Identity Crisis

So for those of you that really know me, you know that my nationality has been in question for a long time.  Am I Asian, Jewish, Mexican, Filipino, very difficult to say.  This makes it really easy to fake my nationality here in Malaysia.  Whenever I speak Malay people are always taken aback, they don't know what to think of me being able to speak their language.  According to most people, I almost look Malaysian, but not quite.  As I have been in the sun biking for quite a few months now, I have gotten a lot darker.  The other thing is, there are so many races here in Malaysia, and all of them look so different.  Just to name a few there are; Malays, Ibans, Bidayuh, Penan, Melanau, Sungai, Dusun, Katazan, Chinese, Filipino, Tamil, Nigerian, and so many more!  Anyway, I’ve been getting in the habit of telling people I’m from Sabah, the northern state on the island of Borneo.  I get tired of having to explain my nationality, because Japanese-American is the last thing that people expect me to tell them.  For some reason they just can't see it.  So I tell people I am Katazan or Dusun, it works every single time!  They generally say something like: Patut lah kamu pandai cakap bahasa.  Oh betul, mukah kamu macam orang Sabah lah!  Sometimes people don't really see it.  First they ask me, is your father white?  I say no.  Is your mom white?  I say no.  Then they ask me if there was a scandal in my family... I laugh and tell them no.  In the end though, they always believe that I am a fellow Malaysian.  After that, me being able to speak Malay is normal to them and life is good.

I also have this picture album of my family that I carry around and show my everyone.  The first thing that they always say is wow, your mom looks Chinese!  I say, well, she is Japanese, sort of close.  They then say, oh of course, of course.  Then they see a picture of Misha and they say she looks Korean, they also ask me if she is Korean.  Then they see another picture of my mom and they say she looks Chinese.  It take a few rounds of me telling them that they are both Japanese before it really sinks in with some people.  And EVERY SINGLE TIME people think Misha is my older sister by about 4 years.

Well, that is my life here in Malaysia.  I have officially integrated myself into the culture to the point that people think I am one of them.  Now I just need to ditch my super white companions and the transformation will be complete!  haha  Well have a great day and don't forget to pray!

Rainy Day

So today was my p-day and we had a great zone activity where we played badminton.  Naturally I won, and was crowned badminton champion.  It was a competitive last match, but my competitive nature kicked into gear and there is that.  Anyway, the excitement of the day came after we played.  We were all getting ready to head back when it started to rain, really hard.  Within 10 minutes the streets were an inch in water.  We were waiting it out but it wasn't looking like it was getting any better, so we just got on our bikes and left.  We are a 40 minute bike ride from our house... it was brutal.  By the time we started biking the water level was up to our feet on our bikes.  But the story gets better.  About 10 minutes into biking it starts to thunder and lighting.  As we were pulling out of a stop light, a massive thunderbolt strikes, and I thought I was going to die, because it was so close.  You could feel your hairs rise!  Anyway, the thunder was so loud that all the cars in the parking lot next to the road started going off, it was great!  It never stopped raining as we biked home, in fact it got stronger.  And every time I heard thunder, I thought I was going to die.  The water eventually got too deep for motorcycles, and then for cars.  Lucky us, we had our bikes.  It’s probably the only time I have ever been thankful to have a bike rather than a motorcycle.  Everyday I curse every motorized vehicle that passes me, as I struggle with every hill in this massive sauna called Malaysia.  Riding bikes for 2-4 hours a day is really fun.  Being so sweaty you look like you are wet is really fun.  No one we ever meet has air conditioning, so sometimes we take refuge in the ATM rooms until the police officer tries to tell us to go... but can't speak English.  So we play dumb and stay a few more minutes, it’s actually quite funny, playing the white-man-card is very effective.  Although, I am getting dark enough now that sometimes people think that I’m a native... good thing my companion is the whitest person I’ve ever met :)   Anyway, it was the most enjoyable bike ride I have ever had in my entire life, I was wet, actually felt cold, and the fastest on the road :)  Oh, and the cemetery next to our house flooded, it looks really creepy. And the last 10 minutes of the bike ride I may or may not have taken my shirt off.  I got a lot of strange looks, but I never felt more free, and cold, absolute bliss.

