Weeks 19+20: MY to TH to BE

These past 2 weeks have been a flurry of travel as I spent my last week in Malaysia before heading to Thailand for a client meeting, and then finally going to Belgium, which will be my destination for the next year!

On my last day in the Malaysia office, I brought my co-workers an all-American breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup, imported from New Hampshire. I also included some apples with peanut butter, which I had been eating for breakfast the past few weeks but a flavor combination which none had heard of before. I got mixed reviews on the latter: some thought it quite tasty, others will never eat it again, but we had fun breaking bread together. Before I left my coworkers also brought some traditional Malaysian food and Aunt Annie’s pretzels to share as an afternoon snack. It was a bittersweet goodbye, as I was sad to be leaving such amazing people and wonderful friends, but it was time to move to the next place. Luckily, I had one last night in Kuala Lumpur and was joined by a few of these friends for my final dinner at a local cafeteria. This is a picture of me drinking juice from a bag: in Malaysia, they give you drinks to go in a plastic bag expertly tied with a straw, something that I had never seen before. I was told that this is great for motorcyclists, who can hang those bags from their handlebars and lean down for a sip at stoplights!

Next stop was a 5 day layover in Thailand to meet with my client there. While it was fairly uneventful, I did enjoy the company of my colleague Vivien (from China) and we got some foot massages while talking over the day’s progress. The client also surprised us with some Mango Sticky Rice, my favorite Thai dessert, amidst all the delicious Thai food I was privy to eating. They also gave us desserts in the shape of ducks which were like gelatinous coconut milk. Sadly, the king of Thailand passed away on my final day in the country, so there is now a historic event to mark my departure from one of the most beautiful and friendly countries I’ve had the privilege of visiting.

Finally, I arrived in Belgium and was greeted warmly by my coworkers there. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of bread and cheese (which I had been missing greatly while in Asia) followed by remarkable Belgian chocolate, before I headed to my apartment to fight jet lag. I will be spending a full year in Belgium, working as usual but going on adventures in the Europe area now. Because I have longer here, my weekends will no longer be packed with a trip every weekend, so my blog posts will continue, but less frequently. However, stay tuned as I plan to seek out the history and culture of this continent to the best of my ability, so this is not the end!