Adios, lah!

Dear Reader- that is, if there are any of you left…

I begin this post as I have many others with a simple apology for my absence. Three years is a long time to keep you waiting.

To be honest, the first six months of life in Kuala Lumpur were so hard it was impossible to write and the last six months have been so busy there has been no time.

KL has been a mixed bag- the mundane punctuated by amazing moments of culture and diversity. Celebration, followed up by failures. Tears, laughs, frustration, traffic jams, curry puffs, travel, homesickness and elation.  

Since I last posted, life has been nothing short of a cluster fuck wrapped in a Haiku, and I mean that in the best possible way. 

Maybe, finally, I can say we have settled. I bump into people I know all over the city, the kids are loving school, we are well adjusted and happy. I can get places without Waze. Blinkers are for losers and double parking is the norm- not the exception. Taco Tuesday is no problemo and our Thanksgiving turkey this year was actually a turkey…see the difference?

I'm pretty sure this is NOT a turkey!

Three years later...look at that bird! Just like home!

There have been moments of fabulosa: watching Vee learn Mandarin, listening to Davis bargain with shop keepers, Kirk eating unrecognizable food from street vendors, me attempting a Yee Sang salad from scratch at home. We are all learning, growing, changing. But of course, that is not always easy.

So as fate would have it, we got the call that it is time to move again- westward at last to the bustling metropolis of London! Oi mate! Mind the gap!

Before I start on London, I would like to properly bid fairwell to KL. I hate that I didn't write more while in Malaysia, it has been such a life changing experience for us. Admittedly, my heart didn't sing for Southeast Asia the way it did for Australia, but with time this beautiful, chaotic country has more than seduced me. The kindness and generosity of the people, the pause brought on by a daily afternoon thunderstorm, the richness that comes from three distinct cultures living as one. The smells, the spices, the manic pace that was so agressive at first has become the norm and a welcome flavor profile to our life.

Malaysia has forced us to let go of some of our American expectation and ideals. In the begining it seemed like a one sided compromise; for instance a non-certified electritian rewiring the house one plug at a time because the main breaker would trip when it rained. Or buying meat and it going bad a day after purchase. Or people backing up in the toll booth lane with 25 cars behind them. Or absolutely nothing getting done the entire month of Chinese New Year! Yet, I can report we are better for all of these "inconveniences" and not just because we all have stonger microbiomes. Malaysia forced us to surrender, accept that things do not always go as planned and move on. Adapt, smile, repeat!

What a gift.

So with enhanced perspective we embark on a different adventure and bid a fond farewell to a place that has felt like a new world almost every day. We say goodbye to dear friends and look forward to calls and visits and letters from far away.

Thank you KL, much love and cheers!

Adios, lah!

Evangeline