on the other side of the world

for starters, i am safe and sound. at the moment i am sitting in the family room, with my brother, jeffery, and my auntie zam sipping green tea while they read and i am criss-cross on the shag rug with this nifty netbook.
so i made it to malaysia, and got through customs with my luggage pretty easy. it was interesting, but most of it was clear and simple to follow.
there was a guy with an AFS shirt there to pick me and max up from the airport. he then told me that i will be working in a down syndrome house with children and that i do have a permanent family but they are overseas right now. then he bought us bottled water, called a taxi and sent us off to the hotel.
once there i was informed that we arrove a day late for the orientation in malaysia. then we were rushed into the details of a scavenger hunt within kuala lumpur. we (the AFS kids) split into groups of five with a leader and had to use 10 ringgit to buy one toiletry item, one souvenir, and one post card with a stamp. we went out and walked the streets, used public transit (subways and monorail sorta systems).
let me say here: malaysia is beautiful! everything is so luscious. i constantly feel like i'm in a scene from the amazing race, with the little cars, and motor bikes weaving amongst the traffic. tropical plants are everywhere and the streets are covered with the most interesting shops, so much color. there are parts that look so worn in, oozing with stories to tell, but then you will drive on to see some modern shops made of such perfection.  walking the streets was a blast. i was taken back by all that there was to admire and view. ah, exploration!!
moving on with my story: the mall we went to was in the bottom of the petronas twin towers! i believe it was five or so floors of shopping! my group was the first to finish and the only one that we each completed the list! oh yeah!
FF- i got baby lotion, a post card w/ stamp, & a pen.
there are around sixteen other kids but they are all in highschool. i am the only community service participant. they refer to it as "CSP" (so in the future, i will use that term). one girl is only fourteen! brave soldier living away from home for a year. 
the next day we woke up and got our stuff together because the host families were arriving that morning to pick us all up. i however, am without a permanent family still. so my chapter president was taking me in on behave of my future family. we went up in front of the families and had to introduce ourselves in Malay (:
we all ate, had tea. then went our separate ways with our families. so, auntie zam and i went off towards her home. she asked if i would be okay with running errands, which of course i was more than okay with, so we got to run around town for a bit. after a while we were back at auntie zam's.
i then met jeffery, her son and uncle rosden, her husband. also, they have a daughter julie who is studying in france. she is only seventeen and has graduated high school and is in her first year of college! i'm extremely impressed.
the home is in a gated community and each home has a gate around their property. they have six cars, and a lovely home with a spanish style roof (my favorite!) along with quite a few cats. only one cat however, is allowed inside. the weather in malaysia allows for the homes to be open, so they have open doorways and windows all over, with covered seating outside. i feel very welcome and at peace here; it's a shame this isn't my host home..
so, all the AFS participants will meet up in two weeks to have an in depth orientation. they wanted us to each stay with our families a bit and experience the actual home life. so now, when we meet we will have actual scenarios to ask questions about or we can share with one another how we have been adjusting. this way we get more out of the orientation period.
---got distracted and now i am picking this back up on monday afternoon---
so at auntie zam's i was a bit tired and went upstairs for a nap. it was a perfect nap. outside it was drizzling,  the windows were open with a breeze flowing through the room where i lay on a queen size down comforter bed. after my nap the family informed me that we were going out for dinner.
we ended up going to their club. it is apparently one of the top ten golf clubs in the world. they have thirty six holes and flood lights on the course at night so you can golf at any time. i am not sure the name of the place.. they apparently go out to eat there once a week. the food was incredible. it was open to the outside with this rich aroma due to all these stations placed throughout with men cooking all sorts of food. it was ah, i don't know how to explain it any better. top notch variety of malaysian cuisine with flair? how's that sound.
all the restaurants and businesses here are open to the outside. also, the shopping malls are mostly like that as well. they are strip centers or have openings up to the sky in the middle. (if that makes sense?).
on the way home from dinner we stopped at their friend's home to show me the dogs. they have four dogs, four birds, and sixteen cats. sounds awful, right? but it isn't! it is so clean. the dogs have their own room, as do the birds, and the cats. this family has five cars i believe was the total and their house was beautiful as well. we had coffee and chatted for some good time, about till eleven something?
the next morning (Sunday) i woke up to the sound of rain to go to the market with auntie zam. but first she had got breakfast for everyone to eat together. it was nasi lemak with squid. it was white rice with fried egg, peanuts, these dried fish pieces, sauce, and squid. rather interesting.. but it was actually not bad at all. spicy and strange but tasty.
now the market, this was phenomenal. (i have photos. don't you fear). there, i met her friend auntie jenny who is a florist there at the market. then we got all sorts of fruits and vegetables. as well as beans, nuts, eggs, fish for the cats, and some sauces. after there we went to visit her sister.
at her sisters where it is still raining, we chatted then had lunch. her maids made four dishes and served coffee and fruits. then we went out to the garden where auntie zam was given some plants to take home with us. the garden was beautiful, as well as her home. i continue to be blown away with the homes, i love the feel of them.
then we went home to take the groceries.
later on we went to the other market where auntie zam gets her fish. there was fresh fish straight from the sea. we were there underneath umbrellas while the sky continued to pour. we also got some more local produce and looked for some sort of fresh cookies but ended up walking the wrong way in the rain so she settled without them this week.
then we came back to the house to unload and chit chat with the family for a bit. auntie zam got cleaned up then we went to the actual grocery store. this was extremely exciting for me because of the parking alone. so you park underneath the store and each spot has a light above it with a motion detector. when a car parks in the spot, the light turns red, but when it is open the spot is green. so when looking for a parking spot, you just glance at the ceiling for a green light!! ah, i always thought they needed a system like this but i always thought of using flags? this makes so much more sense. i was beyond excited. to top it off, they have the buggy system like whole foods in austin or how stores are in los angeles where they have the slanted escalator for the carts to ride on without rolling. i always get excited to see these.
in the store we got drinks (fruit juices, milk, water) and some items like cereal. they don't buy much in the grocery stores here. the carts are the size of our pharmacy buggies.
back to the house we go and uncle rosden was making bread butter pudding. we were having friends over to "tea" but ends up we were having coffee? we also ate the pudding then they decided to cook noodles. so we ate oranges and the pudding while i shared pictures of you all. we all sat around and chatted and ate then they smoked.
side note: they all smoke. everyone drinks coffee and loves tobacco.
more family showed up and we moved into the family room and sat around telling jokes and swapping stories for a couple hours. slowly everyone dispersed around ten thirty.
i was exhausted but stayed up a bit later with auntie zam and uncle rosden while they showed me some photos and what not. eventually by eleven thirty i was passed out.
i slept like a baby till nine thirty.
after i ate some breakfast and showered i hung out with uncle rosden. he was prepping food and watching discovery channel so i made us coffee. then he, jeffery, and i went out to buy me a phone. everyone here has fancy phones but i got the cheapest i could find.. which was actually only 90 ringgit. but then i bought minutes for 20 more ringgit, which is only fourteen minutes. i will have to continue to purchase minutes throughout the year.
well, i think i covered everything? so much has happened and i keep getting distracted chatting or helping out. i just want to post this and let y'all ask questions. i will try and write daily from here forth because recalling this much information is too tough.
i love you all and miss you!!

