Notes From Overseas

Heading Off

2008-12-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

We're outta here!

A few things at home I’m excited for:

My bed
Crosswalks / General acknowledgment of pedestrian rights
A long hot shower
My toaster oven
An Italian sausage with peppers and onions (random craving!)
Seeing some awesome movies
Roads on which a driver picks a lane and sticks to it rather than driftng side to side sporadically. Drivers who look behind them and to the side at times.
Happy to take a break from the motorbikes. Also happy to take a break from the tiny ants that march around our condo like they own the place.
Our backyard
A great burger
Sleeping without the pounding of feet in the apartment above us at 1:00 am
A reliably speedy Internet connection
The annual girlfriends' Christmas lunch at Va Bene
A facial
My family, especially the nieces and nephews!
A prosciutto and cheese platter
The contents of our wine fridge
Cooler weather / Not sweating
NPR
The Whole Foods salad bar!!!!

As you can see from the below pix, the Christmas spirit is alive and well in Penang.

Peace out, everyone! Happy holidays to my fellow citizens of the world.

In the lobby of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.

Outside the G Hotel on Gurney Drive (down the street from where we live) - they usually put a hat on the "G" sign for every major holiday. With four religions going here, that's a lot of hats - Hari Raya Aidilfitri (end of Ramadan), Deepavali (big day for Hindus), Chinese New Year, etc.

Jo's Christmas lunch extravaganza - this New Zealander can seriously cook

The great Penang Santa Hunt 2008

Below - out on the hunt with our teammates, Chad and Jessica, (also Intel expats). One task was to have a teammate pedal the rest of us on a trishaw.

Merry Merry!

The USA beckons

2008-12-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

Returning soon for Christmas and some time back home. It’s been almost 7 months since I left US soil. That’s definitely long enough to get me wondering what kind of reverse “culture shock” I may encounter.

Similar to many expats, I experienced the initial thrill of arrival and discovery in the cool place that is Penang. Then I dipped down to the bottom of the “V.” A lot of things began to chafe – things that were not bad or worse, just different, and dealing with the differences was tiring me out and leaving me cranky.

Then, for the month of November, I toured more of Malaysia than ever before, and it reinvigorated me. My love of Penang is now more present than ever. I will fly back to US leaving a place I admire and enjoy.

Dreading the flight by the way. I’m excited for a dose home though.

Here’s what two friends of mine said they've noticed when they return to the US (they’ve both lived in Asia over 4 years).

Ramona from Florida

Cravings for random foods – she doesn’t really like deli meat, yet she craves a big ol’ pastrami on rye whenever she goes home. It’s the access to previously unavailable foods that gets you all excited
The road rage – people in Penang can drive like maniacs, but not many people get really angry on the road. In the US, they do.

Sue from Ohio

Everything seems big – from the roads to the cars to the stores to the people.
Not all flight attendants are petite, gorgeous and incredibly helpful. (Traveling via Malaysia Air and Singapore Air leaves you way spoiled.)

People seem to be talking really loud.

We’ll see what my reactions are!

On a serious note: I won’t lie to you – the attacks in Mumbai shook me. But not enough to pull the plug and move home. What I can vouch for after living abroad for almost 7 months is this: the vast majority of the people in this world don't carry an intense grudge and wish people no harm. It will be the test of our time that that the tiny percentage of people who think otherwise can wreak such havoc.

As I prep to go, I'm realizing how much I will miss my friends here. A few are pictured below.

Ruchi Bhargava - she and her husband are expats with Intel as well, originally from India, though they'd lived in the US for years prior to moving here

My tennis coach Albert Cheah (here with Ton) - a Penang native

My pal Z (short for Tze) -
originally from Singapore, though she's lived in Penang most her adult life

Gillian and her daughter Naomi - Gillian and her hubby are from Scotland, but came here by way of Hong Kong. Both their kids were born abroad.

I went to Naomi's first birthday party this weekend.

Marsha in Malaysia, Part 3

2008-12-05T17:02:00.001-08:00

After a month in Malaysia, Marsha departed last Tuesday. We explored Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca as well as relaxed on the island of Langkawi. The day she left, she said "I could easily live in Penang." She's hooked.

Below are some photos from our various outings.

Ancestral tablets in a temple in Malacca. These commemorate loved ones who have passed away.

At night, the famed Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur sparkle like an ice sculpture.

A Dutch gravestone in Malacca from the 1600s. The Portugese, Dutch and British all had control over Malacca during different periods. It was a key center for the spice trade.

Above are two pix from the Kek Lok Si temple in Penang - the largest Budhhist temple in SouthEast Asia, it's set into a hillside on the edge of town (really it's a complex of multiple temples and dormitories for monks). They are adding on to it and, as a fundraiser, ceiling tiles are for sale. You pay for a tile, write a message on it and give it back. It will then be placed on the roof with thousands of other tiles once the new building is complete. Mom and I had a woman write our names in Chinese. People from all over the world are represented on the tiles.

The other picture is in one of the oldest sections of the temple - these are prayer stools on a floor tiled with the design of lotus flowers.

At this altar, we noticed that someone had left a massive bag of rice as an offering. Now that's a statement!

Marsha at Penang's Botanical Garden. Note the monkey on the path!

Marsha in Malaysia, Part 2

2008-11-08T00:50:00.000-08:00

We are now in Kuala Lumpur, exploring the sights. More updates to come on that. Last Thursday, we explored a number of Chinese Buddhist temples in the old section of Penang's city of Georgetown. Pix are below.

Here are more Marsha impressions of Penang so far:

The lushness of the tropical landscape, the Straits of Malacca right outside my building, the multicultural population, the colonial architecture, the vibrant colors in Little India, the veggie & fruit stands at the wet market, buildings associated with 4 different religions sprinkled all over town (Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian)
The feel of beautiful silk fabrics and cotton batik sarongs, the refreshing taste of nutmeg juice and an Indian yogurt shake called Mango Lassi

Above is an offering area at a Chinese temple on Armenian Street - note the offering of three cups of tea and incense sticks.

The stunning entrance to Khoo Khongsi - a Chinese clanhouse and temple. Per my Eyewitness Travel guidebook, "kongsis are designed to function as places of worship and community centers for members of the clan that built them. This kongsi however became a center not just for the Khoos, but for four other powerful families, the Cheah, Lim, Tan and Yeoh clans, who ran an influential secret society." The clanhouse was recently renovated. The original structure had secret passageways and tunnels.

