4 Thornes in Malaysia

I've been recently hit with an assortment of symptoms that simply make me feel miserable. I lived with this illness for more than 18 months a few years ago and am trying not to worry about having to deal with it for a long time again. I have already been given advice from several people, but my favorite and most unusual to date happened on Sunday. One local Malaysian woman told me that when her mom was ill, she would send someone out to shoot a squirrel, bring it home and boil the squirrel with ginger and other ingredients. (didn't ask about the other ingredients - I was still stuck on 'squirrel') Her mom would drink this broth and it would cure her!! Well...I think I'll be sticking with Lipton's Chicken Noodle and tea for now, but I guess I'll keep this in the back of my mind in case I get desperate...WAY WAY in the back of my mind!! Hoping for a quick recovery in Penang, Karin

Welcome to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah! Back in July we travelled to Borneo where Bob spoke to a group of linguistic workers. After we were picked up at the airport they took us to a local restaurant that is famous for it's jugs of freshly squeezed juice. Bob's favorite is watermelon and he certainly had his fill on this day!! One afternoon we borrowed a jeep and headed back to the city for an afternoon of exploring. We were staying in a very remote place so it was nice to get a change of scenery. Josh is bending over here - it seems like he grows a couple of inches every week! And Rachel's offering her typical photo face. Just looking down the beach in front of where we were staying - we could hear the waves all the time, and if you were careful to dodge what the beach cows left behind it was nice to walk there too! This is a house we drove by on the way to the 'rustic resort' where we stayed. On the front and right corner you can see some bottles lined up in the open w...

Shopping in Canada was pretty straightforward - head to Superstore, get a big cart and proceed to fill it with everything we need for two weeks. It doesn't work that way here in Penang for several reasons: Food doesn't keep very long in the heat, so stocking up for two weeks would result in a lot of waste. I have a much smaller fridge, no freezer save for the one that is in the fridge and less cupboard space to store a large stockpile of food. It seems that to get the 'best' options you must head to several different places to get groceries. So, we shop more often and head to different stores. Nissi's, a small grocer close to our home, sells great New Zealand produced cheddar and mozzarella cheese, sour cream, beef and has the best prices on yogurt. Straits Market brings in several imported foods that are hard to find anywhere else and tends to have the best price on cereal. The morning outdoor wet market is the best place for fruit, vegetables, eggs (which are ne...

Make a Smilebox slideshow We returned last night from a wonderful summer vacation. Our church leadership encouraged us to take a vacation away from Penang after 5-6 months, so Bob searched and found a great deal (no surprise to those of us who know him well) and we stayed at a beautiful resort in Bali for 70% off the regular price! I created a slide show of photos from our trip (with some commentary from Bob) and invite you to take a look if you like. We had a really relaxing time and were pleased that we were there just before the 'rush' of Australian visitors. Josh and Rachel took to surfing very easily; I cannot say the same about myself! We all read several books, enjoyed the beach and the pools and just being away from home for a while. We also met up one afternoon with some other International Workers who were there for a conference - their speakers were from Calgary and we know them so it was fun to see some familiar faces! We found the people of Bali so warm and ...

One thing we have discovered here in Asia is that very often English words are used in unusual ways. Example - what we call private or group tutoring in Canada is called tuition here in Penang. You can go to get your hair done at the Hair Saloon. We see t-shirts that will have statements that don't even make any sense! One of Rachel's friends here even has a collection of 'things that don't make sense' since there are just so many. Bob bought a tin of cookies yesterday... ...don't know if you can read the small print, but it says 'Hilarious Mix of Assorted Biscuits'. I'm trying to adjust to these new uses of the English language, and look at things as 'different' instead of 'wrong'....but....hilarious cookies? Wondering in Penang, Karin :-)

We are almost at the five month mark of our new life here in Penang, and can I be honest? These have been a tough few weeks . The realities of settling into a new home, seeking to make new friends and relationships and finding meaningful work to do all take a toll. Although today it is somewhat cooler, the heat and humidity have been nearly unbearable lately, and I find myself longing for crisp and cool air. I realize that I am definitely still in the midst of transition, trying to find my way and my place in this new world. This will take time and I need to be patient and give myself the emotional 'room' to adjust. I intended to share the 'funny and perhaps not so funny' moments of our life here through this blog, so here are a couple of entries into those categories - I'll let you choose which one! We were out for the first of the 'Farewell' dinners last week. (Penang is so transient, we know of at least 55 people we've met through church or school who...

A few weeks back Bob and I were able to attend a Missional International Church Network conference in Kuala Lumpur. It was a really good time for us to connect with people who are involved in International Churches in many different countries. Since we're so new to this it was great to talk with people who have been involved with IC's for many years. One of our sessions in the FREEZING COLD meeting room. Next time we go to a conference I will remember to bring warmer clothes!! Had to get a picture with all the Canadians! "NO DURIAN" on the elevator - while we haven't tried it yet, we've been told that durian has a nasty smell and a nasty taste (for some people, anyway). Many places won't allow it because of the lingering odor! The world famous Petronas Towers in KL - beautiful all lit up at night. One evening we were treated to a dinner and cultural dance presentation that involved Indian, Chinese and Malay dancing. After the official presentation they as...