Day 90 – Independence Day

First off, Happy 4th of July! I am truly grateful and convinced that we live in the greatest nation in all of the world. Prayers go out to all of our veterans and our troops who have fought and died to make it so.

We started off today with Wendy, the resident English instructor, to figure out the class schedule and see how each of us can assist her in the curriculum. After that, our host Mrs. Woo gave us a walking tour through the surrounding neighborhoods… What a great area! There are all kinds of craft shops and restaurants everywhere! After our tour, Mrs. Woo pointed us toward the mall and market so we could pick up some essentials. At the mall, I got some new basketball shoes. At the market, I got a bucket and some detergent bars (we have to wash our own undergarments), some cleaner to disinfect the bathrooms in our room, some toilet paper (as the locals use a hose next to the toilet), a mosquito net for my bed, a bathroom mirror, and a big pack of socks (since I’ve been wearing sandals for the past six months, my socks seem to have disappeared).

After about five hours of exploring the city, we made it back to the school. Immediately, the students from yesterday caught up with us and we headed to the basketball courts. Today, however, I was ready! I had new shoes and gym clothes on… Yesterday I was in running shoes, pants, and a polo. As it turns out, despite the fact that most of the guys are between 5’10” and 6’2”, they are only 13 years old… Thus explaining why I was able to school them on the court yesterday. So, today when we arrived at the courts and they were all taken by the high school students, the guys I was with said we would have to wait. Not being very patient (not to mention ready to try out my new shoes), I used the “I’m the new guy” excuse and got in on a four-on-four pick up game with the 18-year-old students, who turned out to be really good (reminded me of my college roommate Jon Chang, except that these guys actually passed the ball ; ). Despite being out of shape and 10 years older than them, I was able to keep up and actually contribute! All in, I think I spent two hours on the court in the Malaysian heat. After that, I was spent and ready for my ice cold shower.

Once I finished my shower, I headed downstairs only to find that I had missed dinner!!! After a while, the team decided to take a walk through the neighborhood where we found a night market / street festival that goes on every Friday / Saturday / Sunday night! The place even had a stage and musical performers! I was able to get the best bowl of noodles and bottle of water for $1.50 and April bought a nice shiny watch for $3.00! Which reminds me, if anyone is interested in an authentic Rolex, just let me know. I can hook you up!!! Seriously. : ) They are abundant here…

God is good.

Until next time,
Omar