How did I get here?!

I technically know how to answer this.

Flights From:

• Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur

• Kuala Lumpur to China

• China to Los Angeles

• Los Angeles to Minneapolis

But, as five days have passed being home in the United States...I find myself in shock and disbelief.

1. How does my room have all of this STUFF in it

• What can I possibly use all this STUFF for?

2. Where did my new handsome nephew come from?  How about my tiny new niece who is only a week old?

• I took Family and Consumer Science in High School so I also know this technical answer...but out of two nieces and one nephew...I have missed the birth of them all.  At least I saw and touched the pregnant belly that was my first niece.  These last two we far fetched realities for me while I was in Malaysia.

3. Where's the rice?

• My body and I are missing our two-three daily portions of rice.  But- my mom DID cook brown rice for supper tonight!

4.  At least in Malaysia I had a cell phone!

5. What? People sleep in rooms by themselves?

• I miss my Malaysian roommate Hailley

6. Don' worry my Malaysian friends (especially the pastors) and my Grandma Geri-- the doctor took a look at my face

• Filled my prescription drug today and will be going to the dermatologist soon
• (No need to worry anymore!)

7. I can drive?!

• Perfect!-- I stayed in the right side of the road and everything!
• The air-con is broken...so it's almost like I can experience Malaysian heat in my car!
• I could go for a car buddy to sing along to the radio with or fake speak Chinese....kawan..

8. Washing Machine

• Today I washed my clothes and didn't have to scrub them with a brush first 
• Also...the water fills by itself! Not you sticking a hose in it and waiting until its full!

My time or transition is going fairly smooth!  I've been staying awake during the days and sleeping at nights.  I don't think 5:30 is obscenely early, so I will take it!  I think of my Malaysian friends and family everyday and am so grateful for them and all that they have done for me over the last 11 months.  They have taught me so much and filled my heart with joy.  Now I can take what they have taught me

Conquering Fears

I began my journey to Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday after school.  My task was to flag down the bus I had already bought a ticket for on its way out of town.  The thought of flagging down the bis green coach bus made me sick with nerves- what if I missed it? I've never done anything like this yet.  After making it on the bus I was able to settle my mind, but the winding mountain roads kept my stomach twisting.  After all, I had been sick all week anyways.  The  closer I got to KK the more I noticed the dark sky that meant rain.  I was dreading the idea of walking in the rain without an umbrella when I was already sick, but the rain let up enough for me to take on the walk to the bus terminal a little way across the big city.  When I started walking I gained my composure.  I almost forgot what it was like to do something like travel alone!  By the time I made it to the bus I was confident enough and walked up to a man to ask about the bus I needed to take.  Upon arriving to my destination- Tuaran, I waited for a bit at a restaurant until my fellow YAGM friend could find me and bring me to her placement sight.  I played an embarrassing attempt at rocks and enjoyed the competition of the girls at their home.  I even sat through a group home meeting and the next morning a devotion and staff reflection all before heading on our way to Kundasang.

On Thursday afternoon we headed to Kundasang where a small mini bus brought us to a handicraft market before bringing us to a resort for the night.  We slept nestled in a cabin among pine trees, a rare sight, and looked at Mount Kinabalu looming not too far off in the distance.  Kelly's and my nerves were pretty intense as we both couldn't believe that we were actually climbing a mountain.  Both of us realized that its nothing we ever thought about doing before.  Luckily between me blowing my nose and some wonderful conversation we were able to distract ourselves from the mountain in the distance.
Friday morning came and we woke up early.  We ate our breakfast and were on our way.  We arrived at Kinabalu Park Headquarters, checked in, and waited for our climbing permits and guide.  We started our climb around 8:30 am.

