Teacher Getting Hit By Culture: A Country Hoping Lifestyle

Hey Everyone,

So things have been pretty eventful the last few weeks. Spring break almost seems a distance memory already but it was definitely a great week away from school, hanging out in the Perhentian islands in Malaysia.

After an overnight layover in Kuala Lumpur, we flew out to Kota Bharu. A bus and boat ride later, we has a picturesque view of the amazing tropical island for just about a full week. The intent of our group was to receive our scuba diving open water certification and enjoy the sand and surf while at the islands.

The scuba diving course, was an interesting mix of traditional course work and hands on diving experience. I was dreading the course work part (after all, we were on vacation) but it actually turned out to be very informative and had a lot of scientific ties which I always enjoy. As for scuba diving itself, it does take some getting used to and it was a little nerve-racking at first being underwater for such a length of time. But once I got the hang of things, it was an incredible experience. The underwater world is nothing quite like anything on land and is a serene, harmonious natural environment. Whether you like the adventure of diving deep underwater or like exploring fantastic and richly diverse environments, I recommend giving scuba diving a try, maybe even get certification which I am proud to say I managed to get before the end of our time at the Perhentians.

Other then diving, what else is there to do other than kick back and soak the relaxation that comes with living on a tropical island. It was really refreshing simply living each day on a whim, and doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like doing it. Unfortunately, real life had to kick in eventually and before we would have liked, we found ourselves traveling back to KL and spending an overnight actually in KL this time.

Almost immediately upon arrival back in Macau, my parents were schedule to be in town for a week-long visit. Timing wise, it couldn't have been at a more hectic time. We had report cards to complete that same week and things felt very chaotic. I did manage to make time to show my parents around Macau a bit. During this past weekend, we crossed many territorial borders in heading up to Zhuhai, China, as well as a day visit to Hong Kong. It was really a strange perspective to have that realization that I live here; my parents were full-on tourists here, checking out the attractions, whereas I almost served as a tour guide as I knew how to get around all these "local" places.

I suppose I could give you more details about a busy last 2 weeks but I think pictures tell a better story so I'll leave you with those. Little do I actively think about it, but in about 2 months and a bit, I'll have finished my first year of teaching and I'll be back in Canada for the summer. What an amazing year it is been so far and I'm sure there will be a few more adventures between now and then.