Thaipusam Festival

The true beauty of working in Malaysia is that there are so many public holidays recognized. This past week we were at school 3/5 days as we recognized the Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad on Tuesday, and on Friday we celebrated Thaipusam. The Thaipusam festival that is held in KL at the Batu Caves is one of the biggest in the world, and the general buzz is that it is quite the spectacle. As Ty and I love our festivals, from the Fireworks Festival in Busan, to Applefest in Brighton, we were eager to add another to the list!

We were warned by coworkers that the insanity starts early, and that about a million people visit the Batu Caves during the one-day festival. Having experienced some pretty claustrophobic moments while at Korean festivals, Tyler and I set our alarms and did our best to beat the rush (with no real luck). Taking the already crowded train too early on our day off and feeling slightly off as per the Korean bbq and soju from the night before, Tyler did the faux-pas of jumping on the illusive 'ladies only' car. Feeling awkward, we found the other rogue males on the train car to stand near and tried not to make eye contact. Once arriving at the Batu Caves it was pretty apparent that this was unlike any festival we had been to. Sure there were the food tents, others selling clothing and jewelery, the music was pumping and there were hoards of people. The biggest difference was however, that it was all fueled by religion, and everywhere we looked people were expressing their faith in spectacularly colourful ways.

**Before I go on, I'd like to add the disclaimer that, although completely captivated by Indian culture, and learning more about the Hindu faith, I am pretty vague on the facts. Most info is based on observations, a bit of internet reading, and by and large conversations with my great co-teacher Magesh. For the most part, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Thaipusam is one of the largest Hindu holidays in the year, where in the lead up people fast, or give up certain things (much like Christian's Lent). On the day of Thaipusam, Hindus visit the temple to pray to Lord Murugan for help in the future or in order to rid themselves of their sins. They make offerings, mostly of fresh milk. Once finished, they feast with their families. Seems pretty mundane, right? Like the case in all religions, the practices that one follows depends on their personal relationship with the deity. People practice their faith based on what works for them, and what brings them the most comfort. As we watched the droves of people making their way through the gates of the temple, as mentioned, we certainly witnessed many expressions of faith and interpretations of the festival.

For some people, walking up the steps to the Batu Caves with their families and pots of fresh milk works. Others will shave their heads, make pilgrimages, carry very heavy colourful offerings on their shoulders, dance, and most notably pierce their cheeks, backs and chests with metal hooks and skewers. Again, it is really whatever works for the individual and the family at that time in their lives.

We watched the steady procession of people and chariots for over two hours!

 As far as festivals go, Thaipusam ranks pretty high! With the basis of the celebration being religion it certainly offered a more dimensional experience than some festivals we have gone to (not that Applefest wants for sophistication or dimension!) If you're interested, check out an interview with a Thaipusam participant to hear his perspective on some of the practices carried out at the festival. 

In other news, the count down is on to Chinese New Year! Nine more working days until we ring in the Year of the Horse with a week's vacation..Let's paint the town red!

Blue Christmas

This past summer, when making the 13 hour drive from Tyler's hometown to mine, we stopped off at a campground in Quebec. By total chance (questionable luck..?) it was indeed the completely unecessary holiday 'Christmas in July'. As we sat around the campfire sweating, drinking beer and listening to Christmas carols, we both felt a little Scroogy McDuck, as we found ourselves not totally in the spirit of the trailerpark traditions.
Fast-forward six months; We are still sporting flip-flops, listening to Christmas music and trying to figure out how to get ourselves out of this perma-deja-vu funk and into the proper decking the halls, cookie baking, Bailey's drinking, candy cane spirit. Besides the fact that this will be the third Christmas spent away from our families and Canada, I can easily say that besides a broken heart (I've always been a  bit melodramatic) we are seriously suffering from seasonal depression. This is the first tropical Christmas we have ever had, and I can honestly say, the palm tree adorned with twinkle lights is not cutting it. Nonetheless, I'm not one to wallow..at least not too long. Here's some ways we have been trying to kick the 'winter' blues, and highly recommend to anyone who is not quite feeling the holiday spirit as of yet;

