July 25, 2007
Hoy, nuestro chofer fue al templo Hindú para bendecir su motoneta (un tipo de despojo) ya que tuvo dos accidentes en un mes. Nos invito pero tuve que apurarme por que según el calendario hindú, hoy era el ultimo día en el cual este tipo de despojo se podía hacer. No se cuando se podrá repetir? Lo acompañamos y lo pude sacar todo en video - así que ahí lo tengo para la prosperidad. Si sigo como voy, vamos a tener un documental de la vide sur oriental asiática - tipo National Geographic.
El chofer (Siva) sigue esperando para la novia Senu desidirse si se quiere casar o no ... La novia no se decide... Pero tampoco le dice que no...La mama de Senu lo llama y lo invita a la casa, pero Senu no quiere estar con el, y lo ignora. Yo lo veo muy mal pero Siva sigue con las esperanza.... But, I found out more chisme, ... The reason he feels so indebted to the family is because his sister (you remember the old ugly fat one) lived with Senu's family for 2 years. This is because (I promise this is the truth!) they all believe she is possessed by a Malay Muslim demon. They believe that this possession started when she was 12 and she used to eat Mangos from the Malay Muslim mango tree (everyone knows that the Malay demons live in the Mango trees). Since she was 12 she has gone to see I don't know how many doctors, and then even more Hindu priests. Apparently when she is possessed, she goes to the temple and throws herself on the floor doing the "snake dance" and asking for a Cow's bloody head (mind you, remember that to Hindus the cow is the most sacred animal). Finally, Senu's mother couldn't take it anymore, and they took her to a Malay witchdoctor, who although wasn't able to totally exercise the demon, he was able to "tie it up" enough so that they could find a proposer for her, and marry her off. Only now that she has been married for 6 months, the demon has "become loose" again, and the mother-in-law is threatening to send her back to the parents...the story couldn't get any more interesting if it was in a book.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
Penang in Summary, first 6 months
July 2, 2007
We enjoy Penang very, very much. It is ever the adventure, ... Penang is an island on the equator about the size of Broward county with 1.5 million residents, so it is roughly the same as what we are used to in terms of weather, city size and population. However, what makes it totally different is that instead of being surrounded by a swamp (the Everglades ) we are surrounded by mountainous jungles. I live on a golf course, that is just at the foot of the jungle. We have monkeys in our back yard daily and monitor lizards about 3-4 feet long, and at night it is SO loud with jungle noises it was hard to get to sleep at first.
The nicest thing here are the people, who are so friendly and helpful, and go so out of their way to do favors that at first we were skeptical of their motives, but really they are just being nice.... to us ... we are treated almost like royalty. The strangest or most difficult thing to get used to is the people and the way they treat their servants. It is like going back in time 200 years, where maids and drivers are litterly treated like slaves, not allowed to leave the house, given the poorest living condition in huge mansions, and made to work 7 days a week. I really have never felt myself so Christian, our ahma (maid) and driver can't understand why we are so nice to them ("Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to Me!") It really makes it hard for me to be true friends with people here because although they are so nice, and we have made so many acquaintancs from the West, I can't believe how they can come here and then forget all people are God's children.
There are three main cultures here (Muslim, Chinese, and Indian). And every holiday is celebrated along with all the Christian ones, so there is always a party going on somewhere, with the strangest rituals, customs, and festivities you can imagine. From fireworks to sacrificial body piercings to holidays where they through colored sand/water on you as you go down the street -- we've seen it all.
The fashion though is for me the most interesting. You can go to the mall, and in the same store see a muslim man with a fez, followed by his 4 wives in full black burkas with only their eyes showing, standing in line right next to Chinese teenage girls with micro mini skirts and gogo boots, standing right next to an Indian lady in a saree, standing right next to some Australians in cargo shorts and flip flops. Then there are always the occassional Taoist monks who shave their heads and wear wrap around orange bedsheets or the men from bali in silk pajama pants covered by a floresent pink or lime green skirt... it is truely fascinating!
Oh, and as to the "Have we adjusted" question -- just when I think I've adjusted, something happens to through me for a loop... like the little black bat sleeping cozily in the office plant inside the Motorola building,
or the cows happily grazing stopping traffic on the busiest streets
, or the chicken comfortably resting on my front doorstep this morning 
-- always something to remind us that we are not really "home".
We enjoy Penang very, very much. It is ever the adventure, ... Penang is an island on the equator about the size of Broward county with 1.5 million residents, so it is roughly the same as what we are used to in terms of weather, city size and population. However, what makes it totally different is that instead of being surrounded by a swamp (the Everglades ) we are surrounded by mountainous jungles. I live on a golf course, that is just at the foot of the jungle. We have monkeys in our back yard daily and monitor lizards about 3-4 feet long, and at night it is SO loud with jungle noises it was hard to get to sleep at first.
The nicest thing here are the people, who are so friendly and helpful, and go so out of their way to do favors that at first we were skeptical of their motives, but really they are just being nice.... to us ... we are treated almost like royalty. The strangest or most difficult thing to get used to is the people and the way they treat their servants. It is like going back in time 200 years, where maids and drivers are litterly treated like slaves, not allowed to leave the house, given the poorest living condition in huge mansions, and made to work 7 days a week. I really have never felt myself so Christian, our ahma (maid) and driver can't understand why we are so nice to them ("Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to Me!") It really makes it hard for me to be true friends with people here because although they are so nice, and we have made so many acquaintancs from the West, I can't believe how they can come here and then forget all people are God's children.
There are three main cultures here (Muslim, Chinese, and Indian). And every holiday is celebrated along with all the Christian ones, so there is always a party going on somewhere, with the strangest rituals, customs, and festivities you can imagine. From fireworks to sacrificial body piercings to holidays where they through colored sand/water on you as you go down the street -- we've seen it all.
The fashion though is for me the most interesting. You can go to the mall, and in the same store see a muslim man with a fez, followed by his 4 wives in full black burkas with only their eyes showing, standing in line right next to Chinese teenage girls with micro mini skirts and gogo boots, standing right next to an Indian lady in a saree, standing right next to some Australians in cargo shorts and flip flops. Then there are always the occassional Taoist monks who shave their heads and wear wrap around orange bedsheets or the men from bali in silk pajama pants covered by a floresent pink or lime green skirt... it is truely fascinating!
Oh, and as to the "Have we adjusted" question -- just when I think I've adjusted, something happens to through me for a loop... like the little black bat sleeping cozily in the office plant inside the Motorola building,
or the cows happily grazing stopping traffic on the busiest streets, or the chicken comfortably resting on my front doorstep this morning -- always something to remind us that we are not really "home".
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