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Football Crazy, Late Night Shopping at Tescos.

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After my first, almost full, week at school I thought that it would be just thing to take part in my school’s seemingly traditional way to end the working week: a mass game of football. Sweating, heaving bulks of men who lumber around the extremely large pitch trying to look like they know what they are doing accompanied by a gang of blokes who really can play the beautiful game. I am happy to say, with certainty, that I fit into the former category. It has been many years since I have played on a full size pitch and boy oh boy it is a very large pitch! I always enjoyed the Saturday indoor football at Coseley with a gang of players who ages and skill levels were as broad as each other. And there were two immediate differences I noticed between Coseley and my school’s pitch in Kuala Lumpur: walls and heat. I used to sweat buckets playing in Coseley, but even when it got to eight a side indoors and in the height of Summer there was very little humidity. But the construction that really aided middle of age bracket and lower end of the skills set players like me were the walls. How good was it on the very few occasions I managed to get round an opponent by playing the soft yellow ball off the wall and then accelerating (please be generous to me here) past them. There were no such helpful walls on Friday’s pitch. Still it was good fun and if my dodgy ankle holds up I may well risk another outing next Friday.

Saturday saw Lawrences finding the nearest LRT station, Kepong, and exploring the KL Sentral area. With an added monorail journey we found our way to MATIC, the Malaysian Tourist Information Centre, to pick up hints and ideas about where we really need to visit. MATIC is a very pleasant single story, colonial-type collection of buildings that give a feeling of calm just out of the main centre. Next we walked on towards KLCC and The Petronas Towers. Petronas Towers really are massive and they seem even more massive every time Edwin reminds me of their exact meterage. Walking through the shopping centre and out the other side to KLCC I was impressed by the water fountains. It is a pleasant gathering place, with some shading from trees as well as many vantage points to enjoy the various watery displays. There really is something soothing about water fountains. Wolverhampton was much derided at Full Council meetings and by the local media for the installation of water features in Queen’s Square but it did attract people to the centre and it was calming. Whether it was right to spend public money on those features is another debate but the twenty minutes that we sat down for at KLCC watching the displays were relaxing ones.

We all enjoyed a colleague’s birthday barbecue in Mont Kiara and particularly enjoyed the pork sausages. Yes PORK sausages. Feeling slightly like an outcast I bought our contribution from the “Non Halal” section of JustCo supermarket and then paid for them at the only available checkout, staffed by a muslim lady. She dutifully read to the written price for the sausages but did not scan or touch them. Curious. They tasted great. I discussion with another colleague I was told, in no uncertain terms, “Don’t do guilt.” That advice has served me well in the past and it is advice I intend to follow further.

Following the meat theme after getting home from the barbecue I ventured off to Tesco of Kepong to stock up on the essentials….and what a bargain I found. Best cuts of steak and beef hacked down to 10% of its normal price. Ok it was out of date that day but when faced with GBP 33.52 worth of fresh, best cuts for GBP 4.66 it would be rude not to clear the shelf. It tasted great in a hotpot with jacket potatoes for lunch. Children opted for the ever popular pasta and cheese, cheese priced at GBP 5 for 250 grams. A luxury food.

Back to work again tomorrow and I have a curious feeling. I am actually looking forward to it.

Food and Doing My Duty - Wednesday 5th September

“How are you finding Malaysia?” is a question that many people ask me here and it is very nice to be asked. Well, how am I finding Malaysia? My usual reply is something vague and smiley along the lines of “It’s quite a place, isn’t it?” To be truthful the Lawrence clan haven’t really seen much of Malaysia in our three weeks ish here, but one thing we have been told to do lots of is enjoy the food.

