Its always darkest before the dawn

I have tried to avoid writing a blog post whilst in a negative place. My last entry was hardly helpful! For the last 4 weeks I have been a in a bad headspace about why we decided to move here. I have been unsure. I have not been able to define how I feel. During the last 4 weeks, things that I loved about Kuala Lumpur have transformed into things I hate about Kuala Lumpur.

I miss our church, I miss our friends, I miss our family. I miss our routine.

Moving is frequently cited as one of the most stressful life events after the death of a loved one, divorce or illness. The reasons for moving have been positive but settling into a new home, connecting to a new environment and recreating a home have been stressful. Perhaps the most stressful part of a move is the acceptance of permanent change. The holiday period is now well and truely over. This is home.

I am no stranger to this feeling. I have been here before. So I know it gets better. In fact, it has got better. I can remember when Jo and Troy arrived in Perth. They hated it.

Moving is not easily and its usually not forever (if you dont want it to me), its usually for a season. I have a choice here, I can complain and be unhappy. Or I can chose to make the most of it and get involved and get into a state of gratefulness.

On Friday night I was out for drinks and dinner with two friends, Liz and Emily. It was such a wonderful night. I think I turned a corner in my head. I sat there, sipping wine, having a good old laugh and I was happy. Happy that I have had the chance to meet the most lovely people. That Nate and I have been able to travel so so much already. That we have a great church here. A lovely, lovely home. A sick ute. I have the chance to study something I have always wanted to study. He has half day Fridays! There is so much to be happy about. So hopefully I am inching my way away from this "I don't know if I want to be here any more".Yes there have been kidnappings, riots and oil-on-the-road-to-drum-business incidents... but after spending time on news.com.au I can find at leave 20 places in the world where at least one of those things are happening!


My Nate is handling this all swimmingly. Whilst I have been a yoyo of emotion, he has been steady, strong and true. Always there as a support. Gently bringing me back to a state of gratefulness. Always saying we can go home at any point. That husband of mine has big shoulders and a solid walk with our God. He is the most consistent person I have ever met in my life. I am so so blessed to be able to do life with him. I man who has my back and is committed to always making sure I am okay.

what is this world coming too?

golly, it's been ages since I posted up any news! I'm currently sitting by the pool, actually in the pool, typing this on my phone. I am in need of some vit d. I've been spending way to much time in side behind a computer screen or in front of a class (yes you heard it, I'm teaching every now and again)!

the teaching/observing/studying thing leaves hardly any time to fit in anything else. but enough about that, we are all busy!

since beginning to write this post until this very word there have been 4 police choppers and the sound of non stop sirens. riots. if you planned to come to KL this weekend, well bummer dude. you picked the wrong one. 100,000 so far are protesting through the streets of KL city center. it's called Bersih 3.0. riots, marches, protests coming from the people of Malaysia who want fair and free elections. apparently they don't get violent, but then they say that and last year the police had to use tear gas and water cannons! so I am steering very clear of that fiasco and having some rnr here at home.

It's been a strange week. last Friday a teacher was involved in a car accident (not a bad one, minor scraps and bruises), but Nate and I were made aware of the "oil on the road" schemes by tow truck drivers. apparently, to drum up business they put oil on bends in the road. to make you have an accident so they can get you to sign a piece of paper which says they can charge you whatever to tow you car. what in the world? and whilst you arguing with 12 tow truck drivers who arrive out of no where and make threats at you (because they gang members) about who is going to tow your car, it gets ransacked! and if that doesn't still make you react, other local drivers hit your car whilst driving past it coz they want to get close enough for a photo. bloody insane is what that is.

so I am driving like a snail. and we have a plan for if it happens. well half a plan. the main issue are these tow truck rats. this teacher ended up having to pay each tow guy RM100 to leave her alone and move their trucks. they had actually block her car off from her insurance tower. did I mention they got aggressive with her?

in other news, a year 7 british boy at a international school was abducted yesterday. it's been heartbreaking and the international community has been really shaken up by it. the boy had gotten out the car and was walking across the street at. 7.30am in the morning (so school drop off time, busy) and this black proton rolled up, two Indian guys got out and snatched him. people actually saw it happening and tried to stop it, they took photos of the rego number but it turns out its a fake one. the streets are lined with posters of his face and the parents (south African and Dutch) have given the most heart wrenching plea for help.

so at the moment, I'm feeling a little disappointed in mankind. because lets be honest, this type if thing is not limited to malaysia. it happens all around the globe.I guess that is what poverty and a live without Jesus does to people.

tonight tho, Liz, Emily and I are hitting the malls to shop for ball dresses and have a bite to eat and a few wines! just what I need to forget about the woes of the world.

