Mills, Thode and Other Tales from our Flat!

I am writing this entry from my flat in Malaysia. It’s incredibly hot and humid, pushing nearly 40 degrees Celsius. I straighten my hair at night and with the humidity, end up with perfect curls in the morning – it’s fantastic!

The flat is starting to feel more like home. It’s a simple house with basic amenities. There’s no air conditioning, no laundry, no hot water. But it does have character, history and wonderful people – and it’s beginning to fill with the most amazing memories. Smiles and laughter top running water any day!

The view of our flat from the outside.

My bedroom.

The other interns that I live with are the epitomy of nice. There are currently 5 of us living in the house -- Ingrid from the Netherlands, Hana and So-Young from Korea and Soraya from Austria. We're expecting 2 more interns from Canada this week and a couple more next month.

Ingrid, Hana, Soraya and So-Young, after a night swim at a nearby pool. The pool is conveniently located in the heart of the student housing complex, right beside Taylor's University College. A swimming pool in the student slums, seriously?!

Ingrid is etching to go to the world renowned jungle in Perek. If you can’t go to the jungle, then why not bring the jungle to you? If Mohamed can’t go to the mountain, then you bring the mountain to Mohamed, right? (edit: Mommy, did I finally use this in the right context?). Our flat has become home to an extraordinary bunch of creatures. We wake every morning to the sound of howling dogs and screeching crows. There’s also a white cat that has staked his territory in our front yard and a lizard that has developed a liking towards our living room. I’ve named them Mills and Thode, respectively, after the libraries at McMaster. Mosquitoes and flies are everywhere! So long as there are no deer…

I will be delivering my first two HIV/AIDS workshops tomorrow. The first one is at a secondary school in Klang, which is about 40 minutes away from Subang Jaya and the second is at a college in Kuala Lumpur. Super duper excited!