Penampang Yuk Yu Concert take 2

Last night we had the concert and in retrospect I believe it went very well. It is hard to believe that these kids are only 4, 5, and 6 years old. They are expected to do a lot and perform like a professional and to an extent they do. However, those moments that the kid in them came out were priceless! It was fun to see the final performance it it looked like the parents enjoyed it also. There was a full house and the only visible empty seats were reserved for the students! It was a long evening full of laughter, smiles, breaking up the occasional roughhousing kids, and overall fun. So, as promised here are two video clips from the dress rehearsal at the school auditorium. Hope they play for you and enjoy. The video with the kids in yellow are six year olds and the other clip is of all the students (about 200) during the final song. Sorry if the sound is hard to hear just please bear with it!

Penampang Yuk Yu Concert take 1

The concerts are underway and the big one is tomorrow night! The bummer is that we aren't allowed to take pictures during the performance but, never you fear, here are some pics from our dress rehearsal. Enjoy and I'll write after the actual concert to let you know how it went!

About these pics: Top Left- A four year old dressed as a chicken (?) for the

old McDonald song.

Bottom Left- five year old musical instrumen

ts with their 'director'

Top Right- Hey look! It's Old McDonald!!! (I love this costume) Bottom Right- Final song that all the kids and staff to sign language and sing.

Concerts and more Concerts

School is basically over for the kindergarten I am at and the children are now practicing every day for their end of the year program. Let's just say this is nothing like in the states. The kindergarten goes all out and every child will perform at least once or twice during the show. They will be dancing, singing, playing instruments, and much more. Every child will be dressed-up in matching costumes with make-up to complete it. I find this very interesting and entertaining to see the kids up on stage. The rehearsals are long and sometimes give me a headache when 200 kids are in one auditorium for three hours running wild until it is there time to be on stage. Oh, the crazyness of it all. The concert isn't until the 29th so until then we will be rehearsing and playing then perform and graduation! Also, this saturday the teachers and I will be performing at the Penampang BCCM church. It is a song the kids are doing for their concert. So, we will be singing and doing the sign language. Or I suppose the teachers will be singing and I'll only be signing because it is in Chinese and I don't know what the words are or mean! Maybe by the end of the year I will know and be able to sing it.

Ace rocks my socks!!!

This weekend has been long as one of our volunteers has decided to travel back to the states. Our number of six is now down to five for Malaysia YAGMS. It is crazy to think about and that volunteer will be missed. So, the weekend has now consisted of thinking about changes that may be coming and trying to relax. Today was the perfect day for both.

A little background first: For the past month and a half five of us have been attending a church service within the BCCM (Basel Christian Church of Malaysia). The BCCM church has been interesting and very different from any church service I have ever been to. Their service mostly consist of singing four or five songs to start and there are prayers intermixed. Then the Reverend or a guest will get up and give a sermon. After the sermon we sing at least one or two more songs and then are dismissed. Overall, I haven't felt like this church was complete and I have been missing hearing the doctrine each Sunday and having, more or less, of a traditional service. Dang, am I Lutheran?! So, with those feelings I have wanted to go out and explore the other churches in KK and this morning provided that opportunity.

This morning Katherine (my roommate) and I left our house at 6:15 to walk over to meet the other volunteers and then continue on our way with a professor from Sabah Theological Seminary to church. We arrived at our destination at 7:30 just in time for the service at All Saints' Cathedral. It was a nice worship service and just what I really needed to experience. There was scripture, hymns, communion, and a nicely delivered sermon. Afterwards I felt rejuvenated in a sense and it felt like I actually went to church! The congregation was welcoming towards us and I hope to go back at least once every month or so.

After church we had been invited to join the Boy Brigade to go the one of the five Islands. (Of course we said we would love to!) The island was great and the day couldn't have been more beautiful. We, the volunteers and boys brigade members, played icebreakers and then had fun in the water. There wasn't a lot of snorkeling happening in our group but we did enjoy throwing a frisbee around and then gathering for a lunch one of the boys brought. It was a peaceful day full of new experiences and building friendships.

Side note: The title of this post is in honor of one of my dear friends back in the states who really does rock my socks off when I actually wear socks.

