Their first hash

Last week after church we drove into the jungle to do our first hash run (our first, not Mike's, many of you heard about the adventure of his last run). After passing through the small village of Kuang, then several Orang Asli (native people) villages, and on through a palm and rubber tree plantation we arrived at the spot where we would begin. Mike took Szemi and Bennett and trekked with our friends Edward and Janet and their children and dog. The plan was for me to do the short run with Ridge since it was our first time. After completing the short run, I still felt up for more and decided to go on to the long route. By this time Ridge was starting to complain a bit so I put him on my back where he 'helped' spot the pieces of paper that marked out trail. The rest of our journey was quite an adventure! We saw the most incredible plants, insects, and terrain. The highlight was happening upon several families that live in the jungle in tiny little 'homes' on stilts. They would wave and smile as we passed. I wish I had a camera because it was like nothing I'd seen before. I laughed to myself wondering what these people might be thinking as all these white sweaty people go wandering through their jungle. After the run we all gathered for snacks and drinks and sang a few songs. Next time I'll bring my camera along and share with you what we see!

Going from youngest to oldest here are our updates:

Simon- Lovin' life!

Ridgley- Doin' great! The highlight for him is that once again we live so close to an airport that he gets to watch airplanes coming and going. To top this, on Saturday the Thunderbirds were in KL and flying out of the smaller Subang airfield that's right in our neighborhood. We took the boys to an overlook near our house and watched them do their thing. He hasn't stopped talking about it! It has been interesting for us to watch Ridge adjust to life here. He hasn't missed a beat, not one. It's as if nothing changed. Three is just young enough to accept anything that comes your way. School has been great for him. He's always excited to go and has lots to say at the end of the day.

Szemi - Our poor girl is hot! She's doing fine, but it's an adjustment for her. We can't take her places as often because she can't be left in the car even for a moment. Taking her to hash runs will be the highlight of her life here. In case you don't remember, we were told by a few that we shouldn't live in Shah Alam with her since it's mostly muslim. We've been thrilled to see that our neighbors are kind concerning her, just a bit afraid of a dog her size.

Bennett- He's hangin' in there. There have been some rough patches, but it's hard to tell if it's from being tired, all the change, or from eating the wrong things. It's been harder than I expected to feed him here. The packages aren't labeled or are written in Chinese. Our neighbors and his teachers give him food without asking and when Bennett says he's not sure he can have it, they push him to eat it anyway. Obviously it's just a misunderstanding, but it's making him a bit miserable. His little eyes are black and he's uncomfortable. His highlights have been living next to a baby girl (most know he loves babies). She's the daughter of our landlord so we see her quite often. We ate at their house for the Mooncake Festival Friday night and the nephews and cousins of Mr. Tan (landlord) took him for a walk through the streets with a Chinese lantern to celebrate. School is good for Bennett too, just more of an adjustment. There were some questions going in wether to move him up since 5 yo's can go in one of two different levels. We opted for the lower level since there would be second language issues. Now I'm rethinking the choice because they're so far behind in English. Making education choices, or living with a lack of choices, is one of the most difficult parts of living internationally. We'll see how it all unfolds.

Tanner- Started college and loves it. In our first week apart he started boxing at a gym and shaved his head. He told us not to worry so we don't, but we do miss him!

Me- I spend my days keeping the little ones on track. So far they've been where they were supposed to be, with the necessary items, on time, well rested, and well fed. I think this means I'm successful? The challenge of finding where to get their hair cut, buy food, buy a refrigerator, get the clothes washer fixed, sign up for soccer, etc. keeps me moving! My biggest challenge other than missing Tanner, friends and family has been driving. Driving on the left side is challenging enough, one that I've mostly conquered, but the roads and the drivers make it feel nearly impossible. Mike has done all the driving so far except runs to school and the local shop. I think I'll stick to my few destinations unit I buy a really safe car. We're in a rental Proton, Malaysian made, and I'm sure great in many ways, but doesn't feel safe to me.

I'll try to get pics up as soon as possible. I need to figure out a way to charge my camera battery first!

Miss you all!