By Well, it has been 12 weeks since we have moved our lives across the world, and we finally feel “settled”. All of our things have arrived from the states, we have found markets we can get familiar products at, Luke has been focusing hard on his new job, I have been volunteering at a refugee school and lunching weekly with an awesome group of ladies…we finally have a routine, and it is a really good feeling! It has not always been easy, but it has all been worth it. We could not imagine NOT taking this opportunity!
Some of our favorite things to do in our new city are try out new restaurants and cuisines, explore the outdoor parks and markets, go out with friends to the vivid nightlife scene in Changkat, get foot reflexology massages (they are SO cheap and feel SO good), attend different ex-pat events and hang out at our amazing pool. No condo building in KL is complete without a pool! The restaurants and cuisines in Malaysia are unlike anything I have ever seen. You could literally have 3 meals a day, all at different places for the rest of your life and never try the same place twice. There are restaurants EVERYWHERE, and so many options. Malaysia is such a melting pot of cultures, and it is really seen and experienced in their cuisines. You have your typical Chinese, Indian, Western, Malaysian and Thai, but then you have the amazing mixes of Chinese-Malay flavors, Indian-Malay, Middle Eastern, Singaporean influences, Southern Thai and I could go on and on! It really is incredible, and delicious too! It makes choosing where to go impossible sometimes- too many options!
One night, Luke and I even got invited to join some of our new friends at a PlateCulture dinner. PlateCulture is this App where people cook different dishes in their home, and invite members into their home to try their dishes at a set price. You basically get to experience a home-cooked authentic meal in someone’s own home! It was really neat and something completely different for us to do. I recommend trying it out while visiting or staying in another country, because you get that truly authentic experience.
During our PlateCulture meal, our host Ken, welcomed us and shared what we would be eating and a little bit about his culture. He was Chinese-Malaysian and the cuisine he prepared was called “Straits Chinese”, a cuisine that was new to all of us who were there. The recipes had been handed down in his family, and he told us that all the dishes had meaning behind them and the ingredients were all influenced by what was available. The reason it was called “Straits Chinese” was because the people were of Chinese descent, but living in the spice trade hub of Malacca, Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. The ingredients like cumin, cinnamon and other spices from different regions were plentiful in in Malacca, and started showing up in their traditional Chinese dishes. It was all very interesting to hear about, and something very unique. We enjoyed two different chicken curry dishes, shredded jicama salad, steamed organic vegetables and a special Chinese omelette. All the dishes were delicious, but my favorite was the “Devil’s Curry”. A perfect blend of savory-sweet, and a bit spicy…heavenly! We are already looking forward to trying out PlateCulture again.
Besides eating our way around town, we also love to drink our way around town. We have a lively, crazy street here in KL called Changkat. It is very similar to a “Bourbon Street” on a smaller scale. The street shuts down at night, no cars are allowed to drive on it, you can carry your drinks from bar to bar, you hear DJ’s and live music coming from all around, working girls strut their stuff for Western tourists, drink specials are a plenty, and there are always spectacles in the middle of the street. It is a great place to people watch, and just have a fun, crazy time. Add it to your list if you ever find yourself in KL.
With all of the eating and drinking that seems to consume ex-pat life, I have found that it is very important to find something to be passionate about. For me, children and teaching have always been a passion of mine, so when I heard from a friend about this refugee school she had been volunteering at, I jumped at the chance to help. The school is called ULC (United Learning Centre) and is a Christian-based program ran strictly by volunteers. These people that run this place are absolutely amazing and so devoted to the children, all of whom are refugees from Myanmar.
My first time to the school was an eye-opening experience. Sadly, most refugees often exist in a grey area, picking up odd jobs here and there, and their housing is hidden away in pockets throughout the city. The school is located in a very rundown part of town, pollution and rats run rampant around the area, and there are three tiny, unassuming buildings that house the school. One building (more like a big room) hosts the kindergarten kids, primary kids and teenage kids, so everybody can hear everybody. Everybody is at different education levels, and children come and go all of the time due to their refugee status. Most of the children do not have proper shoes, and who knows what kind of hygiene they are exposed to, but the thing I notice most about these kids is their attitudes. All of them are so full of life and gratitude. Teaching in the States, I used to hear “I hate school” probably 20 times a day, whereas for these kids, school is everything. It is a sense of normalcy, safety, fun, a place where they could just be kids and they are so happy to be there. It has been so refreshing and rewarding! I have been volunteering once a week for over a month now, and looking forward to continuing and growing my passion there. If you would like to know more about the school, check out their Facebook page.
Apart from all of these things we enjoy doing, one of our most favorite is being at home. For me, it was very important that our place here in KL felt like home. Through all of the traveling and culture shocks, there is no better feeling than coming home to a place that is comfortable, personal and relaxing. When living on the other side of the world, little things that may not seem like they mean that much, seem to mean A LOT! For instance, when my magnet collection arrived and I saw it, I got a sense of comfort from them…I know, so weird! But they reminded me of home, and is now a personal touch that adds a bit of home to our place in KL. It is funny how the most tiny, insignificant things can make you so, so happy overseas. That, along with all of our travel photos that we put up, really make our place feel like it’s ours.
One of my favorite things about our home is how open and bright it is. It has a whole wall of floor to ceiling windows that can all be slid open, when KL gets the occasional breeze (mostly before rain storms, LOL). We have a great view on one side of the KLCC (the city centre) and the other side, a view of the mountains. In a way, seeing the mountains reminds us of Colorado, even though they are very different types of mountains. We love being able to look out and see some nature and greenery.
I hope you enjoyed a little tour of our home, and reading about how we’ve been settling in to our lives. We have a busy couple of weeks ahead, and a trip to the island of Penang coming up. There’s always so much to look forward to! As always, “stay positive and love your life”.
Happy travels,
Courtney
OFF THE BEATEN 'EX-PAT'H 