SE
Asia Update,
from Mariko see
photos below
Singapore:
Well, Britain and China had a nice child with a type A personality,
called Singapore. Unbelievably efficient,
clean, polite, organized and humid. Man, I didn't know you could sweat
24 hours a day… yeulch. (not sure
what sound that is, but it looks the way I felt.) There, we explored
open markets, harbours and all air
conditioned buildings in sight. As well as the incredibly decked-out
streets… Singapore has the MOST
Christmas decorations and lights out right now than I have EVER seen
in my life! We met up with Chris'
sisters and parents there in order to continue on with the next part
of our trip… which, a bus ride and four
plane trips later, found us in a city on the west coast of Borneo
(that's right, get out the map… don't feel
bad, I had to too!) called Pontianak.
And
what were we doing there, you ask, well, here's the story:
Pontianak:
In the 80s, Chris' parents went there as missionaries, and stayed
there for about ten years.
Pontianak is basically where Chris grew up… and ever since
they left in 92 they've wanted to go back to
visit… and through some amazing coordination that only God
could have put together, all six of them, (and
a certain Canadian friend) were able to go back at the same time!
Now,
if I thought it was hot in Singapore, then we landed on the sun
when we got to Pontianak. And a
dirty sun it was. Garbage, coconut shells, and old fruit just lie
around on the street to rot, the open sewers
next to each main street are black waters full of everything and
anything you can imagine, even people
bathing and brushing their teeth. The humid air sits oppressively
on a city begging for wind to take away
the smell. But, don't let that fool you into thinking I wasn't happy
to be there because it was such a fun
place to explore!! Markets with fish swimming in buckets in front
of you, strange looking vegetables and
fruit piled up as high as possible, the best coffee you've ever
tasted bar none, entire families on one
motorcycle, all the fried rice you could ever want, and malls with
salons that offer hour long massages for
about three dollars Canadian (you can bet we all cashed in on that)…
colours and smells and tastes
accosting you relentlessly. And the people I met at the seminary
where the Kirkleys used to work were
some of the most welcoming and friendly people I've come across
on my travels. It was crazy to feel like I
was on the edge of the world and yet be with friends that call that
place home.
We
said goodbye to the Kirkleys in Singapore the day after we met up
with our friend Jen… with whom
Chris and I spent the next two weeks beaching on a tiny island in
Malaysia (Pangkor) drinking fresh pineapple juice, snorkeling, and
sleeping, and exploring the street food stalls, malls and sites
of the vivid
capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Felt good to be a tourist again!
I was also relieved to hear that Pangkor
was not hit hard by the tsunami.
Suffice
it to say, I'm well rested (and tanned… mwahaha) and ready
to dive back into three more difficult
months of playing with children here in Joburg. Hahaha. But in all
honesty, volunteering here can be quite
challenging and emotionally draining. I've been so thankful for
the break and the time to reflect back on
what we're doing in South Africa from somewhere far removed from
the situation. Not to mention that it
was great to see people from HOME!!!!
Keep
emailing, hearing from you all keeps me going! I hope you all had
a merry merry Christmas and
enjoyed the holidays! If anyone would like to send me a large christmas
parcel please send it to the
address below! (just kidding, but seriously, if you want to write
at all, I can receive mail at this address).
For
unto us a child is born, to us a son is given… and he will
be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year… and all that jazz!
Love
Mariko
Mariko
Sugawara c/o Rosebank Union Church
PO Box 413356
Craighall 2024
South Africa
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