Mom at Khoo Kongsi with the happy buddha. Note the cool signboards behind her. Red and gold are very significant colors to the Chinese. We later visited the tradesman who handcrafts these.

Above is the signboard maker. He treats the wood panel with a base coat and carves the letters into the wood. Then, he paints the sign. Unfortunately, it's a dying art.

The Goddess of Mercy temple, one of the oldest in Penang - this is a public temple, open to all. This place is always hopping - it's located on a main street and people are in and out all day. The woman above is offering a candle. People offer fruit, flowers, and oil as well.

Outside the temple, people can buy a bird or birds, which they then release after saying a prayer. The gesture symbolizes a good deed, putting magnamous energy out to the universe. We were there around lunchtime, and we saw a forty-ish woman in business clothes buy a bird. The seller gave it to her in a little cage. She walked to the entrance of the temple, said a soft prayer, then opened the cage and watched the bird fly free.

Marsha in Malaysia, Part 1

2008-11-07T19:57:00.001-08:00

Yep, Marsha (aka my mom) has touched down on Penang soil! On this blog, you’ve seen many of my observations over the past months. Now, here are some of hers along with some pix from the past week as we explored the city of Georgetown.

The smell of incense and joss sticks in temples, the smell of the storm drains (use your imagination), the aroma of spices - particularly in Indian curries
The sound of motorbikes zipping down the roads, the local Hindu temple roosters making their presence known amazingly loudly, the mosque’s call to prayer (it’s sung through the air for a few minutes a number of times daily), all the different languages being spoken at once as we walk the streets – Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese dialects, Indian dialects, English

Above is a detail picture of the tiered entrance gateway to the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple. Note the 5 cobras above the goddess's head, providing protection. Indians consider cobras sacred and will not kill them.

At the Pinang Peranakan Museum - an old home that's been beautifully restored. It now houses a vast antique collection.

Mom at the famed Eastern & Oriental Hotel, where Rita Hayworth, Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham stayed back in the day.

Strolling the old Protestant Cemetery, which houses graves from the 17 & 1800s. It woud take a mighty steady temperament to walk around here at night.

Mom walking the streets of Little India with a hibiscus, Malaysia's national flower, pinned in her hair.

"Wherever We Move Next... We Bowl"

2008-10-30T01:57:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, we spent an evening at Penang Bowl!

My main man in action. By the way... yes, bowling shoes are still as geeky in Malaysia as they are in the USA.

Looking at this shot, you'd actually think I was good. Don't be deceived.

This is my good buddy, Jocelyn. She's from Boston! She's happy with the frame she just played, so she's kissing her pipes. We all do that, right?

She and her husband Mike were in a bowling league back in Beantown. Halfway through the night, she announced to her hubby in no uncertain terms - "Wherever we move next, we BOWL."

Mike won the pool. He was the first to bowl a strike, so he cleaned up the dough!

There's nothing like the feeling of a job well done. If you look closely, you'll see I'm celebrating because I was able to knock over 4 pins.

High Buildings & Halloween

2008-10-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

I received the below questions from my friend Jill’s daughters- Shea, 7, to the left, and Sloan, 5, to the right. Stella,3, is their younger sister, and she will only whisper her question into my ear. So, I’ll get that one when I return home for the holidays.

Miss Dana,I would like to know if there are tall building there or neighborhoods with lots of houses like there are here.

Love,Shea

Dear Shea,

There are both. What you see depends where you are on Penang island. The area where we live has many supertall buildings. Here’s a picture outside my window. If you look closely, you’ll see a rainbow!

This is the view out my bedroom window – the buildings aren’t as tall this way.

There’s lots of development going on right now, so I expect more tall buildings will appear in Penang over the next few years. Some people think all the new building should stop so that we can preserve the history and old feel of the island. We’ll see how that turns out. Only time will tell!

I also have friends that live in neighborhoods with houses like the one you live in.

Miss you! I want to order more Girl Scout cookies. - Miss Dana

Dear Miss Dana,
I would like to know if they have Halloween there, and what you are going to dress up as. Love, Sloan

Hi Sloan!

Halloween is not a holiday that the people of Malaysia celebrate. However, lots of families live here who are from places like the US and Europe. Here’s a picture of some of my friends.

Their kids go to international schools that often hold Halloween parties, so you’d still get a chance to dress up in a costume if you lived here!

I don’t think I’m going to a Halloween party this year, but if I did, I’d dress up as a princess.

Happy Halloween! Send me a picture of your costume. - Miss Dana

To Ms Lauren, part II

2008-10-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

I now have a picture of Ms. Lauren herself - one of my aboslute favorite people under the age of 16. Keep sending those questions!

To Lauren, from Ms. Dana

2008-10-13T02:15:00.001-07:00

I'm a postcard fan. Even in the days of email and Internet phone lines, I still think it's fun to send and receive things via the good ol' Postal Service. So I've been sending lots of postcards since I've been over here - both from Malaysia and from China.

I received a question about a postcard from Lauren Schooler, my friend Rose's 9-year old daughter. Lauren's picture is above.

The Question

"To Ms Dana....From Lauren...So were the caves you visited really as colorful as the postcard you sent me? "

This photo is similar to Lauren's postcard. I took it in the Reed Flute Cave which is about 5km outside the city of Guilin in China. It's a stunning maze - 240 meters long - of enormous and intricate stalactite and stalagmite formations.

The Answer Is...

Yes! but not naturally :-) The scene above is the "masterpiece" of the Reed Flute Cave - a rock formation set at the back of a lake that naturally formed inside the cave. The formation seems to resemble a city skyline and the lake reflects the formation as perfectly as a mirror. The top half of the above picture is the actual rock and the bottom half is its reflection in the lake.

When this site became a tourist attraction, the goverment installed lights to enable people to walk easily through the cave. Some of these lights are in fact colored to enhance the formations.

So there you have it Lauren! Send more questions if you have them - about China or Malaysia. I miss you VERY much. Love, Ms. Dana

I encourage all my friends' and family's kids to post a question to me. Bring it! Even if you're an reader of this blog and we haven't yet met face to face - if you're little one has a question about my expat experience or the US, please send. I'll be sure to answer. Kids often have the most interesting questions of all of us!

Until next time, peace out my fellow citizens of the world.

Food Snaps

2008-10-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

To follow my recent food update, I present the following snapshots. And I share a chicken story.

Below is Egg Prata, a breakfast dish. It's a super thin scrambled egg, wrapped in roti, a super thin local bread specialty. It comes with a curry sauce on the side for dipping. This makes a perfect brunch. And it costs 50 cents US.

