It's Official!

Georgetown's famous wall art. Here, Auntie sells us some local goodies.

Well here we are in Malaysia! This move was a long time in coming, and though frustration and stress have saturated our first days here, I am far from discouraged. This is the life I’ve been wanting for ages, and I’m finally getting to try it out! The rest of the family (particularly the older kids) haven’t been dreaming of being uprooted from home, family, friends, and all things familiar and being relocated across the world in a land devoid of toilet paper, ice cream makers, and brisk fall weather. So of course they’re highly subject to culture shock and the accompanying depressive episodes. And jet lag, to the extreme. No matter, we’ll all be sorted out soon enough, especially once we’re settled in a rental property and can establish routine and build a social network.

I must confess that the emotional complexities of a large-scale change such as this move are greatly magnified with children. They’re all acting a bit skiddywompus these days, but I suppose that’s what regular people do when their happy lives have been disrupted and the future is fraught with uncertainty. My personal motto is “Go everywhere, do everything, eat everyfood,” and this adventurous spirit influences the family, but certainly doesn’t define the rest of them as it does me and Kyle.

I appreciate their willingness to give this a shot, though. I know I’d always regret never trying. Sacrifices from every family member are inevitable, but if they get a happy and fulfilled mom out of the deal, that might be worth it to them!