Back to Work

Well, dad flew out this morning, back to California, so I'm back at work today. I had such a good time w/ dad here, and I'll admit to having a lump in my throat as his cab pulled away last night. But I'm glad to be back at work and to start working on my next set of MIS modules. Until I have my deliverables done, I won't feel fully ready to come home. Yes, relationship-wise I'm ready. I miss Tony and Heidi and everyone plenty. But if someone walked into the office today and said, "Okay, you can fly home tomorrow if you want to," I would not be ready. I really want to feel like I'm leaving this organization with tools to build a much better MIS than they would have otherwise had, and those tools aren't done yet. Plus, I don't have my gifts for Randy, grandpa, or mama yet! Can't come home w/o those...

Today work has been good, and I'm hoping to have 2 modules drafted before I leave. I'm going swimming again right after work, and then I need to head to the market for some veggies for dinner. I finally got the combination of veggies just right last time, and tonight I want to see if I can duplicate the effort. I'm afraid this day to day stuff probably isn't too exciting for most of you, so I'll post a list below that I've been working on. It's a list of little things that are different here compared to the U.S. Hope you'll think it's interesting!

• The English language TV channel announces program times as “9 p.m. Hong Kong, 10 p.m. Malaysia”
• Cars always have the right of way over pedestrians (be careful!)
• “Tea” means hot tea, not iced
• Roads have painted lanes, but cars don't have to follow them; cars drive wherever on the road they want to, sometimes 2, sometimes 3 side by side, occasionally parked short term in the road
• Most electrical outlets have one plug, not two
• Common condiments on the table include white vinegar and red pepper in addition to salt and black pepper
• An average elevator is much, much smaller than in the U.S.; a person could sit down but need to fully bend her legs
• Indoor toilets that are the American style (commode, not floor model like in Europe) flush using a button on top of the tank, not a lever on the side
• “40 degrees” is super hot (people mean Celsius; ~104 degrees F)
• Milk and buttermilk are usually sold in plastic bags, not jugs or cartons
• Stairs in a single staircase differ in height and width
• “Coffee” means instant coffee
• “3” is a letter and a number
• Produce is sold by the kilo, not the piece, so if you want just one eggplant, you have to specify “one individual piece” because one means one kilo
• “Please” and “you’re welcome” are the same word