Even while beginning our climb I was in disbelief that I was climbing a mountain.  We kept our spirits rather high, breaking out into song here and there.  Our guide seemed bored as he was constantly sending messages on his hand phone.  On average he goes up the mountain twice a week, so I am sure we were beyond slow for him.  We quickly made friends with other guides who I think we're fascinated with how fluent we were in Malay.  They would be found waiting for us at rest stops and joking with us as we climbed the trail.  Around 3:oo pm we made it to the rest house for the night.  We had an activity briefing at 4:00 for something called Walk the Torq, which means you go down a section of the mountain with harnesses and pulleys.

We ate and attempted to go to sleep around 7pm, knowing that we had to be leaving by 2:30 am to start out climb to the summit.  I couldn't sleep because the rest house was so noisy, I think I managed a few short hours.  Breathing through my nose was noisy and almost impossible--this really didn't help anything!  We woke around 1:00 and started packing the only essentials we wanted to bring, Kelly and I only bringing one bag we alternated carrying.  We ate breakfast and set off with our guide a little  before 2:30.  Our legs and bodies were tired.  At one point the trail ends and you have to use a rope to pull yourself up on the rocks and then continue on up the steep rocks with the rope.  At one point Kelly hit a slick part and almost fell, but our guide was really quick and held her up.  That was our only close call.  About one KM for the top I had to convince Kelly and myself that we should continue.  I was having a lot of trouble breathing and at one point made Kelly walk me through the process of breathing in and out.  We made it to the top around 5:30 am.  I couldn't believe we made it!

After taking some pictures we waited for the sun to rise and started our journey back down.  I even some some people running down.  I think they were crazy.  We had to reach our last checkpoint at 8:00 to be able to do the Walk the Torq activity.  Kelly and I were not convinced that we were up to such a task but decided on doing it anyways.  I am so glad we did!  I remember at first telling the trained the was no way I was going to look down, but he said that at some point I would have to.  He's right.  I did and the view was beautiful!  After some force, he even made me stand on the mountain face with just the support of my harness.  I was terrified and almost cried, but eventually made myself do it.  We worked our way down a small section of the mountain in 1.5 hours before going back to the rest house, eating our second breakfast, grabbing our things, and heading back down the mountain at 10:30 am.  The way down started out easy but turned into pure torture.  Kelly and I turned sideways with every step and used our walking sticks for extra support.  We moved slowly and with caution and exhaustion.  We made it to bottom at 3:15 pm.


It's been on week since my mountain journey.  My legs stopped being sore after only four days.  I am still in disbelief that I stood atop the highest peak in Southeast Asia but with the help and support from Kelly and the need to believe in ourselves, we made it to the top.

Climbing to New Heights

Our two week school holiday has ended and yesterday everyone headed back to school.  I was beyond excited to be back in the classroom but was hit with some kind of bug that left me with a fever, sore throat and runny nose.  Never the less I have been able to make due.

On Thursday a fellow YAGM, Kelly, and myself will begin a journey to Kinabalu Park headquarters and prepare ourselves to climb Mt. Kinabalu Friday-Saturday.

If you asked me a year ago if climbing a mountain was on my bucket list I would have laughed and said "no way!  I'm too afraid of heights to even think about it!"

10 months later-- after crossing a swaying bridge everyday and doing a canopy walk twice I am determined to conquer this fear of heights.

I never expected to face so many fears in such a short time.  Some  days I sit down and wonder what happened to my well planned out self.  This year has taught me to be sporadic, to take life as it comes and to take chances--Things that would have otherwise been hard for me within the comfort of my normal surroundings.

With that said, I am still a bit frightened with climbing this mountain, I am sure I am no where near prepared and my head cold has not yet cleared up.  These things will all be sure to make the experience all the more memorable.  I can't wait to share the end results with you next week.

Please keep Kelly and I in your prayers as we take on this new adventure.

Predictions Revisited

These were my predictions before I came to my site.  With the advice of a friend, I thought I would revisit them.  Let's so how far we've come!

