Beginnings

 This trip got off to something of a rocky start. At approximately 3:30 pm EST, Tuesday, February 25, about 9 hours before my flight, my computer crashed. With some help from my father and a teary conversation with the Genius Bar, I was able to get it restarted, at the price of my hard drive. Luckily, it seems that most or all of my files have been backed up, so I have only to deal with the odious and tedious process of redownloading everything. Today, my computer tells me it will take only seven weeks.

Regardless, I was not in the best of spirits when I left my parents (and dog) at security and boarded a sixteen hour flight from JFK to Taipei. The flight itself wasn’t bad. I settled in just after midnight and went to sleep instantly. I slept straight through take off and dinner (though the flight attendants were kind enough to leave a sticker on the back of the seat in front of me, inviting me to let them know as soon as I was ready for my meal) and woke up some seven hours later.

After another eight hours, a brief layover, and a (comparatively) short flight from Taipei, I arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where I hopped on a train toward the city. I took a cab from the train station (the driver swore that he’d use the meter) and arrived at the front door of my home and workplace for the next two (or so) weeks. I called the number I’d been given, but got no answer. Just as I was deciding on my best plan of action, three of my coworkers happened to come around the corner. They said: “Oh, you’re new! You must be Emily” and grabbed my bags and led me up the stairs to the office, where I was greeted by the HR team with a similar level of excitement and introduced to a variety of people working here in the office, as well as in centers around the country. It was incredibly welcoming and made me feel so happy to be here!

I was given a tour of the center, including the large dorm that will be my bedroom (shared with five or so other women) for the duration of my training in KL, and then sent to bed, encouraged to sleep through dinner if I wanted and make myself comfortable. After a shower and a quick nap, I was feeling a bit restless, so I did go out to a dinner of fried rice at six. I got to chat with a few people who work here in the office at varying points in their stays (ten months in, five months in, two days in). Seems like a great group of committed and friendly people. I elected not to go out to participate in a homelessness project, as jet lag was begging me to go to bed, which I did, at 8:00, only to wake up at 1:00. I dozed on and off until 6, which seemed like a somewhat reasonable time to wake up. I used the hours before anyone else woke up to phone home, and then slowly, slowly the residents of the training center came out for a breakfast of lentils (I wasn’t feeling especially hungry, so I contented myself with tea).

Everyone else who is here right now has some responsibility, but because my training doesn’t start until Monday, I am completely free. I spent the morning reading and enjoying the air conditioning in the common room (christened the Clubhouse) and, after lunch (curry and rice… yum!), walked to the train station where there is a shopping center, hoping to buy a few things. I am pretty sure I went a roundabout way, but was happy to stroll and see some of the area (although there isn’t too much around, beyond an Indian restaurant and a few kiosks, the sun was out and I was surrounded by palm trees and other green things). The walk home was brutal, though – absolutely scorching hot, so by the time I got back to the center, I could do nothing but fall onto my bed under the fan. The sunburn doesn’t appear to be too bad.

All in all, I have had a great first impression of the people here, the work they’re doing, and the center itself. I’m feeling much better about the coming year than I was before boarding the plane. I hope to get into the city this weekend when my coworkers also have some free time.