Nate is in Singapore for the day, he left the morning to play footy an will be back this evening. let's hope he has a win!

The [other] one who has my heart

Nate and I went to a pretty trendy pub on Friday evening with our good friends Lenoard, Libby and Luke (there are a lot of L's going on there). It's no Little Creatures or Whose Your Momma? - but its nice going on KL standards. The attaction: it serves Little Creates - Pale and Bright ale! Whopa.

Our buddy Leonard

Luke and Libby have made the cutest creation. Ethan is his name and he has stolen my heart. I love kids, but at this point in my life, I don't really think about wanting one around... until this little guy appears.

He is the most chilled out, happy little chap. Always smiling, not one bit needy, happy to go to anyone, sleeps where ever. I really like how Luke and Libby take him out with them, he is a social little thing for sure.

We met Luke and Libby at CHCKL, our church. Leonard is our connect group leader. He has been an important part in us settling at that particular church. Is is the most connected person I know - he literally knows everyone in this town! Which is awesome for us.

I took a few snaps of the place, but the light was awful and I am yet to figure out our camera.

I want one!

The Tremor

Nate went to kick the footy with Josh and I stayed at home to do Uni work. I am really behind, surprise surprise (mainly due to too much Game of Thrones, Hart of Dixie, Revenge and Chuck)... so I have been spending a few hours/days in front of my laptop.

I was sitting here, minding my own biz, and I started to feel this rocking, like I was tipsy! I stood up, thinking I may have just had too much coffee, and looked at my lamp, which was rocking. I looked at the water in my glass, which was swaying. The files on my desk - shifting.

I thought maybe the fan is on too strong! So I turned that badboy off, walked into the lounge, looked around... flowers and water in the vase were swaying, water in a bottle moving. Jeepers, how much coffee have I had!

Nate came back, I told him. Obviously he didn't believe me, and prescribed a swim to clear my head and get some fresh air! We head down to the pool. Whilst I am swimming, he is lounging checking his phone. He calls me over and shows me news.com article about a tsunami warning for Sumatra - in the body of the article it says "tweets from Singapore and Malaysia say tremors were felt there" - BOOM! I flipping told you I was in an earthquake!

Its such a great comfort to know, that our little apartment is situated on some faulty tectonic plate connected to a shifting one in Indo and India, those places have something happen to them yearly - and now we are in the firing line! This apartment block is not made of cardboard and wood and is so not collapse-with-minimal-damage friendly.

We are moving!

No Seasons

Perth. It still seems to be rather hot - going on it's inhabitants FaceBook status updates. But then I flick through the albums of friends and I see hoodies, beanies and jeans. I take it Perth has had a few fresh days? I read Lou's post about how cold it is in Sale and it makes my 'missing-the-seasons' feeling worse. How I long for a cool day, where I am not sweating in my singlet and shorts.

There are no seasons here. It's hot and humid all year round. I can almost tell you exactly how the day will go. Its 28 degree's in the morning, slowly heats up to around 32, blue skies, sun beating down and humid. As 3pm approaches, the humidity increases, the clouds and lightening come, and boom - downpour. It usually lasts about 2 hours before it clears up and its back to being sticky.

Its always green and always a great day to go to the pool. The lack of variation is killing me! How I long to chuck on a beanie, trackie pants and sip on a hot drink, whilst cuddling up to Nate on the sofa! Winter fashion is my favourite too. Boo. I guess the upside is that I will always be tanned? 

I think tonight, I am going to make soup and crank the aircon as low as it can go. I am going to put on some jeans, a beanie and a scarf and pretend its cold out. Yes. That's a plan.