• That my students will teach me more than I can teach them
• True.  I am met every day with smiles and an eagerness to take in all that my students can.  They are infectious and rub off on me until I can't help but join with them in laughter.  My students have also been wonderful teacher's for me as I learned a new language.  They were so patient and kind while helping me learn and feel like I belong.  
• That I will somehow learn to like spicy food
• I officially put some chili sauce in my friend noodles these days.  The ground up chili's in lime juice are still on my "too hard to handle" list.  One day I accidentally bit into a small red chili pepper and that was the complete opposite of a delight, especially because I ran out of water by the time this mishap happened.  
• That "service" will take on a whole knew meaning
• Need and service have indeed taken on new meanings.  Financially the people of Malaysia are fairly well off.  They are surrounded by an abundance of resources and with Family as the top priority of many people, many are able to get by just fine.  Beyond my role as an English teacher, I would say that my secondary responsibility is just to love on people.  Which is incredibly easy because they are so willing to accept me.  Also, I have been opening my heart to all sorts of people and learning alongside them.  This has been a great journey where I am able to walk alongside people and be with them in times of sorrow and joy.  I'm learning that service means sometimes all that is needed of you is to just be present.  
• I could get fantastic at hand-washing clothes (I'm super slow now)
• Mer-- I tried it for awhile, but we DO have a washing machine.  Though, I do soak all my clothes first and scrub them with a brush before tossing them into the washing machine.  
• Living in community will be a highlight of my year.
• This is for sure true.  For the last few months I have moved into a different room to be with one of my housemates who is the same age as me.  Being in community has its perks (cooking together!) 
• I will try things I would never try at home (food and more)
• This list is so long I just don't even know where to begin.  But- I do have to say, I still haven't made myself try liver or the strange fermented fish.
• Malay will become second nature (my language skills are still minimal)
• I officially struggle to transition back to English if I have been in my city for too long.  If I spend two months in my town, without seeing another native speaker it takes almost two days to get back to a suitable form of English.  
• Grace and Love will take on many forms and faces.
• I see this in my students and I see this in my friends.
• I will learn and grow in what it means to be me
• To be honest, the first half of my year I saw the most growth within myself.  This is when I tried all of the new foods, was doing devotions every day and was really transforming into what I think I was meant to be all along.  The second half of the year has been more of a struggle for growth.  I already know what I like to eat and all my devotion books are already finished.  Now everything I do has to be very intentional and that is where I am finding I am struggling. 

The Path Traveled

If you don't look closely, you won't see the path that leads to the kampung that marks the home of our school.  The path actually just continues on from an average bus stop.  In the mornings you will find orang kampung (village people) waiting here for mini buses, pick-up trucks or ever lorries to climb into by the masses on their way to work. 

The path is narrow and on both sides there are looming walls of tall thick grass.  When someone walks in the other direction you often find yourself stepping into the grass to let them walk on by.  The path is strewn with rocks and boulders of all shaped and sizes, some are jagged and some are smooth and slippery when wet.  When it rains the path is difficult to navigate and many children just trudge through the murky water that marks the way.  Others try to break the tall grasses and lay them down to protect their shoes or slippers.  For those who are barefoot, it's unlikely to phase them.  The path leads the way down a slope at first and then eventually to a bridge.  The bridge is long and it sways.  There are boards that are broken and some that just don't fit.  There is water below, some days brown from rain, and some days rather beautiful, once you get past all of the plastic and rubbish floating about.  The path finds refuge for many animals, from small kittens I want to take home with me, to smelly dogs and big cows with pointy horns.  

The people that walk the path are varied.  Small students finding their way to school with their friends, Adults walking to the bus stop to go to work or to the market.  Korean Missionaries, teachers, church  members and even police officers find their way here at times.   If you happen to be around in the morning, chances are you will spot some men carrying massive bags of beras (uncooked rice) or lada (small chilli peppers), students helping to carry the day's food for school, a young man or two carrying a rooster or a chicken (I learned cock fighting is a big thing here).  In the afternoon you will likely spot kids hiding along the path or chasing you on the path just to say 'goodbye', 'hello' or 'good morning' (no matter what time of day it is). One man has a bucket tied behind the seat of his bicycle with fresh fish to sell to the people in the kampung and if you happen to be walking the dirt paths at the right time you might run into the man who has fixed a grill to the back of his bicycle and goes around in the late afternoon to sell satay.  In the afternoon the path will be less traveled as most people will be inside hiding from the heat of the midday sun.  Those who dare go about do so with umbrellas. 

