8 Malaysia - Phuket, I'm outta here

With school closed for two days due to the unhealthy levels of haze, and my family far away, I decided to take their lead and book a flight to Phuket to join them. I had originally planned to go to a gnarly gig in KL for my birthday, but the feeling of missing my children, and the need to escape the haze which was making me get more sick, was too much for me to resist the urge to join them.

It was amazing stepping off the plane to see blue skies and cumulus clouds. I could smell fresh air again, and I instantly felt better. The family had booked into an upmarket resort called Laguna, and it was no problem to add me onto the booking. This area was unlike anywhere I had seen on my previous whirlwind tour of Thailand 6 years ago - it felt a lot more developed and catered to the 'holiday market' tourists here. It was beautiful though, and the natural environment still felt part of the landscape.

Blue Skies & Cumulus Clouds

The Thai hospitality was once again, second to none - the people on the resort couldn't do enough to make our stay as special as possible. The highlight being on my birthday, where the housekeeping had arranged a birthday message made out of flowers on my bed, and then a team of staff sang happy birthday to me at the poolside whilst presenting me with a birthday cake. Also on my birthday, we went to play a game of mini golf. I must say that the course was a grade 'A' standard - well kept astroturf, long & challenging holes - I won the round on the last hole, so it was a perfect TV finish. 

A massive lizard

The resort was massive (like the lizard), so much so that there were buses constantly doing the rounds taking people to different parts of it. Not only did we have the use of our pool, but we also went to other hotels on site to use their pools, and also to a private beach area that belonged to the resort.  The whole experience was a much needed purification exercise - physically, mentally, and emotionally - it was nice to feel closer to nature again. The haze had been beating us down for over a month and we just needed to escape (and this is where I start feeling guilty for being privileged because it isn't possible for most here in Malaysia).

Cheeky Birds...also migrating for better climates, or in the case of the sparrows in Malaysia during the haze...death.

7 Malaysia - Environmental disaster

I have just got back from the airport, where I was in tears as I was cuddling and saying goodbye to my children. It's not been easy at times since we have arrived. Jesse has hit the 'terrible twos' stage, he has had some irregular sleeping patterns, and has not been well the past few days. So on paper, the thought of having a 'rest' and a 'break' from the kids sounded marvellous. It's not until I actually wished them goodbye that all my emotions came pouring out and I wished they weren't going. I am not going to see them for a few days. 

Part of the reason they are leaving Malaysia for a short period is that there is a serious environmental problem rearing its ugly head right now. They are going to escape it for a few days and visit Thailand, along with their grandma, who is here visiting at the moment. It all began last week, when a haze descended over the country, affecting the air quality and the visibility. It has been getting worse, and over recent days it has been recorded by weather stations as 'very unhealthy'. The visibility is shocking, the smell is toxic, and the feeling I have in my head, throat, and chest is painful. I think my family have done the the right thing for their health and happiness - I am stuck at work unfortunately. As I drove away from the airport, I started to think about this problem on a wider level. Not only was I upset about not seeing my children, I started getting upset as to why this problem exists in the first place, and also at the thought that the environment may get so bad in the future, that I may not even have the chance to see my own children have kids of their own. A bit dramatic I know, yet I can't help but feel we have been ignoring the environment for too long. 

What is actually going on? School was closed for students on Tuesday, all over Malaysia schools have been closing, and it seems to getting worse. It's been due to haze that comes from illegal agricultural fires due to industrial scale slash and burn practices, mainly in Indonesia, and some other parts of South East Asia - all for the pursuit of profit (burned land can be used for palm oil and pulpwood production) over the environment. Now we all have to suffer indefinitely. 

I used to teach Global Development in my previous schools, and a past question always makes me shudder - "Development needs will always take priority over safeguarding the environment". To what extent do Sociological arguments and evidence support this view?  Well I have seen and felt it first hand now. Environmental problems are largely created in the West (either by direct policy or inadvertently through economic policy) and the effects are largely felt in the developing world. People in the developing world aren't as bothered as the masses in the West because they are too busy worrying about getting out of poverty. We have never been in such a position where have the capital, research, and public will to put the Sustainable Development Goals into practice. Governments take note - the time to act is now. 

