final farewell photos

Brownie, the neighborhood puppy

My favorite church to attend

My place of work!

A farewell lunch with friends.

Nothing like fish and rice, eating it with your hands!

My final class, EN B Intensive!

Final family group party at Francis' house

Jumpa lagi...

hello my home country hello

I am back States side, safe and sound. The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind, from finishing up my time teaching and saying goodbye, to the world's longest flights, to gratefully greeting friends and family back home. I wanted to take the time today to record some of my initial thoughts of returning back home.

From the flight...

At about 2am, flying over the Pacific ocean, the flight attendant offers me dinner. It was not a normal eating time, in Malaysia OR the US, so I didn't really want any dinner. I asked if I could just have a roll and some crackers, instead of the whole meal. He says sure, but offers me a second roll. I didn't want it, but of course accepted it graciously. It was after the flight attendant was down the aisle that I realized I was able to, inoffensively, decline the food.

Flying into California, at about 9pm. I say to Kelsey, "Why is it light out? I thought we were supposed to be getting into California at night?" only to realize that it was indeed night time, and that in the States it gets dark past 6pm. And it was summer time!

The US airports were a shock in itself-- they were so rushed and loud. It seemed like everyone was shouting and rules were the utmost importance; so much for the courtesy of airports of the past (and SE Asia). Immediately I was shocked by the size of the people, as well as the quickness I could speak in English and have people comprehend me. I nervously counted and recounted my American money, unsure that I was using it correctly. I still have my bills sorted in different compartments in my wallet, just to keep it straight. Color coded money is such a good idea, Malaysia.

Now home, I find myself doing peculiar things all of the time. Most of the time I just laugh at myself. Things include:
-- Taking my shoes off immediately at the door. No matter where I am.
-- Washing down dishes before using them. You know, in case of cockroaches or geckos.
-- Trying to find the light switch and water heater switch outside the bathroom door. It's not there.
-- Amazed every time I receive hot water from the faucet. It's really amazing.
-- The toilet handle is on the other side of the toilet. I can never find it.
-- Expecting there to be a squat toilet in the third stall of public bathrooms. Haven't found one yet.
-- Carrying toilet paper with me wherever I go. Then I'm always amazed when the bathrooms have toilet paper.
-- Still being extremely cautious about the water I drink. Every time I brush my teeth, I realize that I can swallow the water. I asked my brother if the water from his sink was drinkable.
-- Jumping in the dark, thinking I saw a huge monitor lizard. Oh wait, it's Wisconsin.
-- Wrapping up in jeans and a sweater.
-- Using plastic bags for everything. And tying them up in knots, so they don't take up as much space in the collection of plastic bags (this is very Malaysian).
-- Wishing to respond to people in Malay all the time, especially question words. Kenapa?
-- Driving... yikes! Left hand turns still scare me like crazy.

I still find myself adjusting, my digestive system especially. So much for dairy products and sweets. I find myself keenly aware of issues such as energy use, race, materialism, and recycling/wasting. For a while, Malaysia just seemed like a surreal dream, and that I hadn't been away at all. Now, within the last week, I find myself missing people terribly, and just wishing for anyone to gab about Malaysia to for hours.

It has been busy since I've been back, and I think that has been doubly helpful and hurtful. I had some friends visit, went up north to the cottage with family and cousins, worked at camp for a few days, and went on a road trip out to CO to visit my brother. This following week I will see college friends while attending the wedding of two college friends. I'm anticipating more downtime, but those quiet moments filling with the ache of missing and the anxiety of job searching.

Looking forward to catching up with you all, thanks for reading throughout the year.

Much love,
Ellen

malaysia playlist

Nothing beats a foreign country playlist! Just for kicks and for a glimpse into pop culture, I thought you might like to "enjoy" (or peruse) the songs that I will forever identify with Malaysia. Thanks repetition.
Mine, however, has an interesting twist because I've added in a few songs from the seminary too. Starting from most current. If anything else comes to mind, I'll add it to the list!

1. Waka Waka, Shakira
2. Wavin' Flag, K'naan
3. Bad Romance, Lady Gaga
4. Nobody but You, Wonder Girls
5. Just Dance, Lady Gaga
6. Sebab Nama-mu Kudus
7. Mamarayou Oku Kinorohingan
8. The Prayer
9. Poker Face, Lady Gaga
10. Ku Mau Cinta Yesus Selamanya
11. You Raise Me Up
12. Sayang Kinabalu

an orchestra, two seas, and a sunset

This weekend I had the chance to work crew for an orchestra. I accompanied them for the weekend to Kudat for a concert at the Tip of Borneo. It was fun, funny, and beautiful.

