still alive! ;)

Uffda! It's been awhile since my last post. Life is so busy here and I'm finding that writing is something that hasn't taken priority. I LOVE taking pictures and if you're on Facebook, I hope you've enjoyed some of my "stories" here through those.

In an attempt to get everyone caught up, I'm going to just let you know what a typical week looks like, now that I've settled into a fairly regular rhythm:

Monday-Friday:

6AM(ish) - wake up; go jogging or swimming at the beach; come back and get ready for the day

7:30 - school starts! *I rotate around to various departments and areas at SMC, which I can talk about later in other blogs

7:40 - exercise with students; this usually involves walking and stretching with some variations (like dancing!!)

8:30 - school gets rolling - teaching, baking, therapy, etc.

10AM - break! All the students eat something from home or from the canteen, which usually means a healthy portion of "mee goreng" (fried noodles), hot dog, fried baked goods, cookies or cake [yeah, not the healthiest eating habits, which is why I bring a carrot and/or apple every day, now]

10:30 - school resumes

Noon - one hour break for lunch and "rehat" (rest)

1PM - back to school; the afternoons look much more relaxed and "go with the flow" (again, I will talk details in later blogs)

3PM - school's out! Teachers (including myself) stick around until every student gets picked up, with the exception of a few who hang around for "tuition" or special tutoring/care; our work day ends at 3:30, so I'm free to leave by then

3:30/4 - rehat! I truly take a nap every day and there is NO SHAME! It's glorious and good for the soul. After napping, I will do anything from grab a snack, chat it up with my housemates, go grocery shopping, upload and edit pictures, e-mail or FaceTime people, write postcards - ha! basically anything but blog, I guess. ;)

5:30(ish) - go jogging with my co-worker (either the beach or an awesome park nearby called Perdana)

6:45 - dinner alone with my housemates; I sometimes make my own food, but there's usually food already made and it's insisted I eat that (noooo problem!)

7:30 - chillax - talk with housemates, watch a movie together, do laundry, back to photo editing or reading; FaceTiming

9/10 - beddy bye time!

Saturday:

*** seriously, Saturdays vary so much, I'll have to fill you in on some specific weekends. However, here are some of the things I've done for the past few:

• Dusun wedding - a traditional Malay wedding in the "kampung" or village where several of my co-workers' families live
• Chinese wedding - complete with "tea ceremony" and the tradition of giving and taking money from the bride and groom
• Rafflesia flowers - one of my co-workers has an uncle who runs a center where you can view the world's largest flowers in the wild - love me some jungle trekking
• Western groceries - did some "guilty pleasure" shopping and made a few purchases to share with my new communities, including Blue Box [Kraft] mac 'n' cheese, pretzels and gummy bears
• Beach day - this wasn't actually on a weekend, but a holiday excursion with friends from church in the middle of the week (so it felt like Saturday)
• Eklektos - this is the student-led worship service at my church; I wish I could make it there every week, but other opportunities make that difficult so I get there when I can! 

Sunday: 

6:30AM - wake up; get ready for church; get a ride from my lovely friend, Connie

7:30 - church at BCCM KK (E) *the "E" stands for English

9:30 - fellowship after worship and head to breakfast with one of several wonderful groups I've found myself connected with

11AM - done for the day! At this point, I gauge my needs for the rest of the weekend and decide whether to 1) ask for a ride home 2) take the bus home from wherever I am (this often fails and people insist on driving me back) 3) figure out what the people I had breakfast with are doing for the rest of the day and tag along! This could entail meandering about in one of the malls, going to a movie, heading to someone's house for games or relaxing, bowling, etc.

9PM - sleepy time

Now that you know what a "typical" week looks like for me, I look forward to sharing more detailed experiences with you, including: people, places, challenges and puzzlements. 

I really want to try and be more intentional about blogging, so feel free to call me out and/or help keep me accountable! I give you permission! ;)

Peace and love from Sabah,

~JB

Prayer requests: 

There is a couple at my church who is expecting their first baby around Christmas. He is Singaporean and they want their baby to have Singapore citizenship, so they are going there for the final two months of her pregnancy; they leave on Monday! Please pray for their safe travels and a continued healthy pregnancy.