Better late than never...

A friend just started a new blog which made me think "hmmmm I haven't posted in awhile." I didn't realize it has been almost a year since I posted here.

To say it has been a roller coaster year would be an understatement. It has been a year of good byes, hellos, adventures, fear, unknown, and more WOW moments than I have known what to do with.

I guess the best thing to do is go back to my last post and start from there...

After my school suddenly closed in Korea I spent a couple of weeks freaking out trying to figure out what to do, applied for jobs all over the world, filed an international lawsuit against my previous employer for back pay, and finally packed what I wanted to keep and gave the rest away and got a one way ticket back to the US to surprise my family. I didn't tell anyone that I was coming and managed to surprise everyone. I flew into Sacramento, rented a car and drove to Tahoe to surprise my parents, with a stop along the way to surprise a friend. Needless to say my parents were surprised, my friends were amazed and I was even able to surprise my grandparents and be there to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. When I flew in I didn't know how long I would be home, everything was a waiting game, though I didn't expect to be back on a plane less than 2 weeks later heading across the world again.

Though South Korea wasn't my destination this time, Malaysia was. Luckily, I had been to Malaysia on holiday the previous year so I had a little bit of an idea of what I was getting into. I was offered a job with a country that is contracted with the Ministry of Education here in Malaysia as a Teacher Trainer/Mentor. Basically, I work with primary school teachers, year 1, 2, and 3 to help improve the teachers ability to teach English. When I accepted the job I was told I would be living in "rural" Malaysia and asked if that was okay with me. Thinking of my "rural" hometown of Grass Valley, California I didn't think anything of it and said of course that "rural" life wasn't new to me. In retrospect I should have asked for the Malaysian definition of "rural." I live in a small village called Lenggong, which is located in Northern Perak (name of the state). Lenggong is the definition of a "blink and miss it" village. It has a gas station, a mini mart, a hardware stall, a few little food stalls, a post office, and an abundance of schools. I'm still a bit confused as to how there are so many schools because the village is so small, though it could be the fact that some of the schools (year 1 -6) have less than 100 students. Instead of having one school with a larger population they have many small schools because so many of the families have no mode of transportation so it is basically a school in ever little housing area. It's an interesting experience. Anyways...getting back to things. I work in 5 different schools with 15 different teachers. I help with lesson planning, materials development, classroom management, teaching styles, etc. I do team teaching, demo lessons, and observations and spend a lot of time working to improve my teachers skills and confidence in teaching English so that they can in turn improve their students skills.

It's been a experience. Living in a Muslim country was not something I had ever experienced before and though I think of myself as easily adaptable I will admit things like being covered from collar bone to ankle to wrist everyday when I leave the house was a bit of a challenge. Coming from the California girl who likes to tie on a sarong and a tank top and head out the door it's a different world. Living in the jungle and being the only foreign person within 60 miles is also a bit of a challenge. Living in a society that has a very different view on male/female dynamic has probably been the hardest thing. For example last week I was at a school and one of the male teachers was joking with me and I reached over and nudged him and told him to stop being a bully and he proceeded to step back and tell me that I was a "sin" because I had touched him. Men and women are not suppose to have any physical contact, which is very strange to me that even something as simple as shaking hands is a big no-no. I struggled through my first year with this because I work with male and female teachers and found that I had a lot of resistance because I am a woman and I'm younger than most of the teachers that work with me. It's taken a year to get them to understand that I am qualified to do what I do and that at the end of the day I'm a good teacher and I have a lot to offer them.

The school year here is from Jan to Nov, with an impressive 2 1/2 month holiday and more holidays throughout the year than I often no what to do with. Last year I went on the trip of a lifetime fulfilling a lifelong dream and spent 2 1/2 months traveling through Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. To say it was AMAZING would be an understatement. I went by myself, planned everything myself and did things that many people only dream of.

Australia: Melbourne, Tasmania, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney....I drove the Great Ocean Road, saw kangaroos hopping along the road, took a helicopter over the 12 Apostiles, visited the Tasmanian Devil sanctuary, tour Hobart (Tasmania) on a double decker tour bus, spent 5 days diving on the Great Barrier Reef, went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and held Bentley (a 6 year old male Koala), stood in wonder of the Sydney Opera House, climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, took the ferry to Manley and spent the afternoon wandering the beaches in the rain, and made some amazing friends while I was at it.