Cars and Transport

Here in Malaysia there is a bus system but it is nothing like what we have in say: Chicago or New York. From my understanding each bus has a certain route and the number and color stripe of the bus defines where it is going. We all have yet to master the knowledge of which bus goes where and approximately what time it will go by a stop. There aren't any set times or a list available for this. It seems that most people have their own car and prefer to drive everywhere. Very few people that we have met walk and when they hear we walk places they ask: "Why?" Seriously, I love to walk and going on a 20 min walk/hike to the store is peaceful. Ok, so onto the cars.

From what I have seen and asked about the main car used throughout Malaysia is Toyota. Youth here can get their license at the age of 17 and the process for that is similar to the US. They take a course in class, practice behind the wheel and then take a drivers test. The main differences I have spotted in cars here to the US are:

1) Most cars are stick shift and you have to specially order an automatic if you want it. (That is what I was told)

2) The steering is on the right side of the car (so confusing at first)

3) They drive on the left side of the road. Basically it is the opposite of what we do in the US.

4) The kids aren't required to be buckled up here. Most of the time I see them standing up in the back-seat staring out the window.

5) Parking is crazy and a lot of the time cars are double parked. (I'm still not sure how the person in front navigates their car out when they are ready to leave.)

6) One of the main road features when driving are turnarounds and U-turn spots.

7) SUV are the preferred vehicle

8) The driving style is very different and I'm not sure how to describe.

That is all I can think of at the moment but I may update this post as time goes on. The pictures above show how they transport horses here. These pics are of the same truck, they were hauling four horses. I've seen this numerous times so far and every time these trucks go by it makes me laugh.

A Malaysian Farmer's Market

One place I always enjoy going to is a Farmer's Market. You are outside buying products from the people who worked hard to produce them. You can talk to the farmers, ask them questions about their products, and learn what goes into the food we sometimes take for granted. Well, in Malaysia there always seems to be a Farmer's Market going on. However, it isn't called a Farmer's market here but is simply the way the fruit, meat, and vegetables are sold on a daily basis. After teaching English to the teachers at my school today my principle, Sylvia, needed to run to the market. We have swung by there before but she was hurried so I waited in the car. Not this time. I went and took a look around and was fascinated by what I saw and kicked myself for not having my camera charged and handy. (Next time!) There were numerous stands full of fruit and veggies. I don't know what half of the items where but they all looked delicious. There was one called long bean (looks like a string bean) that was at least 12 inches long. I asked Evelyn, a fellow teacher who came along, what some of the names were. She didn't know what a lot of them were and the ones she did know where the Chinese names. (I have no idea how to spell them.) Walking around this market showed how similar and also how different the Malaysian and Mid-West crops are from one another. There were a few things I recognized: cucumber, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, beans, and more. But also there are some fruits only grown in this part of the world. (I have had the opportunity to try a bunch of them and they are delicious!) After spending time and the fruit/veggie market we went and enjoyed fried bananas, fried potatoes, and tea. The fried items reminded me of the Minnesota State Fair. All you would need to do is throw them on a stick and you are set. However, the real treat of this outing was yet to come.

After eating and drinking we walked over to the fish and meat market. Let me just say you can smell this market a block away. It was crazy to see piles of fish and meat just laying out on counters. Some of them looked like they might start flopping around if you poked them. I don't think I have ever seen so much raw fish laying on slabs of counter in my life. Looking around I realized that it wasn't just fish but also squids (they look like jelly and I was tempted to poke one), prawns, and crabs too! Sylvia bought some fish and they gutted for her right there and then. It was interesting to see this process. They scrape off all the scales, cut the at the bottom of the head, slice underneath the belly, and gut out the innards. This process is completed in mere seconds and then the fish is bagged and handed to the buyer for supper. Now, the meat section is another story all together. There were some large slabs of meat and some smaller ones depending on what you are looking for. Honestly, this part was both fascinating and sickening to me. Many of the legs still had the hoof or claw still attached and on some tables there were heads. I'm not going to go into to much detail. Let's just say you probably could have reassembled the whole animal if you were their early enough or even see it whole before they slice and dice.

Overall, the Malaysia market is an adventure and the next time I go back there will have to be a camera involved!