Last night knackeredness made us eat out. We’d all arrived back from our various schools and classes shattered and no-one could really be bothered to cook. Jumping into our hired Perodua Myvi we drove the short distance to Kepong, leaving the confines of Desa Park City, and sought out a place to eat. The area was two blocks full of up- and down-market hair salons, grocery shops, internet places and, of course, restaurants. At a rate of three meals per day it would take several weeks to eat all the food sellers’ places in the area but after a stroll around we chose a Chinese restaurant based on two criteria: some of the signs were in English and the lady who ran the place smiled lots. Now the food we munched wasn’t really that adventurous, mainly due to children not being that willing to try anything new, but the fried chicken pieces, vegetables in savoury sauce and omelette plus rice did taste good. It tasted even better when we were delivered the RM48.50 bill, just a few pence under £10. There was even plenty left over for Lexi to make up a box for her lunch today.

School dinners at my place are pretty good too. I really enjoyed the sandwiches, wonderfully made by Lexi each day, at my former school but as we gave away our second-hand bread maker before leaving sandwiches are somewhat off the menu. Instead yesterday my lunch was “chicken in brown sauce” with vegetables and rice, plus a thing of orange juice (RM9.00). Today I went for fried rice with vegetables and an omelette for the vast sum of RM5.00. All good stuff and much enjoyed. However I do feel slightly guilty in that today I paid more for my daily Gloria Jeans than I did for my lunch.

Gloria Jeans, I need to make clear, is not in any way euphemistic. It is a chain of coffee shops that just happens to have opened a branch next to school and from a business point of view I can certainly see why. The shop has a huge range of coffees, teas, chais, fruit-smoothies, cakes, pastries and sandwiches. Much as I did at my previous place I have gone for a self-imposed ban on buying food at break time – that way lies broader girths, people. Instead it is a Regular “Daily-Brew” coffee for me, with 10% off the price for teachers. Like many other colleagues I am delighted to be greeted by Nuoma with a cheery “What would like today, Robin?” There is also a developing understanding between my subject colleagues and I about visits to Gloria Jean’s, and whoa-betide any one of us who goes to GJ’s without taking an order from others!

Today was my first duty day. All teachers have reasons for dreading duties. Sometimes they simply would rather be having a break time gossip or more often they really don’t want to get clobbered by low-flying footballs while wading through piles of dropped crisp bags, crushed cigarette butts and snogging couples. My first duty today was nothing like that. I spent twenty minutes in the ground level cafeteria watching well-behaved young people talking to each other, eating a variety of interesting foods and then clearing away their plates afterwards. Then I did my weekly lunchtime duty, patrolling the two staircases near my department, and again found well-behaved children chatting to each other. I can handle these sorts of duties.

Food and Doing My Duty - Wednesday 5th September

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE

“How are you finding Malaysia?” is a question that many people ask me here and it is very nice to be asked. Well, how am I finding Malaysia? My usual reply is something vague and smiley along the lines of “It’s quite a place, isn’t it?” To be truthful the Lawrence clan haven’t really seen much of Malaysia in our three weeks ish here, but one thing we have been told to do lots of is enjoy the food.

Last night knackeredness made us eat out. We’d all arrived back from our various schools and classes shattered and no-one could really be bothered to cook. Jumping into our hired Perodua Myvi we drove the short distance to Kepong, leaving the confines of Desa Park City, and sought out a place to eat. The area was two blocks full of up- and down-market hair salons, grocery shops, internet places and, of course, restaurants. At a rate of three meals per day it would take several weeks to eat all the food sellers’ places in the area but after a stroll around we chose a Chinese restaurant based on two criteria: some of the signs were in English and the lady who ran the place smiled lots. Now the food we munched wasn’t really that adventurous, mainly due to children not being that willing to try anything new, but the fried chicken pieces, vegetables in savoury sauce and omelette plus rice did taste good. It tasted even better when we were delivered the RM48.50 bill, just a few pence under £10. There was even plenty left over for Lexi to make up a box for her lunch today.