1) Find the Christmas lights. There's nothing more satisfying than hitting your favourite mall, only to realize that it has been blanketed with sparkly lights, over-sized Christmas trees and  mountains of fake snow. Although sometimes (often) tacky, no one can deny that an abundance of Christmas lights makes them feel some measure of glee. In a city where it seems like there are more malls than anything else,  Santa's villages are a plenty. That coupled with the blasting air conditioning, is the only place I can comfortably order a hot toffee nut latte and imagine that the winter wonderland isn't just a ploy. This really gives new meaning to 'retail therapy'!

'Santa's coming! I know him!'

2) Mention the word 'Santa' to a group of children. As a Grade One teacher I do admit that I have had to muster, encourage and put out some serious Christmas energy, in particular, in the lead up to our Christmas school concert. As we rehearsed our (spectacular) rendition of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', wrote letters to Santa, baked gingerbread men, made ornaments and erected our own Christmas tree, nothing, and I mean nothing winds my students up like the four simple words "Santa Claus is cooommmiinnnggg!". This instantly cues a jumping, arm waving, screaming reaction, and why not? Let's face it, Santa is a rockstar.

3) Help others. Recently, our friend Hutchy, Tyler and I headed over to a community centre in our neighborhood that feeds about 500 homeless and needy people. We spent the morning peeling, chopping, and in Tyler and Hutchy's cases working the woks. We met a couple of super friendly 'mom-types', Jackie and Jane. While the boys used their muscles to cook up over 200 chickens, and about 20 pounds of cabbage, I got to talking with Jackie; A spicy, 60 year old widowed Chinese woman. She had a great sense of humour, gave sage relationship advice and shared openminded opinions about all areas of life. She was one of those people that you find yourself having a deep and meaningful with, despite only knowing her for 5 minutes. In the course of our conversation she shared so much optimism and positivity. It was great to get out of our regular, self indulgent routine and connect with the community we are making our home!

4) Belt out the tunes. Void an embarrassing home video, you can imagine how this one goes.

5) Get together. I think the biggest difference between celebrating Christmas in Asia opposed to North America is it's only celebrated for one day. ONE! This is clearly not enough. To feel complete I need at least a solid two weeks of cheese platters, ugly Christmas sweaters, potlucks, eggnog, friends and family. This year, as we will be traveling over our Christmas break (to Sri Lanka and Borneo!) we won't be doing the makeshift Christmas dinner with all the other 'Christmas orphans'. Instead, we did it the best way we knew how; Santa hats and drinks by the pool...it is 40 degrees after-all.

If all else fails, draw the curtains, blast the air conditioner,and Skype yourself into a Christmas party!
When it's all said and done, that is pretty much it for us and Christmas 2013...We are off to Sri Lanka on Friday! Without a doubt, we will be thinking of all our friends and family throughout the holiday season with a big smile and lots of love in our hearts. xoxo

Jungles, Beaches&Mountains

If it wasn't bad before, Tyler and I have gone into tourist overdrive in the last couple of weeks. We've spent less time working on our tans (to Tyler's dismay) and a bit more time ticking off tourist sights in and around the city. With that comes some cheesy tourist spots, the inevitable street-food induced sickness, and ultimately some cool experiences!

Last weekend, after both being sick, we thought we needed some fresh air (Stats say that due to the air quality in KL, it's like each person is involuntarily smoking 7 ciggies a day -_-). We jumped on a train, and landed in a forest reserve, FRIM, just outside the city. The reserve's main draw is that it has a canopy walk through the jungle. We arrived on a mission to get in the treetops, walked up the mountain to the canopy and realized we needed to get a ticket at the bottom of the hill...no problem. Anyone who is close to us knows that we are always game for a totally unnecessarily long and seemingly pointless walk (33 km midnight walking race comes to mind?) We walked up, wandered down, back up again, and back down once more. Pros: watching and hearing monkeys in the treetops overhead, getting a birdseye view of a jungle from a rickety canopy and learning that Tyler might not be so comfortable with heights. Cons: Well, who can complain about a day in the park!?

