Making a difference...

I've always wanted to volunteer. It has been on my 'bucket' list since I can remember. You know, the typical, "I want to volunteer in a third-world country at a non-profit orphanage," statement that so many us of make but never actually do.

Well, I want to do it.

But, I also know me.

And I would end up trying to adopt probably 10 children and I would turn into the next Angelina Jolie. Minus the money. Minus the fame. Minus the model good looks. So basically I would be a poor white girl trying to raise 10 needy children all on my own. Yeah, ok that wouldn't work.

So, in an attempt to try and volunteer here in Malaysia I have started to do some research. Thank God for Google. Unfortunately I have come to realization that not all non-profit groups, or organizations are on the internet. Surprise, surprise. Now, I have turned to Facebook in an attempt to try and find some volunteer organizations.

Wish.

Me.

Luck.

Rambutan...

Ok, so I know I have been posting a lot about food. But we eat. A lot. And let's be honest there are a lot of different and unique food here compared to back home in Alberta, Canada. For instance another exotic fruit that is grown in Malaysia as well as the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia is the Rambutan. Well, actually we can even find it in the backyard.

The name rambutan is derived from the Indonesian word meaning "hairy". And. Yes. This fruit is hairy. But once you open up the rambutan and peel off the outer layer the fruit is slightly grape-like and is often sweet and sour. To be honest, this is probably one of my favourite fruit here so far.

Picking rambutan

 

King of Fruits...

Durian, the King of Fruits.

This spiky, thorn-covered fruit is a native of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia and is either loved or loathed. It's referred to as the King of Fruits or the World's Smelliest Fruit. Take your pick. Either way there is no debate about it, durian stinks.

Generally weighing in at 2-7 lbs the durian has been described as smelling almond like or as some have described it as smelling more like rotten onions, turpentine or gym socks. I think I lean more towards the gym socks. Put it this way, some hotels, airports and other indoor facilities do not allow durian inside due to the distinct odour. There are even 'no durian' signs in some locations.  It has been around the western world for over 600 years and although not a native to Thailand they are the world's largest exporter of durian.

So the other day we went all over town looking for durian. We found a couple local vendors and were able to pick up several of the smelly spiky fruit. 

Durian is not opened or cut up inside the house but rather outside. Let's be honest, even durian lovers don't want their homes to have the pungent odour for weeks. Once the durian is 'cracked' open there are usually four, what I will refer to as pods, inside. Each pod has three seeds, and around these seeds is the creamy, yellowy-white fruit. For you Westerners, think of avocado, how it is creamy and not juicy, durian is similar.

And yes. I tried it. Me. Not a real adventurer. But. I did. And the texture did remind me of an avocado, the taste was what I thought somewhat sweet. I later found out that the durian we purchased was more bitter. That's the thing...durian can either be a bit bitter or sweet, who knew. Since I have never tasted it before I didn't know what to expect. But, I will admit that it was tolerable, maybe even better than tolerable. It was pleasant. However, I just can't get over the smell or the after-taste for that matter. So, I am not sure when the next time I will be lured for the need to try the King of Fruit.

Daily Life in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

Daily Life in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, a set on Flickr.

Coffee time...

I. Love. Coffee.

No really. I love coffee. Generally back home I had an affinity for Starbucks and would order an Americano with room and add my own milk, a Cinnamon Dolce for those special treat days or Pumpkin Spice Latte when available.

However, coffee is different in Malaysia. Much. Different.

We have 3in1. Yes, 3in1. Coffee in an instant as Starbucks calls it. Or what we Canadians generally refer to as instant coffee. But, this is different. You can get plain instant coffee, you can get just sugar coffee or 3in1. I like the 3in1. Yes, the sugary, milky, instant coffee. It's like a treat day from Starbucks. Then there is the coffee that you can get at the outdoor cafes. Well, some are indoor as well, but the best coffee is made from the mom and pop shops that we would see in Canada only here they are open air cafes and the entire family is part of it. So yesterday was my first 'real' coffee and it was amazing. It's dark, strong with a bit of condensed milk. Now, much different than my skinny Americano at Starbucks. But, did I mention there is a Starbucks on almost every corner here as well. So, whenever I am feeling a little homesick you will know where to find me.

Oh ya and another thing when googling Coffee Preparation here is what I found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_preparation who knew there was so many ways to prepare a cup of joe...

3in1 coffee.

Coffee from outdoor cafe.

Getting settled...

Most of you are probably wondering what I am doing to pass the time. Well...since I've only been here a few days it is safe to say that I haven't done a lot besides drink coffee in the morning, play cards at night, and drive around town with Ridley's Mom who I'll refer to as Momma Chen. But, hey I am just trying to get settled, used to the time difference, and climate change.

Awe. Life. Is. Good.

The other night we played Gin Rummy. I used to play tile rummy with my grandma years ago. We used to also play Kings in the Corner for money. Of course it was money from her penny stash and it was only four coins each. We never played for big money or our own for that matter. However, the other night we were ruthless. I of course was just learning so the first few rounds were 'free' however after that it was no holds bar. Ok, well maybe it wasn't that ruthless, but we still lost $10 Ringgits! That's about $3 CDN or what it would cost for two bowls of breakfast noodles at one of the many cafes in Miri.

Evening entertainment...Gin Rummy.