School dinners at my place are pretty good too. I really enjoyed the sandwiches, wonderfully made by Lexi each day, at my former school but as we gave away our second-hand bread maker before leaving sandwiches are somewhat off the menu. Instead yesterday my lunch was “chicken in brown sauce” with vegetables and rice, plus a thing of orange juice (RM9.00). Today I went for fried rice with vegetables and an omelette for the vast sum of RM5.00. All good stuff and much enjoyed. However I do feel slightly guilty in that today I paid more for my daily Gloria Jeans than I did for my lunch.

Gloria Jeans, I need to make clear, is not in any way euphemistic. It is a chain of coffee shops that just happens to have opened a branch next to school and from a business point of view I can certainly see why. The shop has a huge range of coffees, teas, chais, fruit-smoothies, cakes, pastries and sandwiches. Much as I did at my previous place I have gone for a self-imposed ban on buying food at break time – that way lies broader girths, people. Instead it is a Regular “Daily-Brew” coffee for me, with 10% off the price for teachers. Like many other colleagues I am delighted to be greeted by Nuoma with a cheery “What would like today, Robin?” There is also a developing understanding between my subject colleagues and I about visits to Gloria Jean’s, and whoa-betide any one of us who goes to GJ’s without taking an order from others!

Today was my first duty day. All teachers have reasons for dreading duties. Sometimes they simply would rather be having a break time gossip or more often they really don’t want to get clobbered by low-flying footballs while wading through piles of dropped crisp bags, crushed cigarette butts and snogging couples. My first duty today was nothing like that. I spent twenty minutes in the ground level cafeteria watching well-behaved young people talking to each other, eating a variety of interesting foods and then clearing away their plates afterwards. Then I did my weekly lunchtime duty, patrolling the two staircases near my department, and again found well-behaved children chatting to each other. I can handle these sorts of duties.

Food and Doing My Duty - Wednesday 5th September

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE

“How are you finding Malaysia?” is a question that many people ask me here and it is very nice to be asked. Well, how am I finding Malaysia? My usual reply is something vague and smiley along the lines of “It’s quite a place, isn’t it?” To be truthful the Lawrence clan haven’t really seen much of Malaysia in our three weeks ish here, but one thing we have been told to do lots of is enjoy the food.

Last night knackeredness made us eat out. We’d all arrived back from our various schools and classes shattered and no-one could really be bothered to cook. Jumping into our hired Perodua Myvi we drove the short distance to Kepong, leaving the confines of Desa Park City, and sought out a place to eat. The area was two blocks full of up- and down-market hair salons, grocery shops, internet places and, of course, restaurants. At a rate of three meals per day it would take several weeks to eat all the food sellers’ places in the area but after a stroll around we chose a Chinese restaurant based on two criteria: some of the signs were in English and the lady who ran the place smiled lots. Now the food we munched wasn’t really that adventurous, mainly due to children not being that willing to try anything new, but the fried chicken pieces, vegetables in savoury sauce and omelette plus rice did taste good. It tasted even better when we were delivered the RM48.50 bill, just a few pence under £10. There was even plenty left over for Lexi to make up a box for her lunch today.

School dinners at my place are pretty good too. I really enjoyed the sandwiches, wonderfully made by Lexi each day, at my former school but as we gave away our second-hand bread maker before leaving sandwiches are somewhat off the menu. Instead yesterday my lunch was “chicken in brown sauce” with vegetables and rice, plus a thing of orange juice (RM9.00). Today I went for fried rice with vegetables and an omelette for the vast sum of RM5.00. All good stuff and much enjoyed. However I do feel slightly guilty in that today I paid more for my daily Gloria Jeans than I did for my lunch.

Gloria Jeans, I need to make clear, is not in any way euphemistic. It is a chain of coffee shops that just happens to have opened a branch next to school and from a business point of view I can certainly see why. The shop has a huge range of coffees, teas, chais, fruit-smoothies, cakes, pastries and sandwiches. Much as I did at my previous place I have gone for a self-imposed ban on buying food at break time – that way lies broader girths, people. Instead it is a Regular “Daily-Brew” coffee for me, with 10% off the price for teachers. Like many other colleagues I am delighted to be greeted by Nuoma with a cheery “What would like today, Robin?” There is also a developing understanding between my subject colleagues and I about visits to Gloria Jean’s, and whoa-betide any one of us who goes to GJ’s without taking an order from others!