This past weekend was a busy one, as Tyler had a four day weekend, and although I had to work Monday and had Tuesday off, I was in full long weekend mode (perhaps subconsciously celebrating a Canadian Thanksgiving..who knows!?) We started Friday with a typical happy hour, dinner, drinks and as old habits die hard, a night of karaoke. Despite a bit of a headache, Tyler and I were up and off on Saturday to a nearby beach town called Port Dickson. Being as Port Dickson is one of the closest beaches to KL there are lots of resorts and lots of people. We checked into a VERY kid friendly resort and relaxed on the beach, watching the sunset and even caught a fireworks show. Although we both teach, and have quite the affection for children, the sound of 100+ screaming children fighting for a turn on the pool slides on Sunday morning was too much for us to handle, so we checked out, jumped in a cab and were off to Blue Lagoon Beach. Blue lagoon is said to be the cleaner beach area with less people...sounded ideal! Of course there were the mandatory landmarks we had to checkout when we arrived (we just can't resist). Trekking up a seaside mountain to snap a photo of the oldest lighthouse in Malaysia was a bit of a let down..perhaps because the lighthouse was closed, perhaps because we have seen one too many lighthouses being from (Tyler) the East coast..who knows? Quickly moving on, we followed a trail down the other side of the mountain, and through some questionable trails. When we felt we were never going to hit a beach, one just opened up to us...and the novel thing was (especially for Asia) no one was there! There was no one, and nothing; just a couple of kilometres of unmanicured beach all to ourselves! A perfect way to find some peace and relaxation on a Sunday! We later trekked out, avoiding the biggest, blackest snake we've ever seen, hoping we hadn't gotten Dengue fever from all the mosquito bites, but feeling ultimately like we had had a killer day! (Note- We didn't even make it to Blue Lagoon Beach..)

 

 

 

Once we arrived back in KL we met up with a couple of friends who had a visiting friend (always exciting for all those involved)! What was to be a quick bite to eat, then straight to bed kind of night, quickly turned into something a bit more full-blown.After a fantastic meal which, among others, highlighted tomyam soup, satay and bbq fish, we headed to a club called Sky Bar. Our friend Danielle had raved about this bar and had convinced me to check it out, if only for a minute, as I was still pretty committed to getting to bed early. Needless to say this is not how the night worked out. Sky Bar is on the 40th floor, has open windows facing the Petronas Towers and a huge swimming pool down the centre. I think it would be hard for anyone to check out early...So we danced, drank (20rm waters for those with day jobs..) and capped the night with a late night swim. After a pretty productive Monday at school, we got ready for a Tuesday vacation day celebrating Hari Raya Haji     (Feast of the Sacrifice- sacrifice of the best halal domestic animals (usually a cow, but can also be a camel, goat, sheep or ram)).

Since this is one particular holiday we were  not interested in (although I suppose millions of turkeys met the same fate in the West this past weekend), we spent the day out of the city checking out Genting Highlands. We had heard this was a place where we could see beautiful vistas, cool off from the heat in the city and gamble...add a little touch of Niagara Falls cheezzze, and Genting Highlands did not disappoint. We rode the roller coaster around the mall while taking in the sights of mini Big Ben, Golden Gate Bridge and Eiffle Tower, lost a bit of money at roulette and ate bad carnival-esque food. The highlight and redeeming factor was definitely taking the cable car down the mountain side. We came down at sunset, descending through the fog and mountains for about 15 minutes. It was beautiful and totally turned us around on the allure of Genting! We'll be back for the cable car (...and to put it all on black ;)

Although it seems like the long weekend just wrapped up, we are on the eve of a two week vacation from school! Needless to say, spirits are high! Next stop, Bali!

People Watching in KL

We've only been in KL for six weeks and have witnessed and experienced the stark contrast between the rich and the poor. Throughout the week, and often on the weekends we live in a bubble of affluence. Day-to-day we take a cab from our condo to the gated school and back again. We lounge poolside, eat at nice restaurants, and shop. I don't mean to sound like we splash money around and have cash to burn, we are simply living the Western standard of life in a developing country where things are cheap.

