Who Wants to be a Riggitaire?

Ever since the kids' introduction to pop radio music on the Lord of the Flies-esque bus ride to camp a few summers back, Violet and Tyler scan the dial for the local z104 equivalent wherever we travel. Only a few minutes after getting in our car in Malaysia, we were jamming to Taylor Swift ("I'm feeling twenty twooo-oo-oo"). I'm basically in love of the pop radio station here in KL. Why, you ask? No, it's not because of Bruno Mars' latest hit or that annoyingly catchy Paramore "Still Into You" (that song actually makes me change stations). I heart listening to FLY 95.8 just to catch the public service announcements.

I have no idea why FLY FM does the PSAs. Is it required by the government? Are they just good citizens? With an awesome wit, the public service announcements convey messages with phenomenal humor and lots of local color. I tried really, really hard to find them online. But, alas, not much luck. So I've tried to recreate a few favorites here.

* Wash Your Hair: 
Man and women talking.
Man: "Ewww, your hair looks greasy, lah. When did you last wash it?"
Woman: "Four days ago."
Man: "Uck. Don't you know that hair carries germs and grease. Plus it starts to smell if you don't wash it. Years of research shows you should wash hair at least every two days."
Woman: "Ahh. But why were they studying hair grease for years, anyway?"
Announcer: "This is FLY FM reminding you to keep clean and wash your hair."
Man: "You gotta wash-your-hairrr, everyday, lah."

* Speak Clearly the First Time:
Two men talking over the phone.
Man 1 (whispering): "No, he's not available. He's doing bussssi-ness."
Man 2: "What did you say? I can't understand you."
Man 1 (whispering): "He can't come to the phone, he's in de toilet doing his bussssi-ness."
Man 2: "I can't hear you - speak up."
Man 1 (yelling): "He on the toilet making a poop!"
Announcer: "The is FLY FM reminding you to speak clearly the first time."

* Rumor Mill:
Multiple phone calls.
Person 1: "Did you hear? She's going to a resort with a friend."
Person 2: "I just heard that her friend bought a resort and she's going to visit."
Person 3: "Guess what? She's going to her 'friend's' resort to stay with monkeys."
Person 4: "I heard that she's dating a monkey that plays golf at a resort."
Announcer: "The is FLY FM reminding you that gossip travels fast. Do not believe all that you hear."

Drum roll...My #1 favorite: 

* Safety with ATM PINs
With heavy Malay accent to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song (I KID YOU NOT!).
This is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down, so let me take a minute - just sit right there, I'll tell you how I lost all my money at the ATM, lah.
...Okay, I don't remember all the lines to this one. Probably because everytime I hear it I convulse with laughter by the end of the first line. The message was to not make your ATM PIN the same as your account number, or something like that!! 

This is one I did find on line (FOR YOU AUNT PEARL!): http://www.spca.org.my/v51/noticeboard.php?id=298

And just to give a shout out: 89.9 BFM is the overall best quality radio station in KL. It's billed as the business station with a bit of NPR-like talk paired with great music. Plus, they are always joking about what "BFM" stands for. Among my favorites have been "Bureaucracy Failing Malaysia", "Bloody Fantastic Music", "Bodek free Minutes" (which I had to look up, Malay-English slang for sucking up/kissing a**) and "Bride-Free Malaysia".

Speaking of bribe-free Malaysia, Robin and I got pulled over last week by a traffic cop fleecing for cash. The traffic cops are different from the regular police. We know it happens here--actually all the expats who drive have a story or two about this. The guy stopped right at a complicated, yet quiet intersection. What irritated me the most was the traffic cop was not even reserved about it. He said "You drive dangerous. You pay me now and no ticket." Robin handed 20 ringgit -- and he said, "Give me 10 more?" She said no, and he let us go. I just checked online to find how to handle this next time. "Haram" means illegal in Malay, as in "Bribery is haram. Much worse than changing into the wrong lane at this intersection." Also, reported by the friends Robin and I have since talked with, if you don't mind waiting, just ask for a ticket and 99.9 percent of time they will let you go. Grrrrrrr...

On Thursday, Brian and I attended Garden International School's Year 3 performance. Violet's class and two other Year 3 classes produced a witty Who Wants to Be a Millionaire spoof, "Who Wants to Be a Ringgitaire?" The Ringgit is Malaysia's currency. Violet had a lead roll as Chris Terrent -- the British-equivalent to Regis from the original US show. Violet had never seen the show (either US or British), so we had a blast "researching" (i.e., watching clips on YouTube).