I've come to find this path absolutely beautiful in the variety it is graced with.  When I walk this path I know it will lead me to a place where I am welcomed and embraced to be with students and teachers whom I love and who love me in return.  

English Week

Wednesday:
Each class took an English quiz
(I have never seen students so excited to take a quiz before)


Thursday:
BINGO and translation/crosswords puzzle for grades 4-6 and 2 afternoon classes
New English songs for grades 1-3


Friday:
Guess the action for grades 4-6
Guess the sound for grades 1-3
Spelling Bee
Awards

spelling bee

 teammates

all students

Number 1 for crossword puzzle!

Murut Wedding

April 12, 2013

 wedding couple with cousins

cousins in traditional dress

family of the newlyweds and friends (Ashley and Nam Dae)

 "gifts" sort of..still learning how to explain this..

food and drink after the wedding

The Excitement Continues

April started with utter chaos and unpredictability.  On the first of April we had visitors from  Korea who put tiles in four classrooms, the library, computer room and two quest rooms.  A new house was also being built next to the school, so the first week in April was a charming melody of saws and hammers.  For the first few days we attempted to have class.  Two classes were held in the chapel and one in the canteen.  We had to reconsider our game plan and decided on a sports day for Thursday.  Students had a blast playing games and it was really fun for me to join them!  On that Friday only a few students came to school to help out everything back where it belonged.

All but one of the visitors went home after week one, but our house and our school has been blessed with a new companion, Nam Dae.  He will be at our school for the next two and a half months.  He speaks Korean and VERY little English but we are able to communicate enough.  He is also learning Malay really quickly.  This has been really fun for me because I now have someone to show around, help translate, or just sympathize with when communication just isn't happening.

Another exciting thing that is happening is that on Friday, April 12, the teachers from my school will be going to a traditional Murut wedding.  My friend Hailley's younger brother is getting married and so Nam Dae will get to see a traditional Malaysian wedding for the first time.  This will be my second time to witness a wedding in Malaysia, but this time I will make sure to bring my camera!

More updates:
 After standing on top of a chair for a good ten minutes I discovered that we have quite the lovely array of mice whose presence graces our kitchen every evening.  Cockroaches, as of lately, love to surprise we when preparing for bed.

I have officially cooked fried bananas on my own

I am learning a little Korean and can count to 5 (haha)-- still working on some Mandarin as well

Stay tuned: English Week at TGSH, April 10-12 

The future

February marked the half way point of my journey.  I am a natural planner so part of me needed to start figuring out what would happen when I went home.

Thus started the applications! I spent a good two-three weeks preparing essays, cover letters and resumes.  I attempted more Skype interviews than I knew was possible on an iPad with wifi service in the middle of no where Sabah, Malaysia.  After three wonderful options presented themselves I started the difficult discernment process with family, friends and God.

February also marked out second retreat to Hong Kong.  The theme was "stillness in the city". The purpose to find peace and serenity within the chaos of our lives.  Now, maybe this isn't ironic, but it seemed to be exactly what was needed at this point in my discernment process.

In the end I decided to take a position at Calvary Luthern Church in Willmar, MN, as a Faith Formatin Coordinator.  I am truly excited to work as a member of this new team and see how God is working in that place and with the people there.  I also know that God is continually equipping us for the plans that he presents, so I am excited to see how my gifts will serve in a new community and how I will fit in this new "family".

On the other side of things, it seems surreal to have plans for what comes next.  Most days future plans are not mentioned because they are bitter sweet.  Wonderful and rich relationships present themselves to me everyday and I want to cherish them all the best that I can for as long as I can.