while over the pacific..

holy guacamole. i am on the plane to hong kong! -no, there isn't internet service so i will be posting this later.. but i wrote it while aboard.
speaking of which.. i believe i will possibly be doing that for all my posts. (no not getting on a plane each time i wish to write..) but i will record daily and post weekly? we will see. depends how my life in malaysia turns out.
i still have no clue what i will offically be doing and i still have no permanent family. this is what i know: fly to hong kong, have a lay over, fly to kuala lumpur, find AFS staff in a blue shirt, trust them, go to a four day orientation, and then i meet up with my welcome family where i will only be a couple of weeks.
that's all i know. so don't feel out of the loop. i am just as clueless. God is teaching me to live in the moment. i have also already begun to appreciate the small things. such as, my pillow. or my toothbrush (i'm a brat with a sonicare.. or at least i was), or i already miss my apples... but i showed my appreication for those. ahah. but i have only been gone a couple days.. i have much more to learn and to grow to miss/look at in a new light.
(wow, something smells delicious! airplane food smells good?)
the kids i met at orientation were incredible. i learned a lot from them. we each came from differnent parts of america so we each brought something different to the table. literally. we always seemed to be at a table now that i think about it. any who, they are all in high school and going during their junior year. most all of them only for six months.. but still. brave soldiers. i'm into them. they all had a lot of character and interesting outlooks.
LAX: i was like a five year old meeting santa claus at the mall.. the AFS staff leader was getting a kick out of my excitement and number of photos i was taking. i told him i had to document for all you fools! ;) well maybe for myself too.... hah. but it was so modern, with shopping even before you went through security. it was movie worthy, i must say. plus, the workers were so polite and helpful. (i already felt like i wasn't in america.. ahah).
well, i eventually ended up at my gate and waited with the many many others. however, i was one of five, i believe was the total i came to, white folk. so stares were already starting.. however, it could have been my talking on the phone, walking around with bright luggage, and taking photos of everything... i'll admit to that.
mmm. just noticed they are serving warm coke. sick. we are still in america! what are they thinking.. well actually i am over the pacific. warm coke wins the battle. (not in my belly, theirs only)
FF: each seat has it's own tv system. on it you can not only watch movies and tv but you can listen to music. i went through all these albums and picked out specific songs i wanted to hear and then it totaled up the time length of the entire playlist.
then there is a flight countdown of the length of time remaining. i got excited about that.. saved my brain power.
ooh. dinner was just served. i chose "chicken with soy sauce, steamed rice, shiitake mushrooms and spring onion" also included: marinated prawns with orzo pasta salad, raspberry cheese cake, and a roll. then i got green tea!
-just ate. the chicken was funky.. i didn't eat much but the veggies were suberb and the rice was, wonderful. i love rice.. so i will survive. then the orzo was real tasty. the cheesecake, i didn't bother to be honest. but solid tea.
J-KAT & MINA: they have the full glee cast albums. naturally, i had to play "like a virgin" for y'all.
okay dokay.. i'm gonna go read and try and figure out the power strip system to charge this bad boy.
thought: first time i'm in a plane that makes sense to have life jackets. better not need 'em.
local time in HKG: 16:07

time change

i started a flickr (online photo album). the link is on the right hand side, underneath the donation box. ch-ch-check it out!

