Malaysia R & R (October-2006)

Rest and Relaxation!

First term came to a merciful end in the middle of October. Boy were we ready to take some time away from the hectic schedule as we traveled to the east coast of Malaysia for a much needed period of kicking back and relaxing! The east coast is absolutely awesome with beautiful sandy beaches and very calm water. Our time share exchange gave us an opportunity to relax at the beach as well as relaxing at the beautiful pool area. Quite a bit of our time at the pool was spent in conversing with three young ladies from three separate countries - Vietnam, Brazil, and the Philippines. It was interesting finding out more of their individual cultures. We were disappointed in not being able to take short excursions as the resort required at least 4 people to sign up for side trips. We determined to become brave one day and flagged down a bus headed north. We took a 2 hour ride to Kuala Terenggu to do local shopping. Our next stop on our two week wanderings was Beijing, China.

China (Beijing to Shanghai) - October, 2006

The Great Wall!
Wow! We were blessed with the opportunity to visit and walk on the Great Wall - only a dream from the past! In addition to walking the wall we spent time at the Ming Tombs, Tianamen Square, The Summer Palace, and The Forbidden City. All of these were highly prized experiences as Phil has taught about these in his World History classes in past years and now has actually experienced them in person! Shopping till we dropped was also a theme of our four days touring the city and surrounding areas. We were introduced to the local culture by touring a variety of manufacturing outlets where we spent time watching how a wide range of items are made. These included Jade, fresh water Pearls, Porcelain, and Silk. Needless to say our pocket book was considerably lighter after these visits. To top everything off we rode a bicycle powered rickshaw through an authentic preserved village in the heart of Beijing. This was an absolutely awesome four day experience!

Shanghai saw our shadows next. The major reason for entering this city was to attend the ALEA conference held at Concordia International School of Shanghai (CISS). The conference had some very interesting speakers with us having the opportunity to be refreshed while sharing with fellow educators from many countries. Phil especially enjoyed the chance to meet the Mehl brothers who share a bit of past history. Their grandfather served as pastor for 32 years in a tiny farming community in north central Kansas at the same time as Phil's grandfather was serving in the Lutheran School for 40 years. Within the church body the world does certainly seem like a small place! While touring Shanghai, we found it to be an ultra-modern city in places, especially in the eastern part which has been designed for the expat community. This is the location of CISS. We continued to help the Chinese economy as once again the shopping was a part of our time of touring! It was difficult to say goodbye and once again return to Jakarta to begin our second term of educating those whom God has sent to our classrooms.