Easter without Lent

For the first time that I can remember I did not go to any special services for Lent.  Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and the rest of the seemingly "traditional" days of Lent are only held in Catholic Churches in my community.  Most of the people in my community had no idea what I was talking about when I inquired about these days.  At first I was dumbfounded, thinking that all Christians practice these traditions, but I was clearly wrong.  This year I had a traditional Sabah Easter, which was seemingly just another Sunday- for I think that the people I am with treat every day as a precious gift from God.

Maundy Thursday, another unheard of day in the Christian church I am a part of here, brought on discussions for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  I was told that all chuch members fast on Good Friday and then attend church at 3 pm.  When I was first told this I basically shrugged it off; I've never tried fasting before.  Then it was brought up again, and instead of shrugging it off, I asked why. The answer came in quick Malay but I was able to catch 40 days and 40 nights and I realized it was this congregations attempt to try to understand some of the suffering that Jesus went though for us (something I quickly forgot with the other abundance of thoughts present in my mind at the time).

I went to bed self conconcious of an already grumbling tummy, not knowing when, according to these fasting rules, I could eat again.

I woke to a house full of people and children, family members from the Kampung (village) who have come to stay for this Easter weekend.  Immediatly I caught a wiff of chicken with fried noodles frying in the kitchen and I quickly closed the door and covered my head with a pillow.  This was going to be harder than I thought!

I made it through the morning after three cups of green tea and a desire to move upstairs by the time they started cooking lunch.  I spent my late morning/early afternoon cleaning my room, folding and putting away clothes, washing some clothes, showering and basically whatever I could do to keep my mind off of food.

(For those of you who don't know, I used to have to eat every three hours to function properly, and eating is probably my favorite hobby)

I think I actually did pretty well.  After removing myself from temptations I found that my stomach didn't rumble and it was rather okay.
 
In the afternoon I was checking my home congregations facebook page for their lent devotion and ended up chatting with an old friend.  It was at that time that I realized I was going about this fasting thing all wrong.

I decided to do this only because I was told all the people at my church are doing it
I am selfish and often think about how much I love food and so I kept thinking of the food I was missing out on.
It took me this long to figure out these things and than remember of the REAL purpose of fasting

I shook my head at myself at my seemingly elementary mistake.  As children how many times are we are always told by our parents, "Don't just _______ because everyone else is."  This is where God's wonderful grace comes into play.  We may make mistakes over and over again, do things without thinking about why we do them and fall short time and time again, but God forgives.  In fact, God loves us SO MUCH that he sent his only son to perish so that our sins would be forgiven and that we may have eternal life.
This Lent I was especialy thankful for the time to remeber the sacrifice that God made for all people, but also for the challange of being able to explain some of my religious practices.  I am learning to ask myself the question 'why?' a lot this year; maybe this is God's attempt to make me a stronger person.

This might change my plans..

For the last month or so I have been planning a trip for the end of March to Tawau, located in the Eastern Coast of Sabah, to visit a fellow YAGM friend and see some of the most beautiful diving areas and islands in the world.  

Until this happened.

U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Security Message for U.S. Citizens

Violence in Coastal Eastern Sabah (Borneo)

March 8, 2013

March 8, 2013

The U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur advises U.S. Citizens against travel to the coastal area of eastern Sabah (Borneo). This region extends from the town of Kudat, on the north coast, south to the border with Indonesia. Included are the towns of Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna, and Tawau.   On March 7, the Government of Malaysia designated this area as a “Special Security Area.” Several of these towns are the embarkation points for nearby islands frequented by tourists, including the dive sites of Sipadan and Mabul. 

During the period March 1-8, there have been continuing clashes between Malaysian security personnel and an armed group that entered Sabah by sea from the southern Philippines. Military and police operations are ongoing against armed groups. There is the potential for more violent incidents.  