Fiji: To put it simply, I fell in love with Fiji, heart, body, and soul! This wasn't really a surprise to me because for some reason all my life I have been drawn to Fiji, but it was a struggle to get back on the plane at the end of my time in Fiji. I spent a week with the FeeJee Experience and met Jerry and Suka (my tour guides) and fell in love...they are both amazing guys who made the trip for me. Maybe it's just cause I'm a talker and a people person, but we became fast friends, which was good since we were in a van together for the better part of a week. We laid on beaches, went sandboarding, jungle trekking, waterfall jumping, mud pool wrestling, Kava drinking, vodka shooting, village visiting, and orphanage loving. I fell in love at the orphanage with a little boy that one look in his eyes and I knew he would be with me forever. After a tough and tearful good-bye to the 7 people on the tour with me and Jerry and Suka I headed for a night in Nandi and then and early morning off to get on a boat and head 3 1/2 hours to Mantaray Island....where once again I fell in love, those this time with the natives. I met Dee and Tuks and was instantly "smitten" with them both. I spent the majority of 5 days on boats and under water doing some of the most amazing diving I have ever had the opportunity of seeing, with an amazing guide Tuks. Once again at the end of 5 days I was off for a tearful good-bye while I headed back to the main island and flew out a few days later.

New Zealand: Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, Greymouth, Fox Glacier, Queenstown, Christchurch....my time in New Zealand was shorter than I would have liked and I will at some point go back, rent a camper van and spend at least a month or so exploring, but I made the most of it while I could. Emma, a friend I made while in Fiji was on the same flight to Auckland so we spent our first night there wandering and exploring and I jumped on a bus first thing the next morning heading south, stopping in some very cute and quaint little towns along the way. Took the ferry from Wellington to Nelson, which reminded me so much of the Kitsap to Seattle ferry ride through some absolutely beautiful country. Fox Glacier was my time to prove myself to myself. I spent a day ice climbing on the glacier, ice axes, cramptons, climbing ropes and all...proving that I can do anything I set my mind on. The next day I was stuck in Fox because it was Christmas so Laurie, a Canadian girl that I had met on the bus and was sharing a hostel room with, and I decided to rent bikes and go for ride. Let me add here that I have ridden a bike twice in my life...and Laurie is a bike expert. We rode from Fox to Lake Matheson and then on to Gillespies Beach, a 52 KM round trip ride, which almost killed me...but was well worth it and once again I proved to myself that I can do anything. I then headed down to Queenstown where I spent a couple of awesome mellow days just soaking in the town and the scenery. I had planned (and paid) to bungee jump and chickened out, which I regret and someday may go back and do just to prove that I can, but for now I'm okay with that. I then took a quick flight to Christchurch where I spent 1 night, experiencing the shaking of the earth in New Zealand while after shocks still torture the area. Then it was time to head home to Malaysia.

I flew into Malaysia on New Years Day (Dec 31st) and finally made it home at 11:50 PM on the 31st. The first thing I did was set up Skype to call home and let my parents know that I had made it home and after about 15 minutes of trying to track down my parents was informed that my dad had had a major heart attack, gone into cardiac arrest and been life flighted, so I did what any normal terrified daughter would do...I turned around and withing 6 hours was back at the airport headed to America. I spent 3 weeks in the US, the majority of that time spent in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Renown Hospital in Reno, Nevada and once I knew dad was okay headed back to Malaysia...again.

I've been back in Malaysia since the end of January, in which time a lot has happened. I've started an unexpected relationship that I don't know where it will go, I've been admitted into the hospital for the first time in more than 20 years, and spent the better part of the last week flat on my back dealing with the aftermath of having two slipped disks in my lower back.

My contract here in Malaysia is through September 2013 and I think as long as everything keeps going the way they are going that I will be staying because to put it simply my job has to many "perks" to walk away from. Though I will say that I miss having a classroom, I miss having my own students, I miss the connections and watching my kids grown and learn everyday.

I have gone back to school and am working on my Ph.D. in International Education and ESL and am enjoying the challenge and being back in school. Plus it gives me something to do while I am living in the jungle besides talking to the monkeys.

I've made a couple of good friends here in Malaysia, though I will say that I miss Korea more than I ever thought I would. I've adapted to the heat and humidity, but I miss having seasons, besides HOT and HOTTER. I'm not sure where I will head next, though I have applied for jobs in Fiji and would LOVE to make that my home, I've also had offers from countries all over the world and with my education and experience I keep making myself more marketable.

At the end of the day, home is wherever I am laying down my head that night and I love the ability to pack everything into two suitcases and hit the road. I know California will always be where I'm from...but it's not home anymore.

I'll try to write again before a year is up....but if not happy traveling and safe wandering.