Day 7 #Kuching

Hello everyone! What a day it has been here in our last day in Kuching. This has been such an experience. This morning, we started with our usual breakfast at the hotel. By 8:30 we were on our way to go to the Sarawok Cultural Village. The only thing different about this morning from the others is that is was raining. We took our umbrellas and ponchos to go. Our trip to the village was about 45 minutes. Once we got there, we took cover. The village was very beautiful. It was raining and it was super green. 

We started our entry to the village though a bamboo bridge which about 30 feet long. Let me tell you, crossing it would have been a lot easier if wasn't so slippery with the rain. Yet, I felt so adventurous walking through it. I thought it was so cool and very pathfinder-like crossing it. 

We saw that there were real "replicas" of the different types of cultural house that were in Sarawok Malaysia. We passed a long house, we got see how the rooms were made out of, what they contained, it was interesting also using all the stairs since they were somewhat different to what you and I are use to. During the tour of the village, it stopped raining and it got humid once more. During the tour, our group used a blow torch, and visited 7 different types of houses. 

By 11:30, a dance was starting based on the traditional dances from the different tribes and culture in Malaysia. Watching the dancers do their thing on stage made me realize that there is a sense of pride when it comes to your own nation. The dancers seemed happy to represent their culture, well most of them. Each dance told a different story.  We all enjoyed it very much. After the dance show, there was a little bit of time to explore the gift shop. However, my friend Meggie and I decided to go see the South China Sea. We saw it, touched it, and it was a bit warm but none the less, awesome. I never expected to be this close to China, even if it was still many miles away. 

We then took the bus to head to Little India back in Kuching to have lunch. I got to try the famous Chicken Rice. That's all I'm going to say about the subject. We took a break, and headed to the hotel. 

At 3:45, we meet up again with the Tour Guide was going to take up to row a Sampan boat across to the other side. We decided to have 2 boats with boys against girls. In the beginning, it looked like we were behind and had no chance of winning. Rowing a boat is not as easy as it looks! there is a specific technique that took me a while to get and understand. However, we all kind of learned the technique on how to row it properly, and were able to catch up to the guys, and even win,(Girl Power). 

We got off the boat to see the Malay Village that was there. We also heard the call of prayer, it was a very interesting sound. We also saw that there are many cats, or Kuchings roaming around as well. We walked around and got to try Malay food, some of it was delicious, some of it was a bit interesting. 

We then were all given the free time to go and explore some more and go pack. My group and I headed back to the hotel and rested for a bit. 

I then received a messaged from one of the girls from Kuching SDA church we attended the past Sabbath. She wanted to see us again. 

My group then decided to meet up with them and headed for dessert. we had Gelato ice cream and just talked and chatted.  We then said headed our goodbyes and went back to the hotel. 

Overall, this day was so much fun, I'm also looking foward to our next adventure at the Longhouse. I am definitely looking forward to that. 

Blessings, 

Sandra

P.S. Never underestimate women, they might surprise you ;)

Day 6 #sweat

Hey readers! 

First of all, I am so sorry you have to read my blog with so many grammatical errors. I try my best to write correctly, however typing it through my phone at midnight with exhaustion in my body and soul almost every night does not help at all. The reason, I'm typing through my phone is because my laptop crashed. Yes, I obviously have  had bad luck with my laptop. I have to wait so I can get it fixed near home. 

Anywho, we started our Sunday morning with the usual breakfast at the hotel. We then met with our tour guide, Nicole, around 9 am. She took us on a walk to see the streets of Kuching. She gave some historical insight, some that we had learned, some that we had no idea existed.  We walked by many historical buildings that were built around the 1800's that are still there today. It was actually pretty fascinating, despite, the sweat. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against sweating, it's just that today was just a colossal amount, for everyone in the group. After today, I think we saw each other at our worst. 