In a country where restaurant workers make a little more than a dollar an hour, it's hard to ignore that there are a lot of working poor. This doesn't seem so bad as the cost of living is low..right? They still eat, have homes and can buy the amenities. Then there is a class far below poor, which is often a portrait of human suffering and very hard to turn a blind eye to.

A couple of weekends ago, Tyler and I were wandering around China Town, searching out cheap knock-offs and eating forbidden pork products (in an officially Muslim country). We sat down on some steps a few feet away from a (seemingly) homeless man sleeping/passed out on the steps. Several people had left takeout containers of food beside the sleeping beauty. We sat, and watched, and thought about how nice it was that people were being generous, and caring. While re-hydrating and reflecting on the kindness of strangers, a Chinese man walked over and abruptly burst our humanity-loving bubble by dumping a bucket of dirty mop water on our sleeping, homeless friend. Now, I understand that if I was a business owner, I probably wouldn't want someone using my doorstep as their bedroom, but there are definitely nicer ways to address this problem.

Seeing extreme poverty can be unsettling, but is a fact of life in all big cities. I think that the reason why the China Town episode has stuck with me for longer than a glance, is that it was such an illustration of a tragic human condition;  The lack of compassion for each other.When we are often so consumed by declaring our individuality and celebrating our uniqueness, we can forget that we aren't so different. Despite our flaws, our gifts and talents, our professions, our nationalities, our mental health or our economic standing, we all need care, we all need human connections and we all need love.

Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka!

The last couple of weeks have been a total whirlwind! New Students, new teachers (me), new classroom...needless to say, not a lot of time for fun and excitement.. unless you're 5 (or 27) and started Grade One last week :) So here's the haps!

Last weekend started to wind up on Friday night (as they often do). What started as some happy hour drinks and appys turned into a night of pretty wild sights! After wondering to a night market street in an area called Bukit Bintang, we were excited to see (and hear) the start of a Merdeka (Freedom/Independence) Day parade. The first floats and groups were the old dragons and drums…it seemed pretty exciting and loud but was quickly over. We were then off to seek food, and realized the parade was just ampping up! We proceeded to see wild costumes, men sitting on thrones of nails, processions of blind people, and the burning of 'Hell dollars', which was all culturally interesting to  and more or less what we would expect from a parade…Then Tyler and Danielle start gasping and saying “NO WAY! Are you seeing this!?”. Without my glasses I was seeing costumed people holding skewers of fruit and things between their teeth; No biggie. After I found my peepers however,  I realized the poles, swords, and even the body of a bicycle were actually pierced through their cheeks. These men and women had very recently (as evident by the blood dripping down them and all over the ground) pierced their cheeks with swords and other various objects and then paraded through a crazy busy street…all in the name of independence? I checked out Google for practices relating to Malaysia and came up empty handed. I asked several people at work and no one had a clue. It wasn't until a week later, Tyler and I stumbled upon a Chinese temple in Little India (?) and got to chatting with a man about a Chinese festival they were setting up for. From there the convo evolved back to what we had seen the week before (we had obviously been mildly traumatized). We gathered the vague explanation that it's a festival that involves slipping into an eventual trance, to where the piercee will not feel any pain...Seems good enough for me! The next two days were filled with street fairs, parades and general nationalism…much the same as Canada Day. We walked, chatted, shopped and, of course, sampled some amazing food!

Unfortunately, we were caught totally off-guard and only got pics with our phone!

 

In Merdeka Square, where independence from the British was declared 57 years ago...to us, a tourist photo-opt!

  

So many new fruits! Rambutan!

Some call it it people watching...others, stalking.

 The amazing part we are finding about Malaysia is that it has, literally, the best of all worlds (for lack of a better term); A variety of cultures, languages (including English), anything and everything from Western countries, an awesome climate and all while having the S.E Asian ambiance we all come to love and adore. Thus far, it’s been a country where we have been able to feel totally comfortable (due to the ability to interact with everyone, amenities, and friendliness) and yet still left amazed, surprised, and wondering about the sights, practices, religions and cultures. I can’t say it enough, Malaysia’s a gem!