Today was my first duty day. All teachers have reasons for dreading duties. Sometimes they simply would rather be having a break time gossip or more often they really don’t want to get clobbered by low-flying footballs while wading through piles of dropped crisp bags, crushed cigarette butts and snogging couples. My first duty today was nothing like that. I spent twenty minutes in the ground level cafeteria watching well-behaved young people talking to each other, eating a variety of interesting foods and then clearing away their plates afterwards. Then I did my weekly lunchtime duty, patrolling the two staircases near my department, and again found well-behaved children chatting to each other. I can handle these sorts of duties.

Mr Desmond and His Car

Well it looks like Mr Desmond has come up trumps with a family sized beast for Lawrences to travel in. He arrived with a Hyundai Trajet for us to look at this evening and we have taken the plunge. It will seat all the gang in luxury and, fingers crossed be just right for Malaysia exploring. The cost, RM30,000 (£6000). Now to have fun and games transferring the money over here!

A Busy Weekend Moving In

Having spent two nights staying at Sharifah’s house, after checking out of The Boulevard early on Thursday getting to grips with moving to Desa Park City was both exciting and somewhat daunting. We had arranged to arrive at DPC at around ten to formally move in. It wasn’t really a formal occasion but all Lawrences were pleased to be gaining our own front door again. Prompt therefore at 1030 we all arrived and lugged various suitcases in to number 82 and then thought, “What next?” We had scheduled several appointments that day, some of which we had some control over.

Shirley was first. Meeting her at the new and empty Chateau Lawrence at around 1100 we discussed her duties and agreed for her to work for four hours a day, weekdays, from 1430 to 1830 ish. Marvelous. Done. Next the internet man, Lego, was scheduled between 1100 and 1200. He was a fast talker and trying to understand him on the phone had been tricky. Nevertheless both he and had persisted and an appointment made. While we awaited his arrival I managed to confuse the gas supply company as to the number of where we were trying to live all with the aim of trying to buy a gas cylinder to fire our hob. Determination reigned and within half an hour a bloke on a Honda Dream arrived with three gas cylinders attached to his purpose built vehicle and set about installing the gas plus adding a new regulator. Job done he sped off, with his phone skilfully tucked between his helmet and ear chatting this boss as he went.

1200 and no sign of Lego or lego, so it was lunchtime at the Waterfront Shopping area. Lots of different shops in manageable proportions. During lunch the great internet man called to say that he was running late and so would be with us at 1330. No problem. Back at the house he arrived bang on 1430 and rapidly sold us an internet and TV package brought to us in association with Unifi. Apparently we will also be having a landline phone too, although Mr Lego, or Legolas Goh to give him his full title, assured us that nobody used them these days. Mr Lego was a short, wirey chap who seemed to work at rapid pace and talk faster. There was no time for dilly-dallying or soft sell with him it was simply what did we want? There you go. Job done. Fitting in seven to ten days.

While he was doing his internet stuff furniture was being assembled by a team of guys working for Carol, the landlord’s agent. They built beds, bunk beds and sofas, chairs, tables etc at a pace that made me feel proud that I was a drama teacher, and even prouder that I was not having to do it. Could this be the end of me having to un-flat-pack?

Furniture assembled, internet bought, stuff brought in the house it was time to jump in the pool. The whole pool area does have a very holiday feel to it. I also discovered a sauna area too, just what one needs on the tropics.

As 1700 we began to realise that we really did need to dash off to do some house shopping, mainly because we had beds, but nothing to put on them. Nor did the children have any trainers or white socks to wear to school. Shattered we arrived back at 2200 with piles of stuff and tired children.

