Malaysia

Brandon was on a business trip to Malaysia this past week (Mon-Fri). He got back to our house around 2:30 this morning. He decided to take the rest of the day off, we were all smiles.

B and two others went over there to check on some suppliers. One does some powder coating for them and the other(or maybe the same company) is a die casting plant. B said the working conditions in the die casting plant were pretty bad. Not much skin protection from the molten metal and safety doors that were not in use. B used to work in a die casting plant back in Kokomo so he knows what it is like to be on the line working with the metal. From all of this he is wondering what responsibility (if any) as a buyer does his company have for the safety of those workers. I think he may talk to his boss about it a bit. There may not be a whole lot they can do seeing as though there is no ownership in that company.

So the first day there was work and then the second was free to walk around. They all forgot cameras so we only have pics from B's phone. B went to the China Town section later that night. I guess those sorts of markets don't really kick into gear until later in the evening. B said the cockroaches were doing well establishing themselves in the community.

Tuesday night I talked to B on the phone and could hear quite clearly the evening prayers from the mosque next door. A strange sound to us Westerners.

The girls were of course excited about the presents they received. We all got pashminas, long scarves that the Muslim women wear around their heads. Gids came away with some pretty funky flashcards with pictures of vehicles. They have the English and Chinese translations on them. I think I might borrow them for decorating. B also gave me some Ray Ban sunglasses, we assume they are knock offs because they only cost $3. I also got a dress and the girls got some cool stickers and origami paper.

We did fairly well while he was away. I am very thankful for all our friends here who took care of us while B was away. One friend babysat the girls so I could go shopping, another family had us over for dinner, another for lunch and a play, and still another for lunch and a play. Blessings from the church family.

The only major problem I had was sleeping. I had very fitful sleep every night. You know how you sleep when you bring your baby home from the hospital? Every single noise woke me up. A few weeks ago our car was broken into while parked out front. I think that may have contributed to the unease.

Tomorrow is Saturday. Going to a giant garage sale looking for kids clothes. Oh, I just bought some new art and put it up! I'll take some pics and post those soon.