Fishball soup from a Chinese place down the street from us. The soup was fine, but I found the fish ball quite bland.

The below meal comes steamed in a banana leaf, which you remove to find a yummy pork and rice concoction. It's rich and filling - comfort food. You can dip it in chili sauce to add some zing.

At the wet market, you can get fresh chicken to bring home for your dinner. And I mean fresh - they kill it right there. I told myself to toughen up and deal - I eat chicken, so I should be able to watch how the bird meets its demise. I position myself in the chicken area and watch the guy pull a chicken by its wings from one of the cages. The bird is squawking up a storm. The man raises his knife to the chicken's neck, stretched and exposed, and... I fled the area like I was escaping a raging wildfire. Perhaps I'll work up my courage another day. :-)

News from the Eats

2008-10-04T05:01:00.001-07:00

In my first month here, my pal Christine, who knows this patch of the world quite well, challenged me on this very blog to eat a number of adventurous things. As I noted in my early August post, I’ve tried to rise to the challenge – rambutans, Hokkien Mee, Murtabak. Delicious all.

Well, we’ve been here four months now, and things are at a whole new level. I have a local friend, Z (real name: Tze), who takes me to all kinds of places that only a local would know about. She knows I’m an adventurous eater (as long as the food is not mega-spicy hot), so she makes bold menu suggestions. I have now eaten:

-- soup with clear brown broth, mushrooms, gingko nuts, and wait for it… pig stomach
-- lightly fried pig liver served in a black sweet sauce

Both tasted fine, though I stopped at a few bites and wouldn’t order again. Not because I found them awful, but because I didn’t find them super-good. I think your tastes are all about what you grow up eating. I would love the black sauce on regular pork however.

Local Food Homeruns
One local food that I adore is Kerabu, a salad-type dish made with, among other things, a medium-spicy chili sauce, crushed nuts, lime juice and fresh herbs like cilantro. I’d love to find the recipe (for the one made with raw, crunchy cucumbers, not chicken feet).

As I shared in my food “fook” blogpost, I dig Otak-otak, a fish dish. I also enjoy a Nonya dish of sautéed bean sprouts, sprinkled with crushed tiny fried fish. Nonya is a type of local cuisine that blends Malay and Chinese cooking methods.

So there you have it! I look forward to the arrival of !Marsha! in November to whom I will introduce all these foods (not the pig stomach).

Below: Ton eating dragon fruit. Note the color in the bowl below - white gray with black seeds. Funky!

Rookie Move
I forgot my tote bag the other day when I went to the wet market. So I had to carry masses of little plastic bags around. As the bags increased in number and weight, they began to cut into my fingers and became a general pain.

Don’t forget that tote bag. There are no grocery carts at the ol’ wet market!

What I Miss
(it’s the little things that get ya)
-- A disposal
-- Frozen broccoli / frozen spinach
-- Frozen wild blueberries
-- A long hot shower

I finally found PAM Olive Oil Cooking spray and that makes me very happy.

Ricotta cheese proved elusive until just recently, when I found a store that will special-order it for me

What I’m Digging
-- A new era of cooking. Many mornings as I sip my tea, I peruse my cookbooks eagerly, pondering my next cooking attempt. I’ve made:

a great Chinese soup in a light broth with noodles, soy sauce and mushrooms
an Indonesian sweet potato/peanut soup with cabbage
an awesome garam masala sauce for roasted veggies
a kickass Mexican lasagna and lime-cumin cucumber, orange & red onion salad

I had an unfortunate frittata crash and burn however.

-- I continue to meet interesting people. I’m consistently amazed at the vastness and diversity of Penang’s expat community.

-- I love the smell of Indian spices which wafts towards me every time I open my kitchen cabinet.

How I Know I’m Not in Kansas Anymore
I decided to make a braised chicken recipe which required:
-- 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves (leaves removed from stems)
-- 10 whole cloves

Back home, I’d have tracked down the cloves, but the curry leaves would have stumped me.

Here in Penang, I just thought, “I’ll stop by the wet market and pick some up.” I know exactly where to find the dude that sells the curry leaves, and the Indian spice guy hooked me up with the cloves. I also bought fresh coconut milk (right-out-of-the-fruit-that-day fresh) for the sauce. Gotta love it!

Misc Food Learnings
-- Curry leaves are not spicy; in fact, they have a pleasant, soothing smell. It’s the chilies that make curry dishes hot.
-- Dried chilies are hotter than fresh.
-- Freshly-squeezed coconut milk doesn’t keep in the fridge. You must use it that same day, or it will separate and be generally icky.

China – A Visit to the Dragon

2008-09-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

The Old & New Mingled Together

As I waited in the shiny hopping Hong Kong airport for my flight back to Penang on Sept. 3, I saw 5 monks in butterscotch-colored robes walking down the corridor. They carried black backpacks, maybe with a few laptops inside? This mixture of ancient tradition and modernity was an apt final image for me. Over 4 days in Shanghai, 3 in Guilin (a medium-sized city in the southwest) and 2 in Hong Kong, I got a good look at this country that many once referred to as the sleeping dragon.

Key Observation/Learning

I knew before my trip that China wasn’t remotely a backwards country, but now that I’ve visited, I can say I really know. Certainly, the Olympics impressed me and the rest of the world. Yet, I still expected a bit of a Communist-bloc feeling about the place – like Eastern Europe prior to the end of the Iron Curtain. Not at all. While the citizens surely are crystal clear on what can/cannot be done or said, the general feel on the streets is not one of fear or anxiety.