The Return of Mr Robin

After a gap of 12 years Mr Robin has returned, but now it is only going to be part-time. While I was having a meeting in an institution that claims to be The World's Local Bank this afternoon, with Mr Edwin (not our Edwin, although Edwin was secretly quite pleased to find another Edwin), I felt a great sense of homecoming to South East Asia. "Please sign here, Mr Robin," asked the ever polite Mr Edwin. "And next here, Mr Robin," he went on. First names abound and are used more frequently thatn surnames and formalised by the addition of Mr, Mrs or, on occasions Madam. For all of my 2 years in Lao I was Mr Robin and for at least part of my time in Malaysia I will proudly be Mr Robin again.

Clearly students at my school will be used to using Mr Lawrence, although for some of them that will be quite a challenge to say. I can remember setting a speaking exercise for my Lao students based around a girl's journey to work. Naming her Laura, pleasant name, I quickly realised the error of my ways when it became clear that the letter R does not appear in lao and when it is preceeded by the dipthong 'aw' it becomes almost impossible to say. Swift lesson in speech for me.

Today at my school the INSET has mainly been focused around pastoral matters and introducing the new roles of certain staff. The pastoral training involved some startling data taken from a thorough and comprehensve student survey undertaken during the last academic year. 70% of the school were surveyed and when asked about the most important reason for coming to school 2% said the main reason they attended was to be with boyfriends / girlfriends, 23% said it was because of their friends whereas 67% said their main motivation for coming to school was to study. It would be all too easy to say that this was the polar opposite of the British education system although I would be fascinated to look at responses to a similar survey carried out back home.

And so briefly back to Mr Robin again and the tricky world of banking. I received startling news yesterday that Lexi and I's joint bank account had been opened and I was given a bank account number. It only took five working days longer than the promised one. But this is Malaysia and my experiences with banks in Blighty have been similarly frustrating. Mr Edwin, the cheery bank man, asked me to come to the branch after work so that I could collect my ATM card. However it was not that simple. I had to give him certain documents signed by Lexi and I agreeing to various terms and conditions, yet more copies of our passports and a curious letter in which I declared that Lexi and I were married and that we lived at a fixed address in the UK. I duly supplied the necessaries only to discover that Lexi had failed to sign one page of the terms and conditions. Expecting more delays and more fractiousness from my three, growing restless children my heart sank. Never fear, Mr Edwin had a solution. "Just sign both names yourself," he said, "they look alike anyway." Marvellous. I love this kind of banking.

More anon.

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Yesterday afternoon, while Lexi and children enjoyed time by the hotel pool, I ventured out into KL to try to get the Lawrence GPS updated to include Malaysia. Driving in KL is tough enough, even worse when you only have the vaguest of ideas about where you are going so an accurate GPS for the newcomer is a must. Instead of taking a taxi, which are generally very cheap at around RM15 per journey I took the train instead. Having paid my RM1 (about 20p) my train to KL Sentral arrived on time and was chilled to the regulation refreshing temperature inside. I was careful though not to sit or stand in the "Ladies Only" waiting area and was equally careful to avoid the women only carriage.

Yes, that is right, a Ladies Only Area. I know that Malaysia is officially a Muslim Country but it did feel strange being segregated. My only other experience of Ladies Only was from a Dick emery film of many years ago when he was playing one of his many drag characters. Quaint Jane Austin inspired visions what a Ladies Only carriage might involve came to my mind: pleasant glasses of sherry served to women who were busy tackling embroidery and chattering about the season while in the far corner a younger woman played the pianoforte. Clearly I will never be able to find out if this vision is an accurate one, I can only hope that it is.

I managed to get the GPS uploaded with Malaysia maps at Low Yat Plaza a small, but packed five-storey mall full of anything and everything IT. Smart phones, tablets, laptops and packed full of people buying and selling. I found the stall specializing in GPS and for RM50 got the Malaysia maps uploaded, much better than the official upload that was available from Garmin for US$99.99.

