Birthday Bash

Well, what would you all like to hear about?! I guess I'll just go with the top thing on my mind and that is Birthdays!!! Today we had another birthday celebration in school (there seems to be at least one a week). For their Birthdays the children will hand out an invitation card a week or so in advance to their closer friends. If you receive an invitation then you buy them a present. (I think that is a good plan. Be prepared for a piece of paper with my name and an address in June;)) Then on their day the birthday girl/boy will bring in a cake for their class and also a goody bag for all their classmates. (These goody bags are huge and consist of many different snacks, toys, and in the traditional Chinese way a red egg.) Everyone will sing to them in both English and Malay then there will be time for lots of pictures. After the singing and pictures the class will sit down and have their normal 'meal' of the day. Once they finish that food item they can get their slice of cake and any other food goodies the birthday person may have brought in. The birthday person will also bring a piece of the cake to each of the staff in the school. It is a special day for this person and it is made know throughout the school to wish them a 'Happy Birthday'. I enjoy the celebration of these days and being able to see how each student celebrates.

The picture is of me and some of the teachers at Tadika Yuk Yu Penampang. We are dressed in our Wednesday Sportswear.

Rain Rain Go Away... bring in the coffee

Just kidding about the title. The rain is very refreshing here in the heat. Things are going well in KK. There are many friendships growing and challenges being faced. The kindergarten I am working at is getting ready for their end of the year program and final exams. It is fun watching the kids dance, sing, and study hard. They have a great deal of energy which really shows once they are on stage. Today the other volunteers and I were invited to a teachers appreciation day with the Sabah Theological Seminary. This took place at a beach on a day just perfect for such an event. It was overcast and the rain held off until the very end. It was fun to see and catch up with many of the students we meet during orientation. The morning was full of games as we all competed in our 'family' groups for the best time or most points. The games consisted of bowling with coconuts, gathering ocean water with our hands, passing rubber-bands with straws, and the final event of Sabah Frisbee! The event ended with a light rain drizzle and lunch. The rest of this day has been a peaceful off and on rain accompanied by a good book and a cup of coffee! (Gene it is the only good coffee I have discovered thus far.)

A little about the coffee here in Malaysia from my experience in honor of Gene:

The coffee here is nothing like it is in the states. Many peop

le have given me a look of horror when I say that I like my coffee black or, as they call it 'empty'. The coffee served here usually comes with sugar and/or creamer already in it and it is typically instant. Oh, how I miss the 'hidden stash' of the Sugar Creek kitchen. But, have no fear, there has been spotted a Americanized coffee shop were a coffee addict can get a decent brew once in a while. Don't fear this is not a daily event but just a special treat once in a while to ease into the decreased amount! So a little more on this instant coffee: It comes in single serving packs and you can get it as three-in-one or two-in-one. (this is the sugar and creamer) This is not horrible coffee but it is not the greatest. A teacher recently gave me some instant coffee packs that are 'empty' and they aren't to bad. However, nothing beats the aroma of freshly ground beans and the taste of it right after it cools to drinking temp. This is just my experience with the Malaysia coffee so far. Please understand that I am not trying to degrade their coffee in anyway it is just, as Shelia would say, my 'coffee snob' coming out! I do have some leads on fresh beans in the surrounding area and hope to witness them soon. I will let you know when this location becomes a success!

(The pics in this post were taken at the Cannanland Church retreat)

A fun game

So the other five volunteers and I went on a retreat this past weekend and had fun visiting with people, exploring the outdoors, playing with kids, and playing a game. Here are some pics of Mt. Kinabalu (we could see this from our balcony) and the weekend. Also here is a puzzle they gave everyone to do:

Can you find the names of 25 books of the Bible in this paragraph? This is a most remarkable puzzle. Someone found it in the seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping himself occupied for hours. One man from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Roy Clark studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Victs mentioned it in her column once. One woman judges the job to be so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help calm her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot... that's a fact. Some people will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. The truth is, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have. Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation may help, books like! Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. And punctuation or spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete. Remember, there are 25 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph.