Jesus Christ Changes Lives

So I thought I would update the blog by saying things are going great here in Malaysia.  There is so much work to be done here that it feels overwhelming at times, but the zone is amazing and I really like interacting with them all.  I think one of the highlights would have to be the life style.  Kuching is a beautiful city with wonderful people.  I love interacting with the members here and teaching people about Jesus Christ.  It has become my life, and will be for the next 9 months more!  The beaches here are sublime.  Just last week we went to a national park called Bako, took a 20 minute speed boat ride and hiked for an hour to get to one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen!  The food is amazing, take your pick, Chinese, Malay, Iban, and even McDonalds!  Yes I finally live in a place that has a McDonalds!  I love it, never thought I would say that but I do, I love it.  Next week I go to Singapore again and I have my eye set on some Carls Junior and some Subway.

On a more spiritual note, one family that we are teaching has been sober for 1 week!  Record!  It has been so rewarding to be there every step of the way in their conversion process.  We met them 2 months ago and the changes that they have made in their life are HUGE.  I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ does make families happier, no doubt in my mind.  People respect each other more and people make better decisions when Christ is leading the way.  For those of you who are members of the church, cherish it, it is so valuable.  Any for those that are not, go find a guy in a white shirt, tie and name tag and ask him why he is happy doing what he does.

Ramadan

So next week is going to be a very special week.  I get to go back to Bintulu and see all of my recent converts!  We have a zone meeting there so we fly out next Wednesday and are there for three days.  I can't wait!  On another note, the days here have started to get hotter as the dry season is kicking into full swing.  Last Friday Ramadan started so for the next month the Muslims will be fasting.  The good part of this is ever evening at around 6:30 there are amazing street markets that pop up to serve the large number of Muslims observing the fast.  The food is delicious and cheep, what more could you ask for.  But I have to say, I will look forward to not eating fried food when I get back home.  EVERYTHING is fried here, everything.  Good thing I’m not good at getting fat :)  Anyway, my life is quite nice, I really enjoy it, hope you guys love your life too!

"Yay, I have worms!"

So as most of you know I just moved to Kuching, previously being in Bintulu.  Bintulu was a wonderful place, but one of the poorest in all of Malaysia.  As a result, most of the drinks that people offered us were made with non-filtered water.  This wasn't too big a deal until I started losing weight, quite a bit of weight.  So I consulted with the mission doctor and I will be taking de-worming medicine!  Yay, I have worms!  Maybe now I can get fat and not have stomach problems all the time :)  For all you in America that want to lose weight, I’d be more than happy to send you unfiltered water from Malaysia.  I’m sure it will work wonders, as it did with me.  I'll be getting the medicine sometime next week, and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.  I will now be taking bets as to how many worms and how long... just kidding, but really, if you want to.

Picture

From another missionary serving with Micah who wrote this home:

"We were sad that Elder Putnam got transferred but he is happy because he was made a zone leader in Kuching (bigger city in E. Malaysia) AND he is happy to be leaving the house they have lived in because it's had problems (like when heavy rains come, sewage water back up into their bath and sometimes kitchen) and they couldn't find another house that the mission could afford. The houses behind them look better than they really are.  He and elder Teh both leaving for Kuching, the other 2 elders stay put."

Zone Leader and Transfer

I am officially a zone leader now!  I just got the call and I will now be transferring to Kuching, the capitol of Sarawak, East Malaysia.  There will be like 14 people in my zone I think.  I am really excited to move there but really sad at the same time because I have so many recent converts that I would have like to spend more time with.  But, it is kind of exciting to be a zone leader.  More of a chance to go to Singapore, monthly travel to Sibu, and apparently my area is way good.  We have this member that lives in the house right behind ours and she cooks for us every day, no lie.  The elders before had to run away from her because it was TOO much food.

I leave on Monday on a 12 hour bus ride to get there!  Ugh.

Wish me luck, I will let you know how things went next Wednesday.