It is almost six o’clock in the morning and the call-to-prayer has just begun. It wakes up the birds.. frogs.. and the monkeys. I am not sure if everyone is celebrating or if the animals are complaining about the intrusion.
The call is much softer than what came over those cackling/cracking speakers in Oman and the UAE: here it really is almost a morning song, a soothing melody.
Of course it is all still in Arabic so I grasp none of it. And I am glad I haven’t been hearing it multiple times daily.
It is a Muslim Country. They are the majority and the bosses. There is segregation.. different rules for the Tamils and the Chinese.. But there is also a campaign going on here call ‘1 Malaysia’. We will see how that works out.
My schools will be Malay schools.. all five of them. I have located them on a map of the state Selangor. I won’t be living in Kualu Selangor after all, but another ½ hour north. My team leader took me for a drive yesterday, after we figured out what schools we were looking for.
It is a dual carriage way most of the way, although to get to my schools I will be travelling along narrow bitumen off roads, and at least one dirt track. They are located fairly close together though.
I suspect housing will be cheap.. it may end up being row housing, but we shall see. There will be people around to assist me. There is no agent to help, only trainers, teachers, friends of friends.
And we found the ocean! I will be able to walk the beach after all. Not a touristy beach, but the open ocean. There is a dirt road that runs along it and local people come to fish and sit.
We had dinner back in Kuala Selangor.. alongside the river. We sat on plastic chairs at a plastic table in a big, open restaurant on stilts, and watched the sun go down. I could see the lighthouse, below which is my hotel.. for these past two nights and tonight as well… then I will move on.. north… to yet another hotel.
Ah, prayer call has stopped and it is quiet again: still dark. I have had my Starbucks Coffee here in my room and will go out for breakfast soon. It is Saturday, but the team is eager to get organized for the first of their workshops which start this week. I will join in and help, although I won’t be doing workshops for a few weeks yet. I have so much to do first.. like visit the schools without getting too badly lost in the jungle. Meet the teachers and figure out what they are doing before I stick my nose in.
Rather exciting actually. And yet.. almost familiar. Nothing here has really gone all that smoothly.. the pieces haven’t fit easily at all. But they are going together as everyone perseveres slowly and gently, with no one trying to force anything. It feels right and everyday is a surprise.
I will just wait and see what today brings.
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