It doesn't feel like easter

Easter in a Muslim country BLOWS! No holidays, not decorations, no people dressed up as freaky white bunnies and the easter egg selection at the stores... well, what easter egg selection? Thank goodness Jo and Av sent over some eggs and lint bunnys with Bree and Mitch, otherwise poor old us!

While I am pretty bleak about not having Nate at home for 2 extra days this weekend, with out all of the distraction of parades, fluffy bunny suits and brilliantly wrapped eggs - it a chance to get back to what Easter is really about. My Jesus, dying for my sin and over coming death, for me.

Phnom Penh

It is not hard to imagine Phnom Penh in its heyday, with wide, shady boulevards and beautiful French buildings. They are still there of course, but are in a derelict, dust-blown decaying state. It all leaves you wondering how a city like this works. But it does.

After taking tuk-tuk ride from the airport, we arrived at Le Marais Boutique Hotel around 9am - settled into our very lovely room and had a snooze. The 3.30am start and the trauma of the LCCT left us a little sleepy! After about 45 mins we decided to go in search of coffee. It seems that before we go anywhere, Nate and I look up coffee places. We do love our quality coffee and Phnom Penh had a few goodies.

Phnom Penh is a city of contrasts: East and West, poor and rich, serenity and chaos. In the space of 1km you see Monk's saffron robes lending a splash of colour to the streets to soldiers with AK47's to amputees on street corners - a constant reminder of Cambodia's tragic story. Years of war have taken a heavy toll on the city's infrastructure and economy, as well as its people. I don't normally like to know what goes on in these places that we are visiting - the reason's for why they are in the state they are in, is something I would rather not know about. I am on holiday, and not wanting to be confronted by the horrors.

You do not have this luxury in Phnom Penh. Their brutal history is something unavoidable and I cant think why it is. Maybe it's because it only happened 30 years ago and I think, where the heck was the world for this to go unnoticed or maybe its because I know child prostitution and slavery is alive and well there or maybe it is because if you an Expat in PP, then you are part of an NGO... it's an intriguing place and you cannot put your head in the sand and pretend all is well and good! At the same time, it is peaceful, simple and rather breath taking. A weird mix.

Nate went to the Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide) whilst I did my assignment. Which I am glad I missed. The photos and stories he brought back were heart breaking. The classrooms of Tuol Svay Prey High School became the Khmer Rouge main torture and interrogation centre (known as S-21). More than 20,000 people were taken to for execution at another camp called Choeung Ek. Countless others died under torture and were thrown into mass graves in the school grounds.

These holes in the ground were mass graves - Nate said that some, when uncovered, were filled with hundred of beheaded women and young children. 

I think I will leave it at that! And move onto some better tales: we were there for Nate's footy game - they got totally thrashed by the Cambodian Eagles! That poor old hubby of mine, I mean, he is not a fan of anything that has the name Eagle(s) in it and certainly does not like been beaten by anything that has the word Eagles in it. Thank goodness Freo beat Geelong, otherwise it would have been a loooong two days.

Nate has decided to keep his stats (I dont even know what that means)! But after each quarter he would sneak onto his phone and record his touches, kicks, marks and I dont know what else! I told you in this post, its all very very serious out there! To be fair, the Malaysia Warriors did not have their full strength side, and a few key members were injured. Freak, I sound like my husband when he makes excuses for the Dockers!

I had a wonderful time, I got to hang out with a very old family friend, Danielle Van Rooyen. I went to primary school with her brother, and then in the same high school as her. Her and her family lived in the same little country town, Richmond, as my family. So we really do go waaay back. It was so awesome to hang out and catch up with where she is at. I found it refreshing and inspiring, hearing how her and her family moved to Cambodia and how awesome God's hand has been in their lives every step of the way.

We are definitely going back there. It is the most beautiful place, and it was so good to be out of the Muslim dominated culture for a weekend! It was a weekend of mixed emotions for sure. The people of this area are happy despite their terrible history. I get the feeling, as a nation, they are looking forward and striving to be better. It was a very humbling weekend and I highly recommend it for a stop over.