A long half term...

Almost two months since the last blog and the early Chinese New Year holiday in January has created rather a long slog of a 10 week half term! We’ve both been working hard and enjoying our jobs but are definitely ready for a week off for Easter. Steve’s finishing his last few weeks in Singapore then returning to work in Kuala Lumpur which has its pros and cons. Not such a long commute is a bonus, but he’s enjoyed his time working there and it was a great project to work on. My job has been very hectic with A level and iGCSE exams just around the corner in May. A maternity cover in the department during the busiest time has been a bit stressful, but Malaysian’s are only entitled to two months off so she’ll be back before long! Her replacement is proving to be great, so it’s worked out better than I’d hoped for. I also arranged for our school, including primary, to take part in a worldwide maths competition. It turned into a logistical nightmare with 85 kids from different year groups taking 5 different papers in two different venues. But lovely to see so many kids keen to do extra maths!

 I’ve recently had approval to take a school trip of 30 kids to Nepal during residential week in June which is daunting but very exciting. An added bonus is that Steve gets to go too! He’s been helping out at school with the International Award (IA) which is similar to Duke of Edinburgh, so he’s known a bit around school. We both recently went paintballing with the IA kids, and naturally I managed to get shot at close range. The bruise on my arm has only just faded nearly three weeks later and become a bit of an urban legend around school! So with another teacher from school coming to Nepal too, it should be a great team and a really good trip. Lots of planning to do before then though…

Steve’s been getting more involved with the Georgetown World Heritage, who work in conservation and preservation of the old buildings within the UNESCO world heritage site in Georgetown. They are still in the early stages of learning about conservation and Steve was asked to do a presentation to some of the local councillors and people involved in the heritage sector. It was great experience and he’s hoping it will lead to some interesting work opportunities in Penang in the future.

We have managed one weekend away, on the mainland in the state of Kedah. It’s fair to say it isn’t known for its hordes of tourists but a worthwhile trip nonetheless. We visited an archaeological site, went to the top of the tallest communication tower outside of KL and visited this beautiful mosque.

Our latest guest was a work friend of Steve’s from home who stayed with us for a week, then went with Steve to watch the Malaysia Grand Prix. Steve says the cars are still pretty noisy despite using much quieter engines this year. It sounds like they had a great weekend and at a fraction of the price of the European races. This was us at the top of Penang Hill and canoeing, just before an unfortunate capsize… They also went to see the World Squash Championships which was held in Penang this year. Steve was disappointed to see the local favourite, Nicol David, go out in the semi-final, but amazing to see such a high level match so close to home.

We’ve both been enjoying the dragon boat training once a week, in preparation for a competition in early June. We’re certainly not going to be the best team there, but it’s fun to do something different and lovely to be out on the water as the sun goes down. This is us with our Indonesian instructor trying to improve our paddling technique.

 I’ve just finished my second month at warrior bootcamp and have the obligatory t-shirt to prove it! It’s really hard, hot, and not exactly enjoyable but has become oddly addictive. There are some lovely, friendly people who go regularly so there is quite a community feel. It’s nice to meet local people with their insider knowledge of Penang. Obviously, it’s a pretty good way to get fit and lose weight too, and with some strenuous trips planned in the next few months, it’s exactly what I need.

During the Easter break we are off to Sarawak, on the Borneo island of Malaysia for a week. We’re staying for a few days in Kuching, then on to Miri where we’ll hopefully get to do some diving and visit Brunei for the day. We are doing a house swap with a science teacher from the sister Tenby school in Miri, with them coming to us in Penang in the May holiday. We’ve also just booked a trip for the May half term, with some friends from school, to climb mount Kinabalu, the tallest in South East Asia. It’s only a two day trip with a guide but sounds quite strenuous, especially the second day which begins at 2am to reach the peak before sunrise!

Here’s a final picture from our recent road trip around the island. A very quiet fishing village and beach on the south of the island.