Parents brought in breakfast for before the show. I love when I hear that it's potluck breakfast at Garden School. The parents are wonderfully generous at showcasing their home country's dishes. Pair that with Malaysian food being generally so amazing that I walk out of events with a satisfied belly. Yes, you are seeing sushi, spring rolls, curry puffs, and Korean noodles, along with the finger sandwiches.

After entering the hall jamming to Jai Ho (that Slumdog Millionaire song/dance), the show began by Chris Terrent (a part shared by Vi and two other boys) explaining the rules to "Who Wants to Be a Ringgitaire?" from a center platform and then asking the contestant questions from class materials. The contestant would "day dream" back to a class lesson. The show then cuts to the stage where the kids act out a skit reminding the contestant of the answer. The classes even produced commercials played during the show -- all related to environmental awareness and clean water! In the end, based on a cleverly worded misunderstanding by a "phone a friend" to the P.E. teacher, the contestant misses the final question and does not get the million ringgit. But he's okay because he's realized he has many gifts in life: health, clean water, a safe home, a loving family, a great school, and friends that make him smile. The kids capped off the show singing "It's Not About the Money." The whole show was so well done. Great script, great performances that showcased how much the classes have learned already this year. Fantastic work GIS, Ms. Nicky, and the Year 3 students. (Unfortunately, my pics of Violet during the show didn't come out well due to the lighting, but here are a few from after the show.)

A friend gave Violet a junior cooking set for her b-day. She--along with A and Tyler--have enjoyed trying the recipes. Of course Violet's only interested in the sweets! 

In other Violet news, the school selected Vi to participate in a local biathlon competition with other international schools. After Brian went on a rant about how Violet was too young to shoot a rifle and there was no snow in Malaysia, we realized that it was a 200m run and a 25m swim relay.  Pretty cool since Violet just learned to swim freestyle three months ago! For this relay race, the coaches grouped the participants into teams of four for a run, followed quickly by the swim relay. Violet was on the school's C team -- excellent as the teams in her division were both Year 3 (like Violet) and also Year 4 kids. Violet's team came in first among the C team heat! Overall out of the 26 teams, Vi's team was THIRD in the run and 11th in the swim giving them a 7th place finish overall. Way to go, Violet!

Have a very wonderful Thanksgiving and a very happy Hanukkah! We very much miss you all. I'll report in our next blog post about our celebrations here.

Year 1s are learning about the  5 senses. Tyler and Ivan worked together to illustrate "sight". Check out the snowflakes in the upper left hand corner.

Arts & Crafts & Running

This week was a big turn around for Violet. On Monday, she reported that school was "excellent" and that the work is "hard, but that makes it fun". She's overcome her anxiety about not knowing how to do everything perfectly; and, in embracing a "give it a go" attitude, she's realized that she's actually doing excellent with all of the academic work. Socially, she's also made major strides. I didn't appreciate just how much the cultural differences in her classmates would impact her. For the first few weeks of school, Violet convinced herself that the girls in her class didn't like her. Violet's teacher keenly realized that Violet expected bold reciprocation of her friendship attempts, whereas the cultures of many of her peers are more reserved. We had several discussions about cultural differences and how to look for more subtle signs of friendship. This dramatically improved Violet's outlook and understanding of her peers and the new relationships she was forming. Plus, from what I can tell, her classmates have very much warmed to her gregarious nature and are now quite sweet and friendly, even if in a more reserved way than we are used to. At assembly this week, the school played a clip of Violet where she was interviewed about the upcoming cross county race. Vi's teacher reported it was a great scene at assembly with all the girls that were sitting near Violet smiling and leaning over to hug her with excitement and encouragement!

Violet's class is studying animal habitats. All children came to school dressed as an animal from their selected habitat. All the Year 3 classes joined together and then divided into habitat groups (so, for Violet, aka cheetah, the grasslands animals got together). The habitat group went to one classroom and transformed the classroom into their habitat. Then the kids rotated among the transformed classrooms to determine - and write on clipboards - why they could or could not live in the habitat they were visiting.

Much as he was in K1 at Park, Tyler has continued to blossom as a charmer. I feel a bit foolish that I was concerned about his transition here. He's jumped into school never missing a beat. His teacher reports that he's a model of manners and an excellent listener (what? can you please transfer some of this great behavior to home?!?). His academics are all on par and far excel in math; and, he's very comfortable in his new social circles. He's got a best buddy in his class, I., who his teacher reports is a very nice boy and a great match for Tyler. Several times I've found them in the library relaxing on a beanbag reading together. Tyler has also mastered his classmates' names. With so many non-western names, this is actually a major accomplishment in a few short weeks. Seriously, I have to ask parents to please say their names several times as I attempt to repeat, and Americanize/butcher their names. I'm also quite proud that he's taken to squatting -- check out the sandbox picture where he was playing with his buddy J after school. Love these subtle Asian influences. This also led to a super funny conversation with another Year 1 mom over coffee. She's Japanese and really didn't believe that most "western" adults have lost the ability to squat. The British mums there wholeheartedly confirmed. And yes - I did a full on demo, including falling backward. Now the two of us have a plan next week to get together for a yoga class!