We then headed to a Malaysian Cultural Muesum, where we learned about the different types of species of animals, plus the types of tribes that are in Malaysia. Unfortunately, there were no cameras allowed so I couldn't take any. We did learn that the animal that the people of Malaysia have to watch out for is the crocodile. Our tour guide told us that the last incident happened about 2 weeks ago. Pretty scary right?!? We also got to learn about the Long Houses. Long Houses are houses in where several families live together apart from civilization, and they all share work around their home. There's much more information, but you'll find out when we go to one this upcoming Tuesday. (Stay tuned) 

After the Muesum, we headed toward the Mosque that was close by. Again,it was closed and under construction. I was ready to go in, I had bought a really pretty head covering for this event. Hopefully we'll go to one later on. 

We had lunch in a little restaurant near Little India, we had Laksa. Now Laksa, is a type of soup that we first tried a while back at Dr. Perumal's home this past April. It was incredibly delicious, mind blowingly good. We tried this Laksa, it was good, but it did not match up to his. By the time lunch was over, we headed on to our next adventure, to see the Urangutangs. The Urangutangs have a preserve (not a Zoo, but out in the open) near Kuching. It was due to the fact that many of them were rescued by families that kept them from growing in their natural habitat. The place we went to was a bit farther away near a rain forest. Walking in the rain forest was beautiful. Honestly, it was every Pathfinder's dream. As we got there, we were told we had to walk to the entrance, which about almost a mile away. It didn't sound bad at all, however, the humidity was not in our favor. We were doing fine, yet there was one thing that was present always, sweat. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about getting a nice work out, yet a sweat like this , I wouldn't wish on anyone. 

As we got to the entrance, we were given the rules of seeing the Urangutangs, we then went of to wait for them to come out as they were being fed.We waited for a while. We thought none were going to show up. Luckily, we got to see at least one come out. Everyone there took pictures as we were looking drenched. 

We walked back down to the parking lot, the whole group was just soaked in their own sweat, and you know the funny thing is that it was ok. I feel like at that point, we have all seeing each other at our worst when it came to that, there was no shame. We arrived to the bus and there were water bottles with wet cold towels waiting for us. We were all so relived. Our next stop was going to be the Sunny Hill Ice Cream shop. It's an ice cream shop that is actually really famous that even people from around the world go to Kuching just to try it. Fun fact, it's owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church and all the funding goes the missions. We tried the ice cream, and it was actually pretty good. We got to cool down which was the best part . 

We were dropped off at Little India once more just to look at all the places to shop. Funny thing, I got a little lost and ended up with the guys in the group. Their way of shopping was so funny. They would even ask me for my opinion.Their idea was to buy some knock offs of different types of brands. Something that was I wanted to do as well. We then bumped into my Nikki, Zoe, and Meggie. I tagged along with them. To close the night, for dinner we had Chinese food, I think. Despite the immense type of sweat we had to face today it is  a day I'll cherish.

Blessings, 

Sandra

P.S. It just started to rain, which means more humidity. 

Day 5 #Sabbath

Hey Readers! I'm sorry for the delay! 

We started our Sabbath morning with breakfast at the hotel. Everyone dressed in a casual, semi-formal attire. (We're travelling). We then headed to the Kuching English Seventh Day Adventist Church. As we got there Dr. Perumal told us that he came to the small academy that was there when he was a kid. He basically grew up there. That was also his home church. As we went in, we were greeted in a welcoming manner, the people there were expecting us. They were in the middle of their Sabbath School. Side note: In Johor we rehearsed two songs we were going to sing for Sabbath. So during Sabbth School we then were set off to rehearse what we were going to sing. The songs we were going to sing were Amazing Grace and Doxology. We practiced, and well, it sounded good.

As the service began, we saw that the church was "moderately traditional". The church seemed really organized as well. They even had their own small choir and instrumental ensemble, which was so cool. We were introduce by Dr. Perumal to stand in place and to go and sing. We sang the two songs and surprisingly, it came out well. Considering the fact that we only rehearsed twice. I just thought that it was super adorable that everyone, despite the difference in abilities when it came to singing went up there to sing and simply praise God. 

