Post 1: Selamat Datang ke Malaysia!

My first installment!

Alright, this won’t be terribly long. Actually, it will be dictated by how much batter power I have left (which is currently 22%) and the people I’m sitting at a table with right now – three other Fulbright girls who function as my body guards. We all function as body guards for one another.

I am currently sitting at Starbucks in Kuala Lumpur, the capitol of Malaysia. I have to find Wi-Fi somewhere since our hotel won’t provide it for free.

What a journey it has been so far! I will miss the Tuesday that I barely experienced in California and look forward to finding that day once again in November. But let me break down what has happened so far.

Monday, January 2nd was a tearful and rushed day. I didn’t have enough time for good-byes or to check how much my luggage weighed (for the sixth time) and was whisked away for a final lunch with my parents before making brief phone calls on the way to the airport. But then, at the airport, I had far too much time and ended up playing Gang of Four in this tiny, previously-unnoticed art gallery with my parents.

The coffee shop next door was out of chai.

Then I split from my parents. That was a hard step. Not sure what made it different from so many times of heading off to school before. I think just part of me believes more strongly that I’m never coming back – that pessimistic part of me that likes to think I live in a dramatic old world where contact isn’t possible overseas. Obviously, it is because I’m writing a blog. But yes, “sad hugs” were shared between me, my mum, and my dad and then they waved me all the way through security before I began the journey “alone”.

I got to the gate and called Michael. Phone tag is an annoying game and I think I shall loathe it more now that I am across the ocean and will not want to have to call people repeatedly (in other words, I probably won’t call you though Skype is an option). Talking to Michael was brief and I still had time so I spoke with my mum and dad. More tears. I miss them a lot. Yes, I used the present tense because I still miss them.

So I boarded my first plane of three to head out to LA where I was anticipating a greeting of some of my closest friends out in California. Needless to say after being shuttled from this weird secondary gate to the main terminal, I was not disappointed. I had to shake my head because of their silly demonstrations of fondness: three banners one of which said “Scrooge”. Definitely felt the love and appreciated it. Then, of course, Mexican food helped round off the evening. In a different way from my parents, I am missing the tacos already. Oh yeah, don’t worry, I miss my friends who gave me a fond farewell and kept me from getting sobby and snotty all over again.

Are you ready? LAX security called a code while I was going through security and made me stand stalk still and step away. No, I didn’t have firearms or anything dangerous. Apparently, it was a drill that caused me to panic internally and think I was not going to be leaving the United States that day. The window into my internal dialogue, I imagine, is fairly revealing as to how exciting I sometimes perceive the world.

Then there was the man with the scale. I ran into a group of Fulbrighters at my gate who waved me over and let me sit with them – nice! – but I felt rather bad when I brought up weight requirements for carry-ons which no one seemed to be aware of. I admitted that I had not complied with the weight restrictions myself because I simply had too many material items I could not part with (plus I had added parting gifts from my friends to my packable hoard). Sure enough, a flight attendant from the plane starting moving around our group with a little hand scale and declaring that items had to be checked – for free – and I was not having it. However, I thought my fate was sealed so I didn’t move. All three people around me were told they needed to check their bags and I was…oddly looked over. No good explanation for it, but I am grateful!

Then came the flight. Oddly enough, though I was in a center seat between two men (one of which stank of body odor just a little bit), the flight went smoothly. They had taken note of my gluten-intolerant meal request online and brought me random dishes that were gluten free. I forced myself to stay awake until 4am MST before falling asleep for the majority of the flight. I woke up now and again to adjust positions, but I only had about three hours of the flight left when I allowed myself to really wake up. We were fed breakfast (GF again for me which meant chicken and mushrooms for…breakfast), and before I knew it, we had landed in Hong Kong. That was a little tight.

Like obedient little sheep, we followed the crowds through a security point and out towards our gate at a steady though rather slow pace. It was almost too slow. When we arrived at our gate, they were announcing “final call”, and all the Fulbrighters scurried on a bit more hastily. I sat down promptly in y exit aisle where I couldn’t stow my bags with me and didn’t have a window to look out of, but I dealt fine. I mostly read and journaled a bit. We were also fed again. It was about 9am in Hong Kong, but it seemed to soon to eat…second breakfast? My GF meal was potatoes.

The strangest part about the flight was definitely the quarantine spray. The flight crew sprayed down the entire cabin with some sort of cleaner that can irritate your contacts and you if you’re sensitive. I wasn’t thrilled. There wasn’t an option to not be sprayed with everyone else. The mist just settled on you all.

Everyone made it to KL okay. There were two ETAs who didn’t make it for the first day. One of them was Patricia Weng who is the girl I’m going to be stationed in Maran, Pahang with, but we have plenty of time to bond later. The first day we were simply put into our rooms and wandered around trying not to fall asleep before the sun set. We found Bukit Bintang which is a really ritzy shopping area here. They have the real Gucci and all that jazz. It was pretty neat to see all of the decorations already going up for Chinese New Year’s. This is the first country I’ve been in near the time of Chinese New Year who take the festivities very seriously.

So I’m continuing to write this first blog on my “third” day in KL which, according to Jim Coffman who is one of the head orchestrating people over here, is not actually Malaysia. KL is a land all its own. I would have to agree because speaking only English has not been a problem so far. I anticipate it to be a far greater issue once I get out and about.

Yesterday was the first day for orientation which wasn’t overly exciting but definitely informative. After morning and afternoon sessions, we began day 2 of wandering. I was starting to feel a little off, but sucked it up as we explored other shopping areas and even made it over to the Petronas towers (by the most circuitous route ever because we weren’t using a map). After stopping after some vending stalls for dinner, part of our group heading back for the hotel because we were beat and felt disgusting. Definitely took a shower before going to bed. I was certain that I was sick at this point and went to sleep shortly after taking a shower.

Unfortunately, unlike the first night where I was dead to the world as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was restless. I woke up a whopping hour and a half after falling asleep and woke up two other times as well. I definitely got rest but felt incredibly congested (oh, and my snot was all sorts of pretty colours!).

This morning we’re getting more orienting (two weeks of it actually!). The US Embassy is talking to us about – what! – how to handle the press and the like. We’ll see how it goes. We’re also having our first Malaysian lesson! WOOHOO! More to come when…more happens.

Always know that you can skip or skim my blogs. It’s nothing personal. I know that I just yammer on forever.

Grace and peace.