In other news... The reality of early rise hours for school has sadly crushed my fantasy of never cooking while we live in KL. All my experiences of food shopping here had proven that eating out and cooking at home are basically the same cost. Yes, over the summer we ate out nearly every night. When we ate in, we ate leftovers from a restaurant the night before. Coming home for Myanmar, I met a really cool Aussie couple, Josh and Jem, who live in KL not far from us. In our shared cab home from the airport, Josh asked me, "So have you tried Lucky Meat yet?" Dude, we just met. Um, no. So on Wednesday, we got together and went downtown to Lucky Meat, an importer and distributor of top cuts of Australasian beef, lamb, and other imported food items (including Heinze from the USA and cheese, which is super expensive in the grocer). See there's a strategy here for bringing a friend. As it's an importer, you have to buy in bulk - two kilo block of cheddar, anyone? A great thing to split. The meat is half the cost of the grocery. And oh, the steak was the best I've every had. I'm not exaggerating! Lucky Meat is officially added to my shopping rotation.

On Saturday, Brian's colleague, an established Malaysian art collector, invited the four of us to visit his friend's private art collection. Housed in a large four room space below his law practice, art works cover every surface, including many frames still on the ground in packaging stacked up five or six deep. The couple who built and own the collection seek out emerging Malaysian artists. Many of the works in their collection are now extremely important and valuable. Ty loved a painting of a shark. Brian and Violet like the works of an artist that depicts dual/delayed scenes. I was just in awe of the entire place. Brian's colleague and several others have published a few books on Malaysian art and have a new one forthcoming. Check this one out: http://www.rogueart.asia/ra/exhibitions/malaysian-art-friends/

We were up early on Sunday for Violet's cross county race. Garden School hired buses for the ride, so we met at school at 6:15 am for the ride to Alice Smith, another international school in KL. Runners rode on buses together with their gender/age group, while parents and siblings rode on other buses. Getting on the bus, we met up with a family with a Year 1 little girl, so Tyler had a buddy for the ride. The two kids talked and giggled and the girl called Tyler "cheeky" when he was playing around by tapping Brian on the head in the seat in front of them. The bus trip proved excellent for Vi as she came off the bus hugging a new BFF. Violet ran with the U9 girls - so with Year 3 and also Year 4 girls (that's 2nd and 3rd graders). There were over 100 girls running in her race. A Garden School Year 4 girl came in first -- she was so fast that the adult pacer ran out of steam near the end trying to keep ahead of her! Violet had a good race, coming in #27. I confirmed at school this morning that she was the #1 Garden School Year 3 girls placer. She and Brian are already plotting to train for next year's race.

Violet in her Park warm-up sweatshirt

My pinning Violet's first race bid!

Violet with some of the Year 3 racers.

Violet near the finish cheered on by our friends.

It's hard work to be the sibling of a racer. 

After getting home, changing, and going out for Violet's choice lunch (Papa John's, of course!), we headed to the Malaysia Craft Complex (http://www.kraftangan.gov.my/main/) to see a show of Malaysian artisans with the Miller-Wieners. There were some cool exhibits, but the highlight for Violet, J, and A was batiking. Traditional to the region, batik starts with a fabric with wax applied in a design. Then the artist applies dye over the fabric. A stand at the show provided the already waxed fabric on a frame and visitors could try their hand at applying the dye. Violet loved this so much that she made two designs! We decided that the one she's working on in the picture of the KL skyline will be framed for our living room in the US. Tyler did not try, but after seeing J's super cool batik tiger, he said he'd do one next visit. One of the Hopkins' visiting faculty also dyed a most gorgeous fish scene on silk - she called it "adult paint by numbers." This will most certainly be a stop for visitors coming to town.

Of course, if you are at the Craft Complex and you just need that quick souvenir fix, try something from the craft vending machine. Woven purse? Handmade paper? Or how about a hand-carved slingshot for 6 Malaysia ringgit?