Mooncake Festival

Last night Lauren, Katherine, Ellen and I were invited to join Doria and Michael's family for a traditional Chinese holiday called: Mooncake Festival. There are two stories that go along with this festival and I encourage you to google them if you have time. However, from my observation the main highlight of the festival is being together with family and friends. When we arrived at Doria and Michael's house it was filling with family members, both old and young. They all greeted us warmly and chatter quickly started. The whole night was a great experience and in many ways felt like a family reunion. The kids were running around playing games only they understood, the adults sat at tables and chatted away, and everyone was enjoying the feast prepared. (Ok, the food was not the same as at one of my family reunions but it was good.) After eating all the kids and adults gathered together and lit their lanterns to then join in on the Mooncake walk. The above picture is of us before the walk. The family made sure we each were able to walk with a lantern too! It was a fun time and ended with a few American tunes around the piano. (Katherine and I singing with Michael playing away.)

Girls Brigade

On Sunday afternoons I am spending time with the 2nd Kota Kinabalu Girls Brigade. This is very similar to Girl Scouts in the States. It is an international organization and has bases in England, Malaysia, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, etc. Here is a little more information taken from the Girls Brigade Malaysia web-site:

Alm: The Alm of The Girls' Brigade, being a Christian organization, International and Interdenominational, shall be: To help girls to become followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through self-control, reverence and a sense of responsibility, to find true enrichment of life.
Motto: Seek, serve and follow Christ
Principles: The Girl's Brigade acknowledges Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord according to the Scriptures and seeks to fulfill its aim to the glory of one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Brigade witnesses to the standard set by Jesus Christ and gives positive teaching on the Christian attitude to life. The Brigade promotes a just society where all people are equally valued.

It has been a lot of fun working with and learning from this group of girls so far. We are now in a special training time for the Pioneer group (oldest ages 16-21). This is a smaller group of girls and we have met twice so far. Today's meeting consisted of learning how to make Homemade Pau, learning new songs, and celebrating two birthdays! The Pau was interesting to learn and the best way I can describe it is Pizza crust acting as a bun with different fillings inside. This item is steamed for 15-17 min and then eaten. It was a tasty treat, mine was full of peanut butter! After singing some songs we then moved into the birthday celebration which consisted of two cakes. A chocolate and a Durian flavored cake. Skim down to my previous post on the "stinky fruit". It has been a fun filled day full of building friendships and new adventures.

Earthquakes and Care Haven

This morning I woke up to my phone beeping because I had a message. It went like this: "Did u have an earthquake?" My first response was: "What!? We had an earthquake and I slept through it??? Oh dang, I really wanted to at least be semi conscious during my first earthquake ever!." Then reality sunk in as the grogginess of sleep slipped away and I realized if there was an earthquake I would have woken up on my own or by my roommates. So, in answer to that question we didn't have an earthquake in Kota Kinabalu last night. There was one very close to us but we didn't feel the shocks at all in my house. If I do experience an earthquake I will be sure to write about it! (Don't worry Sugar Creek Family - I have my life jacket/rice bags ready if there is a Tsunami!)

Katherine, Lauren, and I have begun a new adventure here is KK. We are now all currently working at Care Haven, each a couple days a week in the afternoons. Care Haven is a orphanage branched from West Malaysia and was established in KK in 2008. The information I have been able to gather so far is very limited but I hope to find out more as time goes on. I will be working there on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with three boys and a girl on their English skills. These four kids are amazing and very eager to learn. Today we had a great time running around the house putting English labels on items and naming colors. They had a great time doing this and would tell me the Bahasa Malay word for each item as we went. Care Haven is a blessing to these four and as time goes on and this home becomes more established I'm sure it will be a blessing to even more children. It is also a home to a few other residents that have mental disabilities. They are always a joy to see when I go and love to smile and say 'hello' and 'goodbye' in English. One of the main focuses Care Haven has for the kids is to help them learn skills to make them more independent. They are responsible for cooking, laundry, washing clothing, and cleaning the house. Along with those chores they are learning Chinese, math, and now English! I'm very excited to be volunteering here and Wednesday and Thursday evenings are something I will look forward to each week!

Thank you all for your support in this mission adventure. I think about all of you often and just thank you for allowing this opportunity to serve. It really wouldn't have been possible without you. You are all in my prayers. Please let me know how you are and what you are doing. (k2mackereth@gmail.com)

Peace,
Kelsey