The King of Fruit!

Hello, durian, the king of fruit! I'm so glad you are back in season...

Last week Zack and I had the total pleasure of visiting a durian farm. Ana, who owns LaZat -- the fabulous cooking school that I've raved about on this blog -- heard that Zack is a big durian fan. So before his departure for graduate school, Ana arranged for us to see these spiky delights in all their natural glory. Ana's friend, a dentist and hiking friend of Ana's, with his wonderful brother met up with me, Zack, and Ana just outside KL. The family owns a hilly spot of land where they planted 50 durian trees there about 35 years ago. During the one month durian season, the family members hike up to the property everyday to collect the durian. Malaysians harvest durian when it naturally falls from the tree, meaning it's nice and ripe. Don't accept durian any other way. This also means that Malaysian durian is difficult to transport and import, because in its finest form, it peaks just a day or two after falling from the tree. And I mean falling. When we were hanging at the during farm, we heard a "thunk" and then we saw a durian rolling downhill (think medieval castle protection!). At the base of the hill we collected the durian -- it was ready for eating. 

The brothers also taught us the technique for opening a durian. To avoid the spiked shells from cutting our delicate fingers, we wore a utility glove on one hand. In the other, we held a heavy iron cleaver. FYI: The durian sellers at the market make this look way too easy. Zack, Ana, and I mastered (sort of) the technique with the help of our new friends. The farm also had sweet, delicious mangosteens, Violet's favorite tropical fruit. I put a picture of an open mangosteen below. The morning was really wonderful. And I can't thank our hosts enough. A deep, heartfelt thank you for bringing us to your farm and sharing your D24s. It is currently Ramadan, meaning that Malaysia's Muslim population is fasting from sunrise to sunset. Our generous hosts encouraged me and Zack to enjoy our durian breakfast even while they fasted. A truly cherished memory!

Dear Zack: We miss you already. Over the last 6 months you have become a member of the family. We are all excited for your graduate school adventures in Vancouver and we're already looking forward to planning a visit out to see you in Canada -- we'll go camping. Keep staying game for anything that comes your way. XOXOXO

See the holes in the roof. They are from durians falling from the tree above!

In other news, we recently learned that our two+ year Asian adventure will be cut short. Hopkins and the local Malaysian university here severed ties and we are heading back to Baltimore in August. It's been a difficult month of ups and downs, but ultimately we know that the decision to return to the States is best given the circumstances. It has also led to many unexpected goodbyes.

The children have thrived at Garden International School this year. They have learned many academic lessons (reading, writing, maths - that's British for math), but the lesson I value for them the most is resilience. This will follow with them in life. Violet now knows that an early struggle, socially or academically, is okay. She can rise up. Tyler's continued to gain confidence and has proven that his social nature transcends cultures and language. And both kids now LOVE football (soccer!). GIS has a wonderful tradition for "leavers" to have their uniform shirts signed by their classmates. Tyler's Year 1 (kindergarten) class was especially cute with this, as many of Tyler's friends had recently learned (or learnt, as they say in British) to write their names well. A huge and wonderful shout out to Violet and Tyler's GIS teachers. You two have made this an amazing year. Ms. Nicky and Ms. Vanila -- hugs and kisses -- and many, many thank yous.

There are goodbyes and there are "see you laters"... Camp WienerPohl officially closed as the Miller-Wiener family left Malaysia for China travels before heading to their next exotic locale -- New Jersey. Again, we've grown beyond friends. Robin, Ethan, A, and J -- we'll see you soon cruising up or down the NJ Turnpike. Love you all!

Airport selfie.