U.S. Citizens currently in the area covered by the “Special Security Area” are encouraged to depart when local authorities indicate that it is safe to do so. You should obey any evacuation or curfew orders announced by Malaysian officials. U.S. Citizens traveling to or residing in other areas of Sabah should exercise caution and remain alert to your surroundings. 

U.S. Citizens are reminded that they should carry their U.S. passport with them at all times when in Malaysia.  

The U.S. Embassy is not aware of specific threats to U.S. citizens in Malaysia at this time. 

_______________
It's always strange to know that conflict like this is happening around you.  The first few days of March  I obsevered people moving about more cautiously.

My language skills are doing quite well, but there are definatly conversations that are not completely comprehended.  With that being said, I just do what I am told and know that people here are looking out for each other.  There are adaptations for every change and currently the state of Sabah is excersing extra caution for it's people.

We have our twice a week fellowship and we continue to pray for our community like normal, but we also add prayers for  Sabah as a whole to the list.  The local night market is a lot less crowded these days but other than that things are seemingly normal.

Now to begin a new journey of planning for other excursions inland!  White water rafting, a train ride  and kayaking may be on the new agenda for the end of March!

Birthday!

5 March 2013

Today is my  birthday!

I went to school and Rev. Peter came to do a sight visit.  I was a little disappointed because Tuesdays are my least favorite days at school, only because I have two classes two times each in the morning.  

But

The classes went really well!  I think all the constant review is really helping!

After the first 4 periods Peter and I sat and talked about life, school and such.  Eventually a rumbling tummy told me it was time to relocate and find food! I asked Kurius if we could eat and he told me to enter class 6.  This should have been my first hint, but I was totally clueless!

I walked into class 6 where all students from class 5 and 6 were waiting to sing "Happy Birthday".  Snacks and  pop was everywhere and Leny even dished up my food for me and lead me to a designated seat.  Hillisia came and gave me a gift from school, which led all the other teachers to come forward and give me a gift, naturally followed by the awkward "shake the hand, receive your 'diploma' and wait for the camera" pose.  One student brought me a present and shook my hand, which some how lead to almost 10 more students coming forward with beautifully wrapped gifts.  

Now, it's not the gifts that were exciting, but the pure joy I saw in the faces of my students as they shared my special day with me.  They truly wanted to make me feel special and to know that they care about me. 

I don't know how many times I am asked if I miss my family.  Here family is the most important thing, so the fact that I am so far away from mine, means that they like to substitute for my family.  Every day my students tell me I am beautiful and funny.  We laugh and joke together and I break up fights when I need to.  We sing and we dance.  We wash dishes and we eat together.   We take care of each other because that is what a family does.  So- the fact that they got to be my family on my birthday made them over the top excited.  

I was blow away by the thought and planning the students and teachers put into making my birthday one I will never forget! I felt truly special and loved.  

Blissful

It's currently Monday night and I am reflecting on a wonderful start to my week. I love my students!  I am not sure if this is my new found health speaking--but I am just so grateful for life today.  All of my students inquired about my health and they all applauded when I told them that I was finally better--  I don't know what could bring a smile to your face faster than that!  In between classes I poked my head into classrooms to chat with students and joke with them.  In some classes we played games and sang songs to transition between topics and my older students completely rocked at introducing a friend!

After school I played card games with my housemates and my dear friend and then I finished planning my lessons for the week.

Sometimes I think that this situation is unbelievable.   I am completely and utterly speechless at how much of a blessing this whole expereience is, and I don't want to take one minute of it for granted.  With that- I am living my life with my heart overflowing with joy.

Ask yourself these questions:  How does what you are doing right now fill you with joy?  What can you do to bring joy to other people?

Wedding Fever

It seems that everytime I check my emails or Facebook someone new is engaged or married!  This brought about my curiosity to what a marriage is like here in Malaysia!  So, I sat down with one of my housemates, Hailley, who is the same age as me, and we talked about weddings for the indeginous Murut people, her people.  After many translation attempts via cell phones and google translate, I think I have a glimpse at how it goes-- hopefully I will be able to witness a tradtional Murut wedding during my time here!  I hope you enjoy this little cultural exploration!