For the Sermon, Dr. Perumal invited Matthew Reeves, Meggie Evans, and Royce Olarteto to speak and give their testimonies.  The testimonies were based off of Isaiah 55:8. They did incredibly well. I got to see how that verse impacted them when it came to their relationship with God. When the service ended, we all headed to the Potluck. We saw that there was an abundant amount of food. Also there were so many people there that wanted to talk to us and become friends with us on Facebook. I think it was the fact that we came from America, specifically the Los Angeles area. They wanted to get to know us. I even met this girl, who spoke to me about her struggles when it came to school and the Sabbath. The truth is, sometimes tests are placed on the Sabbath and unfortunately she has to miss them. This affects her grades. I was honestly in awe by her faith and strength to do that despite the bullying she's had to face as well. I also got to meet other people there, everyone was just so friendly and happy to attend us. Overall my experience there was memorable because it made me realize that our Church family stretches beyond borders. Being Seventh Day Adventist is definitely a culture within itself. I've thought about this so many times, however, it's different seeing it for yourself when you're on the other side of the world.

By 2:30, we said our goodbyes,took our vans, and left to the hotel. We were given free time until 7. I got to rest for a bit in my room.  By 4:00 pm ,some of us were already out and about to explore the city. We crossed the Sarawok river on a really old boat, super fun and it was super cheap! It was also incredibly hot, but what could we do? We took pictures then we just walked around the water front.  

By 7, we headed to Dr. Perumal's family's house. It was also one his relatives birthday, so there was at least 50 people there already. It was a party/reunion, with us in the picture as well. They had invited us for dinner. We ate with our right hand again. It was very good food, and They welcomed us so well! They wanted to feed us like crazy. They fed us so much meat,rice, and curry. I wasn't even finished with something and they would add more. They just placed it in our banana leaf plate. We also got to talk with some of Dr. Perumal's nieces and asked them about their culture . I still can't over the fact that there was so much food. Everyone got so full. Let's just say some of the guys were out (asleep) before we got to the hotel. 

After we got to the hotel, Nikki, Matt,Zoe, Meggie, and 

I, headed to explore a bit at night near the water front. Some of us even bargained. Well, that conclude my story for today!

Blessings and Happy Sabbath,

Sandra

P.S. Crossing the street like a native is harder than you think!

Day 4 #thetravel

Hey readers! Today's post will be a little short today. Most of our day consisted of traveling from Johor Bahru to Kuching, Sarawak in Malaysia. To our delight, we only stayed at johor for one day. At the hotel  I woke up to the sound of the prayer called a 5 am. Since Muslims pray 5 times a day, 5 am is one of their first calls. In JB we woke up early for breakfast. All I can say is that the breakfast at the JB hotel was amazing! We had free time to rest until 11 am to then leave the hotel to start our new journey to Kuching. We were able to take a bus to the airport. At the airport we then decided to eat lunch before checking in. When we reached security, two of us got Pat downs. It was one of the most awkward experiences of my life. When it was time to board the plane, we actually got to board the plane from outside the building. It's honestly my favorite whenever it happens.

The flight to Kuching was about an hour or so. Once arriving, we felt an slap in the face from the heat and humidity. However, we also felt that there was a different vibe here than in Johor. For some reason, it felt safer. We met up up with a tour guide and headed to our hotel in a bus. Seeing the streets of Kuching really made me realize that this place has a lot more.  Once arriving to the hotel, we left our baggage and went to dinner.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant called King's Curry (Indian Food). This time we did not have to eat from our fingers. I also got to try a drink called Mango Lassi, which was super delicious. It was a really nice time, and we really got to bond and laugh over many things. We even watched Music videos on the TV near our tables.

