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.