taking it as it comes

i am alive and well. apologies for not posting lately, i've gotten out of the swing of this blogging business. i'll work at posting more (:
so i work at kiwanis down syndrome foundation (KDSF), established september 1989. it is a school for children with down syndrome starting at the age of 2 months up to six years. the purpose is to prepare the children to attend public schools and equip them with basic skills for life and maximize their potential.
i work with the 5 & 6 year old class the most, but sometimes i assist with the 3 & 4 year old class. the students come monday through thursday at either a morning or afternoon session. each session is three hours long. the teachers (and i) arrive are expected to arrive at 8:30am and stay till 4:30pm. we have an hour lunch break at noon.
lunch: turns out my family doesn't have to provide lunch for me but luckily they have let me pack a lunch to help me save money. if i don't pack a lunch i can pay 5 ringgit for the school chef, uncle mike, to make me something (he typically makes some sort of noodles or rice- surprise surprise, that's what you always have here-- but you can request something a little more specific. ie fried rice or noodles with no beef. you can't get too specific). or some of the ladies go out for lunch, but most just buy from uncle mike monday through thursday. then on friday we all go out together to a restaurant.
the ladies that work there are so sweet! they are all so kind to me and i've made some friends. a few have even invited me out to eat, go shopping, or to travel with them on the weekend. i have only gone shopping so far. i am going to church, i believe?, tomorrow with one of the girls. then next weekend i have dinner plans with another lady to eat at an indian restaurant, banana leaf. a few of them leave on the weekends to go to their home towns and have invited me to come sometime. i really want to make that happen so i can see some villages and local beaches. fit in some malaysian site seeing on the weekends.

transportation: the house i am at currently has issues with this. which is why it is a temporary house for me. every day is a hassle trying to get to work and back. i should have been posting updates about that every day.. it's been eventful. so in order to go out i have to call a cab and that is very expensive. so i try and get rides as often as possible but all the people i know live on the opposite side of town. so i get rides half-ish way to shopping malls and then grab a cab.
cabs: they are not always safe. lots of times the driver is from indonesia and speaks very poor english, if any at all. they don't always know where places are (and i clearly can't give directions..). they don't always use the meter and will force you to pay more because i'm foreign. if you call one to come to you it is a two more ringgit. they tend to drive slow or take the long path and since i don't speak bahasa i can't argue or tell them anything.
so i stay around the house waiting to see what the parents are going to do.. most the time, it's nothing. or the dad will leave to golf and the mom will be at work. i miss having a car. luckily the house is very nice and i am comfortable here. i love my bed and own bathroom. i read, nap, watch movies, walk on the treadmill, journal, color.. yes i color (got a couple sheets from kiwanis).
this weekend: not too eventful. jeffery, my host brother, left for australia this morning. he is going there for a year and half to study. so now the parents are just relaxing around the house since it's been nuts preparing for him to leave over the past week. we did have a huge function monday night here at the house with probably a hundred people in attendance. hmm, i think i'll go to church tomorrow and then go out to the markets with the mom. this is said without certainty because i never truly know what is to come anymore. i only know what is happening about ten minutes in advance now-a-days. i might try and telephone of some afs student volunteers tonight to see about going to the cinema (as they call it).
 i don't want to post too much so that way you will actually bother reading.. at least i know when i see a long article i tend to skip it. i'd read more articles of shorter length than one long one. so i shall post tomorrow, promise.
also, no update still on a permanent family.. but it has been requested to send me letters to my work place so i figure that should be a-okay. address as follows:

Lot 13490, Jalan Jenjarum
Off Jalan SS23/1
Taman SEA
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

kiwanis website: Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation

i'm learning this lesson currently:
i have no real control of what is to come.
my ways of constantly planning, feeling like i have a complete grasp on tomorrow, are vanishing. lately, the most of the future He allows me to know is what is coming in the next ten minutes. example: (i lay my head down at night not always knowing how i'll even get to work).
the Lord has a plan.
He is in control.
all i can do is be silent and listen. He will prepare you if you are obedient to His commands.
gotta have faith.
^^^i'm working on this ability/lifestyle. not easy for me. i love "having" control. i'll be honest.

keep praying!