It was a day in which my feet were not tired so thats Now as we receive the Sabbath, I am reflecting on how this trip is going great so far, and that there is still so much more to come. *Spoiler Alert* We are going to an Adventist Church tomorrow. 

Happy Sabbath :),

Sandra

P.S. Puntuality is everything.

Day 3 #JohorBahru

Well, we are at Malaysia, at Johor Bahru to be exact. By the way it looks, it's way different.We are most definitely not in Singapore anymore. Before that, we started our day with exit the guest house with our heavy,heavy backpacks. We took public transportation plus an amount of walking. Humidity plus walking equals sweat. It was fun to do that despite the exhaustion.

Once we got to Malaysia, we decided that we all needed to exchange money. Some of us wanted to just stick with using a card. However, we tried buying a drink at Starbucks and all our cards were declined. One of friends went to get her money exchanged. The rate was 4 Malay dollars for every U.S. Dollar. However, they were offering her 3.5. She decided to not take the exchange, instead she asked one of our guy friends to go and ask for the exchange. He was offered the full amount. Interesting, I thought, I'll leave you guys to ponder upon that. After having lunch, we moved on to our hotel. You could even tell that we were in Malaysia by how the streets looked like. Getting to the hotel felt like a mission. Entering the hotel, we saw that it was very nice, plust there was wifi. 

Once we settled to our hotel, we all went a Sikh temple and a Hindu temple. Both temples asked for our shoes to be off. So out of respect for their culture and religion, we did. The Sikh temple also asked for head covering for both genders, which I saw very interesting. We had someone show us the main room/temple in which their Guru Granth was found.  I was also very impressed with the Hindu temple due to its music. While the Hindus were praying and doing their thing,there were people playing their instruments and it was honestly pretty awesome (video will be on Facebook). We were really impressed with what the musicians were doing, and they were on point. Seeing the Hindu temple made me start changing my mind about Johor. 

We then decided to explore some of the city. Johor Bahru definitely reminded me of Tijuana, Mexico. It just honestly gave me that vibe. Not to mention I thought I saw a picture with meat and cilantro and thought it was a Taqueria (Taco Place). Sadly, it was not that.After exploring, we all met up for dinner at an Indian food restaurant. The way we ate was quite different, due to the fact we ate with our right hand only, with no utensils. We got to feel the food, if that doesn't sound creepy at all, I guess.

We then went through the streets and headed toward another Hindu temple later that evening. This time we through a small dark alley to get to it. At first it was really creepy, yet what we saw was quite extraordinary. The inside of the temple was made of pure mirror glass tiles, over 5 million to be quite exact. It was smaller than the one we went to earlier, but it had its own beauty.

This day was overall very tiring, yet my friends and I are starting to learn so much about its culture and learning on how to appreciate it, and honestly the experiences we are having are priceless.

Blessings,
Sandra :)

P.S. Girls don't sweat, we usually glisten.

Day 2 #natureandculture

Hey readers! Reporting once again from Singapore. I have a feeling my feet are going to be sore every day from now on. Anyways, we started our day with a lecture with Dr. Perumal's fellow friend and colleague, Dr. Wong at the South East Union Headquarters . Dr. Wong lectured about how the Chinese came to be in Singapore. He explained the differences between a Singaporean Chinese to any other. He explained how their culture had evolved in a huge way and why they dominated in population.

Later on, after lunch, we disperse into groups to have "free time" to a botanical garden called, Gardens by the Bay. It was a beautiful sight. I tried to take pictures of all the purple flowers I could. Overall it was a gorgeous experience. I was completely mesmerized by all the amazing nature I saw and got to witness. 

As we were given "free time"during the afternoon, some of us went to dinner near the Marina Bay Sans Hotel (Hotel with a nice boat on top). We then explored the area, we realized we were definitely not in Kansas anymore, as we gazed upon the city buildings in awe. After, my friends Zoe, Nikki, Meggie, and I decided to explore the top of the hotel and enjoy the view. (The view cost us each $20, but it was worth it!) We took pictures, and definitely enjoyed the view. 