Things I enjoyed about Chinese culture
- The custom of spending time outdoors and the focus on daily exercise – tai chi, walking, dancing, etc.
- The reverence for ancestors and respect for the elderly
- The penchant for celebrations and festivals (though they are based on some darn sad and disturbing legends)
- Almost every element of design and decoration has a symbolic link to good fortune, longevity, prosperity, and happiness or some other positive concept. The US has its iconic images to be sure, but not nearly to the extent of China, with these images, as well as feng shui, embedded into almost every aspect of daily life it seems

Memorable moments/images
- The Shanghai Museum's architecture – a circle on top symbolizing heaven, a square design on the bottom which represented earth.
- The prices in Shanghai – great deals everywhere, from the museum bookstore to the clothing boutiques.
- At the animal sanctuary outside Guilin, the tigers lounging in the hot, humid weather like frat boys sleeping off a hangover. The bears at the same place frolicking about – charming furry balls of fun wacky on the junk.
- The local fresh market in a Shanghai residential neighborhood – more orderly than the one in Penang, but still far different from anything we have in the US – the buckets of crabs and eels on display, the massive winter melons, the jugs of Chinese wine, the piles of hundreds of watermelons.
- Olympics highlights were still being played on TVs all over.
- The slurping of noodles and soup is common and perfectly acceptable manners.
- The hip women in Shanghai look great in flats. A woman with a chic pixie haircut wearing a sleeveless ruffled white cotton shirt and black flowing pants comes to mind.
- The traffic in Guilin – pedestrians walking headlong into traffic seemingly fearless of being hit, pedestrians milled everywhere on the roads.
- In the city of Suzhou outside Shanghai, there’s a million people and 600,000 bikes. It was raining on the day we visited. Bikers in long bright-colored rain ponchos – green, yellow, blue, red, purple, raspberry – populated the streets. People walking with umbrellas speckled the sidewalks with similar colors.
- The young waiter in Guilin who so clearly wanted to chat with us, practicing his English. He had a sweet handsome face with high cheekbones and spoke, among other things, of his adoration of Yao Ming, the basketball player – “he’s a hero here.” I wish I’d taken his picture.

Below are a few pix from my journey. I am thrilled to add this country to my life list of places visited.

At the market

The French Concession section of Shanghai

A scene from the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai

The stunning karst rock formations outside Guilin

A herd of cows on a tea plantation outside Guilin

Food Luck

2008-08-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

“Undoubtedly, Kong Tai had fook, or luck… My extended family, and indeed most Chinese, believe unequivocally in fook, an awesome commodity bestowed on some… Fook is taken so seriously that it is perceived as a living and breathing entity.”

This excerpt is from a book I recently finished titled, Days Gone By: Growing Up in Penang by Christine Wu Ramsay. The line above describes her great grandfather, who emigrated in 1876 from China to Malaysia at the age of nineteen. He went on to make a huge fortune in mining that sustained his immense family for generations.

I’ve decided I have a tiny bit of fook myself because I have a sassy Chinese neighbor, Laura (her English name, she has a Chinese one as well), who bestows food upon me multiple times weekly. There are only two units per floor in our building, and Laura lives in the other unit on my floor. She has a large family and often shares portions from their dinners. I’ve received all kinds of scrumptious vittles.

Laura has high standards too. The other night she texted me, asking if I wanted some Chicken Rice, a local specialty. It took me about 2.2 seconds to text back, saying SURE! An hour later I got another text – “The rice is not so tasty tonight. I’ll give it to you another time when I improve it.” Laura’s mother lives with the family, and I’ve been lucky enough to sample her food as well – including a delicious simple pork dish. I’m grateful for the luck that landed me next to Laura and her family – I have food fook!

Above is a dumpling Laura gave me called otak otak. The outer wrap is made out of banana leaves. It was already cooked – all I had to do was warm it up. Then, I peeled the leaves and voila! A scrumptious spicy-but-not-too-spicy fish mixture is found inside.

China Next!
I depart for China soon – you’ll hear from me after that. Shanghai, Guilin and Hong Kong – here I come.

Merdeka Day

Malaysia's version of Independence Day is August 31. In 1957, the country officially left British rule and gained indepence. Factoid: Singapore was originally part of Malaysia, but became self-governing in the mid-1960s. Happy Merdeka Day!

Final Thought of Jasmine
I buy flowers at the wet market weekly (very affordable compared to the US), and I’ve gotten into the habit of buying jasmine blossoms (often used as offerings to Hindu deities) and placing them in bowls around the house – they yield a beautiful fragrance for a few days. I have my own jasmine plant now on my balcony, and I am “harvesting” blossoms from there too. The bowls are from a Japanese ceramics shop I’ve found in town. From now on, jasmine will forever remind me of Penang.

Take care my citizens of the world - good fook be upon you!

We melted on Penang Hill. There's nothing left.

2008-08-12T02:45:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, we tackled a portion of Penang Hill, which is 2700 feet high. We knew we didn't have time to get to the top, but we figured we'd take a whack at it. Parts of the trail are nasty steep. Ton of course bounded up the trail like a billygoat, whereas I wanted to curl up in a sweaty little ball of death.

The hill area is rich in rainforest biodiversity with a number of rare species. Bird calls and squawks ring through the trees and at times the hum of insects reaches a fever pitch, silencing conversation. You see lots of ant activity as they march their way across the trail in neat orderly lines.

Penang Hill is Malaysia's oldest hill station. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the rich - both British and Chinese - built bungalows on Penang Hill for taking a holiday and escaping the heat. A local Realtor told me that the few homes which still exist on Penang Hill command a high price. A small hotel and restaurant functions at the top and you can find a Hindu temple and a mosque there as well. Most people took (and still take) the railway or other forms of transportation to get up Penang Hill. In the above picture, you can see the city of Georgetown, where we live, in the distance.

In 30 minutes, we made it up to a break area. We were told that the summit was one more hour. We'll do that next time. Look at me - can you say sweaty?

On the way down, a massive clump of branches right above Ton's head rustled as if something was about to fall to the ground. It was a monkey! They are quite common in the forests, parks and gardens here. The moment was quite the adrenaline rush - at first we didn't know what the heck was happening, we just heard the crashing of leaves and branches. He didn't bother us though, he just checked us out.

At one point, there was a proposal for large-scale commercial development on Penang Hill, but this idea was defeated by public petition - a people power victory! The entrance to the trail we took is right by the Penang Botanic Gardens, which we strolled through before tackling our hike. The picture in the blog header is of a local group practicing morning tai chi. Check it out!

Until next time, peace out to my fellow citizens of the world!

Our New Normal

2008-08-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

We’ve officially been here two months. Amazing how easy it is to achieve a “new normal” in that amount of time. Things that seemed quite different at first aren’t remotely strange now. The warmth and friendliness of people – expats and locals alike – continues to inspire us. The level of hospitality here truly impresses me. Citizens of the world unite!

Update on Operation Roach Eradication (ORE)
Those of you who recall the July 9 posting are aware of Ton’s focus on cockroach annihilation. Last week, we discovered a bad leak in our hallway. To fix it, the building folks had to bang a small hole in the wall of the hallway closet. They decided to leave the hole open to let the area dry out – they’d return in a few days. As soon as they left, Ton was on the job. He grabs the roach spray and marches to the hole. ““I’m going to spray a bunch of roach killer in there because I don’t want anything coming out of there and infesting the house.” Fumes galore. Later as we prepared for bed, he said, “Leave the light on in the hallway closet. Roaches prefer darkness.”