Orang Murut:

---Weddings---

Arranged and self-chosen

Traditionally age 12 can marry--But Malaysian Law says no one below age 18 can marry.

Engagement--the boy's family goes to the girl's house to discuss the potential proposal--if both parties are in agreement and want to be married, the girl's family discusses what they want from the boy's family for the wedding.  

If a son marries--the family must give thing/gift/money to the bride/her family.

Parents-- for daughter's wedding--give list of requests to the groom's family: Maybe money, television or traditional clothes/jewelry.  (These is seen as a replacement of sorts for the girl's absence from the house/family responsibilities)

If you are the younger sister in the family and marry before your older sister--you must give something to her (maybe jewlery-necklace or money RM 500)

If a brother is getting married--the sister must help by giving a wedding gift from the entire family.

The girl's family is responsible for reception food and drink (tapai--rice or tapioca wine)

Murut Wedding attire: traditional clothes with traditional beading.  Clothes are made by family members.  After the wedding, all of the wedding clothes must be given to the girl's family.  When asked why, I was told it's a tradition.  

When married--the couple usually lives with the boy's family.  

After married--the girl's family must help her new parents-in-law with 'everything' (maybe wedding reception and afterwards daily living--paddy farming/harvesting)

On a more personal note-- I live with mostly Murut people.  I have heard a lot of frustration from people hear about the tradition of Murut weddings.  Hailley, a teacher, recently had two brothers get married--both are younger than her.  One was engaged and married within two weeks--the reception has not happened yet.  Because Hailley is a sister and she is working--her older sister is still studying so she is excluded from this responsibility-- she is responsible for helping to prepare the wedding gift from her family of RM 1000, times this by two--one for each brother.  Luckily, she is able to slowly give money here and there until she has met the specified amount.  

One complaint that I have heard is that people are not worried about having a job/work before getting married because they can rely on their family for support--people keep record of who they helped so that in the future if they need help, they know where to look for it--.

In modern weddings it is common for the couple getting married to change outfits multiple times.  I went to one wedding and saw four different beautiful outfits--including traditional attire.  Before the wedding processional there were other people in traditional outfits dancing to traditional music--it was so cool! I wish I would have remembered my camera.

January

A year ago at this time I was beginning my application process with the hopes to be a Young Adult in Global Mission soon after graduating from Concordia.  Fast forward one year, and I am half way done with my year of service.  I can't believe how fast time has gone, and I am truly sad to continue on the journey knowing that it will soon end.  With that-- I am in this weird transition of what comes next, all the while  cherishing every second that I have left in this beautiful place!

When school came  to a close last year, I was bound and determined to find resources to help this year have structure and support.  When I asked what to teach, they said, "just teach what you know", but it's so hard to start when you don't know what they know. Before school started I wrote out my first week of lesson plans and was pretty excited about them.  I set aside two days for introductions.  The students would fill out a sheet that included information about them, their favorite color and food, where they are from, how old they are, and two pictures: a self-portrait and a family portrait.  The first day they all finished the form, and the second day was set aside for them to introduce a friend.  We discussed "boy words" and "girl words"--because many times they may point to a boy, and say "her name is..".  This was very telling for me, because not only did they struggle with gender nouns, but they couldn't say how old their friend was, they always resorted to Bahasa Melayu.  After investigating further, I discovered they filled out most of their form in Bahasa Melayu, but that was very helpful to me, because then I knew which vocabulary they hadn't acquired yet.  Later at a meeting I asked who was in charge of teaching the students to read, because I was finding that reading skills were fairly low.  I am not sure why I was so surprised when I found all fingers pointing at me.

