Last night in KK!

Yes us locals don't bother with Kota Kinabalu just KK! Anyway for some reason Emily and I are the only ones left now and we head up into the mountains at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. It has been quite a long, hard week with lots of things to absorb and take on board about our role as "mentors". We seemed to finish at 6pm most evenings when it was dark and then we were all too exhausted to do anything. However before you feel too sorry for me, there were our excellent lunches, coffee and tea breaks with fresh fruit and homemade pastries to revive us! On Friday morning the Ministry of Education representatives were there with the headteachers and then we all had lunch together. My headteachers are all women about my age. The first thing they wanted to know was what religion I was and how old I was! My schools are quite mixed - I have Chinese, Malay and a large majority of the ethnic community Kadazandusun, who tend to be Catholic. Today was my first free day and Emily (who is also based in Ranau with me) and I decided to visit the island of Gaya which is a nature reserve not far from KK. We passed a large water village which apparently is full of refugees and illegal immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines  The island was idyllic apart from all the other tourists and the two very aggressive monkeys that decided they wanted to search our bags for food and weren't in the slightest bit afraid of us! Tonight we are going for a wander round the street market and pack our bags for the morning.

Kota Kinabalu

The first day of the induction course is over and although it was long, it was interesting and I now have a new lap top and a fancy backpack to keep it in, my own Malaysian account and lots more information about the job and the Malaysian education system. The minister was unable to come after all so we had his deputy to explain the curriculum and the new project and the huge investment the Malaysian government are making to improve English in the lower primary schools - the children are expected to do 5 hours a week of English and this is all for the competitive future of Malaysia. We are a small group on the course of many nationalities. The other members of the team are already installed and working and we seem to be last dregs of the team. We are Zimbabwean, American, Canadian, British, French (sort of ?!) and everyone seems to have lived all over the world.
The Hyatt Regency is by far the smartest, poshest hotel I've ever stayed in. My "suite" is huge with mirrors and glass everywhere as well as a balcony. I haven't managed to benefit from the gym and sauna yet but i had a nice swim this evening after the course was over. There hasn't been any time to really explore Kota Kinabalu but I did eat last night at a street market. The Malay people seem very charming, friendly and polite. We leave the luxury of the hotel on Saturday and I will be going off to find out what Ranau is like. So far so good!

Last Evening at La Ferme des Vallots

It would have to be one of those beautiful evenings after being cold and rainy all week. The swallows were diving around and the farm was bathed in the evening sun. I dug up some potatoes and a few courgettes and looked in horror at the weeds growing in the vegetable garden. The last two weeks have been busy but gardening wasn't top priority! So I think I'm packed - just got to decide how many pairs of shoes to put in and what to wear tomorrow and then that's it. I'm sure there is something I've forgotten but I will be able to buy things over there. Yesterday was exciting as I now know where I'm going to be based - a small town called Ranau, which is set in the mountains and is a gateway for the National Park of Mount Kinabalu. It is a cooler climate where they grow tea and  vegetables so a few pullovers have been added to my case. The photos around it look wonderful so we shall see. I also got my immigration letter written in Malay and English and to my surprise I'm described as a "foreign expert".We will be based in the Hyatt Hotel at Kota Kinabalu for the first week and  the first day we are going to be presented to the Education Minister of Sabah and have been told to be smart and well covered. It looks like I will be having a driver until I feel able to cope with the roads - this is going to be a very surreal experience I think! Anyway the flight is at midday and Andrew, Gen and Tanya are driving me to Paris to see me off -  Patrick is working sadly. Thanks everyone for all your good wishes.  Au revoir.

Farewell party

"Yes I'll do a blog" I said, never having looked at one or knowing what it was exactly but feeling that it was something people did when they went travelling. So here we go, I've created my account despite my family thinking I was incapable and here I am writing this morning after my farewell party when everyone else is asleep. What can I say except I was really touched by seeing everyone last night and how much I'm going to miss them all. In fact everything is so normal I feel like a fraud having everyone's attention and receiving all these presents and good wishes. I now have 2 wind up lamps, sting relief, mosquito spray, a leather bound journal, a silk sheet bag and a t-shirt covered in lots of good wishes and wise sayings. The loveliest thing though was having all my wonderful family there. They have all been so supportive and good about me going away because I suspect like me they can't really imagine it either. I'm trying not to think too much about the things I'm going to miss like Lisa moving house and Gen's start at university. They are all so independent and so good at coping I'm sure they will be fine. Phoebe,(dog) is the one who IS dependent on me and I feel guilty already about how she will cope and I can only hope that my departure won't be too traumatic. Anyway, normality continues for another 2 weeks and apart from vacinations, packing etc... there will not be anything of note to add I hope.