Challenge Foods
I’ve been challenged by some blog readers to eat some new and funky foods. Below are just a few of the things Ton and I have tried. I’ve never eaten so many new foods in such a short time in my life.

Murtabak – I had this for Sunday Brunch at our neighborhood Indian spot. It’s the Indian version of a burrito – in my case, veggies and egg wrapped in a square pastry shell.

Rambutan – A small sweet fruit that you must break out of its thick, tough “pod,” which is reddish-pink and hairy.

Hokkien Mee – Penang is famous for this local dish. Known as “street food” because you typically buy it from a hawker stall on the street, it consists of noodles and prawns (shrimp) in a clear spiced broth. I had them hold off on the chilies. We were taken by a local to one of the most popular Hokkien Mee stalls Penang, in the Pilau Tikus section of town not far from our condo.

Dragon Fruit – This fruit is the size of a softball, has bright red skin and white firm fruit with black seeds. Ton liked it. I didn’t – not much taste and kind of waxy in consistency.

Crab Laksa – hello?! Awesome. Noodles and crab in thick orangey-brown gravy made of coconut milk and shrimp paste. Spicy but I could take it.

Durian – Many people have challenged me to try Durian, but I’m gonna duck that one for awhile. Ha! Despite its odd smell (some liken it to dirty diapers or vomit), the durian fruit is revered here. At the wet market, sellers will cut the large fruit in half and customers assess the “meat” very seriously.

The slide show below shows pictures of various food sights as well as dishes we've eaten around Penang. The picture in the blog header is an eye-catching snack we had in a Singapore's Chinatown.

Rookie Move
Despite the fact that we have an array of guidebooks and maps, Ton and I headed out with neither on Saturday to check out the famous mansions in town. We found the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion no problem, but learned after we parked, that the only way to view it was on a tour at either 11:00 or 3:00. It was noon. So we asked the guy if the Pinang Peranakan Mansion was walking distance.

He said sure, take a right, walk awhile, then a right at the church, then it’s to the left. Ton and I head out – at noon I remind you – to find the mansion. After about thirty minutes of wandering in which we had sweat droplets crawling over every inch of our bodies, we gave up, too tired to track it down in the intense mid-day sun. “I think this qualifies as a rookie move,” summed up Ton. Yep.

We did however see the Goddess of Mercy Temple and the Kapitan Keling Mosque on our travels, and I found an Asian ceramics shop with gorgeous plates, teapots and cups of all sizes. I will go back there to purchase a few items when I am not drowning in my own pool of sweat.

Maddening Question That's Bugging Us (no pun intended)
Since various locals have started to lurk around this blog, I’m hoping one of you can answer this one because Ton and I are stumped. Perhaps someone back home can tell us too. Since we’re in the tropics here with lots of jungle around, we expected it to be very buggy, particularly with annoying flying things that bite us. Yet no. When we walk to dinner in the evening or sit outside on our lanai sipping some vino, we never get a bite, not even one tiny red welt.

In other tropical climates, I’ve been eaten alive, but not here. We spent an hour the other night at the Gurney Hawker stands, outside the whole time, and again not a bite. Storm drains here often have still water lying in them, yet no bugs. Not that we’re complaining, but we’re curious what’s going on. Inquiring minds want to know!

Coming Home

2008-07-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Just returned from four days in Singapore, which we thoroughly enjoyed. A post to come on that shortly.

First though, a note of welcome: I’ve heard through the grapevine that many friends of friends and co-workers of friends are receiving this post via forwarded emails. Welcome my virtual pals! Make a comment to the blog site if you’re in the mood.

Answer to Last Week's Challenge Question
Paul Pelletier, our friend and trainer extraordinaire, submitted the most prompt answer – “It is called a wet market because they wash the floors every morning [with hoses]. They are also called ‘wet market’ in the Philippines, Guam and a few other places I have been.” However, my dad’s wife Sissel also emailed a week later with this, which is also true – “maybe they keep spraying the vegetables and the fruit with water, hence the wet market.”

Either way, when you go to the wet market, you have to get used to the concrete floor being wet and occasionally slick. Good job to both of you! You each get a goodie from Southeast Asia when I see you next.

Next Challenge Question
Occasionally as I’m walking through town, I see a side entrance to a building with a few rules or warnings posted such as “No loitering” or “Watch for motorbikes” etc. One phrase I have seen is “No Naked Light.” What does that mean?

(Anyone is allowed to participate in this one, even if you live on Desert Trumpet Road. Note: to win your prize, you must post your answer to the blog!)

Parting Thought
I had an odd realization as I waited in Singapore yesterday for my flight back to Penang (Ton had caught a flight to Tokyo earlier). As many of us do when lingering around an airport – annoyed by our heavy awkward bags even though we swore we were going to pack light and cranky about our empty stomachs because the flight overlaps with the dinner hour yet there’s really not enough time to grab some food, I thought “I can’t wait to get home.” And it sort of shocked me to realize that I was thinking of Penang. Just six weeks on the ground and I already was viewing our condo on Persiaran Gurney (Gurney Drive) as my true ‘hood.

And while certain stresses in Penang exist, like addresses that are impossible to find as you navigate roads filled with kamikaze motorbikes and water bottles that are impossible to twist open due to a sweating condensation that makes them so slippery they violently shoot through your hands and slam onto the floor, I realized for the first time what an affection I’ve developed for our little patch of Southeast Asia.

And how I like seeing the security guards smile and wave at us as we drive in or leave for an outing,

and how I dig that the Asian horse statue I bought at an antique shop greets me as I open my condo door,

and how I find the little patch of ocean I can see from my bedroom grounding and soothing for a reason I can’t really name,

and how the array of colored city lights I see out the windows when I go to bed at night causes me to close my eyes with a smile on my face.

And of course, how I like having the freshest produce I could ask for at my fingertips every morning at the wet market.

With that thought, I sign off.

Below are a few shots from around the neighborhood. The couple on the rocks were seated right across the street from my building, checking their laptop while facing the strait between the island and the mainland. The one of Ton and I is taken at a favorite Indian spot right around the corner from our pad - brunch there is to die for. The road picture is just down the street from our building at sunset after a storm had moved through.

Agile, Brilliant, Charming and Fun!

