (small bombs inside the big ones) are hidden in Laotian soil. Today, many people are killed or maimed by these bombs. There are detonation crews who go into areas to rid them of bombs. One village has been visited 18 times already. I was so surprised to realize that many Laotian people go about life everyday into areas that could be deadly for them. As sad and heartbreaking as this was for us to discover, it was encouraging to see that there are different organizations that have been active in helping Laotians overcome the effects of these bombs. There is a village were women make spoons and bracelets from old scrap metal, and there are programs where people who have lost limbs can be educated in a new area to support their family. Although this aspect of Loas’ history was shocking and hard to learn, it has given me a new perspective.

After our time in Phonsavan, we took a VIP night bus to Vang Vieng. This epic journey of 6-7 hours included things such as people sitting in the aisles, the bus door flying open and things falling out, a near collision with a van, and a 30-minute break-down. We were happy when we finally arrived at our destination early the next morning and saw how beautiful it is there: towering limestone cliffs bordered the river along one side of the town. During our time in Vang Vieng we were able to explore some fantastic and HUGE caves. The first cave had huge ceilings with beautiful formations, the second was very long (they are unsure how long it is!), and the last cave was a water cave that we pulled ourselves into with tubes and floated out of. We were also able to do some trekking to the other side of the mountains where there were stunning views and beautiful waterfalls. On our way to and from the trek we did some kayaking and swinging into the river. It was a great time in a town that we never planned on visiting!

Finally, we headed down to the capital, Vientiane where I only stayed for one day. There was only enough time for us to visit the national museum and get a Laos massage before I had to fly out to Jakarta. We had a great time in Thailand and Laos and I would totally recommend this trip to anyone who is interested. I especially loved Laos because I did not know what to expect and knew little about it.

I am now back home, enjoying my family, and I only have 2 weeks of summer vacation left! Crazy how time flies when you are having fun!