Melaka

After some time in Kuala Lumpur's city metropolis, Ben and I decided it was time for a change of scene. Melaka is a quaint and sleepy little fishing city....well I would call it a town. It's small, very friendly, welcoming and laid back. For my southern folk, it has the feel of Charleston...probably because of the whole thing about it being a port town thing. However, the influence of architecture in this city is anything but Charleston. This place has been settled by the Portuguese, the Chinese AND the Dutch (and maybe the British also at some point but I can't quite remember....you can google it if you are that curious). It's the oldest city in Malaysia.

The following pictures are in completely random order.

A history museum built built into a ship, right alongside the river.

A cool shot outside a church that's been in existence since the 1500's.

A shot walking up to the church. It's such a beautiful area!

St. Paul's - a church almost half a century old!

The boardwalk - note the ferris wheel in the back! The "Melaka Eye" perhaps?

Where we stayed - The Aldy Hotel - a historical place. It felt very European and yet tropical all at the same time!

Inside the ship museum. Just posing on the steps....I felt very uh....Kate-Winslet-in-Titanic-like :)

We took a bicycle rickshaw ride...haha they really deck them out with sound systems, lights...stuffed monkeys...it's good, clean fun!

I met a former SK teacher! We had lots to share about teaching in SK. At that point (in June), she had been traveling SE Asia for 10 months!

No, it wasn't full of pictures of me as you might think a Museum of Enduring Beauty would be....no actually it was a Museum dedicated to "beauty" that takes serious endurance, such as tribal piercing and tattoos and foot-binding and such. I personally wouldn't call these things beautiful but to each his or her own I suppose...

Kuala Lumpur...my last chapter

Just sharing a few more pictures from Kuala Lumpur....then it's on to Melaka!

This is an example of the architecture you find in Kuala Lumpur. I don't remember exactly what building this was....I think a government building of some kind!

This proves that Chinatown looks the same no matter what country you are in :)

A picture of the Petronas Towers from atop the KL Tower

Prayer rooms are quite commonplace. This is a shot of one in the airport waiting room. Notice this one is just for females....there is a separate one for males.

I had lots of interaction with animals on this trip. From the aviary to this small petting zoo....I asked to hold the snake but the crazy looking reptile in my left hand I did not ask for....I don't remember what it is. Perhaps someone knows by looking at it? If you do, post a comment with the name!

Malaysia - Mosque

Check out:

Saturday, September 26, 2009

I updated it with more pics from Malaysia!

And here are more too from the tabung masid negara - a rather large (and perhaps the national) mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Wanna check out a mosque? Take a tour with me...Step 1: Lose the shoes but cover up with a purple robe.

This was at the entrance of the mosque...I forget what exactly it is. Sorry. That's what happens when you take too long to write things down.

The outside of the large prayer room.

The Muslim equivalent of a steeple

Cool-lookin' clock :)

The prayer room. It's like a "chapel" I suppose but there's no minister. Everyone just goes there to pray. You're not allowed in unless you're a follower of Islam. Hmm....

A cool shot that Ben took :)

This doesn't exactly go with the rest of the pics (or maybe it does depending on how you look at things) but I wanted to make sure you saw the hose that is used instead of tissue....I carry my own tissue. Also, this was taken at the national park so it's a western-style toilet but many times you run into the stand-up style. Didn't snap a pic of that....sorry!

Addicted

Can't stop watching dance shows - LOVING them right now! After a bboy show a few weeks ago, I've been really loving all that mess. Any cure for the inability to stop watching dance shows???

A Conversation in my Head...

(This has been edited and revised to a PG rating for the general audience.)

"What am I doing with my life?"

"Who really knows?"

"Should I try to settle down?"

"I really should settle down."

"But then I'd be miserable."

"Or would I? I love children. I want a kid."

"Wait, hell no I don't. That would mean no Jack, Evan or Jose for 9 months."

"Well maybe not kids, but I should find a boyfriend."

"But then I can't snog random hotties. And what if I start dating one guy, get serious and then find a guy that I'm even more compatible with?"

"I shouldn't have messed things up with __(insert various names here)__."

"But then I wouldn't have done what I have or gotten where I am now."

"Speaking of....where should I go next? How much longer should I stay here? Can I go back to school next year? Or Germany?"

"Mom and Dad support whatever I choose."

"But they are getting up there in years....and Grandmother's not doing well. And Lena's gonna have the other baby in March. It's hard to support her from so far away. Maybe I should go home...."

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Screw my life."

"Wish I could just rewind the clock back to the days of lollipops and jellyshoes."

AHHHHhhhh darn it....