2008-07-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well done! Over 10 people replied to the “stick no bills” challenge question, either via the blog or via email. I like the participation, people! Keep at it. New challenge question below. Reply to the blog if you can. My sister in law Tanya was Johnny-on-the-spot with the answer, so she gets a Penang present when I see her next. Btw, I know I’ve been given a few assignments – I will be sending a report on those shortly.

How I know I’m not in Kansas Anymore: I flew with some expats to the island of Langkawi last week on one of Malaysia’s budget airlines, Firefly. My boarding pass was a tiny thin piece of paper (like a receipt you get when you pay by credit card). I could wad it up into a ball the size of pea. The guy gave it to me and I said, puzzled, “That’s it?” As I walked away from the check-in desk, I noticed the airline’s slogan printed at the bottom. I found it quite distinctive: Firefly - Agile, Brilliant, Charming and Fun!

Quote of the Week: Ton has very low tolerance for cockroaches. So when we saw the first one in our condo this weekend (welcome to the tropics), he quickly implemented ORE – Operation Roach Eradication. The savage caveman tendencies from our human past seemed to rise within him, firing his eyes with intensity. The ORE process was quite complex and multi-faceted – far too much to detail here – but it worked.

His victory comment, “The roach in the bathroom is curled up in a little ball of death.” A little while later, he adds, “I’m so excited the house is safe now.” I would have nodded, given some kind of positive feedback, but all my energy was consumed in fending off the desire to curl up in a little ball of death myself due to the fumes wafting from the bathroom.

Rookie Moves: Twice I have been to a local’s home – once for an International Women’s Association (IWA) activity – sushi demo! – and once for a dinner. Twice I have pondered my outfit, including which pair of kickin’ sandals to wear. Only to realize when I arrive that I will be removing my shoes at the front door, and they will stay off the entire time. Note to self: remember when to plan outfits around shoes and when not to.

What I Miss (it’s the little things that get ya)
- Napkins – most restaurants don’t automatically offer them and, when you ask for one, it’s usually so small that it covers about an eighth of one thigh
- Books, magazines and paper that don’t go limp or buckle with humidity

What I’m Digging
- The food
- As I walked through the Pulau Tikus section of town, I noticed an unusual bird call coming from a small bushy tree. The leaves were so thick I couldn’t see the actual bird, so the tree seemed like a green furry speaker emanating funky chrips and trills – loud, low and rich in tone.
- The food
- Strolling through the electronics shop and seeing all kinds of small funky kitchen appliances like a soybean milk maker and a number of others which I could not remotely identify
-The food

Challenge question: I posted pix on my blog a few weeks ago of the wet market, where I can buy produce, spices, flowers, fish/chicken, etc. Why is it called the “wet” market? Hint: it’s a reference to a practical purpose.(The first person to answer correctly gets a present from Penang! Anyone with these letters in their last name – H-Q-A-U – may not answer.)

This was a fun week for the blog as two friends of mine who’d lost touch saw pix of each other on the blog and got reconnected. Plus, I had for the first time a person “find” me on the web. A new virtual friend! Citizens of the world unite. Peace out everyone.

4th of July - Penang Style

2008-07-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Friday evening, we rung in good ol' Indepedence Day half way across the world in Malaysia. A bunch of expats got together for a BBQ complete with beer, burgers, dogs and watermelon. A few locals were present at the shindig as well. Citizens of the world unite! The next day Ton and I decided to keep the party going by checking out a highly recommended restaurant called Ocean Green, which happily is walking distance from our condo and right on the water. We had seafood fried rice, asparagus in garlic sauce and prawns in superior sauce (chef's special!). Pix from both outings below. The picture in the blog header shows our table at Ocean Green near the end of the meal. Tiger is the local beer here, and Spritzer is a local bottled water. Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

One Month as Expats

2008-06-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

A good friend of ours, KC Quah, grew up here in Penang, and, lucky for us, he was here for a week's visit. His mother invited us to dinner at her home, and we devoured all kinds of scrumptious vittles. See pix below. The last two pictures are old photos of KC's parents and his grandmother. KC and his family get high marks for being such welcoming hosts.

This week, we've been on Penang soil a month. All in all, the start to our expat adventure has been solid and sassy. Yes, there've been a few "moments" but nothing terribly stressful and difficult, for which we're thankful. And that makes me think of our friend Pranav and his wife Bina back in Arizona. Before we left, they gave us a small statue of a Hindu deity - the figure of a man's body with an elephant's head. I'd seen the deity before, but was unsure exactly who he was, so I emailed Pranav for some info. Here's what Pranav said:

"It is the statue of Lord Ganesh! He is the God that Hindus worship before the beginning of any auspicious task.

The mythology behind Lord Ganesh is quite fascinating! Ganesh was the son of Lord Shiva (one of the three highest Gods in Hindu trinity). Right after Ganesh was born, Lord Shiva went to deep forest to do penance and meditation. By the time he returned, Ganesh was a young teenage boy! As it happened that day, Lord Shiva’s wife (Ganesh’s mother) was going for shower inside the hut, so she asked young Ganesh to stand watch outside the door while she took bath. Coincidentally, right then, Lord Shiva returned home and tried to enter his modest house. Young Ganesh, not knowing this ‘stranger,’ stopped him and warned him not to enter the house or endanger his life! Lord Shiva, extremely angry at the insult took his sword out and beheaded the irreverent young boy who was trying to prevent him from entering his own house. His wife came out just then and realized the devastating tragedy that had just taken place. She grieved heavily and begged Lord Shiva to return her son back to her. Lord Shiva, having realized his own mistake, was also overcome with grief and shock.

But, what can be done now? Well, to bring back his son, another sacrifice had to be made. He agreed to use his powers and said, “whoever walks in first through the gates of the city next morning, I will put his head back on the boy’s body and bring him back to life!” Well, the next day, lo and behold, the first one to walk through the city gates happened to be an elephant! Lord Shiva put his head back on his son’s body. His wife, however, was still in complete shock and couldn’t reconcile with her ‘elephant boy’ as she worried who would ever even look at her son?! Lord Shiva then consoled her by offering this blessing, “not only your son will be worshipped by everybody…in fact, he would be the first deity everyone would worship before they begin any auspicious task!” The rest is…as they say…history! The “elephant God” as some call Lord Ganesh is the first God Hindus invoke before a new beginning!"

Our deity sits on the dresser in our bedroom, watching over us as we sleep. We have indeed had a good start here. Ton and I are lucky with our friends. Here's to all of you.

Now, on to the food...