and. just so you know.. i changed my date and time setting to be on kuala lumpur time. that's all folks.

airports galor

it's official, the journey has begun.
last night (monday night) i pulled an all nighter in preping for the trip. i had planned to wake up at six in the morning regardless so it wasn't too bad. the time flew by with my perfectionist style of packing and making lists to double check lists..
SO. i shipped out this morning from the livable forest at seven.
i flew to denver at 8:45 sharp. this is where i busted out the horse-shoe pillow and drooled. i won't deny it. hopefully the little bit of drool that woke me up was all that came out.. i didn't ask the gentleman next to me..
then had a short lay over around an hour and a half, then i flew out to los angeles. where i also passed out. this time i had a window seat with nobody sitting in between me and this lady.
i did happen to awake once we were coming into los angeles. it is massive! i lucked out in sitting on the side of the plane that faced the HOLLYWOOD sign. although we were far away, i knew what to look for. let me say, i feel that i am more apart of movies and tv shows now. i have a connection. ahah. i wanted so badly to travel by foot around the city but i had an intinerary with a company expecting my presence.
so i grabbed my suitcase, that i believe weighs a slight bit too much, and went to find the shuttles. i got to sit outside and enjoy that clean LA air for fifteen minutes before boarding this dinky shuttle to Hacienda Hotel. FF (fun fact for those who don't know my cool lingo..) this hotel is apparently one of the most popular places for international travelers in los angeles. they might have said the number one but i won't claim that much fame. it is a neat spanish style hotel.. i'm into it. it isn't a five star hotel but it has character.
once here i dilly dallied (sp?) and chit chatted on skype. but come 17:00 AFS had me on a schedule. i'm into it all so far. there are ten kids here. they are all mostly sixteen, a couple seventeen. then there is me... nineteen. however, they are going for high school while i am volunteering and working to fully adopt a culture. also, eight of them are going to new zealand and one guy is going to malaysia for school. we all got along quite well and played some fun games. we got to eat at a restaurant here at the hotel for dinner and pick anything off the menu, AFS bought.
naturally, the Malaysian consulate general was suppose to join us for dinner but never showed... malaysia is not the most popular country for americans.. at all. so they haven't been able to follow their regualar rountine assistance for me, not one bit. in fact i was having to complete a survey on how all these different activities assisted in my preparation.. and out of seven activities... i only did two. (not my fault, they were never an option).
also, the community service year is not a common choice. so it is weird for them to be sending someone off in my situation.. these workers here in LA know less than the ones in malaysia apparently. i believe i will get a further debriefing upon my arrival in kuala lumper. the staff here doesn't know any more than me about what i will be doing exactly for my service and why i only have a temporary welcome placement family.
so tomorrow i have a pretty solid booked day with AFS, completing my gateway orientation, including watching Whale Rider? thoughts on that, anyone? then i head for LAX at 19:30 and fly out for hong kong at 22:20 --sorry all my times are odd with using world time and going in and out of different time zones. soon, it will just be malaysia's time, so set yo clocks fools! -or not and google the time like yours truly..
all i can do is pray that God protects me, placing me in a home and giving me a job that are in his will. plus, laughing about it helps too. i would be the person in this bizarre situation, but i know the Lord will take care of me and his angels are watching over me.
keep me in your prayers. life is about to get extreme.

panic attack.

down to counting hours.. it's almost time to take off. i still have quite a few things to accomplish before i can get on that plane:

*find a water proof camera case
*call the bank to fix their mistake
*buy a cheap childs watch for usa time
*find texas and usa flags (the cheap little parade ones)
*get my hair trimmed
*clean out my car
*ship back undesired shoes
*register bags online to sell
*print recipes
*learn common Malay lingo.. yes i still don't know any
*oh yeah, and PACK!!!

i have today.. and then i leave. holy molee.

i attempted a first round of packing my bag. yes one bag. it can total a solid 44lbs for one year... without any clothes, the bag was 42lbs.... i had to sit down and catch my breath. then i started pulling out this-thats and what-nots. time to lose my american ways.
-side note. should i start capitalizing, and going back into the story-
i have always been an over packer. i love to be prepared. i am the weirdo who packs a pair of boots in the spring or a rain jacket in the winter. i always bring pants, capris, shorts no matter the time of year.. maybe this is because i have grown up in houston where the weather changes every fifteen minutes, as every old fella in these parts will tell ya.

nevertheless, it is now down to the wire. cross your toes kiddos!
t-tobin8tor.