This beach is named after a Rungus warrior

The tip of Borneo-- where the South China Sea meets the Sulu Seas

I love places where two things meet

Crew members

Beauty

little things that make my day

Despite the fact that I had to turn my calendar to July today (ahhh!), it has been a beautiful day so far.

7:15 I got to work this morning, and as I was in the office preparing for my class one of the office ladies asked me the meaning of a word. This sounds like a funny thing, but most days we just exchange a hello and get back to our work. It's also this type of thing that helps reinforce my place in the community and a role where others rely on me (instead of it always being me relying on others!).

7:20 On my way back to my office I ran into one of my former students. We just had a great conversation, chatting about it being July and how soon I had to go back, when could I come again, who would teach English, how she would miss me. It just made me smile. Talking with former students may be one of my new favorite things.

7:40 I begin my class, only to have one of my former students join. He is such a motivated student and works really hard (as evident by his independent joining of my class in his free time so he can practice his English). It was fun to have him back in class, and it's kind of flattering to have someone want to take your class for a second time!

9:30 Chapel time-- we had chapel in the old chapel, which is gorgeous. It's kind of like the chapel up at camp, where all the doors on the side open up to the outside. It's surrounded by jungle, and a cool breeze blows through it. Before chapel began, I talked with one of the librarians, trying to explain in Malay how I was feeling about today. She told me we'd have to take a photo together next week. :)

11:00 After chapel on Thursdays is tea fellowship. Here I caught up with some of the girls at STS, because we are planning to go for lunch next week. I'm really excited for it.

Like I said, little things. Tetapi sangat baik.

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

This weekend Kelsey and I took a short trip to Pulau Tiga, the three-island park where the first season of the reality show Survivor: Borneo was filmed. While the memorabilia and things to see from the show (such as the tribal council area) were scare or non-existent, it was still a great trip. It was funny to learn that the place we stayed at actually existed before the show was filmed, and hosted the camera crew during the filming. I think overall they had to do some work to make the island seem more remote than it was, as it was only a 20 minute boat ride from the mainland.

The island was beautiful, there were amazing hiking trails and beaches, great snorkeling, and tons of things to do. There weren't many people there either, so it was just a peaceful way to spend the weekend. We both agreed we could have definitely spent more time there.

Survivor Island!

View of Pulau Tiga from Pulau Kalampunian

Something from the show!

One of the tribes was on this beach

Just what I always wanted, a really deadly snake

A morning hike

Of course, we had to go to the mud volcanoes.

I survived! Do I win $1,000,000?

Back to school

Summer's over! Okay, not really... but I do go back to school tomorrow (and it's the rainy season anyway. Again.). After enjoying a holiday break and becoming sufficiently ancy of being at home, I begin my second semester of teaching tomorrow (and embark on my last four weeks in Malaysia-- yikes!). My class will be an intensive English class, putting in three course credits in four short weeks; not dissimilar to May term at Wartburg. I'm sure by the time I get the hang of the routine, it'll be time for the final exam!

I spent my break well. Here's a few picture highlights-- I was lucky to be able to travel a bit around the beautiful state I live in, between some one-on-one tutorials, catching up on reading, and dinner dates with friends. The new map on the side of my blog should help you put a location to the places.

A visit to Tuaran, about 30 minutes bus ride from KK.

Tuaran is the placement site of one of the other volunteers, Jacob. Jacob works at a foster home for underprivileged children. Tuaran is super chill, a small town with a village feel. We had a great time visiting the pagoda in town, eating Tuaran mee, and taking the kids from his placement to the beach.

From Poring Hot Springs in Ranau.

We had a great hike through the jungle to this beautiful waterfall!

The Orangutan Sanctuary in Sandakan.

A three-day stay at a jungle camp on the Kinabatangan River outside of Sepilok.
We stayed in these open air huts in the jungle!
This was one of my favorite things I've done in Malaysia;
we went on many night treks and river safaris looking for wildlife.
Lots of crocs, monkeys, orangutans (in the wild!), and sweet birds.

The view from our front porch.

Also, I want to send out a giant thank you to everyone who has sent me mail this year! It has been fun and refreshing for my spirit. Here's your friendly reminder to not send anymore. :) Thanks!