The dish to the right is Chicken Curry Kapitan made by KC's mother. It was spicy in a nice way, not a burn your tongue off way. In addition to chicken, it included potato and lemongrass. The dish to the left is a mixture of carrots and a starchy vegetable called cico.

We also had sweet and sour pork and a funky fish dish (the blog header photo) which had been marinated in turmeric (a spice).

The fifth dish (pic below) was a mixture of peas, pickled radish, and a chinese sausage called lup cheong. We had slices of orange as a perfect dessert.

To Market We Go!

2008-06-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

The picture above is cilantro and other goodies from a vegetable stall in the Pilau Tikus wet market. I've been to the market twice this week - the first time with Santha, our amah (maid/cook), to get cleaning supplies and veggies/fruit, and the second with our friend KC Quah and his mother and sister. These pix are from the first outing. Pictures of the Quah expedition to come in a few days.

The wet market is packed tight with stalls selling fresh produce, meat, flowers, spices and other goods. You must go as early in the morning as possible. A fun way to do your shopping! The white liquid in the bag below is coconut milk which Santha used to make sauteed okra and a vegetarian curry stew. The leaves in the last picture are curry leaves. They have a wonderful smell. The bucket contains spices. I bought and tried a persimmon fruit (looks like an orange tomato) for the first time. Thumbs up. I'll buy it again.

Citizen of the World - Activate!

2008-06-13T02:10:00.000-07:00

Citizen of the world program fully engaged: Boxes unpacked. Additional dishes purchased. Chinese lessons begun. Oven/dryer/washing machine/dishwasher shorted out and now repaired. Groceries purchased. Home cooked meals – done. Meals out – check. Plum-lemon duck devoured. Expat coffee and dinner attended. Tennis lessons implemented. Dry cleaner located. Adjustment fatigue acknowledged and overcome. Movie viewed (Ironman – loved it!) First hike completed. Resort weekend accomplished. To-die-for beaded skirt and tunic purchased.

Rookie Moves: 1) Playing tennis at noon. 2) Playing tennis at noon on a full stomach. 3) Playing tennis at noon on a full stomach without sunblock. 4) Hiking in Penang National Forest without insect repellant and, wait for it… no sunblock.

Random Moment: I could NOT get that song Gold Digger by Kanye West/Jamie Foxx out of my head as I shopped at the humongo TESCO grocery store. Interesting factoid: many grocery stores are within malls here.

How I know I’m not in Kansas Anymore: When we departed for our resort weekend, I forgot to empty the trash. When I came home, there were maggots and flies all over it. Doh! Note to self: empty trash (which is stored in a non-air-conditioned nook) every day.

What I Miss (it’s the little things that get ya)
- The Whole Foods Salad Bar
- A kitchen with windows
- A washer/dryer of the size/power we have at home
- Crosswalks (and drivers that stop for pedestrians)

What I’m Digging
- The Malay phonetic take on various English words – teksi = taxi, restoran = restaurant, klinik = clinic

- How friendly people are

- The color of the strait between Penang and the mainland – never a classic ocean blue. At different times of day and depending on the weather, it looks minty green or a lemongrass color or lime green or at times like the color of the Volvo station wagon my family had when I was growing up – the aptly named seafoam green

- Indian mango (Ton digs what we think is called the Regan fruit, but I can’t find it on the Internet so we probably got that wrong)

- The occasional gray day. Bouts of rain. The rumbling of thunder as I lie in bed.

- The Indian food I had for lunch the other day, in particular the chenna butra – described on the menu as “big fluffy bread” served with a chickpea stew. It arrived – a round pita type bread puffed up like a huge soufflé. We also liked the chapathy – a flat soft whole wheat bread served with a mild curry sauce and a chickpea/potato mash. We had these, three other dishes, a bottle of water, and a mango lassi (a mango yogurt shake) – all for $12.

- The architectural mix in this city – a British Victorian influence combined with structures linked to almost every religion under the sun – mosques, a plethora of Protestant churches, a variety of Buddhist temples and monasteries – Chinese, Burmese, Thai – as well as Hindu temples. I’ve seen Christian, Islamic and Chinese graveyards as well.

Ambivalent About
The humidity – the curl in my hair is great (frizz totally under control – it’s all about the products), but you also get home at the end of the day with what feels like a layer of grime. Even if the scale hasn’t moved, your body just feels heavier and puffier on the super-humid/hot days.

Quote of the Week: Ton and I are driving and chatting. Then he abruptly says, “Okay I have to stop talking and concentrate because I’m in, like, a foreign land.”

Challenge question: When I pass by bus stops, I see a sign saying “Stick No Bills” posted above the bench. What does that mean?
(The first person to answer correctly gets a present from Penang! Anyone with the last name Quah may not answer. Anyone who cheats by consulting a Quah will be dealt with.)

Various and Sundry Pix

2008-06-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, I'll post some comments tomorrow. For now, here are snapshots of our visit to the Penang National Forest last weekend as well as an expat dinner we attended. Peace out!

1 Week Down, 103 To Go!

2008-06-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

[the header picture is a view from one of our balconies]

What I’m Digging: The diversity of the people here. As Ton and I walked down our street, Gurney Drive, which fronts the strait between Penang Island and the mainland, I saw all these people in one short stroll – two Buddhist monks on a bench looking at the sea, teenage couples sitting on the rocks doing the same, a young family with a toddler, a middle-aged woman walking her dog (a shih-tzu I believe), a homeless man, two elderly women – deep wrinkles in their faces – taking a rest, again viewing the sea. You see everything from Muslim women with head scarves to teenage girls in tiny tank tops and high heels. You see Malays, Chinese, Indians and Westerners.

Key Learning: The lane stripes on the roads are just guidelines, not remotely rules – cars drift amidst them as it suits the drivers; sometimes they drive happily along half in one, half in the other. Ton is rocking our Toyota Camry though. We drove a half hour to the beach resort area this afternoon. It was gorgeous (MASSIVE palm trees), and the roads were relatively tame. He managed it all with flair. Side note: The motorbike drivers here are seriously gutsy.
Not My Sharpest Moment: I get on the treadmill, program in my normal speed, and wonder “Why is this going so slowly? Darn thing must be broken.” Then it hits me, the speed is in kilometers here.
How I know I’m not in Kansas Anymore: The level of sweat soaking through my clothes as I work out. I also have something I've not had in ages - a zit.
Quote of the Week: Out doing errands, I notice a button has popped open on my blouse and I say, “Oh no, I’m a hussy.” Ton replies, “Thank god. I’ve been waiting for this day.”