Garden International School

On Monday, the Garden International School hosted a new family orientation. I'll be honest, I was nervous. Our admissions process didn't go completely smoothly (lost paperwork, delayed acceptance, admissions staff changes) and then the school provided little communication after our arrival ("No we can't give you contact information for children in your children's class. They are all away on holiday." - really? 140 kindergartners and every one is on holiday?) That's right, the school's enrollment is huge. There are seven classes per grade... with a seemingly small physical plant. Despite my anxiety, I'm happy to report a very successful orientation day. It was very well organized (no waiting in line!) and informative for the kids and parents. I was able to purchase library bags, sign Violet up for piano, collect IDs, and sign up for gate passes all while the kids met their teachers and the other new students. Breakfast and coffee were also yummy as they were provided by the school's new caterer. The school's cafeteria was renovated this summer and our favorite grocery store here, Ben's Independent Grocer, (think Whole Foods with more Asian products) is now providing all the school food.

For our last dinner before the start of school, Violet wanted... steak. Las Vacas down the road in Mont Kiara hit the spot. And there was even salmon for Tyler.

So after the longest summer break ever, the kids returned to school on Tuesday. Since it's a British-based curriculum, Year 3 is equivalent to 2nd grade and Year 1 has the same aged children as U.S. kindergarten. Tyler is in 1S with Miss Vanila. Violet's in Miss Nicki's class in 3G. Both teachers seem wonderful and the kids are happy. The classroom spaces were renovated a few years back and are beautiful and cool (I mean temperature - big deal here in the tropics) with large windows to the outdoors and into the covered but open air corridors. 

View of the Year 1 pod from Violet's classroom on the third floor.

Can you see Violet? Right up front with the blond ponytail.

Violet's first "IPC" (integrated primary curriculum - it's history, science, writing, literature etc. all around one topic)
is "Do You Live Around Here?" (View into Violet's class from the corridor windows.)

Entrance area of the library. Reminds me of Park's Lower School library. Lots of reading nooks.

Cafeteria. Note that in addition to burgers, hotdogs, and pizza, there is fish ball noodle soup and chick chop.

Tyler and his friend (Year 4 at Garden) that lives upstairs enjoyed playing after school. 

So after a good first week at school, we've reached Friday. As Monday is Malaysia Day, today at school is "Malaysia Day Dress Up". (At orientation we learned that the lower school loves to dress up!) As new comers to Malaysia, I needed to buy some outfits! I shopped a bit in some of our usual stores for Malay attire, only to learn that it's a challenge to find Malay-style after Hari Raya. (It was EVERYWHERE a month ago.) So a very kind mum in Violet's class advised that we buy Indian attire instead. Plus then we can wear it again for another holiday in November. So yesterday I went to Brickfields Little India to find Indian outfits. This is a colorful part of town with interesting history. While this trip was mission driven and fairly short, I'd like to go back again soon and explore more. I settled on a nice shop along the main road. From there the shop keeper took me under his wing. He must have pulled out 40 outfits before I found the ones I wanted. ("For the boy, more simple. More simple. Too heavy. No, no pink.") The kids seemed pleased with the selections. Tyler looked so, so sweet and Ms. Vanila said "Tyler! You look like an Indian prince!"

Tyler and Ms. Vanila

The other big event today was the Year 3 and Year 4 inter-house cross county 1k race. The kids in Garden International School are sorted into four houses. Yes, British prep school based, but we just think it's like Hogwarts. (Brian keeps asking the kids, "Are you sure you're not in Slytherin?") Violet and Tyler were sorted into Queen (sorry, no sorting hat, just random). They wear dark blue. As Violet reported to me, the race is a really big deal. Everyone who finishes gets a point for their house. The top 10 runners get medals. The top 5 continue to an international school competition in October. And the first place runner earns 100 points for her house. Yep - seems like this is not an "everyone gets a medal" type of school.

The students ran in waves, first the Year 4 boys, then the Year 4 girls. Then the Year 3 boys, and then the Year 3 girls. Not to hold you in suspense for too long (and since you probably already saw my Facebook post)... Violet rocked the race and came in #1 in the Year 3 girls race. The first thing she said to me after the race was "Mom! I'm so excited. I get to represent my school at the race in October!" Then she said, "I just didn't know I could run so fast for so long. It felt good." I'm so proud of her. Such a great way to introduce herself to a new school!

Queen house waiting for the start.

Moving up to the starting line.

Coming around the first turn. Then she goes up a hill and around a corner.
The PE teachers told me that at the pace she was running she might tucker out going up the hill.

But not at all. Coming down the hill there were no other races in view.

I missed getting a picture at the finish. I couldn't get around the corner and back to the
starting line in time. But I was there to give her a big hug!  Here's Violet after the race with her friend L.

Getting her #1st place medal.

Top 10 Year 3 Girls

For the Malaysia Day long weekend we are heading to Belitung Island in Indonesia. Looking forward to reporting on our trip when we return. Until then, lots of love! - Mary, Brian, Violet, and Tyler