The Stinky Fruit

So being in KK has given me the opportunity to experience a ton of new food from a variety of cultures. We have all tried things on this trip we never though we would ever eat or ever like. One of the main things the locals love to have new people try is the Durian fruit. I'm not sure if there are really words to describe this fruit. It could be in a food category all by itself. It is a hard spiky fruit that grows on large trees. The durian farmers climb up in the trees and tie rope from the fruit to the branch. Once the fruit falls off on its own then you can eat it. The part you eat is inside the hard exterior and looks like a seed pod. The texture of this seed is like raw chicken, instant turnoff to my vegetarian ways, and has a hard nut inside. The smell is, well it is, umm, potent. You can tell when someone has had or handled Durian because you can smell it for a while. I think it may be worse than Lutefisk in that manner! Well, I got past the smell and the texture and gave it a try... twice! It isn't so bad, however I think the best part about this fruit is you get to use a machete to open it. I would give it another shot just to try and figure out what the taste is like. I have yet to pin it down to a comparison. The other fruit her has been amazing and delicious. It is all very fresh and I like being able to see where it is grown and who some of the gatherers are. Going out to eat here has been an adventure and we are never sure what we will be getting. There are so many different types food. I think my favorite so far has been homemade fried noodles and bread in a small family run shop. (I'm looking for the ma and pa shops for you Gene!) Overall, the food has been great and different. A few of us hope to learn some recipes to make when we get back to the states.

It is long but there is so much information I would love to share!

Music is a powerful tool in todays world to project messages, give hope, connect to others, and so much more. Within the church we use music in a variety of ways which all tend to boil down to the connection of the people to one another and to the Lord. I have always enjoyed listening and participating in music from classical, rock, pop, r & b, gospel, jazz, and much more. The word ‘Music’ is used to describe many different types styles and traditions. ‘Music’ is a word with power and a uniqueness we can make our own to connect to one another and to describe ourselves and our faith.

Malaysia is very much like the word music. It is a place rich with culture, tradition, and language. In Malaysia there are three major ethnic groups: Malay, chinese, and Indian. However, within these three groups there are many subgroups with their own types of music. I am currently located in Sabah, Malaysia where there are more than 30 different ethnic indigenous groups. With all these different groups there are close to 100 different dialects. It has been fascinating getting to hear all of these different languages and seeing how these cultures intermix and communicate with one another.

These languages are a type of music all in their own. They each have an individuality to them through their tones. My ear is yet to be trained in deciphering the difference between Mandarin, Hakka Chinese, and Malay. Right now it all sounds fairly similar but it is interesting to listen to and try and figure out what the conversation might be about. By the end of the year I hope to be able to hold a conversation in Mandarin Chinese and also Malay (most common language used in Malaysia). Throughout orientation the other five volunteers and myself have been trying to pick-up on some of the key phrases used in Malay.

Since we boarded our plane in Chicago we have attended an orientation week here in Kota Kinabalu (KK). This was a busy time learning more about the culture, history, and where things are in KK. It was exciting to see the sights, visit with new people, and get to know the area we will be living in for the year. I will be located in an apartment with two of the other volunteers. It is right down the street from a Chinese market and close to Sabah Theological Seminary. We have all been very blessed in the hospitality shown to us here in KK. All the people we have met have been welcoming, interested in what we are doing, where we are from, and invite us to be with them. I have felt very welcomed here and am looking forward to what this year may bring.

Currently my job here consists of working with the Girls Brigade on Sunday afternoons. I have attended one so far and am looking forward to the next. This is a program for the girls in the area to come together for activities, Bible study, and marching. It is very similar to the USA Girl Scouts program. From Monday to Friday I am working at Penampang Kindergarten by helping the children and teachers with their English. There are three of us working in different kindergarten schools and we each have just finished our first weeks of this. The program here is very different from the states and I am excited to learn more about their teaching methods here and how they would like me to play a role in educating the children.

It has been interesting hearing the many different types of music so far and I look forward to hearing more and understanding them more as the year continues. Thank you all for your support and I will write again soon!

Peace, Kelsey