Parting Thought: So much for the pipe dream of “Wouldn’t it be great if I lost weight while I was here?” Ha! With the many delights available in Penang, including bakeries full of items such as “a harmony of chocolate and vanilla cream brimming with pastry,” I’m tempted left and right. Friday night, we attended a rug auction (where the wine was flowing plentifully) with some new friends, Mauricio and Anita, where we unexpectedly bought three oriental rugs. Post-auction, we landed at a party spot called SOHO with a posse of expats and locals. As I made my way onto the club’s smoky dance floor clutching a local beer (called Tiger), I thought, so much for my healthy kick. We didn't get home until 2AM or so, after we’d gone with the crew for oxtail soup and a chicken scallion omelette. Then we get a call Saturday night from one of the couples we'd met asking if we want to go out AGAIN. Needless to say, we’ve met fabulous people already, which makes adjusting to Penang all the more easy . Bring on more outings with this new pack of fun people.

Touch Down!

2008-05-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

We’re here! In the thick of setting up house (or condo) amidst jet lag. As the plane descended into Penang, the small furry green island, thick with lush vegetation, began to appear. Once on the ground, I saw what an extensive and established region this was (approx 1 million people live on the island) and how human civilization had carved out a robust existence amidst the rain forest (and had for hundreds of years), but from the air, it seemed the jungle way had the upper hand. The towns from above seemed tenacious outposts even now. I knew I was going to be living in the tropics when I agreed to come here, but it wasn’t until this descent that I really knew (and once I was on the ground, the strength of the sun and humidity really really let me know). I just soaked it in – my eyes riveted by my new home and the verdant, thriving, towering vegetation that blanketed it.

Lots more to come on Penang, but for now, some transit notes:

Barbara Cass
Barbara Cass. Those are the letters you want to see on the name tag of the woman behind the United ticket counter if you happen to be having massive problems with your itinerary/tickets. Barbara Cass.

It had started out so well. We packaged up the house – lowering all the shades, setting the thermostat, turning off the toilet water valves and whatnot. Then we arrived at the airport to find out that Barbara can’t issue me boarding passes. Far too many details to share on what caused this situation and how we resolved it, but Barbara was very patient as I started to act pretty tense and Ton called his company’s travel service, etc. It took forever and, at one point, Barbara tried to look up my reservation again, and it seemed to have been cancelled completely, wiped out. At that point, I told both her and Ton that I was going for a walk. They saw the look on my face and said, “Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

My neck muscles were twisted in a gargantuan knot. The thought that I wasn’t going to be able to depart overwhelmed me. I rarely reach the stress level where I completely unspool, but I felt dangerously close. I walked outside, inhaled some good ol’ Phoenix smog, and felt like I might cry, which is really really unusual for me. So I sent what I’m sure was a fairly incoherent text message to my friend Rose about wanting to cause the various people responsible for this screw up serious pain. (Note: I didn’t really mean it)

It all worked out though – not easily or simply – but it worked out, due in much part to Ms. Cass’ patience, experience and tenacity. So if there are some positive vibes currently floating around in the universe unassigned Id’ like them directed to her general vicinity please.

Choice Ton Moment
I was pretty tense on the entire flight to LA, just couldn’t unwind. I tried to rally a sense of humor about the ticket debacle, but my brain was fried. All that shook off when, in LA, Ton stepped onto a down escalator that he realized he didn’t want to be on, and he tried to hop up the steps with his brief case and carry-on to make it back to the top. When he failed, he looked at me with this plaintive face, his body slowly getting smaller and smaller as it descended into god knows where. Once we were reunited, the whole episode gave me a solid long laugh, and my tension finally unwound and evaporated into the ether.

Random Highlights of the 17 hour flight from LA to Singapore on Singapore Air

Slept most of it, praise be to the heavens. Played video solitaire and read a fantastic and entertaining book for the rest, Then We Came to The End. Any of you who've worked in corporate America will truly enjoy.

Fortunately the woman sitting behind me got lots of sleep too. So I didn’t have to hear her voice the whole flight. She had the sweetest little old lady voice you’ve ever heard, and until you’re essentially trapped next to such a voice, you don’t realize how quickly it can drive you batty. Particularly when it says, “This plane smells like urine.”

As we descended, I realized any nerves that'd been dogging me had morphed into sheer excitement. I was pumped primarily because I’d gotten lots of sleep. Had it been otherwise, my attitude as we landed would have been more along the lines of “Yeah freakin’ Singapore. Big deal.”
Shortly, I’ll post my first Penang update. Until then – peace out, fools!

Time to Be a Citizen of the World

2008-05-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

In early 2008, my husband, Ton, received the opportunity to work and live abroad in Malaysia for two years, and we eagerly decided to go for it. Besides the chance to soak in SouthEast Asia – a region of the world that’s always fascinated me, a number of things motivated me to take on this adventure:

1) Recently, it hit me that I was turning 40 next year. (I think it happened when Ton said, “You know, you’re turning 40 next year”). That only added to the intensity of a question I’ve been pondering lately – I have not one complaint about my life, yet I sometimes wonder in a slightly deflated way, could the significant events – the “big deals” – be over? To which I quickly respond… Hell no! Bring on Malaysia.

2) I feel I can be a better citizen of my own country if I leave it for awhile. Travel revitalizes the soul and humanizes the world – helps us see our fellow mates around the globe as individuals, not aggregated faceless blobs drawn from the media. Only good can come from getting to know my fellow citizens of the world one on one, while representing my own country with dignity and grace.

And finally, I don’t often admit this, but I must be honest and put it out there:

3) I’ve become a bit afraid of the world, and I want to get over it and stay over it. At times, I find myself sucked into an irrational fear that everyone outside my country’s borders wants to spit on me, or even kill me. I’ve traveled internationally many times over the last 8 years, and, across board, that NEVER happens of course. People will make their issues with our government and president clear and known, but they’re open to me and anyone else as an individual. Yet, my fear still lingers, which shames and saddens me. I want to get past it, and there’s no better way to achieve this than kicking up the gears – living abroad in the Far East.

Time to be a true member of the world, not just one country. I crave citizenship that expands beyond national borders. Ton and I are up, up and away!

Input/thoughts/questions? Please post a comment – I’d love this blog to be interactive. I’ll be far away from my posse and my peeps, and I know I’ll be craving connection. Also, if there are things you’d like to know about as I make my way over there – specific topics that interest you – tell me that too.