New apartment, new school, new city to explore!

To say the least, the past couple of weeks have been overwhelming and awesome!...or awesomely overwhelming :)
First, Tyler and I moved into a pretty sweet place! When looking, we had the option of grabbing an apartment with an actual bedroom (or even two!), but came across this amazing building that looks and feels like a resort; we couldn't pass up! Alas, we are back in a studio apartment, but hey, we did it in Korea...so, tomato, tomaaahto. As well, our apartment was completely furnished, making it an easy move and the need for us to buy basic amenities zero. Check it out!

Our home sweet home, Malaysian style.

(One of the) the amazing parts about Malaysia are the tropical plants growing everywhere!

Courtyard

Birdseye view from the 26th.

The view that sold us! ...Not the mention the awesome infinity pool!

Otherwise, I'm into my second week at work! My school is an international preschool/primary school and I'll be teaching Grade one this year. I was really excited to have my own class this year (opposed to various groups of students in Korea), but even more excited when I arrived, saw my classroom(s) and learned a bit more about the school! The school is an inquiry-based school. They are really into using the outdoors, first-hand experiences and using various mediums to teach the students (opposed to worksheets, etc.). On Monday I meet my 20 students who hail from all over the world..Can't wait! Ty's continuing to look for work, and in the meantime he's teaching at a couple of international schools, subbing and looking for more permanent work. He even landed some French classes at a Korean hagwon...Our kimchi loving friends just can't let him go :)

One of the three rooms that are assigned to Year One! (Don't mind the mess! -mid-setup)

Our little art room

Now to the more interesting part, and a major reason why we are still living abroad…touring! This past weekend we ventured out for a bit of a night on the town (void the clubs and bars) with our new friend/coworker Danielle. We headed to an area with all kinds of different kinds of food (Thai, Chinese, Malay, Indian) wondered, looked and ate. The area we went is touristy, so there’s  lots happening on the streets. Although definitely not the road less traveled, we figured we would begin to get familiar with some night market areas…as we will be living here for a while! The thing about Malaysia is that there are so many cultures living here (38% Malay, 46% Chinese, 13% Indian...Thanks wiki), so the people watching is amazing, and being S.E Asia, everything (from alleycats, rats and cockroaches -_-) and everyone (babies, elderly, ladyboys, tourists) are out and about, creating a pretty great vibe!  After food, beer, hooka and some pretty convincing product demonstrations we called it a night.

Being persuaded.

Finished product (Danielle's head)

Durian Fruit...smelly, bitter, banned from public buildings, and loved by S.E Asians.

The next day, being Sunday, we headed out to the Batu Caves, which are, again, pretty high on the tourist priority list (according to any travel guide). Tyler and I wanted to check these out, as we had skipped over them when we visited KL two years ago. The Batu Caves, for any Amazing Race fans out there (as I have been since told) was the site for a challenge where teams had to count the number of stairs to the top…and that this resulted in some teams being reduced to tears did not offer us any comfort.  Once arriving, eating a healthy dose of our daily curry, we started to ascend the some 270-ish stairs. Perhaps it was the terrifying distraction of the wild monkeys going ape (haha) over being fed bananas, or a sugar rush from the recently consumed chai tea but the trek up the mountain was not so bad! As we checked out the cave that serves as a Hindu temple, a giant thunderstorm rolled over us and dumped loads of rain down. It was pretty cool to be chilling out in these caves while the thunder rumbled and the rain poured! After, we went into a second cave where 600,000 bats live along with cockroaches, giant snakes, poisonous millipedes, etc.  and no lights except for a dim flashlight (so to not disrupt the bats). To say the least, it was a bit too creepy, sciency and dark for me, but we still enjoyed wearing our hard hats like we were legit. 

 

Feeling refreshed!

 

 

 

 

 

 Until next time, lot of love from KL!