There was some other recent events I was going to talk about this time round, yet I felt this story needed priority at this time. I will be back next time to talk about going to watch the football, and some more general observations about life here in Malaysia. Here is a song by a Malaysian punk band about the haze...

6 Malaysia - Apparatus, Langsuir, Atomic Death at Rumah Api, Kuala Lumpur

Apparatus, Langsuir, Atomic Death @ "Absurd 19", Rumah Api, Kuala Lumpur

It felt weird turning up to the show in my SUV and H&M underwear (well maybe not the underwear because it's bloody hot here in Malaysia, and bloody boiling on the 18th floor of an apartment complex with only fans for air conditioning, which is where RUMAH API is located). For more information about the history of this punk project you can watch a short documentary about it here. The H&M underwear is borne out of a new epoch of thinking about work dress wear - where I have taken a more active step to look good and smart (in the past I always settled for cheap work wear - why pay more to work for the man etc.) and I must say that looking the part helps feel and exude a greater sense of confidence and contentment in my ability (hence why I went so shop at such an establishment) - yet I digress slightly. I got changed into my punk clothes before I set off to the show (black vans hi-tops and a black Zounds t-shirt, complete with black shorts covering up my H&M underwear - oh the shame!). Then comes the SUV - I live in a quiet area outside of town, and I tried for 30 minutes to get a taxi, so I could have a few beers, yet there were no taxis available, so I decided to drive. Despite the lack of drinking there was no way that I was going to miss the legendary brutal crust noise of APPARATUS - especially as they have now moved to the Eastern peninsula of Malaysia - so I had to make sure I went to this show because chances are, they may not play in KL again during the next two years of my contract.

First of all, this was a free show, so it was busy. APPARATUS were about to embark on a European tour, and they will have had to fly out of KL anyway, so this was a warm up show of sorts, and a chance to sell some merchandise to raise some funds, as I am sure it is far more difficult for bands out here to tour Europe compared to those from developed countries. As well as the gig floor itself, there are some punk merchandise and music shops as part of the complex, and a few distros had turned up to sell their wares too. There was bar that sold cold cans of beer and cider for 7 or 8RM, and smoking was allowed in the venue, which made it feel like I was stepping into a time warp - it took a couple of days to wash off the smell from my skin. Even as a vaper, and coming from a country where it is illegal to smoke in public places (a policy I am supportive of), I felt awkward vaping in there.

The first band I saw were ATOMIC DEATH who were decked out in leather jackets (how did they manage the heat for so long?) and played a healthy crossover of Heavy Rock, Metal, and Crust. The crowd enjoyed it, and there was plenty of headbanging all round. Between bands I said hello to Big Sexy Panda, Melon, and Nobby, whom I met at ACCIDENTE show. The next band was LANGSUIR who were a weird type of grindcore band, which is a style I am not that into, so I watched a few songs and then headed to a quieter area, where I met two Canadian guys who live in China, and I had a good chat with them about their experiences there, and about the political situation there - I wanted to dig a little deeper as I am going to be teaching some Chinese history later in the year, so it was useful to get a deeper insight- read here for some 'beyond the firewall' articles about recent events there.

To round off the night was the mighty APPARATUS (the older guy original member and two young lads - likely from Kota Kinabalu), who blasted out 20-25 minutes of heavy, brutal, and straight up crusty noisy hardcore. I was hooked instantly, and I was in the middle of the pit for the first few songs, banging my fist like a true crust punk, (without the dirty underwear). I took a break for the middle of the set, then got stuck in again for the last two songs. It was great to have a good dance at a show, and I was absolutely covered in sweat by the end of the night. As the show was free, I bought a nice APPARATUS shirt after the show, and now I have my first Malaysian punk shirt - so next time I can try and blend in (not). Then it was back in the car for the drive home, listening to a PET SHOP BOYS compilation, winding down from another awesome, bespoke, Malaysian punk rock show.

5 Malaysia - Kuah Banjir

We have made significant progress with our lives here over the past couple of weeks, and a degree of normality has kicked in as we have started to get acclimatised to the weather and culture, as well as the familiarity of being back in 'work mode'. 