I didn't do it again....I'm SUPER busy these days for reasons that I cannot disclose online :)

Wanna know more about Malaysia? OHHHh alright :)

Merdeka Square

A government building that I tried to go into and was promptly stopped at the door. Looked like a museum to Ben and me....haha oops :)

Just a pretty fountain I thought! It was around Merdeka Square.

The aviary - this place was cool! The birds just free fly around and in this spot, you can pose with lots of them. (Check out the owl sleeping in the back!)

Must write more...

I actually enjoy writing....why don't I do it more often? Silly me....

it's almost midnight now so I'm off now but let's see if I can do it again tomorrow! :)

Pictures for Malaysia Arrival

Pics related to previous post:

Finally emerging from my bed after heavy jetlag....

to this view of Kuala Lumpur!

Delicious thai food with pretty cocktails :)

Ahhhh a rum jungle AKA home :)

Ben and I loved the jungle

Side view of the Petronas Towers (there are two with a bridge thingy between)

Malaysia - Arrival

Never again will I travel over 24 hours solid without pain meds….until the next time I decide to visit another country like Malaysia. One wouldn’t know that I knew planned to do much of anything on my vacation judging by the first 24 hours I spent being lazy in a hotel room thanks to jet lag/not sleeping for 2 days. In fact, it took every ounce of energy down to my fingertips just to drag myself out of bed to the shower. The amazing view from my hotel window helped…that and not having had a shower for 3 days. I was quite glad that I met up with my friend Ben - Filipino expat living in Singapore. He took all the stress out of having to think whatsoever. After going through a mini-quarterlife crisis throughout my visit at home, I needed to let my mind relax.

I learned some things before even reaching the country. As I was on my way, I felt a bit unnerved. I was in the Korea airport and I thought....am I really doing this? Am I really going to this country by myself? Can I do this? For some reason, I didn't feel that way when I went to the Philippines and I'm still not sure to this day why but the idea of going to a mostly-Muslim country definitely freaked me out. As I boarded the plane, I saw my first fully-covered (to the eyes) Muslim woman and realized I was the only white person boarding the plane....and thought I was the only one who probably wasn't Malay and Muslim. I didn't even see any Koreans getting on the flight. Turns out I was wrong, as I was sitting next to a business man from Pakistan. He filled me in on how I can be rich. "Don't spend money you don't have!" he warns me. Evidently he's well off enough that he can pay off his credit card bill every month and never goes into debt. I was impressed. He was very kind and seemed to view himself as a wise man obligated to offer advice to me - a young solo-woman traveller. He looked a bit like my professor at Elon that taught the terrorism class - not at all meaning that as a racist comment. On the contrary, my professor was quite the humorous pacifist extremist. The way the man on the plane spoke, the way he looked and a few of his personality traits brought me back to the days of Mr. Zarzar's silly antics, when he'd dance around the room cracking jokes after having launched a controversial debate about how to handle terrorism in the middle east.

So all-in-all, my fear of entering the country was crushed thanks to my Zarzar look-alike. I learned that KL (Kuala Lumpur) is a fairly major business hub in SE Asia and was eventually informed that Malaysia is actually not considered a third world country....whoda thunk it? I also learned that not all Korean Air flights are as cool as the ones to and from the states...darn it. Oh yeah, and I learned that pain killers and wine WILL help you sleep on flights. At least something will!

SO my first 36 hours in the country were spent in my hotel room, to which only the view dragged me out....that and the shower AND AMAZING Thai food and an really cool bar.

The program's not letting me add pics right now....will add them into next entry!

A Hometown Tourist

When friends and family from afar come to visit, we have the unique opportunity to become tourists in our own towns and territories. My friend Dave from Toronto, Canada came down to visit me to see just what the good ole North Cackalack and southern folk are all about. He loved the accents and couldn't get over how "nice everyone is."

At one point he said to me, "You little Southerners are just so cute!"

We are, aren't we? ;)

A trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville is usually necessary when showing someone what NC is all about

We love our cultural activities but we really love booze so what better way to incorporate the two than a tour through the winery at the Biltmore?

He blended right in with the southern folk in the bar :)

Had to show him the campground....which he guessed is where the southerners send all the gay people?? bwahahahahah

Not happy about this sign....

Haha doesn't Murray's Mill look just lovely? Ewwww....

Daddy teaching Dave to play Zoey's toy drum - SO cute :)

(Not a southern thing, but definitely a Keller thing haha)

Miss you Dave! Come back to Koreaaaaa!!!!

Next Post: Malaysia!!!!

Topsail Beach in a Snapshot or Two...

