One Year On

Well, the year anniversary of arriving in Malaysia just flew by. It's hard to believe it's been that long already, and yet it's kind of hard to imagine life back in the UK now - especially with regular FB postings about the weather and economics. It all seems like a lifetime ago...

So what's been happening? Well, we have just recently moved from Sri Wangsaria (which we loved for the community feel and outdoor greenery) to a house (or 'bungalow' as they're called here) around the corner. We really don't earn enough to live in such a place (5+1 bedrooms plus pool) but it has been empty for a year and the owner just wanted a family that would look after it, and stop the elements from reclaiming it. It was hard-going at the start getting things like the plumbing and wiring sorted, but now we're well settled and the space for the kids is great. Strangely enough, we've seen more of our Sri Wangsaria neighbours since the move, as we all suddenly realised the importance of keeping in touch. It's been great.

Other than that, Chris has a job at Nexus starting in a couple of weeks so we'll all be at the same school, except for wee Fynn of course (now 21 months) who'll be going to a nursery (tadika) around the corner form here. He's starting next week and Kojo'll go along for a couple of weeks for something to keep him occupied, and for Fynn to settle in. We took them today to have a look and had to pull them away from the play area so looks like they're keen.

Our year in Malaysia has had its challenges and difficulties, but that's nothing compared to the overall hike in our lifestyle and time with the kids. It's so much more family-friendly here and we are extremely lucky to have understanding employers who recognise that the kids have to come first.

The job has been great - the kids are a wide range of abilities, nationalities, skills and interests but there is a real culture of learning here and teachers are respected as part of that process, so no fear of the daily abuse and comments that were a regular feature of teaching back home.

We've also been really fortunate in having people calling by fairly regularly either for a family visit or on their travels. Having friends and family stay has really helped it feel like 'home' and we look forward to hosting many more in the future.

Watch this space!