The first week was rough, as my lesson plans seems all the more unrealistic, I realized I would need to purchase new books, and really evaluate what is essential for my students to know.  Then--I started all over again, and brought in more creative ways of learning--movement, singing, and games to help them learn, enjoy and focus.  With one class of 35 students, if I'm not on top of things, I just want to sit and cry--It reminds me of a quote I have seen somewhere-- "What really messes us up, if the image we have of how things are supposed to be"--here I write my own story, there is no outline.

Among all my planning and frequent trips to book stores, I also spent the beginning of January applying to seminary, and searching for ministry related openings at churches.  

Towards the middle of the month I somehow once again found myself in a fabric store and attending a camp at a last minute notice. But-- I must share with you, out of mere humor and astonishment on what I got myself involved in.  A picture, from my Girl's Brigade training camp.  Enjoy--because I never know what will happen, and sometimes it leads to things like this.  (Somehow I got out of the marching--but I have a feeling that won't be for long)

The rest has been a blur, mostly because I spent two weeks sick, and one of them almost completely in a state of sleeping.  My heart overflowed as I was barely functional because of the wonderful friends I have here.  In a strange state of half-awake and half-asleep, I found housemates and teachers in my room checking on me, and bringing me meals. My dearest friend drove here every evening until I was well again.  Finally, last night I was able to stay awake for more than 4 hours, and we played some mean rounds of Uno!

New Years

Somehow I forgot my camera memory card at home when I went to my friends kampung for New Year's Eve.  They celebrate here much like they do at home.  Boys are shooting off fireworks-- but most the kind with loud bangs and no pretty lights.  People gather and have a BBQ-- ok so that's not the same as a Minnesota New Year's but with no snow, it's rather enjoyable.  The streets are packed with people walking from house to house visiting their neighbors, family, and friends, wishing them well for the year ahead.

But--

The one tradition that really stuck out to me was this: most of the people go to the river and bath themselves there on New Year's Eve.  I was told that this is to bring good luck and wash away the bad from the current year.  To start anew, a fresh beginning.   I don't know about you, but this reminded me a lot of baptism.  Needless to say, I stayed nice and try, and brought in the new year by watching Twilight.  Who would have thought?

Blessings to you and your loved ones on this new year.

Christmas in Kudat

The Highlight of my Christmas in Kudat.

George, my host dad, asked his mother to dress me in traditional clothes.  They were so excited to share part of their customs and traditions with me.  I learned that the outfit I was wearing is typically worn at weddings or at the Harvest Festival.  To purchase these items on your own is expensive, so most of the items here have been passed down through generations.  It took almost two hours just to put the bracelet on my arm, shown below.  This is one heavy outfit--but if it was all traditional it would be much heavier.  The skirt would be just like the bracelet-- and they would add one bead at a time as the fit it to your body. Me-- I wore a skirt with a zipper.

I was happy to spend my last day like this, but the whole trip was really just wonderful!

Traditional Rungus Attire

The Process:

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Christmas in Kudat

Location: Near Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia.

above: rice paddy field below:Palm Trees

 I spent a week here nestled among the paddy fields and palm trees. Fallen coconuts were everywhere.

 Photos: above is the house where I stayed.  Below is where I showered and used the bathroom.

I was so blessed to have my host family, their brothers, sisters, and mother take me in during this Christmas season and make me feel like I was a part of a family.  I shared a bed with a teenage girl in a room also with her little sister. I had to be taught how to shower outside--with a sorang, a towel like fabric you wear while you shower.  I also had to be taught how to change clothes while wearing the sorang.  Which I found to be rather tricky.  Every day we went to church.  Most of it was done in Rungus, because they are Rungus people, but some was also done in the Malaysian language.   One interesting thing about this kampung, is that there is no river.  They get all of their water from using rain water.  

above: the Protestant Church I attended in Kudat

Interesting facts: at this church men sit on one side and women on the other.  The pastor only does the message and the benediction--the rest is lead by one or two other key members of the congregation.  On Christmas DaynI spent 4.5 hours here and didn't understand any of it.