Browse
← Older: Found a Job!
The job hunt is officially over, and it looks like I won’t be sitting in a monotonous 9-5 office job after all.
Upon finishing my Fulbright stint teaching in Malaysia, I’ll be flying back to Hong Kong to film the next two seasons of the comedy …
Newer: Passport to the Rainforest World Music Festival →
Here’s a short tale less about the destination and more about the journey.
January:
30+ of the 50 ETAs book tickets to the Rainforest World Music Festival on a separate island called Borneo six months in advance.
Thursday:
Charlie, Janice, and I each bike from our house to the …
Police Motorcade Escort
A few of the other ETAs living near Johor Bahru and I got an official day off from school to celebrate the grand opening of a library’s “Lincoln Corner,” a place where one can learn all about the good side of the U.S. of A.
During the opening ceremony, Abe Lincoln was virtually reincarnated via a hologram projected onto smoke. Suddenly a real-life Asian Abe Lincoln steps through the smoky hologram into the audience. (I think the hologram was magically transfigured into a live modern-day Abe.) I sincerely apologise for not having a picture of the show–I was paralysed with bewilderment. Here’s a pic once we picked up our jaws off the floor:
Posing for pictures at

this publicity eventthe grand opening:After the event, a motorcade of police motorcycles escorted us to lunch with the Deputy US Ambassador to Malaysia (officially the “Deputy Chief of Mission”) at the most American restaurant around:

One of my biggest gripes with Malaysia is how much times it wastes on paperwork, ceremonies, and formalities. This is a typical example. Not only were my mentor (an English teacher at my school) and I pulled away from school for an entire day, but I was asked to bring six students to the event, seemingly for the purpose of filling the room and posing for pictures.
Now excuse me while I go complete a mandatory report that no one will ever read.
Subscribe to a weekly digest of new posts!