3 Day Weekend!
Selamat Hari Merdeka! August 31 is Merdeka, also known as National Day or Malaysian Independence. In 1957 Malaysia officially received independence from British rule-the Union Jack flag was taken down and the new Malaysian flag was hoisted. It was a few more years before Malaysia became what it currently is-separate from Singapore but with Sarawak and Sabah (located on the island of Borneo) as part of peninsular Malaysia...We have a three day weekend to celebrate National Day! We were all ready for it, it's been a full three weeks of school so it's nice to feel like we have a moment to catch our breath.
Last weekend we had the annual Sundowner Picnic our first big school community event.
Families joined at the school for food and music-the music was performed by students and staff and people either brought in food or pre-ordered a bento box. It started off hot and sweaty with 1v1 soccer matches (Talus beat Rowan in front of a group of middle schoolers but Ro nutmegged Tal during the match so it was a wash). We stayed until the end which was pretty incredible-a group of high schoolers closed out with two young women vocalists just screaming some metal music. 
North volunteered for the water bucket challenge to help 11th graders raise money for the residential trip they will go on in three weeks, part of their goal is to do community engagement and be able to bring things to local kids. He volunteered early so got to cool off in the heat (he said he was actually cold for a moment).
The following day we went to Big Bucket Splash-which is the tiny local waterpark, geared towards younger kids. The photo below is our cohort of new kids-26 new teachers this year and all of these kiddos joining along (well, two of them have actually been here a couple years as they belong to one of our admin but the rest, newbies). There are a few not in this picture-the couple boys that are older than Rowan so this is the 11 and under set.
Outside in the parking lot we came across this shrine, another one of the every day things we notice-there are shrines throughout the town. On the side of the road, in parking lots, where buildings are being built, etc. We hypothesized that this one was there because the area was still being developed and perhaps this would bring some good luck. It was clearly recognized regularly as there was a lot of incense in a pile in front of it.
We went to breakfast with some friends and saw this sign-the monkeys are a hazard wherever you go though they don't really bother us here. Sometimes on the bike to school we'll see mama and baby chase each other across the electrical wires. A student told us that the only time they've ever had to actually do a lockdown was when there were marauding monkeys in the school...
This weekend we are taking it easy-I was given a massage for my birthday so I experienced that yesterday at 1 Utama it included a foot soak and some Thai style massage/stretching that felt delightful. The week felt a little odd-I think the fact that we missed two weddings in August and with multiple birthdays in my family I felt far away from everyone. Also knowing that folks at Fairhaven were back together for staff training made me miss people. We also received our first paycheck and while clearly the cost of living is different here and the school offsets things (like paying for housing) we hadn't quite wrapped our minds around how much is deducted for taxes these first few months...it was not a lot for a month of work 😢 We know it will change in January once we can claim residency so we are looking forward to those days.
We went to breakfast with some friends and saw this sign-the monkeys are a hazard wherever you go though they don't really bother us here. Sometimes on the bike to school we'll see mama and baby chase each other across the electrical wires. A student told us that the only time they've ever had to actually do a lockdown was when there were marauding monkeys in the school...
After ignoring the oven for two months we are figuring out how to use it...The first hurdle was the heat and that it is just always too hot to turn it on (maybe we're finally acclimating). The second was this dial:
So we googled enough to figure out what the different pictures mean and successfully made baked mac and cheese last night. This evening I'm making granola and it smells like home...Talus put in some extra work as we haven't been able to find any ground cardamom so he took the morter and pestal and ground the cardamom for the granola.
Tomorrow the plan is a jungle hike-North has been running pretty regularly but the rest of us haven't been out much (Rowan and I get eaten by mosquitos and we have not yet done our due dilligence and gotten our Dengue Fever and Japanese Encephalitis vaccines so it kinda freaks me out). However, I want to explore this place we call home and there are so many trails around that it feels like time.
Wow Moench Family, what an adventure… I am so impressed and proud of you all.
ReplyDeleteGad you have a long weekend and over your birthday time. The Tai massage sounds yummy Ella, as well as the water bucket challenge, a cooling relief. I don’t know what nutmegged is, should I be literal?
I have been making a Vietnamese chicken dish, you might find interesting. Called Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup). I buy a packet of herbs and through it in with a whole chicken, takes 50 minutes till done. Then use the chicken for multiple meals. It is very nourishing.
Thanks for sharing your homesickness. Know that you hold a huge space in my heart. I find this time of year in the NW rather difficult as well, the from summer to cooler weather boding change as we move toward longer hours of dark. It is a time of inner harvest. We are still experiencing some heat in the high 80’s with a small amount of humidity. Nothing like what you experience I am sure.
Dadoo is being evaluated for Hospice Care tomorrow, another reason for inner reflection.
Much Love to you, North, Rowan, and Talus, Great Aunt Anna
Thank you for sharing the important history of Merdeka, Malaysian independence Ella. No doubt the national pride is palpable on this day, for good reason! Plus, it's always good to get an extra day off and attend community gatherings that come with holidays.
ReplyDeleteSeems like perfect timing for the school to hold a well orchestrated and entertaining community event. Way to be a good deeder North! Wouldn't subjecting yourself to teenagers dousing you with buckets of water be considered slapstick comedy? Maybe fundraising at it's best.
I love the playful photo of the kids at the waterpark and the cultural use of shrines in the community. I wonder if the shrines are a collective reflection of regional spiritual practices or if it's solely a Buddhist thing?
I can't wait to get a local massage as you described Ella. I'm happy that you're leading the way in this department. I'm curious about the traditional Malay healing practices. A brief peek makes it sound like progressive healthcare!
https://malaysia.healthtoday.net/complementary-integrative-medicine/a-new-era-for-traditional-and-complementary-medicine-in-malaysias-healthcare-system/#google_vignette
So many new things to orient to: missing important events, places, humans dear to you, not to mention the foreign nature of monetary matters. There are bound to be a whole package of big and/or memorable feelings for each one of the notable realizations you're bumping into. Could be a case of healthy stress and unhealthy stress becoming indiscernible. Time for a massage and mango lassi!
OMG, monkeys in the school - sounds like some very entertaining mayhem :) They must be vectors of some sort.
As for your cooking challenges, I thought icons were meant to be universally understandable? Upon reflection, that idea doesn't even make sense :/ Before icons, googling, and MODERNITY, life seemed so much less complicated. Still, granola and baked mac and cheese make the trouble of resolving perplexities worthwhile. (I have taken note to add ground cardamom to my granola.)
While getting out in the wild of your new homeland sounds a bit frightening Ella, I thought you might find consolation in knowing that our recent trip to Vermont happened to coincide with what the locals there call a 'tic bloom'. Those little buggers would appear in force like dreaded colonizers looking to ruin your life! Time for another massage, mango lassi, AND an episode or two of The British Baking Show!
We love y'all soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much xoxoxoxoxoxox!