The day after our ruthless card game, Momma Chen and I went looking for a dresser since I am currently living out of my suitcases. We were lucky enough to find a nice white dresser for only $400 plus Ringgits or about $130 CDN and this morning I spent some time figuring out where to put said dresser.  So, when dresser got delivered Momma Chen and I were so proud that it fit perfectly into the spot we thought it should go. However, I knew our pride would be short lived when after the furniture movers left and we began to inspect the $130 dresser. It was then that we discovered one of the drawers wouldn't open and close properly. So, we sat and attempted to fix the prized dresser. We thought it best to try and fix it as good as we could before anyone else figured out our steal of a deal wasn't the best steal of a deal. More like the furniture store owners were probably jumping with joy when they saw us two eyeing up the pretty white dresser. Well, as it turned out the nice furniture people returned and fixed our ailing drawer. Phew. And now we have a pretty white dresser complete with three large drawers and two locked cabinets. But really, how nice was if of them to return, not once but twice to ensure the dresser was fixed and to our liking...all for $130 CDN.

Yes.

A. Steal. Of. A. Deal.

Pomelo fruit...

Native to Southeast Asia the pomelo fruit is the world's largest citrus fruit. And. Yes. I tried this yesterday. It is also referred to as the Chinese grapefruit, or not to be confused with jabong, pompelmous, or papanas among others names. Sigh. So many names for one large fruit. To put it simply it looks like a grapefruit and has the texture of a grapefruit, only larger and sweeter, much sweeter. To learn more about the pomelo and other Malaysian fruits check out: http://www.malaysiafruit.com/

Day 1...

And...we have finally arrived in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia...my new home for the next year. It was an interesting trek and so far we've learned a few key lessons...like always...always...book your seats well in advance of any trip. We spent the longest lag of our journey sandwiched between two other people in the middle of the plane. Even though it wasn't the most comfortable flight it still wasn't that bad...besides what really are you going to do on a 12 hour flight that left Canada at 1 am besides sleep. Oh. Ya. And watch movies. We also had a lot of time between flights, which is great if you don't want to miss your next connecting flight...however an almost 7 hour layover is a wee bit excessive. But we made it work. We entertained ourselves with people watching, napping, scrabble games on the iPad....oh ya and thank God for the iPad. We walked up and down the hall which helped stretch our legs and of course we ate. I think we had the best latte ever...may have even been better than Starbucks, but I didn't say that out loud, and of all places it was at the Taipei airport. Who would have thought. Oh ya and while there we were able to Skype with Leigha, and my Dad and Laurie. Oh how great technology is!

Ok...and now it's about time for a nap...so more to come soon!

3 more sleeps...

When my nephews were little we used to count down by the number of sleeps. Such as only 5 more sleeps till Santa comes. I'm certain that this is very common in many households. Although I don't have kids I am a wee bit excited for the adventure to begin so I have resorted to counting down in sleeps. It is much easier. However, I do remember when I was counting down weeks and months...and here we are with just 3 sleeps. Yes. 3. Sleeps. Eeekkk.

Now the panic is beginning to set in. Don't get me wrong, who wouldn't want a 365 day vacation. However, now that I only have let's see approximately 56 hours I have finally listed my vehicle, changed my address on a few things, half packed my suitcase and attempted to get my international drivers license. Not like leaving everything till the last minute. Technically I changed my address via Canada Post a few weeks back, but am just getting around to having it changed at the bank etc. And it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal if their 1-800 actually worked. Instead I call and call and nothing. Not even a ring. Sigh.

I also stopped to get my international drivers license today but was horrified to find out they actually need a photo. And today was not my best day. So, I will go again tomorrow. The girl at the counter even said "you can go to the washroom and fix your hair if you want." For the record I had a hat on. But I politely declined and told her that wouldn't help and that I would return tomorrow ready for a photo shoot.

Now over the course of the next few days I am taking it all in. I am visiting a few friends, finishing my errands, finishing packing, and making sure I get lots of hugs and kisses from my favourite nephews. Yes, I will miss it all here but it's an adventure that I can't miss out on.

How to plan for a 1 year vacation...

In 20 days I will be travelling across the globe to Malaysia. Yes. 20. Days. For 1 year. Yes. 1. Year.

Over the last few days I have had several people ask me what I have done to get ready to hit the road for a year. To tell you the truth it has been easier than I initially thought. At first I felt overwhelmed and wasn't sure where to begin. But, thankfully I had so much support from family and friends that the planning didn't seem too complicated. However, if you ask them they may tell you different, and therefore I will not divulge any names of individuals who helped me get organized. They may or may not tell you that there were many times I had moments of sheer panic. There could have been times in which I was consumed and overwhelmed with my 'to do' lists. There also may or may not have been times in which I wasn't sure whether I would ever check everything off my 'to do' list.

Okay. So getting back to the preparation phase. First thing was first and I received a leave of absence from work. Check. One thing I didn't have to worry about and was overjoyed with the fact that I will be able to travel the world and return to a great job. Then it was investigating immigration. Check. Since I wasn't going to be working and travelling to various locations immigration wasn't as worrisome as if I were going to be relocating due to employment. This part was easy. Have passport. Will travel. Check. Then there was the renting out of my house. Advertise house. Screen tenants. Which I could probably write a novel on. Note to potential renters...don't stand at the front door and continue to talk about your past employment, past relationships, financial difficulties or pets that you didn't mention during the initial application. Note to potential landlords...always continue to visit with potential tenants before they leave the rental unit you will also uncover something of interest. Sigh.

Okay. And back to getting ready. Two months before I depart I had my place rented out, which was a relief. I have put all my belongings into storage. Purchased medical insurance, storage insurance, continued my long term and short term disability insurance...I think I could become or should become a broker after all the insurance I have purchased.

And now, the last 'to do' items on my list is sell vehicle and pack suitcase. Now, this may make me go crazy. Packing a suitcase for one year will be a challenge. I am the Queen of indecisiveness when it comes to clothing. How does a girl truly know what she will want to wear every day. But, I have to remember that I can always go shopping...but then again on what budget...