Just Life

I guess you could say we have officially "settled" in Malaysia. Our weeks are flying by and we anticipate the weekend, just like over in the states. I know I don't "work" over here, but somehow I manage to stay busy all day!
Hiring a driver has probably been the biggest change in our ability to come and go. Most weekdays our driver will take Jeff to work at his temporary offices in Johor Bahru, then come back to the house and get me to run errands. This has allowed me to shop at more than ONE grocery store and have UNLIMITED options for other trips. I usually head over to Singapore at least once a week. I have found a doctor, dentist, hairdresser and dry cleaners over there, so it seems like I can always find an excuse to make that short trip!
Speaking of our driver...I am REALLY enjoying having someone else do the navigating. I can assure you that it is a true necessity to have a driver in this country; but having said that, it also is just very relaxing to give him an address and sit back and enjoy the scenery or read my newspaper while he navigates us there. And even BETTER than that is when I am ready to be picked up, I just text him and he shows up immediately, helps me put my stuff in the car and drives me home. No more trying to remember where you parked your car, or pushing your full cart out to the car (possibly at the end of the parking lot). He comes to ME!! I have to admit, I will really miss this part of my life in Malaysia when we return to the states in a few years. I am sure Jeff would not pay for me to have a driver in America:)
Earlier this week I was invited to a coffee held each month for the International Women's Association of Johor. It is a way that expat women from all over the world can get together and connect for social and networking purposes. The membership currently has women from 20 countries. At the coffee I met two lovely ladies from South Africa who had moved over here about the same time we did last year, and I really enjoyed finding out about their experiences.
Along with the "easy" parts of my life over here, come the "I-want-to-pull-my-hair-out", exasperating parts of life in Malaysia. That would include ANYTHING that has to do with workmen coming to your house. For instance, if lawn people say they will be there at noon on Monday. They just don't show up. So I text the owner, he doesn't text back. After a few days (of me REPEATEDLY texting or calling) he will text back and say they will be here tomorrow at 10. POSSIBLY they will show up--around 11:30--and then the lawn will get mowed. Now multiply this by 10 and that is what EVERY maintenance call is like! (In defense of my pool cleaners, they have NEVER missed a day--Monday, Wednesday, Friday--like clockwork:) I really miss being able to communicate with workmen in English (most speak VERY little) and I am anxious to be back in a country where the "customer" is always right. Oh well, life goes on.