Mile 10

My favorite teen show was Beverly Hills 90210. You might remember that Dylan McKay had some recurring family drama that left him living in the Beverly Hills Hotel for much of the show. I always thought that seemed so exciting and glamorous. Let me just say that Dylan did not have three young children. He did not accurately portray the difficulty of homework, laundry, or living with no space. Annoyances of loud nights, housekeeping schedules, and full parking lots were not adequately expressed. I'm disappointed, Dylan. Hotel living is not all it's cracked up to be.

Luckily, as of today, we've graduated to "house camping" as we like to call it. We have 4 mattresses to sleep on (3 that we needed to buy here and 1 borrowed from a new friend), a plastic card table and 5 metal folding chairs, a tv, and another borrowed twin mattress functioning as our living room couch. Our sea shipment is continuing to float somewhere off the African coast and will not arrive to us for another month. The house itself is mostly ready. We are waiting for mosquito screens for the open bathroom windows (and so are sleeping covered in Bug spray with citronella candles everywhere), ongoing electric issues when we try to run all the air conditioners at the same time, and setting up internet. My frustration is high and patience is low. Regardless, we have a secure space, great neighbors, a pool in the yard, a kitchen and a washer/dryer. Things are slowly looking up.

I apologize that this post is sounding a little whiney and pitiful. I readily admit that these are first world problems. I know how lucky I am. I constantly remind myself that we are healthy, safe and happy. We have a place to sleep, food, a great job and school, and family and friends that we love. I don't equate my situation to any real hardship.

 But this is the hard part. It's like a marathon. I started out excited and full of adrenaline and determination. Now, 10 miles in, I'm questioning what I'm doing. I'm exhausted. I'm beat up. I can't see the finish line......but I know it's there. I have to remember how great it will be at the finish. It's worth it. A friend once told me that the transition and settling phase is the sacrifice we make for this life. If that's true, then I will happily continue to pay my dues.

So I keep pushing through right now. I am leaning on God and my faith in his plan.  I am not strong or brave or good at this part. But I don't have to be. I only have to be faithful.  I am not a believer in the saying that God never gives you more than you can handle. He absolutely does. He gives me more than I am capable of time and time again. And He does it to remind me that I need Him to handle it. I am not in control. I can't do it alone. So I remain joyful even when I'm frustrated or scared or stressed. These trials are temporary but His love, and my faith in it, are eternal.  My work is keeping my eyes on Him in the middle of race. Some days it's hard work. It's never ending work. It's the only work that matters.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4.

First impressions

Today marks the 1 week anniversary of our recent closed eyed high dive into Malaysia. It's been a whirlwind but I can say that I think we're holding our own. With the boys now at school and Micah starting work today, I've been left alone with my own thoughts for the first time. It's crazy, a little scary and a lot overwhelming. I wanted to try to organize the huge whirling mass of experiences and first impressions in my head. So here goes...

The trip
The travel was generally easy, other than the stress that comes with a family of 5 living out of a hotel for 2 weeks now. Flying on the heels of another air tragedy, my anxiety was at a high, but I made it onto the plane, which I consider a win. The boys were troopers, as they've proved they always are and took full advantage of their bumped class status. Tyler repeatedly came back from the plane toilet heavily scented as he was impressed with the complimentary cologne. Owen enjoyed every button a million times over, reclining his seat, closing his window shade, raising the pod divider, etc. The electrical system functioned well under strain. Barrett enjoyed the air sickness bags, as is his reponse to total exhaustion due to marathon movie watching and refusal to sleep. Luckily, it only began the last few hours of the final flight and passed that evening.

The area
So I must admit, I was a little (very) on the fence about Malaysia. Singapore, yes, no problem but this just over the border thing had me worried. I had read and heard some expat remarks about the border town stereotype that left me uneasy. We have only just begun to explore, but so far it is amazingly beautiful. It's quiet and green and warm. We've seen monkeys on the side of the road like squirrels, pass a coconut plantation of endless palm trees just next to the school, and watch the harbor boats sailing by. I can't complain. I still do have a level of uncomfortableness from a health background. Raw chicken, barefoot stores, mosquito armies, stray dogs have me seeing salmonella, hookworm, dengue fever, and rabies. That takes some getting used to.

The food
You can smell it when you step out of the airport. It's a mix of salty sea air and spices. It's powerful. It's very tasty. Considering that we are without a kitchen, we've been solely eating out. The older boys have been adventurous finding favorites with mango curry and laksa. Owen is a but pickier, true to form, but has found rice and noodles are always options. The biggest change coming from Norway is the price. A dinner of all five of us runs about $30. Crazy!

The school
The school is a British establishment's international campus. It's huge, like college campus huge. Multiple buildings, boarding options, a pool, track, climbing wall, art and drama building, etc. It is very proper with strict uniform requirements, merit and demerit systems, and house affiliation (as in House of....we are Hunt as opposed to Seymour, Chichester, or Merlin). Honestly, it feels like we might pass Harry Potter at any time. Fun fact, the school was actually the inspiration for JK Rowlings' Hogwartz. All that said, the teachers and kids are friendly and welcoming and the boys all came home smiling. They have a long day, until 4:30, but have private instrument lessons, sports, religious education, and design technology as a part of their school day along with the academics including Mandarin Chinese. It's intense but my boys do best with structure and clear guidelines so hopefully it will be a good fit for them.

 The house
The house is perfect for us (and I will make sure to credit Micah with the housing choice. He's 2/2 folks). It's a brand new house so right now there are several small kinks to repair, but nothing major. It has a lot of outdoor space and pool and a neighborhood park next to us. It also has 2 kitchens and a maids quarters (the boys are currently calling that the time out room as that has been its major function thus far). Concrete and modern, it is polar opposite from our Norway house, but it will be a comfortable home. Many of the school families live in the same neighborhood so the boys will likely have close friends. I am anxious for our furniture to arrive so we can begin enjoying it.

The people
This has been my biggest surprise. I suppose i grew accustomed to the eye diverting non small talking of Norway, so smiling, nodding, and speaking to strangers has caught me off guard. We look different here, of course, so there is a lot of staring, but somehow it's not at all rude. People have been very friendly and helpful for the most part (and we tend to look pretty in need of help at times). The expat population is close knit and have already included me in gym class, coffee morning, and grocery store expedition offers. I appreciate the hospitality.

Overall, we're off to a good start. I am relying a lot on my Norway experience. When moments are difficult, I can remind myself that it was so hard in Oslo in the beginning as well. We are just at the beginning of this adventure, I know there is so much more to see and learn. Not everyday will be easy. I won't always love it. Sometimes the sacrifice is really glaring. But I also know that there will be moments when I will say "oh, okay God. Now I get why I'm here."  Patience and persistence, trust in Him. That's my mantra. Now, I need to go repeat that a thousand times before I venture out to drive to pick up the boys again. Time to be brave.