I Declare My Ear Well!

Friday, July 27, 2007--Medan, Indonesia to Penang, Malaysia

Indonesians are among the worst in the world at lining up. They push their way to the front without feeling guilty. Yet the guidebooks all warn not to get fussy or lose one's temper because it means losing face when dealing with them. Don't they know they lose face by cutting in line all the time, by not letting people get OFF buses and trains before they start pushing in? Here at the airport, I had to physically extend my arm and brace it on a counter to keep a guy who should have been two persons behind me from pushing in front of me. They are HORRIBLE and have no shame.

The airport lets guys check in groups of passengers here. So much checking IDs as a security measure. It also means that I had to stand behind one guy while he checked in 20 passengers for the flight. It took 25 minutes! Then when I went to pay my airport tax, I was behind another guide who paid the tax for 35 people! I had to stand there and wait while the tax man stapled a tax receipt to each boarding pass, used the calculator to see how much tax was due, and then counted the money twice since it was such a large amount!

I had a fantastic people experience today. While waiting for the flight which was delayed for some reason, I met a nice young man and started talking. He is 16. He, like many others on the flight, was going to Penang for medical reasons. It is common for people from Sumatra to go to Malaysia for better medical care than they say they can get at home. The passengers were all limping, wobbling, etc. The plane was full of the walking sick. But back to the boy. He shared one of his iPod earpieces with me and we listened to music as we waited. He told me he was being met at the airport by his uncle and that they would give me a ride to town if I wanted. When we boarded the plane, I was several rows behind him. When we arrived, he waited in his seat for me. We went to customs together with him waiting while I completed a form he didn't have to complete. His uncle offered me a ride before the boy could even ask him. So I drove into town in their SUV with them while getting to know the uncle.

The uncle is my age and looks quite young (maybe because of still having all his hair). He is a Buddhist, but he has been one only for 10 years. He has such a calm demeanor, but he told me that he used to be nervous and quick to temper. Unbelievable. He now serves as the administrator for a Buddhist temple here in Penang. They drove me to the temple and gave me a tour. Then they asked if I would join them for lunch if I didn't need to be at the hotel immediately. I hadn't gotten money at the airport, because we had been rushing from being late. When I mentioned it, he said it was no problem; he wanted to treat me anyway. We all (including the driver) went to a vegetarian restaurant and ate. I had a very strong iced coffee which is a local favorite (beans are not roasted; they are fried in butter, sugar and cinnamon before being ground). Afterwards, they dropped me off by the hotel. I felt sad, because they were so nice and I would not be seeing them again. By the way, while in the SUV, the boy pulled out a scan to show his uncle. It is a problem with swelling in his brain that he has caused him to come here. He is such a sweet, innocent, and loving boy. I hope it is something that is treatable.

My first hotel did not have a room available except for 1 night. Tuesday is a big holiday here and people are coming from all over the area (Singapore, KL, etc.) to be here to celebrate it. In fact, it is too bad I am leaving Monday. Like in Taiwan, my timing is just off so that I am leaving before a special celebration. Anyway, my next hotel had a room. It's expensive (for me) and quite nice with all the amenities--a/c, hot water, good bed, plush towels, movies on TV, newspaper under the door, breakfast buffet, etc.

I went to a neighborhood outdoor food court and ate barbecued pork with noodles for dinner. Unfortunately, neither it nor my lunch was as tasteful as the food I had regularly in Indonesia. I guess I became spoiled there.

Saturday, July 28, 2007--Penang, Malaysia

I slept 11 hours last night! I guess I was really tired from getting up early and traveling all day. I had lots of dreams. One of the good ones was about Arne who was walking around and smiling. He was so sweet and it was so nice to see him that way. The bad ones included me teaching. Yuck!!

I walked to the old colonial center of town. They have done lots of restoration since I was here 5 years ago. Penang is really a nice place. I went to the Penang State Museum, realizing only after I was in it that I had already been there. Fortunately, many of the exhibits had been updated since before. I was just wandering the streets, enjoying the old architecture of the city, and exploring in general. Then the rains came. HEAVY rains. And the sky didn't look as if it would stop or clear. So I took out my umbrella and headed to the hotel. By the time I got there, my shoes and socks were squishy wet. My pants legs were clinging to me. I was dry only down to my hips. What a rainfall!

It did eventually stop raining, and I am out again. It's nighttime. I will go to find a place to eat after I leave the cyber cafe. I made coffee in the room and ate some candies I had bought at the airport yesterday with my leftover Indonesian money.

My ear feels well. In fact, it felt well yesterday, too. I hope that two days in a row means that it really is. I've run out of my penicillin tablets, and I don't know if they can be bought over the counter here in Malaysia. So let's hope that I am right and am well. I am now nursing a couple of sores that I got from trying to do the heat treatment. I didn't realize it, but apparently I burned my skin on the fluorescent light bulb in two small places.