On a social level, we spent consecutive Thursdays hanging out with Couple 1 and their children, at our respective houses. The kids have enjoyed playing with each other, and the adults have enjoyed some nice food, chat and most importantly, cold alcoholic drinks together. We feel quite fortunate to have met some kindred spirits so soon into our journey. Being back at work has also led me to meet more of the expat teachers, and we now have Couple 3 in our lives, who are from South Africa originally. They are a good laugh, and like to sit around and talk too. My partner and I hosted a drinks night for all the couples we have met so far, including Couple 4, who also have a child and work in a senior role at the school. It was a nice opportunity for us to all socialise and get to know each other. Where we live and work is far away from the main expat hub in KL, so we are sort of the only White foreigners in the village - I kinda like that though. Therefore, it's quite important for us all to make strong social bonds so quickly. 

As far as adventures go, we have maintained our commitment to getting out and about and seeing the new society we live in. With our new Malaysian Couple 1 friends, we had a day out together, eating lots of nice food and visiting a waterfall in the jungle (unfortunately the main hub was closed due to some  recent deaths, yet there was still a nice part of the stream where we could swim and take in the natural flow of the water). It was great to escape the city and feel at one with nature again - and the kids did really well consider we drove for 4/5 hours of that whole day. 

On another trip I took the kids out for a 'day of culture' to Putrajaya, a beautiful city on the outskirts of KL, which is designated as the administrative and civil service hub for the region. It's full of magnificent buildings and a vast array of Green Spaces. I took them to the 'Iron' mosque, which is a well known for its modern and contemporary architecture - people there were super friendly, yet unfortunately Child 1 was whining, and Child 2 was asleep, so we didn't stick around long. They were too hungry, and even though it would have been an ideal place for our picnic - I realised we had ham sandwiches, so we had to eat our dinner in the car park. I then took them to the Millennium Monument, and I was able to read some of the history of Malaysia, as it is all represented in words and pictures on gold coloured plates along the path to the top - being with kids though meant I only got snippets though. The other plans I had had to be curtailed due to closures, but we have left plenty to see on future return visits.

My partner took the opportunity to spend some time with some of the other women from the couples, and they had an afternoon/night out in KL, for food, drinks, and a bit of late night karaoke. I also managed to get out to my second Malaysian punk-rock concert, this time at a different venue, with different styles of bands. As per usual, I will post a separate report about this in my next blog post. 

We also made a family trip to central KL to do some tourist stuff: use a rooftop infinity pool with a view (which KL is famous for), eat at a Mamak (Malaysian cafe - although we do that regularly where we are anyway - the title of this piece 'Kuah Banjir', means 'flood my plate with all the different curry sauces'), get some photos outside the famous Petronas Towers (oooh an oil company), let the kids play in the huge central park kids playground, and visit / eat at Jalan Alor night food market (lovely Thai food, and cold beer). We did manage to fit a lot into 8 hours, and the hotel we were supposed to stay at wasn't as advertised, so we kicked off, got a refund after going back and forth for an hour, and then made it home by midnight, fresh for another day. 

Speaking of complaining, you have to do it a lot to get things done here - the Malaysian attitude to some things is a lot different than we are used to. I am doing my upmost to not be 'that complaining westerner' but we have had a few minor disputes already with our landlord, housing agent, and internet providers, which wouldn't have got us moving forward into the position we are in now if we hadn't followed the BR philosophy of 'Raise Your Voice'. We still don't have Wifi installed in our house yet though, I love my computer god damn it! 

On a work related level I have been back at school for two weeks now. It's been great to meet all the students and staff, and start to get my bearings. I have also had confirmation that the management have seen the value in my experience and labour, promoting me to Head of Humanities. This is a huge career step for me, and an opportunity that I am excited about taking on. In addition to this, I am the only History teacher too, so I am defacto Head of History too, which is another new area of responsibility to get my head around; alongside getting used to new cohorts of learners, working with English as an Additional Language students, and living in a new country - it's going to be quite the challenge in this first term, yet after that, things will start to settle down. Thankfully I have an ambitious, yet down to earth and supportive bunch of people around me, as we work to drive the school forward on its path to success. 

The next few weeks we have family visiting, so I am sure we will be still getting Ont Road during the weekends. Till next time, be nice and look after each other.