Debriefing

On Saturday, all twenty-four of the new staff gathered together in the lounge for a debriefing time. We have been here about 10 weeks and on the job for about eight so it was a good time so regroup and share our thoughts.

These were some of the positive things that we shared about our transition to Malaysian life:
- love the atmosphere on campus where people are friendly and everyone is a part of the team
- good choice of churches
- driving is not as bad as anticipated
- lots to do and see on the island and beyond
- affordable luxuries like massages for RM 15 ($4.50CDN), pedicures for RM 20 ($6CDN) and movie tickets for RM 7 ($2CDN)
- good technology on campus in terms of computers and networks
- lots of activities for our children to be involved in, from band to choir to Scouts to Tae kwon do to baseball
- cheap overseas calling

Here's some of the thoughts that came up regarding hard adjustments and difficult surprises that we weren't anticipating:
- lack of good milk and cheese that we were used to getting at home
- noise everywhere, even in malls where music is played VERY loudly
- ants, ants, ants and more all the time with the rainy season
- huge lack of customer service
- Asian people who nod and say "Yes" even when they don't understand
- needing our passport numbers for a whole host of things like buying a phone, getting a Coffee Bean card, booking a room
- bad smells coming out of the blue
- mold that grows on all sorts of things
- laundry taking days to dry in the humidity

We all decided that no matter where we moved, be it down the street from our old house or half way across the world, adjustments would be a part of life. The majority of us are adjusting quite well and handling the various, potentially stressful situations that arise on a daily basis. We are finding our way around the island, making friends, coping with changes and in the midst of it all, learning to depend more and more on the Lord for his sufficiency. And that's always a good thing!