Later that afternoon I had my first ride on a KL driverless train to Bangsar and also saw a Chinese Dragon pole dancing. Nothing seedy about it it was exactly as I have described. Two men inside a Chinese Dragon were jumping rhythmically from top to top of 3 metre poles, accompanied by percussion. It appeared to part of wedding celebration and was cheered on by quite a crowd.

On Friday evening the whole gang of recent arrivals, us included, went on a school organized trip to Selangor. We enjoyed a view across to the sea, really must go to the beach soon, accompanied by a group of tame monkeys. The monkeys greatly enjoyed the bananas that we brought from very keen, moped riding fruit sellers. After the monkeys it was off for a feed over looking the river and then after dark we were taken on a boat trip to watch really quite beautiful fireflies. It was a late return to KL, but well worth it.

More news soon.

Lawrences Arrive in Kuala Lumpur

While standing in the queue for the loos Edwin had a moment of enlightenment and wow-ness on the flight from Amsterdam to KL: "Daddy. We are higher than Mount Everest and going faster thana Formula One car AND we don't have our seatbelts on." So if the children get nothing else from this adventure to KL then at least one of then has got an understanding of global scale!

We almost didn't get to leave Amsterdam as an eagle eyed KLM lady spotted that Trixie didn't have more than six months left on her passport and that KLM might get fined, or some such apparent nonsense. After answering a few more questions and doubtless sounding very suspicious:

Official "Do you have copy of your contract with you?"

Me "No."

Official "Do you have a work permit?" as well as to enable Lexo

Me "Er, no."

Official "Do you have an address in KL?"

Me "Er, sorry, no."

I mamanged to clinch the deal by provding the telephone number of my school's administrator and that seemed to be ok. There is a lesson there somewhere.

Boys and girls enjoyed seat-back TV and games on the long flight and even managed a little bit of sleep. Our arrival at KL Internationl Airport was smooth although we were all glad that we had tied Union Flag ribbons onto our cases to help identify them. Why are all cases black?

We were met at KLIA by the head of secondary and head of primary and then drivem the 75km into KL in one of the shcools minibuses along with another couple from BIrmingham. Tiredness started to kick in.

Following some sleep we had a welcome brunch the next day, Thursday, by the pool side in The Boulevard Hotel. It is really a posh hotel. They have arranged for us mob to have adjoining rooms to allow a constant through flow of children and parents as well as to enable Lexi or I to part fractious off-spring.

On Thursday afternoon I had a tour of my school and naturally was easily wowed by the Drama facilities. Three studios, editing suite, office, practice rooms and a props store. All air-con. The list of additional useful items includes a brand new office chair, although I don't reckon there will be much time for sitting on it, interactive white boards, stage blocks, as massive school hall, known as The Grand Hall, and a cafetierre ready and waiting for use in the office. Bring on the lessons, say I.

House hunting is a little bit stressful though. We have met various agents who are all keen for us to rent their apartments. The school is surrounded by high-rise condominiums, or condos (yes I do still titter a bit at that word). They are ceratinly posh although the ne that has most taken our eye is the oldest one that we have seen. Wooden floors, four bedrooms and on two levels. With the obligatory swimming pool, gym, badminton court and barbecue area the apartment is owned by Mr Yew, although I dearly wish it had been Mr Woo. The big HOWEVER is the price. Colleagues say that because Mr Yew's place is an old condo (10 years plus) then the price shouls be RM2500 to 3500 per month. He is opening the bidding at RM4800. we are seeing more places today and then will start hard bargaining.

Enjoyed a welcome dinner with the school in Chinatown last night, whihc was great and I bought myself a genuine fake "vans" bag for school and travelling around. We also had a very pleasant afternoon at the KL Bird Park too.

More updates soon and hopefully some photos too.

R.L.E.R.T.