Here are a few pics from the first family vacation we'd taken together in a looooong time....it's amazing how it takes a child to get grown-ups to loosen up and remember the fun parts of life! We quite enjoyed the new additions to our getaway - Zoey and Jack but particularly Zoey, as the pictures (and above statement) explain why :)

Mommy Leenie with Zoey in the Sunset

Footprints in the Sand

(Can you guess whose is whose? Hint: One is mommy's....)

Awwww...sleepy baby :)

The first time I've ever actually flown a kite....or that most of us had actually!

I'm quite thankful to have such an amazing and supportive family. Love and miss them more every day!

Vacation = WOW!

I just got back from a 10-day trip to Singapore and Bali...and realized that I DESPERATELY need to update my blog.....but by GAH I just want you to know that I LOVE traveling!!!!! :)

I Live in Korea...really.

I'll post more about my trip home and to Malaysia very soon but first, there is something I have to get off my chest....

Ever since I hit that 6 month mark of living abroad, have been home and returned and now am going on about 15 months....it's finally started to hit me that I live in Korea.

I know - DUH, right? But wait...I can explain.

Some days, I never utter a word of hangul (word for the Korean language), I read English books and watch English videos on YouTube, I spend countless hours in bars filled mostly with other foreigners, and I don't even notice the passed out Korean business men on the side of the street. Other days I spend completely submerged in this very confused and yet distinctive culture that is Korean which means stopping to stare for a second at those passed out Korean business men on the side of the street, eating a diet filled mostly with rice and meat that only seems to ever experience garlic and ridiculously spicy pepper as seasonings, flashing annoyed looks at the dirty old men that spit huge wads right by my feet on the street, and smiling at all the cute children that shout, "Hello! I love you!" as I pass by.

I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's just that I tend to notice certain things more on some days than others based on my mood - which can be affected by a number of different variables (no point in even TRYING to analyze that). Maybe it's that I happen to be in the right place at the right time to feel certain ways, such as going to school where I speak English all day and then going to my English-speaking lash extension beautician or (vice versa) being yelled at by an adjuma to move the #!@$ out of her way and then stopping in at a Korean restaurant where I must read the menu in Korean, as there is no other option. Maybe it's based on my personal struggle to figure out who I am and what the hell I'm doing. Maybe it's culture shock from moving to Korea - a place that allows or better yet pushes me to live outside of typical social norms merely because I have light hair and skin. Maybe it's culture shock from visiting home - a place where I feel more restricted to live within the realm of society - and then returning to what's become my new playground. Maybe being the different one has become my new identity. Maybe it's all of the above...or maybe it's none of it.

Whatever it is....I know now that I am living in Korea and I know at least ONE reason why I am starting to realize this....

Asian men are starting to look attractive.

ATTENTION GERMANY: I will be there sooner than we both realize.

I Can Hear the Bells.... (and it's making me sick)

From my best friend....to a bride.

So my best friend got married while I was home and I was the Old Maid....eh HEM, I mean Maid of Honor.

So what duties/privileges did this involve for me? Well...

~ Show up, first of all - which was actually a fairly large task considering I had to come all the way from KOREA!

~ Wear designated dress - which thank goodness Grace has excellent taste :) (I only hope I can still wear it after having spilt coffee all over it late in the night - something I completely didn't remember doing until the next day....and didn't even really remember then.)

~ Attend all wedding festivities. (which were a good number - a house warming, a spa day event, rehearsal dinner, a brunch the morning of and - of course - the actual wedding)

~ Bouquet duty (aka shove it in the bride's face before she runs down the aisle with the groom to the back to retouch her makeup before greeting everyone)

~ Maid of Honor speech - which I PERSONALLY believe I rocked and will post as soon as I can get a copy of it!

~ Added tasks: Bachelorette Party (took place 24 hours after I'd landed, during which time I'd only had about 10 hours of sleep in 3 complete days), and entertain everyone at the reception by cutting some serious rug on the dance floor and accepting drinking challenges from the grooms' friends that were present negative wives/girlfriends (Score 1 for the Old Maid)

All in all, the wedding was basically perfect. Grace was beautiful, as she ALWAYS is. No one fell down (accept perhaps me as I was leaving at the end of the night). The food was great. The beer and wine poured endlessly (perhaps the least perfect thing for me since it caused me to be sick at the end of the night). Grace's little brothers were as adorable as always. No one cried (accept for me after the endless pouring). The pictures turned out amazing. The music was gorgeous. Everyone had fun. The weather was brilliant. Button's decorations, flowers, etc. were out of a dream. All in all, awesome, amazing...perfect.

So why do I still feel sick to my stomach?

The Wedding Party

(Her little brothers are SOOO cute!)

The "Ladies in Red" Bachelorette Party

My sentiments exactly

Alas...always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

(Though this pic could explain some of the sickness I feel)