However, Dr. Perumal wanted everyone back at the guest house by 10:00pm. We calculated time and left by 9:20, you can imagine how that went. We were late. We tried our best, but we ended up with so many thingsthat prevented us from being on time. When we reached our station, we ran to the lodge. Everyone got there in time, besides us. Zoe felt super bad, since she was the TA and being late on the first night out. Now  we are packing our stuff because we are leaving Singapore and heading to Malaysia tomorrow! I guess you can say the real exploration will begin. I will try to keep you guys updated as soon as things happen. If not it is because Wifi has failed me. #firstworldproblems. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Blessings, 

Sandra :)

P.S. Trying to resist the temptation of chewing gum is hard when it's illegal in the whole city/country.

Day 1 #thefirstimpression

Hey readers! I'm reporting myself from Singapore. Yes, we are finally here! In fact we just finished our first official day here. Traveling to Singapore was a bit long though. Our flight was about 19 hours long along with a one hour layover in Tokyo. The flight had so much turbulence, however it all worked out, thank God. When we arrived to Singapore, we got picked up by two vans. They first took us to exchange money. By 4:00 am, we were at a guest house provided by the Seventh Day Adventist South East Asia Union. It took us a while to get settled. We hardly slept. Also, have I mentioned the humidity that we encountered?!?! (These days will be interesting...). We tried to get as much sleep as we can.  We all gathered by 9:00 am to start our day off going to an Islamic Mosque and to explore Singapore. Unfortunately, the Mosque we were going to attend was closed until September due to construction. We were explained that due to Ramadan ending. Moving on with the "tour", we then went to a Malaysian Heritage Museum. We were able to learn how Malaysian's culture was built and the density of it. We even got to play games that were part of the Malaysian culture.

We then go inside a Buddhist Temple, a reclining Buddhist temple to be exact. It was really small, yet it was the first temple we were going to see. I'm sure there was many more. With the vans we got to sight see many of the places that Singapore has to offer. We were able to get information from the drivers on how the city of Singapore has grown. Throughout the day, we went to two other museums, the Perunakan Museum, and the Museum of Arts. Overall today was about refreshing our minds on what we learned the past Spring Quarter. We even took the public transportation in which if you eat inside a train, you will be fined $500. (Pretty intense right?!?). Aside from that, in all honesty, we did so much today that I probably don't  remember everything in order. However, I can remember how Dr. Perumal helped me with a minor situation that was presented at the time. I lost my laptop, for like an hour. The reason why is that is thought the vans were going to continue driving us until the end of the day, so I had left it in one of them. Turns out we were going to be taking the MRT. I told Dr. Perumal and he took care of it. It was a big scare, yet I was able to get it back. It also showed me God's grace with me. Also, there were so many moments where the group would laugh and have a great time.. It was a fun day. 

Well, I'm exhausted. Stayed tuned for tomorrow's post and for updated pictures on my Facebook Album. 

Blessings,

Sandra 

P.S. Always have a fork on the side when you eat with chopsticks. 

Prologue #thedaybefore

First of all, to all who visit this page, welcome! I am super excited to share my future experiences with each of you. On this Sabbath afternoon, I am reflecting on many of the blessings God has given me. I have been given so much undeservingly. I realize that I am less than 24 hours away from traveling to Singapore and Malaysia. This trip is part of the Honors Program at La Sierra University, which I am lucky to be a part of. Yesterday, I packed all the essential stuff I need for the trip in my backpacking backpack (I know, repeated words). I hope I packed lightly and efficiently. All in all, I can't stop but think on how this trip will be like. Am I nervous, you ask? Uh yes! But to be honest, I'm also super excited. I'm sure it will be quite the experience. Prayers truly appreciated. God Bless.